thankful Thursday: my LuLaRoe business

I usually look "hard" for my LuLaRoe photos, but once in a while, you can see a smile creep up in those moments when I realize that playing dress up is my JOB. I am so thankful for 

the opportunity to own a business. Not everyone can start something like this. My family and friends have been incredibly supportive by shopping with me, assisting me with all kinds of tasks, and offering words of encouragement. 

I never, ever thought I would be working from home. I have a master's degree, and I had a great career in that field before I moved to Georgia. My life has taken a different path, and I am so thankful that I discovered LuLaRoe and considered starting my own mobile boutique. 

Working whenever I want to, wherever I want to is perfect for our crazy life. I can go and do anywhere, anytime with my husband. I can book pop-ups and do online sales when Zack is at work; I can visit family in North Carolina while doing pop-ups for people there; I can take off two weeks to travel with Zack if I'd like to. Not only is my schedule 100% flexible, but when I do work, I LOVE what I do! 

I was absolutely a LuLaRoe addict before I became a consultant. These clothes are amazing! I looked professional and felt comfortable in my Irma tunics and maxi skirts, and I could easily play on the floor with my students. Now, I wear maxi skirts, Amelia dresses, and Cassie skirts to church, Cassies and Julias on dates, Cassies and classics, Julias, or leggings and Irmas for running errands. Can you tell that my favorite is the Cassie skirt?! I discovered LuLaRoe at the perfect time in my career and personal life. I had been dressing up way more than my coworkers, but I still had a desire to look professional and needed to be a bit more comfortable. I felt like the play clothes in my closet were starting to look kind of young for me, and I was about to make the transition from single twenty-something to stay at home wife pushing thirty (who knew?! not me). 

Now, I get to meet new people in my (still kind of) new city and share awesome clothes with them. I get to style outfits for people!!! I get to reconnect with acquaintances online and in person and help them find clothes they love. I am so thankful for this opportunity! 

Now, for the photos. This is a sampling of what I post every day--these particular photos show how I have integrated my Hand Me Down Style with LuLaRoe items. Of course, I have my own unique spin on styling LLR! 

I get this from my mom! We have so much fun together when I do pop-ups in North Carolina and she gets to tag along. I wish I had her helping me all the time!! 

Follow along with my daily styling posts on Instagram @lularoe.kathrynschmidt and on Facebook via my page LuLaRoe Kathryn Schmidt and my shopping group (where I usually post a little more in-depth about each day's outfit and also post items like these for sale during flash shopping opportunities once-twice per month). 

Contact me to have my mobile boutique come to your house! lularoe.kathrynschmidt@gmail.com

I continue to post all kinds of snaps of my life on my personal Instagram @kathrynschmidt! 

oversized Julia + Sarah

The Julia dress is one of my favorite LuLaRoe pieces. When I saw this print, I immediately had to have it! Since it is two sizes larger than what I normally wear in that style, I added a belt and a Sarah cardigan. I love how it turned out! 

LuLaRoe Julia dress // LuLaRoe Sarah cardigan // HMD belt // Jack Rogers Palm Beach Sandal

I got even more daring this time and went up three sizes in this Julia dress. It's so comfortable that I may be reaching for this size all spring and summer! When it heats up, I'll ditch the extra layer and roll the sleeves. 

LuLaRoe Julia dress // LuLaRoe Sarah cardigan // HMD scarf // Jack Rogers Palm Beach Sandal

For more of my LuLaRoe outfits, follow me on Instagram @lularoe.kathrynschmidt! 

To snag some LuLaRoe clothes for yourself, host a pop-up in the Raleigh, NC area or northeast GA or shop online with me! 

hand me down honeymoon part three: patriotic date night

Since our wedding was a week before July 4, we wore quite a bit of red, white, and blue on our honeymoon. I always love wearing patriotic outfits all week before Independence Day. Zack was a good sport and joined me.

This particular day, we had been snorkeling. I was reading on the porch when Zack came out all cleaned up and asked me out on a date. This was only like our third date, so I was pretty excited. Most of our relationship has involved spending time together with our families and living in different states, so it almost feels like we are just starting to date each other.

We took the boat out to eat dinner then sat on the water and watched the sunset. 

K: Just Madras skipper dress (here too) // Jack Rogers sandals

Z: Polo Ralph Lauren shirt // Chubbies shorts

bridesmaids luncheon

I had the perfect bridesmaids luncheon last weekend, hosted by friends of my mom. We had a nice lunch at the country club, and I got to spend time with family and close friends. 

My nephew was the only boy there, so we had a mini photo shoot. 

He was jazzed to be there. But really, he behaved so well! 

He's only three months old and looks exactly like my brother. It's like watching my own (older) brother grow up! Wild! 

I'm thankful that these pals were there! It was pretty unreal that it was exactly a week before our wedding. How do people endure longer than a six month engagement?! I can't wait!!! 

engagement photos

We've been planning, postponing, and rescheduling for months, and we finally got to take some photos with our wedding photographer! I'm not crazy about the idea of engagement photos, but of course, she convinced me that we needed practice taking pictures together before the wedding. Truthfully, the first photos I took with Krista were my bridal portraits, but those are still secret for now. I may schedule some for just after the wedding if I can convince Zack not to peek at the scheduled posts. 

We had so much fun with Krista at the airport! I'm so glad we went there because it's really where our love story took place. I can't believe I have never written our love story here! I will have to do that soon, but basically we fell in love in and around airplanes. 

This time, I started planning our outfits with what Zack would be most comfortable wearing and look nice in, then planned mine accordingly. Keeping it simple helped. That's my bit of advice for engagement photo outfit planning--plan the man's outfits first and keep it simple. Outfit details are at the bottom of the post. 

All photos by Krista Joy Photography. 

K: Waccamaw Pearls // Anthropologie top // J. Crew 3" chino shorts // Jack Rogers Palm Beach sandal 

Z: Southern Proper shirt // Over Under belt // Onward Reserve shorts // Sperry shoes

K: Moon and Lola earrings // Anthropologie dress // HMD bracelet // Jack Rogers Napa Valley Navajo 

Z: Onward Reserve shirt // Over Under belt // Dockers pants // Clarks shoes 

J. Crew chino shorts: red and blue

Last Wednesday, my mom and I went to the farmer's market to eat lunch and search for a plant like the one she had last year (seen here). I've looked a few times this summer, and we haven't been able to find one. 

We had an (always) delicious #notpaleo lunch at the NC Seafood Restaurant and picked up some peaches. 

Dan will eat anything. 

Ray-Ban Original Wayfarer Classic sunglasses // HMD earrings from Mom // Polo shirt // HMD scarf belt from Mom // J. Crew 3" chino shorts // Jack Rogers Napa Valley Navajo