Started From the Bottom Now I'm Here







Check me out! In 2014, I was the intern at The Decorative Arts Center of Ohio. Now in 2016, I'm the Museum Gift Shop Manager at that same museum. It's crazy how much can change in 2 years.

I love this job, how much easier your life is when you enjoy what you do! This past weekend was opening weekend for our new exhibition: Edith Head and Company, and what an exciting weekend it was! This is going to be a crazy, wonderful summer!

xo,

KJB

Flashback Fashion Friday: White Dress




Here's to my FIRST Flashback Fashion Friday to last summer... and my favorite summer must have:

A White Dress....











I have a thing for white dresses. I don't know what it is... Actually that's a lie, they make me look tan, so naturally why wouldn't I want that?! Plus when you wear white-- you can basically wear whatever jewelry you want! I included some of my favorite gold pieces. A hat in the summer is a must as well!




I have a plethora of white dresses, that sprinkle my summer wardrobe. A short dress, a maxi and a high-low or a mullet, whatever you choose to call it!

Sweet Summertime!

xo,
KJB

KJB, The Summer Intern's Final Review


Last Wednesday was my last day at my internship. Last Friday I turned in my internship materials. And like that my summer is over! The past 11 weeks have been an incredible experience. My placement at th Decorative Arts Center of Ohio was right out of a movie, like the stars aligned to make it so. I seriously had the best time this summer, and it easily surpassed all expectations.


My summer at DACO helped me realize that my last few years at The University of Akron have proven to be useful, and that I've been working towards my future for awhile now. Last semester I took New Venture Creation- in which we had to get into groups and create a new business idea, made easier by my taking, Introduction to Entrepreneurship in the fall, in which we had to do the same thing, the only difference with this class was my group was chosen by the professor to compete in a competition comprised of other Northeastern Ohio universities where we had to not only present to our peers and their mentors but also to a panel of investors. Which made speaking to total strangers this summer a breeze.


The sewing classes I assisted with were made easier by my quiltmaking class I took this past spring. Being I was already made aware of everything a sewing machine could do making helping and teaching children how to sew that much easier. My Strategic Merchandise Planning course from the fall also proved useful when working in the museum gift shop. Finally, the many Qualtrics surveys I've made in my countless business classes made making my final project testimonial questions that much easier.

Meeting Randall Thropp, the curator and spending my summer learning about Edith Head, further exasperated my aspiration of becoming a costume designer. And the encouragements I received from total strangers and other volunteers further excited me and reminded me that humanity isinherently   good. How could it not be when total strangers are wishing you well and future success.


This summer I was able to go to the Princess Diana exhibition in Cincinnati and it was truly amazing. Then following the Charles James exhibit at The Met in Anna Wintour's Costume Center in NYC on the internet. I was able to leave my bubble and mind and see that there are many avenues to success. And further accept that at 22, when I graduate I don't need my dream job right out of college. It takes awhile to become the person you're meant to be, so why wouldn't your dream career be the same? I have plenty of time to have multiple jobs, live in multiple places on my way to the dream job. Why can't I be a costume designer? And have my own boutique? Why can't all of my favorite things: clothes, music, books, coffee, art all be under the same roof?


My only limit is me. 
Therefor...
The limit does not exist. 

"Don't trust anyone that says your dreams are too big"

xoxo
KJB



ORIGINALLY POST AUGUST 2014

A Successful Day in the Frigid North








Three Best Friends that Anyone Could Have
The best thing about coming back to the frigid North was getting to be in town for UA's Fraternity and Sorority Life's Songfest, that they put on every spring and that I haven't been to since before I graduated...

My sisters received a lot of awards, well deserved, the biggest one being First Place Sorority Act, seriously they killed it, honestly-- I was in serious awe. My sister's are amazing. Another being an award for Most Alumnae [in attendance], Alpha Gamma Delta kill that competition every year and I am so excited that I count to be a part of that. And I mean getting to partake in some epic brunch was another great thing.

Afterwards, Jen drove me half way home, seriously she's a rockstar where my mom picked me up and took me back to reality...

My Florida vacation was over, and I officially had to be the adult that I've been pretending to be.

xo,
KJB

Hardest Goodbye





Have you ever had to say goodbye to a magical land, that's somehow ALWAYS sunny, always 75 or above and always ready for whenever you want to start your day? Wanna wake up at 8am, cool! Wanna sleep in until 11am, excellent! Wanna go to the pool? Wanna go to the beach? Wanna go to the jute?! All excellent options and all under 25 minutes away... Why would anyone ever leave this paradise... Seriously, that's not a rhetorical question, I'm genuinely asking-- why do people live in basically uninhabitable places like the northern half of the United States, never mind anywhere that doesn't have direct access to a beach?!

Well imagine my sheer jealousy that Jen's parents decided to NOT fly back with us on Saturday, but instead stay until that next Wednesday, and fly back Thursday morning, THIS IS WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF?! Seriously, her parents are such goals!

Almost immediately after we left her house on Saturday morning, with the exception of the Starbucks trip-- I wanted to go back to her house and just lounge by the pool all day. And yet, we flew back to Akron, Oh, where we were greeted by our sorority sister and snow.

xo,

Lane Bryant Bikini




If you don't think this is hilarious, you're wrong







I've never felt more confident and cool in a bathing suit in my life. I'm a big girl, always have been, probably always will be... Because I like to eat and I don't really care for exercise, like I'll go through spurts where I'm all about fitness, but I would make rather lounge in my leggings than work out in them and that's alright.

This is my body and my life and this suit is the perfect juxtaposition of that. It's a gorgeous and comfort top from this year's swimsuit line and the bottoms are a simple, black, high waisted bottom from last year's.

I love myself and the joy that comes from that, and these pictures show who KJB is... a California girl that will always love the beach!

#ThisBody

xo,
KJB

My Florida Aesthetic





Naturally, Jen and I each took large bags- please see here. I mean we could have transported small humans and instead we took a shit ton of clothing that never got worn. I mean- after being in the sun all day, why would you need to dress up... I'm older now, wiser, and my next trip... will probably have the same amount of unnecessary clothing because I am an over-packer.

I swear, I packed some of the cutest clothes because I wanted my vacation aesthetic to be cute AF. But ya know, you live and you learn and you end up coming back from 89 degree weather to 39 degree weather and have to out away clothing that you can only dream of having the opportunity of wearing... and by putting away, I mean I have a pile of clothes on my floor 4 weeks later because of the kind of person that I am.

Anyways, next time I'm in Florida, wishful thinking- I'll wear more than a 1/3 of what I packed and take some epic photos.

xo,
KJB

Flashback Fashion Friday: January 2021

January 2021 was honestly a continuation of 2020... it was such a long ass month. At the end of the month, there was a power outage that las...