Pinning with Purpose

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I love that I am a woman. Yes, I do! I thought being pregnant would make me hate it, but it actually has made me more proud. Granted, I may say something different while delivering a baby, but I bet afterward I'll be even MORE proud that I am a woman. haha. Well, I say all of this because I've teamed up with Juicy Couture and to help raise money for Step Up Women's Network, a non-profit devoted to empowering underprivileged teen girls through mentorship and after-school programs. A big part in believing in yourself and achieving personal goals is surrounding yourself with people that believe in you too. If I didn't have the support of teachers, friends, family and other mentors in my life I wouldn't be where I am today.

So, how exactly am I using Pinterest to raise money? Well, every time I use the hashtag #girlskickass and pin something to this inspiring board Juicy Couture will donate $1 to Step Up.

If you want to help in this effort you can repin any of the images on the board leaving the hashtag intact OR you can get on Twitter and tweet about being proud to be a woman or share about inspiring women in your life. Just make sure to include the hashtag #girlskickass and @JuicyCouture. Too easy to be true? Check out InStyle's write up of the campaign, click here.

On To Baby Feature

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Happy Monday! I hope you had a fabulous weekend. These days I've been spending a lot of time catching Zzzz's now that I'm in the home stretch of my pregnancy. But even though I've been sleeping a ton, many fun things have been happening.

Today, I'm happy to share with you that my maternity photo session with Gina Meola Photography is featured on On To Baby today! This is a blog curated by the wonderful team and VERY popular wedding blog, Style Me Pretty.

I'm so thankful that they love the photos as much as I do! Hopefully, future clients of mine will be featured on here as well for their maternity sessions.

Love You

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Happy Friday! Today, I'm not just celebrating the start of the weekend, but myself. Yep, I'm lovin' on myself. Have you ever noticed that people have the HARDEST time paying themselves compliments? We don't ever want to come across as arrogant, of course, so I think that causes us to rarely pat ourselves on the back and show ourselves a little love.

Well, a friend of mine that I met last January at Alt Summit, Jessica Reasons, has a beautiful blog where she shares her style and latest likes, and recently she started a weekly post called "Love You." Every Friday different people in the blogging community and in her life share what they love about themselves. What an amazing idea, no? She asked me to be a part of it, and so today I'm sharing on her blog the things that I love about myself.

Go on over and check it out (click here), and definitely take a moment to click through her blog and AMAZING jewelry designs. This girls is so creative and beautiful!

Win a Trip to New York Fashion Week

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New York City Fall Fashion Week is the biggest fashion event in the U.S. hands down! So, of course, it is my DREAM to one day be there for all of the shows and rub shoulders with my favorite designers. What if I told you that dream was handed to me on a silver platter - or rather on a silver can of Diet Coke? Well, it was, but baby girl Evjen has decided to make her due date happen at the VERY same time. Don't even get me started on HOW tragic this is to me. I'm holding fast to the truth that my baby girl will be better than any fashion event in my lifetime, but it's not the easiest to swallow. haha.

BUT, just because I can't go that definitely doesn't mean YOU can't. In fact, if your dream is the same as mine you can make it a reality by entering into a contest to win a trip to Fashion Week and an invitation to Glamour Magazine and Diet Coke's Live event where you will be able to rub shoulders with major fashion designers like Zac Posen, Cynthia Rowley, and L’Wren Scott. YEP! No lie! Here are the dets...

 

DIET COKE'S TAKE ME TO NYC CONTEST

Diet Coke has been a huge supporter of the fashion industry, and this year is no exception. To celebrate Diet Coke's new look, they teamed up with The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Target  to launch the Diet Coke Young Designer's Challenge where young designers have a chance to design a graphic that celebrates Diet Coke and have it sold in Target stores. What an awesome opportunity, no? PLUS, they'll have their designs judged by Zac Posen, Cynthia Rowley, and L’Wren Scott. So, they are extending the celebration to YOU by giving you a chance to win a trip to the unveiling of the winning design and obviously that means fashion week.

SO, how do you enter???

1. Using your new found addiction to Pinterest, create a fall style board showcasing FOUR of your favorite fall looks for this coming season. You can check mine out to see an example. With each look you add to your board put the hashtag #takemetoNYC in the details section for each pinned item along with your description.

2. Repin the gorgeous and now permanent new look of the Diet Coke can from Diet Coke's Pinterest board and add it to your fall style board, http://pinterest.com/dietcokeus/.

3. You have until August 18th to enter the contest via Pinterest. Four winners will be selected to attend the September 5th Glamour/Diet Coke event and flown to NYC for Fashion Week. =)

It's THAT easy! Don't miss your chance to win your DREAM trip! AND, to make sure there are no sore losers, I also have 10, yes TEN, 12 packs of Diet Coke ready to give away to those of you that enter. SO.....create a board and then leave a comment with a link to your board in the comments section of this post OR tweet me a link to your board, @alexevjen. Good luck!

*This post has been sponsored by Diet Coke*

Maternity Outfits I Love

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I've had a couple requests come may way over the past month to share some of my favorite maternity outfits...Ask and you shall receive! I created several different mood boards appealing to a variety of fashion styles - feminine, preppy, rocker, etc. In each set I have sprinkled maternity clothes with non-maternity clothes because I, personally, have found that sometimes just going up a size or two in regular clothes fits me better than actual pregnancy fashions. It's just a matter of trial and error.

These sets also include a lot fall trends such as leopard, peter pan collars, black leather and gold. There is no reason pregnant women can't enjoy all of the fun fashion trends like the rest of the ladies out there. Embrace your bump, get comfortable bras and underwear and then go to town shopping!

PREPPY PREGGO - Cardigan, skinny jeans and a peter pan collared blouse...This is the perfect outfit for the city prep. When you're pregnant your balance is a bit off, so flats are usually my shoe of choice for shopping and errands. Adding a touch of color to your lips is a stylish and fast accessory that doesn't take much thought too.

preppy preggo

ROCKIN' THE BUMP - There's nothing more comfortable than cotton when you're pregnant. So, a simple long t-shirt, stretchy leggings and a killer jacket create an EASY and COMFY look that is completely on trend. Accessorize with chunky jewelry and an awesome purse.

rockin' the baby bump

PRETTY & PREGNANT - Above, I mentioned that cotton is the best fabric to wear when pregnant, so this jersey dress is a beautiful, comfortable option too. With a tie around the waist to accent your bump, a statement necklace to draw attention back up to your face and a simple cardigan to cover any arm bulges, you are set for date with your love or brunch with your girl friends.

pretty and pregnant

METRO MATERNITY - I feel like I lived in maxi dresses throughout my pregnancy, so this outfit combination is most like my style. This fall take a cropped sweater and put it over your favorite summer maxi dress to keep warm and stay fashionable. Add a scarf, some awesome shoes and other accessories and walk out the door.

Metro Maternity

Have more style requests? Feel free to ask! Send me an email (alexandra@avestyles.com) or leave a comment here.