Happy Blogiversary, Chic Shopper Chick!

Hey there CSC readers!

Wow, it’s seriously INSANE to think that one year ago today I woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, and had this crazy idea to start writing this blog thing.  I can still remember exactly where I was sitting when I wrote it, and you can even go back and read my very first post if you’re interested.  I was now the author of a blog.  About shopping.  Oh, and wouldn’t it be cool if people would like, READ it and stuff?  My friends were constantly bugging me to know where I found these awesome products, accessories, pieces of clothing – you name it – and I was even getting stopped in the grocery store on a regular basis so that people could inquire about my shirt/baby carrier/necklace/shoes.  So I just thought – maybe if I wrote it down in blog form (blog form?  Is there such a thing?) then I could just give my friends the URL and they could read about it for themselves.

You know what’s funny?  My friends didn’t read it.  Nope, not one of them.  And they STILL bugged me about where I got my cool stuff.  *Sigh* Is there no rest for the chic?

You know what else is funny?  Other people did read it.  Like, people I didn’t know.  Isn’t that crazy?  I was so excited just to get my first comment!  And no, it wasn’t from my mom.

Things took off.  I had my first custom design done on my Blogger blog and I found my now-signature Chic Chick up there at the top.  When I eventually moved to WordPress and had another redesign done in October, I asked my designer, Emily to incorporate the Chic Chick into this design too – I’m sure she’ll always be around.

Oh, and people were still reading Chic Shopper Chick!  A little ole blog written by lil ole me.  Who woulda thunk it?

Since then…

I’ve run countless giveaways, written hundreds of posts, and responded to thousands of emails and comments.

I made the most amazing lifelong friends in the process, women I would have never met otherwise became close friends, partners in crime, and confidants.

I attended Blog World Expo in Las Vegas, and more recently SxSWi in Austin.  If I hadn’t started blogging, I would have never had that opportunity.

I kicked myself for creating a name like “Chic Shopper Chick” which so many people struggle to say, but is great to make a joke out of now!  You’d be surprised at how many people can’t pronounce “chic” (sheek), for the record.  I’m ALWAYS called the Chick Shopper Chick.  But hey, you can’t win them all.

I’ve received emails addressed to Ms. Chick — those always make me laugh.  Especially since my name is on my About page.

I was asked to be a Wal Mart Eleven Mom!  (More on that soon, I promise!)

I was asked to join Frito Lay in their “Only In A Woman’s World” campaign as part of the Fabulous 15.

I became addicted to Twitter.

I was featured on 100 interviews!  (Go check it out!)

I even recently started co-hosting a weekly radio show with my close friend Audrey called Feel Good Fashion!

….all of that, in just a year.  I can’t wait to see what exciting things this year holds.  A huge thank you to everyone who reads or has ever read Chic Shopper Chick for your love and support!  Keep reading, and I promise this year will rawk even more than our first year!

xoxo,

Gossip Girl

Erika

Skin is In!

Music Skins, that is.  (What?  You clicked, didn’t you?)  When I was at SxSW (thanks to my friends at Tiny Prints), my friends Tara, Christine, and Lori introduced me to the owners of Music Skins – and I discovered what a cool product these guys had!  Music Skins come in all kinds of cool designs, and they are made of the highest quality 3M vinyl.  Basically it means you can stick and restick and restick and restick and restick your skin without it ever being any less…urm…sticky.  I witnessed it first hand – no yuck residue, no fighting to peel it off.

I put this funky little design on the back of my iPhone, and I love it.  It’s just spunky enough, it’s PINK, and it’s a bit edgy.  A good fit for me, no doubt!  Oh, and guess what?  I managed to get the inside scoop while I was there, and soon you will be able to design your very own Music Skins with your photos, designs, logos, etc.  I am definitely going to be desigining a Chic Shopper Chick skin for my iPhone.  What will you design?

Fashion is Life!

I had an incredible week at SXSW Interactive (a huge shout out to Tiny Prints and Wedding Paper Divas for sponsoring me!) hanging out with some of my closest friends, and meeting lots and lots of new ones.  I learned a ton, and did I mention that I had a blast?  Cause I totally did. There will be lots of posts coming at you this week, as I need to buckle down and refocus/recover, but in the meantime I wanted to do a quick post to tell you that I am still alive, and also to share with you my epiphany of the week.  Are you ready?

Are you sure?

Ok, here it goes…

I realized this week that I am a fashion/style/beauty girl at heart.  It’s my passion, it’s what I love, and it’s how I thrive.  So I’m going to start trying to incorporate even more of those things into Chic Shopper Chick.  I’m ready, I’m excited, and I’m pumped up about it.

What do you think?  Share your thoughts with me in the comments!