Ashley from Striped Anchor - Nordstrom Winner

Congrats to Ashley of Striped Anchor, for the winner of the Nordstrom gift card giveaway! After reading through everyone's stories, goals, and creative ideas, Ashley stood out to me the most. Mainly because her goals were simple and to the point. 

They don't put too much pressure on you mentally, which makes them easier for you to accomplish and create even more goals for yourself. One step at a time is how life should be, however I loved reading through everyone's goals and ideas for this year. It was hard to choose and Thank you for sending them in.

I also enjoyed her background story and she is from Chi-town! Hey girl Hey....

Her style is classy, chic, and I want to say mod. I love it! 

She wrote:

"My goals & ambitions for 2015 are pretty simple, being a better person than I was in 2014 & I wanna travel more, take risks, release a part of me that no one's ever seen before, in a positive aspect of course. And pushing myself beyond the limits, blogging more, networking, getting my name out there & not holding back."
 

"I'm from Chicago as well, been here all my life, I have a few fashion icons but my top one would be my grandmother, Dollie. Growing up with her she influenced me a lot, not just with fashion but being a lady over all. She was the sweetest, most giving person ever. Her style was very classy & I've always liked that..."

"During my high school years I was teased constantly about how I looked. Particularly my nose. It use to be hard for me to even talk about it with people. I was called nasty names & would go home crying. My grandmother knew what was going on & told me "Simple minded people talk about others, smart people talk about thoughts & ideas."

"She always made me feel better, I was worn torn when she passed away at the end of my freshman year. I began to dress inappropriate & "fast". Attracting the wrong attention, it wasn't until I was about 19 or 20 & just decided to change my look. It was like she had been looking down at me & gave me a wake up call."

"So I began to cover up more & act like a young lady as I was taught by my grandmother. Besides that hallmark story lol, I get inspired all over! From traveling to work on the bus, to grocery shopping at the store. Just seeing a simple floral arrangement could peek inspiration." 

"Which actually happened! This young lady that I follow wrote a comment on my blog stating that I inspired her to create one. And that's what it truly is about for me, not the number of followers, how many likes I received, but to inspire & make another person feel good!"  

 A few looks from Ashley's blog:

"It's not just in TV or magazines, social media. Inspiration is literally everywhere & that's also why I started a blog. To showcase my creativity & to inspire others. Not just fashionably but even if it inspires someone else to start one. 

Which actually happened! This young lady that I follow wrote a comment on my blog stating that I inspired her to create one. And that's what it truly is about for me, not the number of followers, how many likes I received, but to inspire & make another person feel good!"

"To name a few celeb inspos it would be Tracee Ellis Ross, Jackie O, and Olivia Palermo."

-Ash Marie
Fashion Blogger:Striped Anchor ⚓️

Nice! You go Glen Cocoa! LOL When I First looked at Ashley's blog I thought Tracee Ellis Ross, so it is nice to see you actually channel her style. Ashley also give me hair envy! Such a beautiful person, inside and out. Her energy and smile transfers over and teaches me to be more energetic. A true queen! 

See more at Ashley's blog stripedanchor.com 

Congrats Boo!

Traci Mari Smith  XOXO