Everywhere we went, stayed, ate and what we did in Croatia!

There’s no better time than the fall to give your home a refreshing reset. Fall cleaning is the perfect opportunity to tidy up, reorganize, and prepare your space for the cozy months ahead. Whether you’re welcoming holiday guests or simply wanting to enjoy a more serene and organized home, this fall cleaning checklist will help you tackle all the essential tasks. From decluttering to deep cleaning, this checklist includes all of my seasonal "to-do's" that will leave your home feeling warm, peaceful, and ready for the season. 

Last month, me and my girls took a much-needed girls trip to the beach and had the best time laying in the sun, lounging in the hot tub, and eating. (because let's be honest - what else are girls trips for?) We spent just under 72 hours in Miramar Beach, but did our best to hit as many cute shops and delicious restaurants and cafes as we could, so I put together a little guide if you're planning on visiting the area this summer! It's only a 7 hour drive, or hour long flight from Nashville, and legitimately the cleanest beach I have ever seen. If you fly into Pensacola like we did, I'd recommend renting a car for getting to the beach and having more options for getting around. However, we did walk a ton of places and totally could've just gotten a ride from the airport. The ~vibes~ in Miramar are super low-key, making it the perfect place to chill and unwind with your partner or gal pals. 10/10 would recommend. Watch my recap reel here for a quick overview of our trip!

'Tis the season for resetting, organizing and and getting rid of all the things that no longer serve you - physically and metaphorically. A recent study actually found that 78% of people notice a boost in wellbeing when their home is tidy, and 53% say a clean home helps them feel productive. I put together a checklist that includes a complete list of things you clean in your space + in your virtual world over the next few weeks - grab it for free below!

Today's National Underwear Day, and it's got me reminiscing on one of my favorite jobs ever - a bra specialist at Victoria's Secret. When I started working there at 18, it was a dream job. I adored the brand, worked with some amazing girls, and the company took great care of us in terms of competitive pay and all the free things. At this point in my life, I didn’t really know anything about sustainability or fast fashion, but I remember the first time I was asked to cut a garbage can full of “damages” (merchandise with small holes, minor stains or other imperfections) to shreds before tossing them in the dumpster, like it was yesterday. I asked my manager why we couldn’t just bring them home or donate them and she said “because the company doesn’t want anyone wearing an imperfect version of their product.” Excuse me?! I was shook by this statement, and it inspired me to start asking questions and doing my research on things like what other companies were doing with their damaged goods, who was making them, why we were getting so many imperfect items we could afford to just throw away. And so began my pursuit into sustainable fashion, supporting brands who do good for people and the environment, and educating others on how to be conscious of the brands they’re buying from. Does Victoria’s Secret still make some dang cute clothes + lingerie? Heck yeah they do, but at what cost? Good On You (my favorite app for learning about brands ethics) rates them “not good enough” in both labor and environmental impact. Thankfully, there are so many INCREDIBLE alternative brands available now that are doing good for both people and the planet. And nothing makes you feel good like looking good AND doing good. Here are a few of my favorites: Third Love Third Love was founded by women, for women, with the goal of celebrating every body type, every dimple, scar, and blemish. If they are unable to sell a product for any reason, it's donated to charities or to other causes where it can be repurposed. The founders believe in giving back to the community, and are actively donating to women’s charities across the nation. You can use the code " TL-UNDIES " to get 10% off 3 for $30 or 10% off any undie packs on your first purchase! 2. Azura Bay Azura Bay is the first sustainable undie brand I ever shopped, and I absolutely adore them. They're a small, female-owned business dedicated to providing a variety of cute and comfortable options for loungewear, bras, undies and more! You can use the code " ANA10 " for 10% off your purchase! 3. Organic Basics "Basically Better Made” is Organic Basics motto, and they live up to it with their super comfy everyday underwear from high-quality organic materials, They even weave silver into the organic cotton for their SilverTeach pieces which makes them antibacterial and heat regulating! 4. Boody Wear The most comfortable bras and bodysuits I've ever worn, and they make everything from activewear to loungewear and more, all crafted from organically-grown bamboo viscose for comfortable, sustainability, and health. Use code " ANA15 " for 15% off your first purchase! 5. Cuup Cuup is a great option for sustainably-made underwire bras. They offer forty sizes ranging from AA to H, and they partner with a vertically integrated production facility to ensure that every bra is of the highest quality. 6. Wama Underwear Wama Underwear is on a mission to "pioneer the hemp underwear industry by making the best hemp undies in the world and constantly improving the fit, function and design." Hemp fabric has many benefits like being naturally anti-bacterial , super soft and breathable, and of course it's environmentally-friendly - and unbelievably comfy! 7. Pact Their cotton basics are perfect for building a sustainable stable wardrobe. They go to great lengths to make sure their entire supply chain, from the growing and harvesting of the organic cotton to the final sewing and all the processes in between, is as clean and responsible as possible. I hope you love these brands as much I do! xx, Ana

So, we're snowed in in Nashville today, and I'm really over being cold, so I'm spending the day dreaming of all the warm places I'd like to be. Even in the winter, I get ads almost every day for swimsuits from brands like SheIn and NastyGal, and I won't pretend like I'm not tempted by all their cute styles, but nothing annoys me more than cheap suits that pill and stretch after a few wears or washes. Not to mention, I want to know my money is going towards businesses with ethical practices who take care of their employees and the environment. So many incredible sustainable swimwear brands have emerged over the last few years, and I put together a list of my favorites for you to shop as you prepare for spring break or summer. 1. Londre "Keep your mind dirty and the ocean clean" - my kind of people. Londre has collected over 100,000 plastic bottles from the beaches and streets of Taiwan and used them to create their swimwear, with a minimum of 6 recycled plastic bottles in every swimsuit. I just got The Multiway and it's probably the most versatile, flattering suit I've ever worn! 2. Swoon These suits are handmade in the US - and most of them are reversible! I have one of their suits I've been wearing for years, and it still looks and feels like the day I got it. 3. Swell Obsessed All of Swell Obsessed's cute suits are made to order and they offer such a variety of styles and sizes! The Rope Kini is my personal favorite of theirs. 4. L Space L Space has one of the widest collections of sustainably-made suits that I've found - and they're all made with up-cycled nylon or plastic bottles. 5. Toast Toast offers some of the cutest, minimal basic pieces that will last in your wardrobe for years! 6. Honey Lemon These suits are ethically made in Bali from Oeko-tek certified Econyl fabric. Post-consumer materials like fishnets and plastic water bottles are collected from ocean waste, cleaned, and regenerated into small pellets into fibers and eventually into fabric for their swimwear. This saves 70k barrels of crude oil and avoids 57.1k tons of CO2 emissions compared to virgin nylon (what many other suits are made of). 7. Coco Kini I've been following the founder of Coco Kini for years on Instagram, and love the heart and soul she puts into all these suits she makes! The sizing is super customizable, along with the styles and prints! 8. Inbodi Inbodi offers swimwear in a range of fabrics including recycled and sustainable ECONYL, and offer super affordable, great quality suits! 9. ARO Flattering fits, recycled textiles, sustainably produced and ethically made - what more could you ask for? 10. Reformation Reformation is basically the sustainable alternative to all your major fast fashion brands - think H&M meets Zara, but with a mission to educate people on sustainable fashion, and make it accessible to all. They offer a ton of great resources on their site - as well as some super cute swimwear options!

If you read my last blogging post , you know that you don't need to have 10K followers to work with brands on Instagram, TikTok, etc., especially now that more brands are starting to work with more micro-influencers as opposed to a single huge one. Over the last few years, I've had the opportunities to work with hundreds of brands, and while many of them are through direct contact via email or DM's either from the brand or me reaching out (more tips on how to do this coming in my next post!), I've also gotten some great opportunities through online marketing and influencer platforms. These platforms were created to help influencers (or really anyone) connect with brands to either review their product, or promote it on social media. These platforms either allow you to directly apply for campaigns, or they enter you into their database and will reach out when a collaboration that is a good fit for you comes along. I've tried countless platforms, but these 4 are a few of my favorites that I've had the most success with, and are easy to use! 1. Influenster If you're just getting started working with brands, Influenster provides an awesome opportunity for practically anyone to try products for free in exchange for a review, whether it's on Influenster directly, the companies website, social media, etc. You can browse thousands of products, and find ones that work best for you and your brand. Using these free products to start to create content is a great way to start building your portfolio so you can transition to paid collaborations! Sign up here. 2. Octoly Octoly is a similar platform to Influenster in the sense that you receive free products in exchange for either a review or a post on social media. You do need to have at least 1,000 followers and a 2% engagement rate to sign up for Octoly, but they make it super easy for you to request up to five products at a time to review or post. Sign up here. 3. Fohr Fohr is a marketing ambassador program that helps match you with brands running campaigns. I love this platform specifically because it puts together an incredible portfolio of your stats for you that you can use to show brands more about your account, like your most popular posts, your engagement, your audience insights, etc. This platform typically reaches out to you if there is a campaign that is a good fit for you, but occasionally you'll have an opportunity to apply for a campaign. The campaigns on Fohr are typically paid campaigns as opposed to product for post exchanges. Sign up here. 4. Signature Marketing Signature Marketing is a marketing agency I began working with years ago as a promotional model, and now they offer brand ambassador programs as well! They're always looking for new faces to add to their database for future campaigns, which typically include alcohol, health and wellness, and more! You can apply here. They're currently running an awesome campaign for a new energy bar - you can apply here! If you have any other questions or need more explaining on how to use these platforms - feel free to shoot me a message! xx, Ana

I had all these plans for creating gift guides this year, and when I sat down to start writing them, I just couldn't do it. All I could think about was how much pressure we're all already under to buy this season, and how far we've gotten from what this season is really about. Most of the time, the nicest thing you can give to someone isn't a physical thing anyway. For me when it comes to gifts, the most important thing (whether the gift is physical or not) is that the gift is thoughtful, and shows that you really know and care about that person. Also - that it's something they'll actually use and will have value for awhile, whether that means they wear it for several seasons, or they learn or experience something they'll take with them. Last year I published a post with 11 Gift Ideas That Aren't Things , but I wanted to give it an update to include things that make sense while everyone is still at home. I hope these ideas inspire you to gift intentionally this year! 1. DIY I have always loved DIY's. Anyone else's mom hold onto the things you made them as a kid even though they're ugly just because they know you made them with love? DIY's still work like that. Whether it's home decor from recycled bottles, bath and body products, or something edible (granola is one of my favorites because it lasts awhile!), DIY's are a great way to up-cycle things you already have, save waste, and create one-of-a-kind gifts. 2. Handwritten note When was the last time you told your loved ones how much you appreciate and love them? Handwritten notes are so underrated, and we often underestimate the power of our words on the people who love us. I'm the type of person who writes my friends notes for no reason, but as far as I know, they all still have them years later because of how much that small gesture meant to them. Whatever you're getting your people, add a thoughtful note. 3. Workout subscription Exercise is especially important in the winter to combat physical and mental health issues like seasonal depression, but it can get boring quick. Giving someone a workout subscription can be a great way to help spice up their routine, and give them something they may have wanted, but not wanted to spend the money. There are so many options out there depending on what type of workouts you like, but personally my favorite is Classpass because it gives you so many options (both online and in person) to choose from so you can find what works best for you. 4. Subscription for an online program or course This can be an awesome gift for an entrepreneur or someone trying to start a new career or hobby. Give them an online course or program that fits their interests and goals! A great place to look is Teachable. Another great option for pretty much anyone is a course one of my clients just launched about creating more happiness and fulfillment in your life. You can learn more about it here. 5. Photoshoot This can be a great gift for a friend or family member you just want to make feel good, your mom who hasn't updated the family photos since 2005, or your partner you want to capture memories with. So many photographers are offering great deals for the end of the year / beginning of next, and it's a great way to support a local creative! 6. Digitized photos or updated videos Anyone else's parents have 100's of tapes of home videos from your childhood? Getting these digitized so that they can continue to watch them is a priceless gift! One of my friends, Jenny aka JM Photo Art , does both photos and videos at a great price, or you can search for local people online. 7. Houseplants Okay technically this one is a thing, but the winter months are dreary, and giving something alive and green can be a great way to brighten up someone's space for the months ahead. (Plus - they're low waste and inexpensive) You can order them online from places like The Sill or Bloomscape, or check out the selection at your local hardware store or nursery. 8. A service This can be a service you provide or something you get them a gift card for, like a deep house cleaning, yard work, a (safe) facial or manicure, babysitting, etc. These are the things people don't usually ask for help for, but appreciate way more than you know. 9. A meal gift card or subscription We've all been cooking at home for almost a year now, and I don't think anyone would be upset to have something new to try, or a free meal from one of their favorite spots. Gift cards, or subscription services like Hello Fresh or Home Chef, are easy to send to someone no matter how far they are, and are sure to brighten their day! Happy gifting!! xx, Ana