Meet Annie

I'm so excited to introduce Annie from The Other Side of Gray!

1.     Why did you start blogging?

This past Summer (2011) one of my friends suggested I start a fashion blog. A blog, I thought? What the heck is that? But curiosity got the best of me, so a month later (while bored at work), I googled “fashion blogs”…and guess what popped up? Kendi Everyday.  I clicked. And I read. And I read and read and drooled over outfits for 2 days straight. And of course, probably like every other girl who reads Kendi’s blog, thought, I could do this! It’s funny because at the time, I had no idea how famous Kendi was in the blog world, since hers was the first that I read. But anyway, she totally inspired me to start my blog. And the reason I started it was because I wanted (OK, needed) some sort of creative outlet. While taking care of people (I’m a nurse FYI) is very rewarding, I just felt like I wanted to be more artistically inspired on a daily basis. I can’t draw, I can’t paint, I can’t sew, but boy do I like putting an outfit together! And I am one of those girls that gets so excited anytime someone tells me they like my outfit, so I guess I did it for the attention too. OK, totally kidding, I hate attention. And I’m very surprised with myself for being so public about my blog with friends & family – but I’m SO glad I am because it was definitely the creative outlet I needed, and I’ve met so many wonderful people. It’s a world I never imagined I would be a part of, but am so glad that I am. 

What is one of your favorite memories from blogging so far?

My favorite memory from blogging was probably my first ever blog date with Casey (I was totally awkward & crazy about it, obviously)…you can read the full account here. And also attending the Boston blogger meetup, where I met so many other awesome bloggers. And also all the wonderful comments I get from the lovelies who read my blog everyday and remind me why I spend so much time doing it. I’m also going to throw in there when Shabby Apple emailed me to offer a $75 gift card to one of my readers – that definitely made me jump up & down a little bit. So that’s like 10 memories, but I’ve always been an overachiever :)

What do you normally write about?

I write about CLOTHES! And there’s usually some sarcastic line about what I’m wearing and/or why. I also like to share other awkward moments in my life and about my husband. A few of his co-workers read my blog, and I guess one time I posted about how we were snuggling on the couch and he made me breakfast in bed…and they definitely gave him crap about that. So yeah, he doesn’t like it so much, but hey, I think he makes for an interesting subject, so I will most definitely continue. And just to prove my point, 2 of his best quotes: “I wish Dumbledore was the voice of my GPS” and “90s Madonna is the BEST Madonna”….I mean, how can I NOT write these down and share them, right?

Have you ever had any negative comments on your blog? How did you respond?

One time, someone commented that I looked disheveled. It was this outfit right here. Apparently my top was ruining what could have been a very polished ensemble because it was wrinkled. I was a little taken aback at first, because no one had ever said anything negative before, but in reality, the commenter was just being honest. And also in reality, I WAS wrinkled. So I took it as feedback and now I iron ALL my clothes before I wear them. Just kidding, I still don't do that, so you will definitely see more wrinkles from time to time, but hey, that's just life, right? Other than that, people have been very gracious, which is awesome because there are definitely things I wear that could warrant some negativity. But usually I make fun of myself before others get the chance to, so maybe that’s why J

What is one trend that you never thought you’d try, but now you love?

OK – this is easy: the fur vest! I hated them for awhile, mostly because I thought they made people look like they were wearing dead squirrels sewn together. And also because I thought they looked cute on OTHER people, but that I could NEVER pull one off, so there MAY have been some jealousy there as well. But then one day I walked into Zara and tried one, just to prove myself right. Funny thing happened - I was totally wrong, and decided that I loved me some faux fur! So I bought it, and it’s been such a great investment and fabulous layering piece. Me & my fur vest have been very happy together ever since. Plus, it kind of makes me feel like I could go hunting with Katniss and be her BFF, so that definitely makes the fur vest a winner in my book :)