Monday Morning Mumbles : Compliment.

Good morning you beautiful you!

Today I want to talk to you about a wonderful place called Compliment. This Sacramento based business dedicates it's time to spreading kindness through jewelry donned with compliments.

Compliment.

"Every one of us has a little bucket in our soul that needs pretty active attention. When we are feeling down, our buckets are empty and it's impossible to be loving to others with empty buckets. And so we must find things to keep our love buckets full for ourselves. For me, it's creating--be it writing, dancing, singing, cooking, painting, or making jewelry. But I'm also able to refill my bucket by filling someone else's. When we notice the people around us could use a boost, it's our job to do something kind to refill their bucket. Something to uplift. Something to build them up. One easy way is to give them a sincere compliment."

-Melissa Camilleri (Founder of Compliment)

Property of shopcompliment.com

This wonderfully unique business is dedicated to providing quality jewelry along with a gift for the spirit. With each purchase you make, you receive a compliment. You have the opportunity to write a compliment or have the inspiring team at Compliment create one for you.  

In order to find out more about Compliment and the woman behind it all, I took to polluting Founder and CEO Melissa Camilleri's mailbox with questions all about Compliment. I asked her everything from how she stays grounded on a stressful day, to the funniest Compliment a guy has ordered. 

Kirsten Nicole Huxtable: How did Compliment come to be?

Photograph by Meredith Carty

Melissa Camilleri: I was making jewelry for my friends and family for gifts, just as a hobby while I was working as a high school English and AVID teacher.  The week before Homecoming, one of my senior girls asked me to make her a ring to match her dress.  By the end of the week, I had 23 orders on my desk.  So I decided if I could sell them online, maybe I could raise a little money to help my very deserving students with a little extra cash for college.  I was working with a student population with great academic potential, but little means for affording college.  It was a great creative outlet that allowed me to give back.  Before I had a business name, or a branding idea, I was writing little notes to the girls who had ordered these rings, letting them know how proud I was of them, how I've seen them grow, how their spirit affected so many people positively, things like that.  Encouragement comes very easily to me, and is what helped me create a very loving community in my classroom year after year.  Someone told me that I was really good at giving compliments.  Then I had a little flash of insight:  Compliment should be the name of my company.  It was just too perfect and very authentic to who I am and who I want to be in the world.

KNH: On a tough day of work/life, what keeps you motivated?

MC: Prayer. I meditate, and though I haven't yet gotten into a consistent schedule, I definitely meditate to clear my head and release the doubts and fears that can creep in on a tough day.  I have also learned to surround myself with pretty incredible human beings who really believe in me and my gifts.  They help remind me how strong I am, how much I've grown, and are always willing to listen when I need to lean.

KNH: Why is the idea of a/Compliment so important in today's society?

MC: I think the values that Compliment stands for have been important since the dawn of time.  They are equally relevant in today's society as they will be in the future.  I think our Western culture is a little more rooted in the individual and less on the collective good.  It's about the more more more, gimme, it's mine mindset.  It's a culture of scarcity-- meaning that if you get yours, I won't get mine.  And I've never operated like that.  I never liked competitive sports because I didn't like anyone to lose.  I think we really can all live well and we can all feel good.  Truly.  So being kind for no reason, telling someone how much they mean to you, giving yourself a word of encouragement?  I think that's always been something to strive for as humans and I think it always will be.  It gives me so much joy to be a part of the kindness that  is spreading each day from person to person.

KNH: What has changed most in your life since the creation of Compliment?

Photograph by Meredith Carty

MC: Wow.  So much.  I left classroom teaching.  That was a huge.  I had to kind of figure out my new identity.  Like, "who am I if I'm not a teacher?"  It seems so silly, but that was a huge part of my identity.  And now, I realize more and more that I'm always going to be a teacher.  I love sharing information and processes.  I do that still, just not in the classroom.  In addition, time feels different now that I am running Compliment full time.  I have more freedom to go at my own pace and to take care of myself (which I was not good at while I was in the classroom).  If my body needs sleep now, I sleep.  If I need to take a walk, I take a walk.  It seems so simple, and I suppose it is, but it was impossible the way my life was going prior to starting Compliment.  My life is so different in so many ways.  I loved being in the classroom, don't get me wrong.  I loved being a teacher.  I also love being a CEO.  It's all good.

KNH: (And finally) What is the funniest/ sweetest/ most creative Compliment someone has asked for you to send?

MC: Oh my… every single day people send the most LOVING, SWEET things to the people they care about.  One of the cutest was when a guy asked me to make a ring for his wife so he could re-propose to her on their 10 year anniversary.  The compliment said "Will you marry me… again?"  Super cute.  And then one of the cheekiest compliments we've ever sent was also from a guy to his wife at Christmas.  It said, "Let's try for #2", as in their second baby!  We giggled at that one.  The guys are creative! haha

Property of shopcompliment.com

I had the chance to meet Melissa and part of the Compliment team while filming a spot for her business back in January of this year. More then anything I was pleased by the sincerity and passion for what she has created. It's more then a piece of jewelry. It's a reminder that each and every one of us deserves happiness.

If you are in the market for a gorgeous gift, look no further! I know that may have sounded like a bad 90s infomercial... but seriously, Compliment has everything you need to remind those in your life how loved and adored they are.

PLUS! If you sign up via email at shopcompliment.com, you can receive 15% off your first order. Just look for the "sign up" section in the upper right hand corner to get started.

For your sorority sisters who helped you make posters until two in the morning. For the moms in the neighborhood who volunteered at the annual block party. For the best friend that makes shopping for them a full time job.

You can also purchase Gift Cards.

Property of shopcompliment.com

If you are in the area and want to stop by to check out the wonderful things the ladies at Compliment are cooking up for you, then you can visit them at:

930 Alhambra Blvd., Suit 293

Sacramento, California 95816

Follow Compliment on social media:
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest

Don't forget to tell those you love, just how loved they are.

Love Always,

Kirsten Nicole Huxtable

On Wednesdays We Wear: Denim

Denim Denim Denim Denim Denim Denim Denim Denim BATMAN!!!!

. . .

No... Nobody else? Just Me? Okay...

Jeans are a staple piece for any wardrobe. I’m fairly certain that a majority of people own at least one item consisting of at least partial denim. For me, my closet is filled with denim. I love my jeans and my jackets, however my all time favorite piece of denim that I own is a button down denim shirt. (much like the last photograph)

Since I’ve been dealing with a lot of work these past few days, I have decided to omit a ton of commentary on the images. I may occasionally chime in, but I will probably withstand more then usual. Instead I will just lay out the beautiful images of denim here on this blog for you to admire. 

Let's Begin!

These Shorts with that top? ABSOLUTE BEAUTY!

Comfy Casual with a bit of an early 90s  look with the tucked in top, belt, and high wasted shorts.

Talk about glamour shot! The pairing of a white graphic-T, the acid wash denim shorts, and the fierce black leather jacket is simple yet classic.

Skinny jeans and heels. Enough said!!!

I would have never thought to try a button down denim skirt, however; after seeing this photo, I may just have to try it out. I'll keep you posted.

Is anyone else excited to see overalls make a comeback? I used to own a bunch of overalls, but my favorite pair donned a cute graphic design of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger on the front chest area... Keep in mind I was eight at the time.

So simple, yet so complex. I love it!!!

Probably my favorite look of them all because this is almost the exact outfit I wear on a weekly basis. I just love my denim shirt with black pants. 

I really hope you enjoyed looking at my love of denim. If you follow me on Instagram you will see that yesterday I posted an “outfit of the day” or “ootd” look of denim on denim. I even paired it with some nice black flats and an over the shoulder bag while I attended a few work based things. 

Anyways, I can’t wait to get back to more posts this next week. Monday Morning Mumbles is all new with a topic very dear to me next week. Have an amazing weekend!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please write it down in the comment section below. 

Love Always,

Kirsten Nicole Huxtable

Monday Morning Mumbles: My Interior Design Obsession

I am by no means an Interior Designer, however recently, that title has been sounding more and more appealing.

 It all started when I was shopping for homes in LA (still in progress). I started imagining what I could do with the blank canvas of an empty room. From the rugs to the light fixtures, I was envisioning a complete home full of character and elegance. Often I would halt my house hunt in order to go online and look at furniture (a bit premature, but thats okay).

Living Room
(Indigo, Yellow, Aubergine)

Growing up I was always into decorations and artsy things so I guess it only makes sense that I had some interest in the art of interior design. Some people would call me a perfectionist and I would have to agree. At times being a perfectionist is a blessing and other times it is anything but. 

As a student my backpack, binders, and projects were nothing but neat and organized. I always went way above on projects, which, when I think about it now makes me feel embarrassed, but it wasn’t a bad thing. I always worked hard and was most excited when classes assigned projects that would allow me to harness my creativity into a design of something new. One time I made a kimono for a history project. Another time, a children’s book and even a power point presentation on how Disney’s Snow White is riddled with Freudian imagery. No matter the project I always loved doing them. (One year at High School I wrote a poem about making s’mores and the class had to follow along and make s’mores... it sounds ridiculous now that I say it, but we had to act out a poem so I decided making S’mores would be the most delightful for the class and myself)

Anyways, I seem to have wandered away from my train of thought (per usual) and totally escaped the topic of Interior Design. I know I want to work in the entertainment business, but I have not a clue as to what exactly it is that I want to do within that industry. I enjoy a lot of things like sound editing, cinematography, wardrobe, and even set design. So in an effort to help myself figure out my true passion, I decided to buy a few Interior Design magazines. I read through all three of them the day I bought them. I became obsessed.

Bedroom
(Indigo, Gold, White)

I started to go online and look at color schemes and furniture. I fell in love with tufted furniture, especially beds and couches. I started drawing up diagrams of rooms and tracing blueprints of a room's possible layout. Slowly but surly I was going design crazy. 

Along the way I went to one of my FAVORITE furniture sites, ZGallerie, and decided to make a few rough concept images of what my bedroom, living room, and dinning room would look like if I had an unlimited budget (which I sadly do not, but that’s okay) and a home of my own. Throughout this post I have placed some of the snapshots of what I came up with for the designs of the rooms. Everything in the photos are on ZGallerie's site except for the chandelier and the bed frame in the Bedroom Photo.

After I finished my hour long home designing on ZGallerie I decided that I really loved Interior Design, even if I am no good at it yet. I re-read the interior design magazines and even bought a huge book from Barnes & Noble all about becoming an interior designer. It impressed me and made me feel really excited to try new things. 

I want to try my hand at interior design by starting with my room at home. On my budget of zero dollars and zero zero cents, this should be fun. I'm actually very excited to completely clean out my room and update it with the sophistication and glamour that I'm searching for. I believe a room should be an expression of yourself. So that way when people walk into my home they should say, 'Yup, that's Kirsten!" (unlike my room now, haha) 

As of right now I have no plans to start a career in interior design, however I do love the art. I'm interested in studying and taking classes in interior design because I am sure that it's a lot harder then it looks. 

If you have any suggestions for good Interior Design reads, or designers, then please let me know in the comment section below. I am always looking for a good read and especially about design. 

Also, if you would like to follow my obsession you can follow me on Pinterest and take a look at my Interior Design, Apartment Ideas, and Dream Home board, along with my DIY, Organization, and more boards. I am a feverishly frequent pinner. haha. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have any questions comments or concerns go ahead and place them in the comment section below. I will talk to you soon...Wednesday to be exact. ;)

Love Always, 

Kirsten Nicole Huxtable

On Wednesdays We Wear: Hats & Headbands

Are you having a bad hair day? Need to cover up? Or maybe, like me, you find hats and headbands to be a welcome accessory to any daily outfit, as they should be!

I wanted to grab a few of my personal favorite head/hair accessories and let you take a gander through them. Along with some of my favorites, are some hats and headwear that I would not normally attempt, but that's what fashion and style is all about, tempting and breaking down boundaries. So lets do just that.

Welcome to the wonderful world of headwear!

This hat is very appealing for a beach day or working in the yard, or if you are super daring, you can pull this hat off with the right clothes and use it as an everyday accessory. (I purchased a nice nude one for my trip to Mexico last summer with my best friend. It was perfect for keeping the sun away from the eyes yet at the same time, staying fashionable.)

Even though the model displaying this look is very bridal, I  have faith that you can pull off this look as a sophisticated dressed up everyday look. Take Blair Waldorf for example, she donned tones of headbands ranging from simple to satirical. This look is one to keep in mind.

(Pretty much my go-to hat style! I'm absolutely in love with the oversized beanie look. Don't let anyone tell you that they are only for winter. Wear the hell out of them any day of the year.)

I feel like I have to explain this one a bit. (Above) This hat is not one that I could see myself wearing on a daily basis, or even twice a year, however it is very beautiful in it's own right. If you are looking for a steam-punk look or maybe a costume party, this could be a very stylish choice. I am also a sucker for a good widow's veil. 

This is another one of my favorite looks. I have about 20 baseball caps that I wear on rotation. I used to only wear it bill foreword, however, as of the past few years, the cap rotated towards the back has become a statement piece. So depending on the occasion and the day, I will switch it up.

This last look is very pin-up yet classy and while paired perfectly with loose curls, it creates a carefree feeling. I am going to be working on obtaining this look for myself. 

Well that sure was a very eclectic grouping of hats and hair accessories. I believe that each one, in their own right, is absolutely beautiful. When I decide on a hat day my go-to look is a beanie, or a baseball cap. Sometimes I venture out into the fedora or (what I like to call) the 1920s era hat.

What's your favorite type of hair accessory? Do you grab the full coverage of a cap, or do you gravitate more towards a simple yet playful headband? I definitely need to learn more ways to wear my hair. Let this be the beginning!

Love Always,

Kirsten Nicole Huxtable

Monday Morning Mumbles: Sisterhood - AOll

The word sisterhood is something I never really got the chance to experience growing up. I had only my older brother, and we rarely played Barbies or dress up together. (Although he always seemed to win at Pretty Pretty Princess.... hmmm?)

My brother Garrett and I (probably around the ages of 10 and 8)

I started University in 2011 after graduating High School and discovered that I was more of an introvert than I had previously expected. I was not shy by any means, but I often skipped the stereotypical college parties and hangouts just to sit in my room and watch the entire 10 seasons of FRIENDS for the one millionth time. I enjoy people, but I’ve always found myself needing my alone time, and sometimes that equals out to more then the time I like to spend out and about.

Living in a dorm (which was more like an apartment) with six girls was... lets just say a handful. I loved each and every one of my roommates so much. There was very few arguments in our house compared to the other girl dorms around us. I finally felt like I had sisters in my life. More then just friends these girls were there in my life 24/7 and I would not take a single second of that year back. We grew to learn so much about each other and ourselves during that first year at University. Between sleepovers in the living room, late night breakfast with Oreo pancakes, and doing each other’s hair and makeup, those five girls were the closest thing I had to sisters. Each one of us were very different and that’s what made that first year at college probably the best year of my life.

Since I failed to find a good photograph of all my Freshman roommates, here is a photo from Freshman year of our house cat Taboo sleeping on my lap... and yes, his name is Taboo for a reason.

Starting my second year at school I lived with four new women and my best friend/roommate from the year prior. This house was very different from the first year at school. We had a two story, four bedroom, four bath dorm (aka: townhouse) that roomed six girls. Aimee, one of my roommates from freshman year, and my best friend, roomed with me again. The other four girls were new to me. I became good friends with two of the other girls but some were distant. My second year at University did not contain the sisterhood that was established my freshman year. Other then my best friend Aimee and one other roommate, the house was anything but connected. 

Now is the part where I start to explain why this is called "Sisterhood - AOII".

I grew up thinking that sorority life was just a bunch of drunk girls in skimpy clothes going so wild they ended up passed out in a front yard. But being closed minded and opinionated is not the right way to go about life. Freshman year taught me to open my mind to new ideas and possibilities. I had become friends with so many different people, some that I would have never seen coming. So, second year, I decided to dropped all stereotypes I'd heard, seen, or read about. Everything was new and that was exciting.

One night my best friend Aimee dragged me to a sorority information night. The purpose of that first meeting was to introduce the sororities to all the girls thinking of attending recruitment. I was absolutely dreading it. And that is an understatement. However I loved my best friend and decided to stick it out for her. As each sorority provided a slide show of information about their goals, philanthropies, history, and sisterhood, I started to understand. Each and every sorority had its own background and every girl within that chapter had another. I realized that being a part of a sorority/Greek life did not mean that you were succumbing to a pre-determined lifestyle, rather; it meant that you were adding your life to a mosaic of sisterhood. Each tile and frame different in it's own way. A mosaic - separate unique, together complete.

AOII - Xi Rho Chapter (2014)

Needless to say, by the end of the informational meeting, I was hooked. I loved it and decided to go back to experience recruitment and join a sorority. Two weeks later I was a founding member of Alpha Omicron Pi's Xi Rho Chapter. I was unsure at first if this was the right fit for me, but quickly I fell in love. I fell in love with the girls, the rituals, and the sisterhood. I fell in love with AOII the way you fall asleep, slowly, then all at once. (Yes I stole that line from TFIOS, but it is a perfect description of how it happened.)

*Note: If you don't feel head-over-heels in love from first sight/meeting/etc., don't worry. Love grows and expands. In time you will know if something is forever.

During an overnight camping trip that all of the new members took, I knew I had found my home. The trip started out with 86 sorority girls at a camp site, in the pouring rain, during the middle of the night... yes it does sound like the start to a bad horror film... anyways... I experienced something I never felt possible. I entered that night feeling separate and awkward, I left the next morning with some amazing friends, good stories, camp songs, ritual songs, and more than that, sisters. That's all it took. One night.

The Xi Rho Chapter Charter signed by all the founding sisters. Props if you can spot my signature. *Hint: It's in alphabetical order.

Never before had I been so happy to have a stereotype broken. Those ladies are more then just friends, they are my sisters. As of now, I have 120+ sisters. During the following months there were The Vampire Diaries viewing nights, dinners, socials, dances, sleepovers and more.

Growing up without a single girl in my family, neighborhood, etc. it was hard for me to bond with girls. As a kid my best friends were a lot of the times guys. Then as I grew up and made more friends in school I realized the strength and bond of sisterhood. I don’t need a birth certificate to prove a sister. To me a sister is anyone willing to put your needs before theirs. Sisterhood is all about loving each other unconditionally, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I am so proud of each and every one of my sisters. The bond that was built can never be broken. 

Now-a-days I meet women from different sororities all the time. I  noticed that sisterhood is not defined by the letters on your sweatshirt. Some of the most amazing people and sisters I know are from a different sorority then I or not even Greek affiliated. That’s what makes life exciting. Meeting new people with a common interest that you can grow and connect with. 

Bid Day (2012)

If you are an introvert, scared of Greek Life or scared of people in general, then I challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone. You will not regret it, I promise you that. I guess to end this forever rambling blog I shall leave you with this; let go of stereotypes (all of them), open your mind, try new things, step outside of your comfort zone, and don’t take a single day for granted. 

To all of my sisters out there

I love you!

Love Always,

Kirsten Nicole Huxtable