About the writers

Editors:

Jennie is a 20-something who has lived in Texas for far longer than she ever feared she would. She has a full-time job as the marketing manager at a Dallas-based trade press, and her two-hour round-trip commute ought to tell you she loves it. She is married to Mike, a redheaded Discovery-channel watching, gadget junkie and together they have a year-old baby boy, Kyle, who could solve all the world's problems with his grin and a seven-year-old Vizsla who has been nothing but depressed since the baby came along. Jennie loves all pretty things, but especially comfortable heels, Etsy gems, vintage maps, and soft T-shirts. She also loves a strong margarita, a well-cooked steak, and the hours between her son's bedtime and her own.

You can e-mail Jennie directly at shelikespurple AT gmail DOT com and follow her on twitter at twitter.com/shelikespurple.

{Photo: Jennie, Elizabeth at BlogHer 2008} 

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Elizabeth hates writing about herself in the third person, but will agree to take one for the team on a limited time basis. She is a new home owner, a stay-at-home mom and a Californian. She paints everything in her house gray. She still talks about that time she lived in Nebraska. She's a big fan of children's books, lemon Pledge and heirloom tomatoes. She hates the word cute and loves the word fabulous. She'd like to write a book someday, although that will never happen if people keep making her write bios in the third person. She likes dirty martinis, ranch dressing and navy t-shirts. She believes in the hand written thank-you note, the power of dark chocolate and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and when she has a bad day she likes to put on Elvis, turn up the radio and dance.

You can e-mail Elizabeth directly at ebj123 AT gmail DOT com and follow her on twitter at twitter.com/ebj123.

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Jonna is a former newspaper editor and publicist turned freelance writer and stay-at-home mom to her daughter, Samantha, and their resident heavy breather, Sunny the pug. Before motherhood, she had little interest in shopping, however, the endless lonely days of desperately waving toys in front of her daughter's face have left her longing for luxury goods, or at least a pair of pants that fit properly. As a result, the terrifyingly expensive shopping beast has been awakened, and she now spends her free time trolling the Internet gazing at high-end swaddling blankets and ordering yet another baby carrier her daughter will more than likely reject. You can read her incoherent ramblings on motherhood and pop culture at jonniker and life in Vermont at New England Mamas.

You can e-mail her directly at jonniker AT gmail DOT com and follow her on twitter at twitter.com/jonniker. 

Writers:

Leah believes that just because you're cheap frugal does not mean you have to sacrifice style. She will share her projects, links, profiles and inspiration to help you create your own unique look with your own two hands. If you're a creative type who looks at something in a store and thinks "I can make that myself" -- or even if you're just a pack rat wondering how on earth you're going to use all the empty jam jars you've been saving just in case -- she is the girl for you. This is also a great place to share your own fabulous DIY ideas with the whole class.

You can e-mail Leah directly at leah AT agirlandaboy DOT com.

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Katie lives with her husband and ferocious chihuahua in Maryland. (No, really. She's ferocious.) She gets equally excited over frilly aprons and the home team winning the game, and she won't hesitate to tell a stranger in the grocery store about either. If Katie doesn't write something down, she probably won't remember it, hence her love of lists and blogging. She enjoys mixing yard-sale finds with higher-end pieces and her style is the better for it.

You can e-mail Katie directly at lapetitechic AT gmail DOT com and follow her on twitter at twitter.com/lapetitechic.

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Kerri Anne is an avid t-shirt aficionado and Pacific Northwest native. An English Literature BA holder turned Web geek/writer/non-profit savant, by day she works for a green company wherein she is thrilled to be doing her part to save the planet. By night she spends copious amounts of time perusing Etsy, day-dreaming about world travel and hiking with her people-loving pug named after Iggy Pop. 

Kerri Anne's fondness for all things paper began in her most formative and tie-dyed decade, before she could properly write cursive and has since grown exponentially over the years. Her ongoing love affair with papyrus is one she loves to share, and she's excited to have a captive audience she can indoctrinate with gorgeous paper to meet every personal and professional need. You can also find this self-proclaimed paper junkie at kerrianne.org.

You can e-mail her directly at kladish AT gmail DOT com and follow her on twitter at twitter.com/kerrianne.

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A city girl stammering through the suburbs, Christina is a SAHM, cook, accessory lover and décor junkie who is convinced a well-designed room is slimming. Her free time is spent researching or shopping for her next design project, an obsession that started early (she was mixing colors and painting her room at the age of 10). Christina is learning to sew and loves making over vintage finds. Some call it passion; others say she's out of control. Either way, she hopes to help you find what you need to make your home brag-worthy.

You can e-mail her directly at stylelushchristina AT gmail DOT com and follow her on twitter at twitter.com/ChristinaRTS.

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Kristie is fully committed to her 30s and loving it most days. She is a momma to two boys who don't cramp her style at all. Living in Texas most of her life, she's over the big hair and big cars, but she'll never tire of big jewelry and flashy handbags. Kristie's idea of high style is something that makes you feel good about yourself and holds your head a little higher. Her commitment to green living is growing more and more each day because she sees the importance of preserving this planet. She's excited to learn to live green with a stylish flair to go along with it.

You can e-mail Kristie directly at mygrandillusions AT yahoo DOT come and follow her on twitter at twitter.com/kristie999.

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It's odd really, that a perpetually barefoot tomboy from Arizona would grow up to be a somewhat girly, Halloween and shoe-obsessed mother of one, living in Texas of all places. Jessica's love of shoes is so strong that it has somehow been handed down to her teenage son who has a collection of his own in the double digits (and is always on the look-out for more) and even her husband requires his own shoe organizer. In an effort to save her own bank account, she has taken to sharing the beautiful shoes she finds with her friends and now she'll be able to share them with all of you; gorgeous shoes should never be orphaned! When she's not playing professional window shopper on the Internet, she spends her time on DIY projects around her house, cooking, seeing as much live music as possible and reveling in the $5 morning movie matinees that don't start until after noon on Sundays.

You can e-mail her directly at raven DOT darkholme AT gmail DOT com.

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Having exactly one pair of black heels in her closet, Maggie is somewhat mortified to find herself writing for a style blog.  However! She accumulates party throwing accessories like some girls accumulate bags, and if you are very nice she might show you her five feather boas and extensive table runner collection. While she drools over tiered servers and cocktail napkins, she hopes you will assist her in finally locating a mascara that does not disintegrate and settle raccoon-like under her eyes.

You can e-mail Maggie directly at mightymaggie AT gmail DOT com or follow her on twitter at twitter.com/mightymaggie.

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Maura is a thirty-something Martha-Stewart-meets-Stacy-London-wannabe. She has spent the last 8 years in New York City, but is now bringing sexy back to the streets of Philadelphia. Maura loves to cook and has never met a cheeseburger she didn't like. There are few things she likes more than shopping and admittedly spends too much money pimping out her home, her kitchen, herself and her adorable dog, Matty. Maura would like to thank Al Gore for inventing the Internet and, therefore, Internet shopping.

You can email Maura directly at maura.esq AT gmail DOT com.

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Manda lives in Los Angeles with her husband John, daughter Sydney and two crazy and terribly behaved dogs. Once she was labeled as "that trendy girl" and kept John entertained with guessing what color hair she would have when he picked her up for dates. In those good ole days she was also known for the propensity to drop $200 on boots before you could say "Bob's your uncle." Good thing too, because most of those spendy purchases are still in her wardrobe! The last few years have been consumed with finding a trustworthy hairdresser who will not allow her to get bangs or go blond (found!), obtaining the perfect pair of jeans in which to crawl around on the carpet (found!) and now she's moved on to lusting after kitchen tools and appliances. The thrill of the price tags at Forever 21 is almost more than she can bear on a regular basis. She looks forward to wearing necklaces and dangly earrings again one day and enjoys rearranging furniture and stretchy pants.

You can e-mail Manda directly at insidedog AT gmail DOT com or follow her on twitter at twitter.com/insidedog.

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Emily is a writer and editor turned...well, writer and editor, albeit an UNPAID writer and editor, who now does all her writing and editing on the Internet. She stays at home with her two children, Asher (3) and Lucy (11 months) as well as her dog, Hambone, who is probably the best behaved of the three. Emily specializes in researching ways to stylishly renovate her kitchen and bathroom, regardless of the fact that she will never ever be able to afford Corian countertops or a shower with eight showerheads. She loves whimsical stationary and the color orange and finding ways to decorate on the cheap, and no, you would never guess how easy it is to turn a dinner napkin into a window valence. Hey! Don't roll your eyes, IT LOOKS GOOD.

You can e-mail Emily directly at emigaicas AT yahoo DOT com or follow her on twitter at twitter.com/notthatyouasked.

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Amy is an 8th grade English teacher who lives with Andrew (her professional poker-player boyfriend) and Harry (her adorable cat). When she's not grading papers or lesson planning, you can usually find her curled up with a good book, watching awful reality television, reading too many blogs, baking something delicious or attempting to be crafty. Amy loves coffee, laughing until her stomach hurts, white wine, hot baths, funky jewelry and going out for breakfast. While she often dresses in a style she deems "fancy hobo" for early morning meetings, Amy is easily seduced by the perfect dress, flats and big necklaces. She hates loud chewers and people who say "ma-tour" instead of "mature." Lastly, if you think teachers have too much time off, you're better off not telling Amy about it. 

You can email Amy directly at titchblog AT gmail DOT com or follow her on twitter at twitter.com/justatitch.

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Beth has less style in her whole body than you have in your little finger. She is invariably inappropriately attired for any occasion. She recently adopted long, chunky necklaces as her personal fashion statement, but had to give them up as she was constantly dipping them in food or toothpaste or snagging one of her children around the neck. She's a corporate flunky turned corporate drop-out who can still explain DNS routing in excruciating detail but can't tell you which shoes to wear with those pants. (You look fabulous in those pants, by the way. Have you lost weight?) She lives outside Washington D.C. with her husband and two young children, and spends her days devising elaborate sociological theories about the Backyardigans. She likes good-ass jeans, wine, Target and the rare occasions when she gets a bathroom to herself. She dislikes writing her own bio, parsnips, car trips and Oprah. She blogs (and cusses) at www.sothefishsaid.com.

You can email her directly at sothefishsaid AT gmail DOT com and follow her on twitter (although she doesn't recommend it) at twitter.com/bethfish.

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Natalie is a former non-profit fundraiser turned stay-at-home mom turned new blogger living in Austin, Texas (hey! Another Texan!) who got sucked in to the Internet in hopes of communicating with others in words of more than one syllable. She feels that good style can be had at any price point and has the receipts to prove it! Natalie is an avid photographer and adores her daughters, non-diet Coke, cheese, the color green and her sewing machine. She fears politics, when people say "irregardless", sneezing and people who wear too much perfume (sometimes those last two go hand in hand). She appears to be the last Facebook holdout in the free world.

You can email her directly at flipandglib AT gmail DOT com or follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/narmalie.

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Sarah is a twenty-something California native, having made her way up and down the state before finally settling in Northern California. She and her very tall and very useful husband, Chris, recently purchased their first home and as a result, she now knows more about paint and primer than she ever thought she would. She enjoys cooking, watching TV shows about cooking and drinking champagne, and she absolutely can't live without a good black t-shirt (or 12), black eye-liner and her iPhone.

You can email her directly at homesweetsarah AT gmail DOT com and you can follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/homesweetsarah.

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Elisabeth moved halfway across the country to be with a boy. Luckily, three years later, it became legally permanent. She scored higher on the math portion of her SAT than the English, but acquired a degree in Journalism followed by a career in advertising and e-commerce. She had a short stint as an assistant for a Hollywood-type and vows never to be someone's professional everything ever again. She's now a 30-something SAHM Okie who's been trying to pass herself off as a California girl for over ten years. She prefers buying upscale but only paying bargain. She has never subscribed to any fashion magazine, never owned a Barbie doll or had a babysitting job. She still wonders why this parenting gig isn't easier than she thought it would be. Her two boys, "Rt" (4 1/2) and "Hola" (21 months) keep her busy (and remind her daily she is the ONLY queen of her abode, but when she says she's taking the girls out for the day, she gets to leave the house ALONE.)

You can email her directly at littlemissmelblog AT yahoo DOT com or follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/littlemissmel.

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Laurie is a writer, photographer, and teacher from the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. A hit or miss shopper whose taste far exceeds her budget, she is learning to have more fun with affordable clothes and has a growing appreciation for dresses and bright colors where previously everything was black and brown. She is a little obsessed with photo and tech gadgets, but finds equal joy in 99-cent iPhone photo apps - and the iPhone, honestly. Other things that make her life worth living include good food and wine, traveling, bookstores, colored markers, handmade silver jewelry, and a lot of music. She should not be allowed in Target, Sephora or Ulta (or probably that wine store too, but oh well) unsupervised. 

She likes to share her words and pictures on the Internet. You can find her at LaurieWrites and BlogHer, and way too many photos on Flickr.

You can e-mail her directly at lauriesays AT gmail DOT com and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/lauriewrites.

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Sara is a former stay-at-home mom who was recently thrown back into the workforce against her better judgment. However, she likes having money more than not having money so working seemed like the answer. She's slowly coming around to putting on heels and make-up everyday. Sara is a big fan of DIY and decorating/party-throwing/shopping on a budget. She knows there is no better thrill than finding a good deal in the clearance section at her favorite store (oh you totally know which store she's talking about). Sara lives in the fabulous city of Chicago with her toddler son, Noah, and tech-geek husband, Tim, and resolves every year to take advantage of living in such a great city ... and then never does. She's working on it.

Sara spews her personal life all over the internet at Belle Plaine and gets reprimanded constantly by her grandmother for over-sharing.

You can reach her at belleplaineliving AT gmail DOT com and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/sarabelleplaine. 

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A'Dell is always pressed for time and she'll do just about anything to avoid actually visiting a physical store.  he internet is her salvation from the hell of aimlessly riffling through a rack or bin. (My goodness, just WRITING about wasting all that time gave her the heebie-jeebies.) She lives in Texas with her husband, daughter and elderly golden retriever. She prefers Wal-Mart over Target, and even she can't believe that sometimes. A'Dell will always splurge on fresh flowers, nice jeans, good bras, quality ingredients and photographs (the ones she takes and the ones she pays other people to take). She'll never pony up a lot of cash for hair products, summer shoes, manicures, cookware, perfume or winter clothes.  She enjoys making confrontational phone calls, banana bread and window treatments (as long as they only require straight lines to be sewn).

You can email her directly at adellmcc AT yahoo DOT com or follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/adellmcc

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Rachel is a 20-something Canadian who dreams of bigger and brighter places. Her obsession with blogging and love for photography, fashion and home décor consumes the vast majority of her spare time, as does her website, heraura.com. Rachel’s love for writing began at the ripe age of eight when she was given her first journal on a family vacation. Eighteen years, thirty-five journals, five NaNoWriMo’s and countless short stories later, she can’t shake the writing bug. Her idea of a perfect weekend morning is curling up on the couch next to her boyfriend with a good novel and a great big mug of tea. She hopes to encourage everyone to take a moment and see the world through her eyes. 
 
You can e-mail Rachel directly at rachelceleste AT live DOT ca and follow her on twitter at twitter.com/RachelCelesteC.

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Meredith is a Southern ballerina-turned-New York lawyer who lives in Manhattan with her husband, her baby Felicity (born in March 2010), a needy Italian greyhound and an irritating cat.  With so many life forms in a pre-war two-bedroom apartment, she has become an expert in cramming a lot of stuff into a small living space (with just four closets, to boot), and in removing pet hair from every surface in the house (including the vertical ones).  The limit of her personal style ambition is "fully clothed" and she never knows what to do with her hair, but she makes up for this by scouting out the cutest possible outfits for her baby.  She loves distance running, "So You Think You Can Dance", reading, long walks in Central Park, travel, and searching for the world's best cheeseburger and fries. 

 

You can email Meredith at lawyerish AT gmail DOT com.