Style at a Certain Age turns 6

if you can believe it, the blog has an anniversary this month. six years ago, mr. style and i snapped the first ootd photo, and life has never been the same. let me tell you, it’s been a wild ride ever since. at the time, i knew nothing about blogging – zero, zilch, nada. some of you may be curious as to why i  started a blog in the first place. that’s a story i recently shared on a podcast interview with jennifer duvall, the beauty blogger and makeup artist behind JennySue Makeup. if you have a moment to listen, here’s the link.

the very first post was simply titled “step into spring.” the denim was J.Crew the sweater from Loft. in the beginning, i had no idea my readers wanted to know what retailers the items were from. in my mind, the posts were simply inspirational. but let’s take a jet tour from the inception of the blog. as i said, it’s been a wild ride these past six years. initially, the blog wasn’t even a blog as it got its start on the social media channel Tumblr – a user-friendly space for those of us who aren’t tech-savvy. think of Tumblr as the predecessor to Instagram but with more photos. the only skill necessary was uploading a photo and hitting publish. and that’s just what i did, consistently, five days a week. three months into my new venture, i received a text message at work from mr. style, asking, “have you paid attention to your Tumblr account today?” back then, i rarely checked my social channel. all of my attention was focused on coordinating a daily outfit, squeezing in a photo session then heading off to work. after my husband’s message, i grabbed my phone and logged into Tumblr. this email greeted me.

can you believe it! my blog was splashed on the front page of Tumblr smack dab in between ellen degeneres and nbc nightly news. this was the photo that launched my account into unchartered territory. thanks, Tumblr! you got the ball rolling.

when i returned home that evening, two of my kiddos were camped out on our sofa glued to the computer monitor, spewing advice and scratching their heads as to how the momster’s blog had suddenly gone viral. but all i could think about was what to wear the following day? suddenly, i had a captive audience that was growing by the second. and i discovered, to my dismay, i had absolutely nothing to wear… i finally decided on my go-to outfit. can you guess what i chose? that’s right, a blazer, blue jeans, and a sweater. 

after my Tumblr channel went viral, i decided to take things seriously with social media. and i knew i needed to set up a proper blog on WordPress. but the idea of transitioning to the main blogosphere struck fear in my heart. there were many technical aspects on the back end of the blog i didn’t understand and was hesitant to learn (can you really teach an old dog new tricks?). i finally made the decision to set up shop in cyberspace after the lovely deb boland from Fabulous after 40 contacted me for a style blazer interview. thanks, deb! it was just the sort of nudge i needed. now there was a deadline involved. if i didn’t meet that deadline, i wouldn’t meet all the lovely readers that didn’t have a Tumblr account. initially, panic set in as i didn’t know the difference between a link and a plug-in, let alone how to operate either one… a big thank you to all who faithfully stuck by me as i navigated one learning curve after another in those early days. 

 mr. style was a fantastic photographer from the get-go. although we had our hits and misses. now, when I can look back at the early days of the blog, i’m so thankful. it’s a diary in many ways as i can remember exactly what was going on that day. the outfit, the location, mr. style behind the lens cheering me on every step of the way.

 

a weekly gig with oscar started in san francisco, watching him grow from adorable puppy to full-grown canine. after oscar grew up and we moved to athens, we introduced cocktails and recipes to keep fridays with oscar fun and interesting. ollie, a Maine Coon cat, joins us from time-to-time.

there have been some amazing hairstyles along the way. and hair stylists that keep me looking at the top of my game. sometimes the ‘do’ is longer. other times it’s short. life changes, hairstyles change, it’s good to mix things up.

over the past six years, there’s been more than one adventure. early 2016 Chico’s flew me to California to kick-off their first campaign that celebrated fifty-somethings.

shortly after, i hopped on a plane and flew to Minneapolis to take part in several photos shoots with Christopher and Banks. it was beyond fun!

 i’ve had the privilege to work with some amazing bloggers. ty, naty michele, and i worked on the “beautiful eyes confident style” campaign with alcon. the photoshoot took place in chicago.

can you believe i interviewed That Girl marlo thomas in her penthouse apartment?

how lucky to meet some of my favorite bloggers in person that turned into friends.

nikol from Fresh Beauty Studio

alison from Wardrobe Oxygen, maria from Maria Sadler, angie from Hot and Flashy, and erin from Busbee Style.

and my dear friend lisa from Silver Stylist, who lives a hop, skip, and jump from me, to name but a few.

Style at a Certain Age has slowly morphed into a lifestyle blog that’s dedicated to aging with grace, strength, and beauty. now i share fitness tips with you as i needed to get this bod back in shape back in January 2018. Faster Way to Fat Loss really works! this lifestyle keeps me on track and focused on nutrition, which is so important for our body and soul. what we eat keeps our minds sharp, and our bodies fueled.

slowly, over time, i’ve changed the way i eat and exercise. the key is what you eat –  80% kitchen, 20% exercise. but exercise is soooo important as we age. use it or lose it. but fitness begins with food.

exercise, nutrition, and sleep are three key ingredients to a healthy body. but i’m interested in anything and everything that helps us live life to the fullest.

 there’s an online book club with Style on Facebook. come join the fun!

in 2019 i added HSN style expert to my resume when i flew down to launch Lemon Way. my hat is off to the cast and crew that get up at 3am to broadcast live!

major milestones have been shared with you. what i learned after thirty-five years of marriage with mr. style and my sixtieth birthday.

can you believe mr. style was undergoing radiation treatment for liver cancer when we took these photos? what an amazing attitude he had right to the end. boy, did we have fun on this photoshoot! afterward, we ate at his favorite Persian restaurant in Atlanta.

our oldest son was married in May of 2019.

 three short months later, mr. style lost his battle with cancer, and you all mourned with me goodbye, mr. style. 

slowly, but surely we returned to work when jr. style graciously stepped behind the lens. Talbots was my very first collaboration back in August 2015 and they were my first after mr. style passed away. Talbots will always hold a special place in my heart. and they’re still one of my favorite brands to work with to date.

what a privilege to represent our age group and work with beauty brand powerhouses like L’Oreal, itCosmetics, and Estee Lauder.

the blog continues to grow and improve. there’s a classic style series (after all, i’m a classic style blogger) on Instagram.

there’s a growing audience on YouTube!

i’m dedicated to working with brands and campaigns that resonate with me, and i know will resonate with you.

Philips Advanced Shaver

Easy Spirit

Low Vision Awareness Month

Walmart

at some point, we will travel again, and i’ll take you along with me.

in the meantime, i’ll continue to show up day after day because i have the most a-ma-zing readers from near and far that tune in offering love and support. thank you, from the bottom of my heart for this incredible journey. thank you for six beautiful, wonderful, challenging years. even though the world still looks topsy turvy, i’m looking forward to many more years of sharing valuable content with you because hope springs eternal.