Hi Y’all!
I’m Claire and I’m so excited to be a part of this amazing new adventure with one of my nearest & dearest friends of 10 years. A little background because I forget not everyone knows us or our life stories: Lauren and I went to college and OT school together at TWU in Denton and we’ve been blessed to have continued our amazing friendship through school, engagements, jobs, weddings, babies, and the unpredictability of real life!
Even though Lauren & I live 500+ miles away from each other now (add in some 100’s since she’s been in STL), I never feel that distance because we’ve made it a point to be an active part in each other’s lives.
So when she pitched this idea to join her & Melissa on their new journey with Simple Joy, I was in before she even finished her sentence! Now I do have to admit, I was terrified but also excited... what could I bring to the table for this amazing project Lauren & Melissa created in memory of their late mother, Debbie?
Then it hit me: I want Simple Joy to spread their beautiful and positive message to the most unexpected places; which in my case, is the mesmerizing world of Instagram.
I started @TheClaireCollection (a fashion/home decor account) on IG this past summer as an outlet in the midst of feeling like I needed something for myself. You see, I’m a wife/mom/therapist/daughter/friend/sister/etc. and in the midst of it all, I felt like I lost myself a little bit; can anyone else relate?! And that’s how it all started!
::Cue the life changes because it’s unpredictable::
While I was getting my account up and going, life shook hard for my family and I in a very personal way and I decided to take a break from @TheClaireCollection until I felt I was ready to immerse myself in it again. I won’t get into the details of it all just yet, but I’ll definitely share that story on another post in the future… how’s that for a cliffhanger?!
Haha, I had to take that opportunity, it was there! But, I will share that my break from the world of IG gave me a new perspective on the direction of my page and I’m so happy to have finally found my peace in a sea of sparkly distractions. If you have yet to explore the IG underworld run by influencers/bloggers, let me paint you a picture.
It’s a place full of beautifully curated photos and posts of clothes/shoes/accessories, but it can also be a dark place where you lose yourself in jealousy, self-doubt, and excessive amounts of impulse purchases/debt if you’re not careful.
My vision for @TheClaireCollection, in partnership with Simple Joy, is to provide content that I feel is lacking on the Instagram platform and relatable to people like myself: a girl (errr, a 30 year-old woman) who loves fashion and updating her home often but isn’t about to spend $50 on a T-SHIRT or a tiny bud vase (I’m looking at you Nordstrom & Restoration Hardware)!
I want to be a resource for people who are on a REAL budget; those who would like their hard-earned money to stretch while still looking fierce, discover new ways to use what they already own, and make some new friends along the way.
I look forward to growing @TheClaireCollection with you and I want to thank you so much for letting us into your day, homes, and hearts. Here’s to a new chapter y’all!
With Love,
Claire
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