"Women Who Wear Blak Lead Colorful Lives": June 2016

Monday, June 20, 2016

#GirlCrush - Kat

Our Girl Crush this week--- Kat, Nomad West Owner

Tell us a Little More about yourself!

My name is Kat Brackett, I am from Santa Cruz, Ca now living in San Diego, Ca. I am a Graphic Designer turned Jewelry Designer, but still utilizing my degree for my business, which is awesome because I can do pretty much all of it on my own!

I am the woman behind the Nomad West machine ;) and have to say I love every minute of it.

What are your three favorite eco-friendly products?

Right now my current obsession is Mrs. Meyers basil hand soap and multi surface cleaner. They clean and leave the most amazing scent leaving you with an uplifting feel.

Dr. Bronners 18 use Castille soap with hemp seed oil. its out of this world, you can wash your body, face, hair etc with it as well as our house…your pets and your food too! it comes its some amazing fragrances too. I love stuff that smells good ;) who doesn’t?!

Method brand is amazing too, completely derived from plants! and also smell amazing ;)

What was the first step you took to a more eco- friendly lifestyle?

I have always been about recycling, first and foremost…

and if I care about what I put inside my body…then I should care about everything else around me just as much, from water to clothing to my living environment inside and outside.

I made a diet change about 5 years ago…and haven’t looked back. I made the switch to Organic foods, no more processed foods which helped me to lose weight and also a big change in my physical appearance as well as mental health.

I also made the switch to using recycled and up cycled materials for my business making it more affordable to continue on with a health conscious outlook on life as we contribute to our community physically and financially.

What is one way that our audience can take the first step toward an eco-friendly lifestyle?

If you care about what you put in your body, then you should care about the rest of the environment and what goes into it. from the make up you use to the products you use in your home. Go Green! Go Plant! look for sustainably made and sourced products to help keep yourself and the environment around you. Start there and it will translate into the rest of the world.

Can you tell us how you got started in your blog?

I used to make jewelry as a kid and sort of trailed away from it as I got older, but still always had a jewelry obsession. I’ve always been mechanical in a way and love to make / build things. With a passion for the arts I went to school for Graphic Design and after graduating with a degree in Graphic design I moved to San Diego where I landed a designer job with a body jewelry manufacturer! it was a dream job, until the company closed its doors three months later. I was left without a job and needed something fast. I looked for more design jobs but ended up looking for anything I could find. I interviewed with a 40k sq ft Bead store in town and got a sales position there. After a few months of being there I learned another gal there was working as a production artist for a local jewelry designer and decided to look for jobs on craigslist to see if there were more jobs out there like it, and there was! all the while I was starting to get back into making jewelry for myself and teaching wire wrapping classes there. I found a job with a local jewelry designer and was hired on full time to sit in an office with a few other girls to make/copy the designers pieces for orders for stores. I decided while working there that I could totally do this! I started designing pieces at home and making stuff on the side and a year later my husband and I moved back to Santa cruz where we are both from, I started looking for another jewelry designer job and found one with the amazing Haute Bride out of Los Gatos. I was hired on part time which eventually lead to full time, and from there I made jewelry all day long for about 5 years, in which I met other gals who sold their jewelry at local events. They helped me to get started selling locally which since 2009 has turned into an almost full time business with emphasis on Wholesale, We now have 12 retailers in California and Washington! We moved back to San diego just 2 months ago…and are continuing to grow.

What is the best piece of business/blogging advice you ever received?

Be true to yourself. There are many people out there who will tell you what to do even without asking if you want their advice. Just go with your gut, you may fall down….but you’ll get back up if you want it that bad. Go with the trends but make them your own, and always be you.

What advice would you give to a new blogger?

Keep going! get yourself in a routine…and stick to it, if it doesn’t work then research other ways to help yourself get out there and network with as many people as you can. Don’t be afraid to ask for help EVER!

Kat's beautiful jewelry! We are OBSESSED!

Welcome to our GIRL GANG Kat!

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Day 365 -- I Can and I Will LBD

Day 365

I Can and I Will LBD by thenewblak

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Day 364 -- Red and Blak

Day 364

Red and Blak by thenewblak

Friday, June 10, 2016

Day 363 -- Pretty in Pink

Day 363

Pretty in Pink by thenewblak

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Day 362 -- Blak and White LBD Life

Day 362

Blak and White LBD Life by thenewblak

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Day 361 -- Lovely Stipes and Floral Mix

Day 361

Lovely Stipes and Floral Mix by thenewblak

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Day 360 -- Crop Tops and Converse

Day 360

Crop Tops and Converse by thenewblak

Monday, June 6, 2016

Day 359 -- Summer Stripes

Day 359

Summer Stripes by thenewblak

#GirlCrush -- Nancy

We recently met Nancy, who started Lunch Bag, and we absolutely fell in love! She's super fun, super cute, and we are so happy to add her to our #girlgang! We did a little interview together and she had some great things to say. Check out the interview and her awesome bags!

Nancy's Interview

Tell us a Little More about yourself!

My name is Nancy Nasr, I'm originally from Venezuela but moved to Canada eight years ago with my family. I'm a wife and a mother of three amazing girls that are very active and keep me really busy my passion is for fashion and to help women look their best, feel their best and find products that aren't usually available around, or easy to find. I'm always looking for solutions that can improve our intensively busy lives without sacrificing style. My intention is to be their fashion source and I'm working on it.

Can you tell us how you got started in your business?

The desire to work by myself and to be able to stay close to my girls, came first, realizing there was a passion for sharing my ideas about fashion and style with other women came next, than by putting together a plan and adjusting it many times, we were able to start Think Stunning. It's a long road and I still feel I'm at the beginning of it, but also feel very proud to be following my dream.

What is the best piece of business advice you ever received?

I've received so many and I also love to read as a way of inspiration, however, one of the best advice is: Even though the market is very competitive if we really badly want to become successful we should never give up because we all have something unique to share.

What advice would you give to a new #GIRLBOSS?

I also like this one very much and always use it, by Tim Ferris: "You're the average of the five people you associate with the most"

What are your three favorite Eco-friendly products?

I love shopping bags, cleaning products, and LED lights.

What is one way that our audience can take the first step toward an eco-friendly lifestyle?

As a mom for me is very important to reduce the use of chemicals in my house, so I like to use natural products to clean and do the laundry. I also prefer to use plant-based shampoos and conditioners. And very important for me is to make sure to buy food that isn't processed, I love to cook from scratch and to buy my food from local farmers, organic as much as possible and non-GMO.