7 For All Mankind Hosts a Summer Soiree

Summer is officially here, and I'm ready to start my summer shopping! The perfect place to start is 7 For All Mankind - the World's Premiere Premium Denim Lifestyle Brand. 

They are hosting a Summer Soiree in Dallas today so I stopped by to see what was new. I am very hard to fit, but they showed me jeans and even a dress that I felt good in!

Looking forward to showing off my new look in Rochester next week at the launch of the Lifestylist Designed @home Builders YMCA Dream Home.

What is a Social Media Lifestylist?

I can't believe it's been almost 10 years since I received the trademark registration of the term Lifestylist! I had been using the term for quite awhile as the definition of what I do, then a wonderful mentor recommended that I trademark the term to protect it. Wonderful advice, and it has been a decision that I have never regretted.
I bought my first domain names when we were still using dial up connections and no one had a clue what to do with a name after you bought it. Again I have been very fortunate to have great advisers around me and because of them I own some very powerful domain names. As Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, YouTube and LinkedIn began to become important, I discovered social media. Most of my clients are on shoestring budgets, so introducing them to the power of social media and how it can help them develop their brands and businesses was a great way to help them stretch their marketing dollars.
So what is a Social Media Lifestylist? That would be me! Lifestylist® Suzanne Felber has been recognized as the go-to person for developing social media programs that will produce results. Her Lifestylist.TV Channel features interviews with lifestyle issues and concerns including puppy mills and the groups dedicated to closing them down, home builders, fund raising homes, and some amazing interviews yet to come! You can also find us at: www.socialmedialifestylist.com. www.socialmedialifestylist.net, and www.socialmedialifestylist.info. This Lifestylist® is against buying designer dogs and is all about rescue, so if you read something else it's incorrect.
The first advice I always give to my clients is to be sure and purchase any domain names that might have to do with your brand, and this is why we have the Social Media Lifestylist domains.
We also believe in giving back to the communities we love and we handle the social media for the USA Film Festival, HomeAid / Home Builders Care Dallas, Chef Joanne Bondy, Photographer Lisa Stewart and Jack's Backyard. Future projects include Legal Honesty and some others we can't talk about yet :)
So if you are looking for a Social Media Lifestylist® to make your brand come alive, accept no imitations - it's a decision you won't regret.

Donations Needed For Animal Rescue Corps

What an amazing week! Lifestylist® Suzanne Felber was able to be part of a very important animal rescue in Kaufman County, Texas that was planned and executed by Animal Rescue Corps. It's one thing to hear about puppy mills and the horrible conditions these poor animals have to live in, but it's another to actually be able to see it for yourself. The animals arrive terrified and filthy -many of them have never actually stood on solid ground before because they are kept in wire cages and are surrounded with urine and feces - even the ones with babies. After a few short days of love and attention they leave having hope, and there is no better feeling in the world!
We were able to interview Scotland Haisley - the leader of this amazing organization and find out how others can get involved, especially kids. Take a look at our interview, then go to www.animalrescuecorps.org and become a part of the solution! You can also get up to the minute information by "liking" them on Facebook.
These rescues are very expensive to make happen, and without very needed funds for this group we won't be able to end the suffering. I'm looking forward to the next rescue and being able to share the results here!
Thanks to Kristina Bowman for the photography of this amazing rescue.

Vote Today For Your Favorite Lifestylist® Designed Kitchen!

Voting starts today on the Lifestylist® Designed kitchens in the @home Builders YMCA Dream Home, and we are anxious to know which one is your favorite. Go to 13Wham.com and be sure to watch the video at the bottom where I show the different styles, or for more information on how we made the choices we did, go to Lifestylist TV!

Good Manners Never Go Out of Style

The world lost a very special person today - Elizabeth Taylor. She always handled herself with grace and dignity, and was a wonderful role model for all of us who were fortunate enough to grow up watching her on the silver screen. As a board member of the USA Film Festival, I've learned never to form an opinion about someone until I meet them in person, and sadly Ms. Taylor is one that I would have given anything to meet but it wasn't meant to be.
Denise Vivaldo - who is one of my favorite writers as well as being my role model in the styling world just posted a story in the Huffington Post about her encounter with Ms. Taylor. It makes me love Denise and Ms. Taylor even more. The title of the story is Elizabeth Taylor: Good Manners Never Go Out of Style and I couldn't agree more.
This weekend I was working with photographer Lisa Stewart LifeStyling Savor Dallas- a special food and wine event that I enjoy attending every year. To make the shots Lifestylist® Designed, I take my own glasses, plates, and styling utensils and try to get at least 50 great food and wine shots in about a 2 hour time frame - and did I mention we do this while the event is going on and we have to work around 2,000 -3,000 attendees? It's quite a juggling act. What struck me the most about this year's event was the lack of courtesy shown to the chefs and wine makers by the attendees. The whole point of an event like this is to educate people about your food and your wines, and hopefully they will come to your restaurant or buy your wines after the event is over. You would have thought some of these people were trying to win a million dollars by snagging the most to eat and drink -we were literally getting pushed and stepped on when we were trying to set up our shots, and people were taking the food that I styled right off of the plate (my plate) before we got get it photographed. The wine makers didn't have a chance to tell about their wines, because someone else was already putting out their empty glass to be filled.
Good manners never go out of style, and I'm actually appreciating the manners that my parents drilled into me at an early age. I never want to be the one pushing for a glass of wine or a dime sized piece of cheese - I want to remain a Lifestylist® and savor every moment and experience that I get to indulge in. Thanks Denise for this wonderful memory I will now have of Ms. Taylor and the reminder to live our lives with the dignity that others have shown us.

New Lifestylist® Designed Video

I love the area near New Braunfels and Boerne - great countryside and the best BBQ!
Cavco Home Center in New Braunfels is a great place to start your search - we have done some Lifestylist® Designed homes for them and were amazed with their quality and customer service. They have a great selection of homes that would be ideal as your main or vacation home.
To see a video of some of the homes we LifeStyled for them, check out our Lifestylist Channel on You Tube, and to get more information on what homes are currently available, give the home center a call at: (830) 608-0208. Tell them The Lifestylist® sent you!

Decorating vs Merchandising Your Model Homes

I always like to say where there is a will there is a way, and even with the recent tightening of budgets, there is just no substitution for a well merchandised model. The difference now though is we have to get creative like we never have before, and discover ways to make our models outshine the competition while spending less.
As a Lifestylist®, I look for ways to highlight the community their new home will be built in, and show what makes the lifestyle they will experience there so special. An example is a home that we merchandised with @home Builders in Rochester, NY as a Homearama house.
The home was only going to be open for a short amount of time so we had to spend our merchandising dollars wisely. We teamed up with The Ronald McDonald House in Rochester and took advantage of their Household and Antique Sale. I dug through donations for the sale and was able to furnish the entire home using donated items, then the builder hosted an online auction where everything was sold and all proceeds were donated back to the charity. This was a lot of work, but we did a lot of good and potential buyers were able to see how beautiful their new home could be even when they were decorating with thrift shop items. A video of the home can be seen on TheLifestylist YouTube Channel.
Consumers no longer want to be sold, they want to be educated then make their own decisions. If we use our model homes as a way to educate them on what our homes can offer to them we can attract this new era buyer.