Me + Capsule Wardrobe

I came across the idea of a Capsule Wardrobe over a year ago while scrolling mindlessly on Pinterest. I was fascinated by it and it really resonated with me. I started sifting through my closet and created my own capsule wardrobe. 

My capsule lasted about 130 days and then I gave up. I started buying more clothes again, buying more and more and more and using purchases to bring me happiness. When you're buying something it always feels like it's going to change your life right? Like that dress would literally change everything? 

I do believe that clothes can bring us a lot of joy, let us express ourselves creatively, and give us confidence. However, I'm tired of once again relying on that "CONFIRM PURCHASE" button and USPS tracking codes to bring me joy. 

So... back into the capsule ya'll. 

I'm working on putting a summery capsule wardrobe together. I'm trying to decide how long to commit to the capsule. My husband just took a pay cut at work for a position he really wanted so we are TIGHT on money for awhile. I need to say goodbye to emotional shopping sprees and hello to more time with those I love. I want to spend my money and time on more important things. Don't we all?

So shoot me your best tips on Capsule Wardrobes and how to spend less money on clothes! I really like buying stuff that is going to last, but sometimes a $10 tee just makes my heart pitter patter. I'm hoping to not buy anything additional to what is in my closet right now. It's tempting to spend money to start a capsule, but if anything, I might just buy some second hand stuff. That's pretty Capsule isn't it? That should totally be a saying. 

That's SO Capsule! 

Pressing onward. Capsule Wardrobe 2.0 here I come. 

OVERCOME // RESCUE RUN 5K

Awhile ago I saw that a blogger I knew was putting together a 5K Run that would benefit OUR (Operation Underground Railroad). I thought it sounded familiar so I did some digging. In the past 2 years since forming, OUR has saved over 419 victims of sexual trafficking and arrested 192 sex traffickers around the globe. 419. I HAD heard of this organization before, I just hadn't paid much attention to it.

As it turns out, the number of those being trafficked for sex is unbelievable. I couldn't help by think, "What if their story, were my story?" (I Was a Stranger) Then to learn how many children are being used... my heart breaks, and my stomach turns. Think that sex trafficking isn't happening? Nearly 2 million CHILDREN in the world are currently sex slaves. We can turn our eyes and pretend this isn't happening, or we can do something about it. I decided to join the Event Squad for Rescue Run 5K.

Photo Credit: While Camden Sleeps

What can you do? Monetary donations help O.U.R fund rescue missions. O.U.R. is composed of former Navy SEALs, CIA operatives, law enforcement officers, medical personnel, and military veterans who work with local governments to find and arrest traffickers as well as rescue those being trafficked. If you have money to give, do it! Give up that new top you've been eyeing, give up your daily soda or coffee stop for just one week. It WILL make a difference.

Want to participate in a fun event? On May 21, 2016 (Just a month away!) will be the first ever Rescue Run 5K in Lehi, UT. All proceeds will be donated to O.U.R. Even if you are not a runner, please consider attending. I can guarantee I'll be somewhere in the back huffing and puffing and walking a lot of it, but I'm doing it! You can too.

Use JOLLEY3 to save $3 off registration and come join me in the run to end child sex trafficking.

REGISTER HERE.

Whenever I think about things like this I think of that story of the man throwing the starfish into the sea. We might not be able to save all the starfish, but we will make a difference to each one we save.

What I Hope My Young Women Know

The Young Women's program shaped my teenage years. It taught me so many things and introduced me to so many people. I gained my own testimony of Jesus Christ, The Book of Mormon, and the temple by completing Personal Progress. I dreamed of one day being a Young Women's leader and having the kind of influence my leaders had on me. 

I've been in the Young Women's presidency for just over a year now. I'm winging it. I love the Young Women with all my heart, my heart breaks when they go through trials. Sometimes I feel like I can't get the words out right, or don't have the courage to tell them all I hope they know. I hope when my Young Women become young adults, college students, wives, mothers, business women, etc, that they look back at their time in Young Women and remember a few things that I am striving to teach them.

Photo from: Hello Lovely Shop

I hope you know that when it comes down to it, this gospel is His. It is not complicated, in fact, it is very simple. All we need to do is become more and more like Him each day. I hope you keep Christ at the center of everything you do, and that when you doubt the truthfulness of the gospel (because I think we all do at LEAST a few times in our lives) that you re-focus your testimony on Jesus Christ because it will help you find the knowledge you need. 

I hope you know that your body is sacred and glorious. I hope you find ways to take care of it. I hope you know that having a perfect body does not bring true happiness. I hope you NEVER let someone tell you that you are responsible for someone else's virtue. You are in charge of your own virtue and that is it. No matter what you are wearing, I hope you demand respect from those you associate with. You are more than your body.

I hope you look forward to the future with optimism. You have already overcome so much. The Lord saved you for THIS DAY because he knew he could trust you. Your future is glorious! Whether you want to be a doctor, a hairstylist, a wife, a mom, a teacher, or a dentist, I hope you chase your dreams and keep Heavenly Father in the loop about them. He will help you reach your dreams, he wants you to succeed. 

I hope you turn to the scriptures for answers. I hope you drink deeply from their pages. The Bible & The Book of Mormon were written for you. You will have the spirit with you to a fuller extent when you do. I hope you know that everything we do in Young Women's is to prepare you to go to the temple. I LOVE THE TEMPLE. Do not let anything get in your way from becoming endowed. You will learn the ways of heaven in the temple. Go regularly now and never slack off, the temple will bring you peace. My garments are invaluable. I wear them with gratitude and happiness, how grateful I am that I can figuratively take a piece of the temple with me and wear them everyday. They are worth the fashion sacrifices. The promises associated with them are INCREDIBLE and life-changing. Get to the temple so you can learn more about those beautiful promises.

I hope you save sexual intimacy for marriage. Why? Because it is awesome! Yep, I said that. Intimacy with your spouse will be amazing! Heavenly Father intended it to be. I hope you know sex is so good, and that is why you want to save it for that special someone with whom you will spend eternity. This is why Satan is working so hard to convince women that their bodies define their worth. But he is WRONG. You are more than that. And if you've already given it away, I hope you know that you can be clean again. Jesus Christ atoned for this very reason. You can be forgiven, you are not used-merchandise. You are God's own precious daughter. He would not have you belittle yourself one moment longer. Repent and move on. Choose to save your procreative powers for marriage and you will never regret it!

I hope you will be kind to others. In a world full of cyber-bullying and real-life bullying, I hope you stand up for yourself and others. I hope you stand up for the lonely, the lost and the outcasts. The Lord needs you to be His hands here on earth. You have roles only you can fill, you are irreplaceable and the world is better because you are in it! I hope you step away from electronics and social media sometimes to be still. This is something I am working on, but oh how my spirit aches for stillness. 

I hope you turn to me in times of trial and sadness. One of the worst things I've ever done in my life is try to make it on my own. Turn to those you trust for help, listening, and love. There is power in numbers, we all need each other. We are truly all just walking each other home. 

Turn to Jesus Christ. Let Him be there for you. Pray to FEEL His arms wrap around you. Learn of Him. Learn of His life, His atonement, His love for you. Teach His ways to others. Try to live like Him. Turn to Him when you need a friend. In my own personal deepest, darkest moments, Christ has become my very best friend, and I would not trade that relationship for the world. He is the gospel. The Church is Jesus Christ's. It belongs to Him. And He loves you so very much. He wants you to be happy and He wants to be YOUR very best friend too. He is the reason we are all going to make it home. That's the number one thing I want you to know.

Because of Christ, we are all going to make it home. And what a beautiful day that will be.

Opening My Home Salon- FAQ

MY HOME SALON IS OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am super excited about it obviously. It's been a long time coming and I'm so happy it is finally done. If you're wanting to get in for an appointment, email me at brooklynjolley@hotmail.com and let's add you to my books!

Ever since I started hair school I've dreamed about opening a home salon. I wasn't sure how realistic it was but it sure sounded nice to not have to leave your home and yet still offer professional services to others in an environment that felt like a salon experience.

I'm so grateful to my husband who was there every step of the way (and did most of the work!). As I was opening my salon, I couldn't find any information ANYWHERE on what it was like for others to open a home salon. I had so many questions I wanted to ask but couldn't get answer to. So I decided to answer some of those here. But first, take a look at this beauty!

The World is Better Print: Breezy and Co

Where did you get your furniture? 

I purchase my salon chair, wash chair and wash sink all from ksl.com which is a classifieds for Utah residents. We got all 3 for great deals and they are all in awesome shape! Looking back I may have bit the bullet and splurged for a brand new black sink, but this one is functional and that's what matters most. 

All shelves are from IKEA as well as the turquoise rolling cart. My salon mirror came from a co-worker of my husband's who used to have a home salon and the vanity lights came from Lowe's. 

How did you set up the plumbing? 

Luckily on the other side of that wall by my sink is our washer and dryer. So it wasn't too difficult to set up. My husband did all the original plumbing and even though it was functional, the health inspector wanted us to have a professional look it over. So we paid a plumber to come do a few updates and sign off on it.

What legal steps do I need to take? 

I started out by getting my business license ($150 for Salt Lake County) and they told me I needed to have a building inspection & a health inspection. The building inspector came out the following Monday. The inspection was included in the cost of the business license. The health inspection was a bit of a pain. They finally came out 2.5 weeks later ($150 additional for health inspection) and the only thing I needed to improve was get my sink caulked into the wall. Once we did that, we sent pictures to the health inspector and he signed off. 

How did you decide on pricing? 

I looked at salons in my area including Dollar Cuts and based my prices somewhere in the middle. I decided what was included with each service and figured up the time I thought each service would take and what I was willing to make per hour and went from there. 

I may still tweak my pricing. I think I re-did my price list 17 times in total just trying to decide what was fair. I include Olaplex with every color which is usually a $15-$25 upcharge so that definitely factored in. A lot of people are not willing to pay as much for getting their hair done out of someone's home, however, I treat my salon business as if I were paying booth rent. You are not coming over to my house and getting your highlights washed out in my kitchen sink, you are getting your hair done in a professional environment that I worked hard to make feel just like a salon only cozier.

I still have questions. Can I contact you?

Feel free to email me at brooklynjolley@hotmail.com and I can answer any other questions you have!

Unaffiliated

I couldn't register to vote in my high school US Government class like everyone else. I was 17 until a few weeks into my first semester at college. When the 2012 Presidential election rolled around, I realized I could vote!

I gathered all my patriotism and registered! I voted for the first time in that election. Even though I was not super informed (don't judge, I'm still figuring out this whole "being a good citizen" thing) I voted, felt happy, and decided to make sure I voted in every future presidential election even if I didn't feel like my vote really "counted."

Women fought hard so that I could vote and have a voice. And I think that's pretty rad.

I attended my first caucus last month. I told Colten I wanted to go and so we went. The amount of people at the high school where our area was to meet did NOT have enough parking. We parked forever away from it, but still went. We ran into people we knew. I felt happy and excited! I felt a little more informed this time around. (a little being the key to that sentence)

The whole thing was pretty disorganized. Apparently Utah struggled holding a presidential caucus for the first time or something because it wasn't just our location. When I arrived, they had Colten's name on the list and not mine. How could that be?? I was registered. I even changed my address as soon as we bought our home! I receive absentee ballots and have been voting on local changes!!

Unaffiliated. Yup folks, I registered as unaffiliated and so I could not vote in my first ever presidential caucus I attended. They let me stay and watch, but I couldn't vote. I ranted to Colten that our founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves knowing that I can't vote simply because I DID NOT CHOOSE A POLITICAL PARTY TO ASSOCIATE WITH. Truthfully, I don't think my brain works Republican or Democrat. I lean one way on some issues and some on others.

I won't bother you with my political beliefs right now because I'm still figuring them out. Which is why I registered UNAFFILIATED.

But, as a matter of fact, I did enjoy going. It was a great new experience for Colten and I. Plus we got Cold Stone after. Caucus and Cold Stone might be a great new tradition.