
On February 14th, 2018, the first ever Fashion + Self-Love party came to completion.
Two weeks were set aside, here on Story Behind The Cloth, for the purpose of celebrating self-love and -care through fashion. We celebrated through giveaways, games, and daily guest posts from 14 of my wonderful blogger friends. It was a beautiful experience and i’m so thankful to everybody who helped host and those who celebrated with us!
An incredible amount of work happened behind the scenes…But it was worth it, and i hope you thought so, too!
This post is for those of you who may have missed the party, or parts of it–Or for anybody who may want to reminisce and look back on the encouragement that was given during the event.
For those of you who did attend (those who didn’t–your thoughts are more than welcome, too!):
Would you like to see this become an annual thing?…Let me know in the comments!
Party Recap:
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 4:
Day 5:
Day 6:
Day 8:
Day 9:
Day 10:
Day 12:
Day 13:
Day 14:
Game Result Highlights:
The Fashion Photo Scavenger Hunts can be continuously played. See them all here: Fashion Photo Scavenger Hunts.
As for the rest of the games, which were limited to the time of the party, here’s the results!:
This or That:
1st Place out of 23 Options
Votes
Black Off The Shoulder Dress from Thavin & Marcob!
Beautiful classic-romantic…
Giveaway update:
As of March 2nd: The giveaway prizes are still waiting to be sent out. One of the winners is still pending and may be reselected from the pool of entries (This has already happened with a previous winner)–since there’s been no response from them within the time limit given, confirming whether they can accept their prize.
I apologize to the confirmed winners for the wait…I desperately hope to send everything out soon.
But, this is good news to those of you who entered but haven’t receieved an email that you won–You may still have a chance!
Thank you again to Thavin & Marcob, Legging Army, No Faux Beauty, and Ellysiums Boutique for contributing to the giveaway!
What was your favorite part of this year’s party?
What would you like to see next year?
Let us know in the comments!
P.S., Would you like to participate as a party co-host and guest-blog-post contributor?–Send me an email and i’ll be ecstatic to consider adding you to our team in the future!
How Is Alissa Holding Up?
I’m exhausted.
After over two weeks since the party ended–I’m stilled exhausted.
I learned and grew so much from hosting this party…But there were so many behind-the-scenes details that swallowed more time than i could have imagined when the party planning began. I piled too much extra onto my plate (games, testing different marketing efforts, an exclusive email campaign with daily challenges and freebies, etc), in attempt to make the party extra special, in a timeframe i didn’t know was unreasonable. I’m still happy with what was accomplished and how it was done–but i wish i could’ve had better foresight to know i could’ve used more time to prepare!
I expected to have everything scheduled and ready-to-go before the party started on February 1st so that i could peacefully celebrate fashion and self-love with you all–but i was still scrambling to pull the final details together, day-to-day, until the day before the party ended:
In spite of half of the posts and most of the readable content being created by this year’s lovely team of 14 guest bloggers, my work-load was at least 3x more than i had anticipated–consisting of over 500 hours glued to my computer screen, between the end of December and the 14th of February; a couple all-nighters (up and working for over 40 hours) and all-too-many insomia-laden nights; many days of white cheddar Cheez-its for my daily meal, if i remembered to eat at all; and, eventually, lots of crying and self-doubt when i realized how much time and energy was put into the event–in comparison to the number-based-results (views, comments, subscribers, giveaway entries, etc) that just barely reached my original expectations–and how little i was following the self-love and -care advice that this event stands for.
To put it short: I desperately need to learn to take better care of myself.
Next time we host another blog party…I will be doing things differently to make sure that i put my mental, emotional, and physical health first–while still striving to give you guys an excellent time.
Getting extremely real with you.
I’m currently seeking out mental health help. After about 8 years of wondering if i have bipolar disorder (and anxiety), i’m finally gathering all of my strength to set up the appointments needed to find out, and to be given direction on how to better manage the mental and emotional difficulties i’ve been facing. Truth be told: It took enough strength to simply pull together courage to beg my mom for help navigating the heathcare system (she’s been the one making the phone-calls while i’ve been too shakey too handle them myself…).
Additionally, i’m re-examining the future of Story Behind The Cloth and working on planning what comes next, trying to figure out how to kill my perfectionism…and job hunting. I’ve been without an income for a year now and am sick of feeling like i’ve lost all of my independence. Change needs to happen.
So, between all these things, Story Behind The Cloth is likely to be quiet for a little while. I have so much to figure out concerning this blog and my personal and professional life!
Thank you all for being such an encouragement through this journey…Just being my readers means the world to me!
Any feedback you have concerning Story Behind The Cloth–what you’ve loved and wish for more of, as well as criticisms, plus what you haven’t yet seen on here that you would be thrilled to find in the future!
You are such a gem beautiful Alissa and such an advocate for gorgeous girl power and celebrating fellow women and their achievements! I truly love the idea of celebrating self-love and care though fashion and reading this stunning post I can see you 100% rocked it. “How to fall in love with yourself this Valentine’s” is such an inspiring topic, and I can’t wait to catch up with them all! <3
I just read the last part of your post and I’m so proud of you for being so courageous and strong in what must be a really difficult time. I have every faith in you that you will continue to live your dreams and shine like the total diamond you are gorgeous babe. Seeking help is a stepping stone in itself (I can totally relate on this) and I hope you find the lovely job you deserve. If you ever need a chat or anything, feel free to get in touch my lovely. You’re not alone and you are loved and admired by me and so many others out there! SO much love your way <3
Sophie | soinspo xo
This made me want to cry ???? Thank you Sophie! You’re such an encouragement…
I just got back from an appointment with a physician for the purpose of getting diagnosed and set on the right track with my mental health…Immediately got prescribed Zoloft, and the doctor was emphatic in agreement that i’m most likely bipolar…So other options may be explored in a few weeks…along with counseling! ? I’m feeling so relieved to finally be getting help. It feels good at least acknowledging that this isn’t “normal” and that there are options to feel better and work more properly!