Welcome! I'm Moe!
I am an Indiana based creative gal who will always call eastern Virginia home. I grew up on the sandy shores of the Atlantic, on the docks beside Lake Gaston, & on the concrete surrounding my family's pool. My heart is split between the two loves of my life: a man named Zach and a rescue dog named Sweetie. Together we live in cute little two story house filled with vintage finds & a his-meets-hers aesthetic.
My creative background stemmed from a Grandma who allowed me to cut up old McCall's magazines & an aunt that asked me if I could do anything, what would it be. I moved on to study art in the heart of the Old Dominion - a small Liberal Arts college in rural Virginia. Above all I consider myself a creative individual. Since jumping into woo woo in March of 2017, I've furthered my belief that we are all more connected to each other than we think. Through persona, creative growth we can discover who we are and give back to our selves and to others. This is why I was inspired to create the Connected Chakras Affirmation deck. Learn more about the deck and find other spiritual tools in the Connected Chakras store.
About the blog
Five Sixteenths started in the summer of 2010. Through it's near 8 year life, the 516 blog has evolved into a lifestyle blog focusing on living a fulfilling & creative life. Here you'll find DIY posts, all around fashion & creative inspiration (featuring outfit posts), home decor, beauty reviews, hauls & random life posts. You'll also learn more about growing spiritually through essential oils & the Tarot.
Some re-occurring posts are Make it Monday, Trend Tuesday, App Reviews, ways to Boost your Blog. You can peep some Long Distance Relationship posts as well as our posts on Moving to Michigan to get to know Zach & I better as a team.
Sixteen Facts
- I worked for Claire's/Icing for 4+ years. This developed my understanding of customer service and positivity.
- Coffee makes my life go round & I wish I knew more about it - flavors, brews, blends, etc - I want to make the perfect cup!
- My boyfriend is a Yank who calls Michigan home.
- I have a strong appreciation for the well made document - whether it be a letter head, course catalog, or flier. It really gets me.
- iPhone camera apps are my addiction. Want to know my faves and some tips + tricks? Click here.
- I've had 2 blogs before this one. My first one had only seven posts on it & was called Just Playing Hookie. I was a freshman in college.
- I learned a little bit of HTML back in the days of myspace. I had the hippest layout ever.
- Around the age of 6 or so, my imaginary friend Johnny moved to Africa. His mother's purse was stolen & his house burnt down. This was the same year my sister was born.
- My favorite color is Purple, any & all shades.
- Water is my life. It's really hard living so far farm the ocean. However, Lake Michigan is pretty big......so it will do.
- Collections are important to me - sometimes they tell us who we are other times they tell us who we'd like to be.
- Up until Sophomore year of college I had hair down to my lower back. Stick straight & beautifully blonde. When a boyfriend broke up with me, my best friend cut it all off. I kept the pony tail for a while.
- There was once a time in my short-hair life that I thought my short hair was responsible for my unhappiness. I started to grow out my hair - I didn't get to far - but one day I went to get my hair cut and ended up cutting it all off & dying it blonde. I am responsible for my happiness & unhappiness - not something as changeable as hair. I am much more than the length of my hair.
- I think blogging is really fun. I like being able to connect with people, to share my life, & to have something to look back on.
- I have a terrible fear of storm drains. I think that I will fall in them some how & I am also careful around them when walking the dogs.
- My favorite holiday is Christmas. Each year, I just can't wait! I don't mind the decorations in stores right after Halloween.
F.A.Q.s
Not only have some readers asked but some of my own friends have asked these questions, so I thought I'd share:
1. Where do you shop? I shop at the cheapest places possible. I usually buy clothing that is $30 or under. Nearly everything I have was either on sale or from a thrift store. If it wasn't on sale, it was probably full price at Forever21 (I love their plus size department!), Khol's, TJ Maxx, or Target. I am known to frequent JC Penny, but really only for sale items.
2. How do you find such great clothes at thrift stores? I try EVERYTHING on. Even if I know it will look crazy, I bring it into the dressing room. It's also taken years to figure out what I will definitely find at thrift stores. Rarely will I find pants or tops. All the time I will find skirts & purses/bags. Usually, I will find sweaters/cardigans & scarves. Often I will find dresses. Most of the time I just head for the skirts, then for the home stuff or vintage sheets, then to the sweaters/cardigans, & then for a peak at the other clothes. I spend the most time looking through the bags/purses/scarves & jewelry sections. Be willing to try everything on.
3. How do you get comfortable wearing a certain style? How did you develop your style? Developing style takes time. It starts when you decide you won't be scared to try new things. At one point in my life I just decided I didn't care what others thought (about what I wore, etc) & started wearing new things. I joined Wardrobe Remix on Flickr & gained some inspiration. Wearing things you aren't comfortable with around the house helps out as well. Once you get used to seeing yourself in the things you are wearing you will gain confidence. I don't suggest just outright changing what you wear, but to rather become more in tune with who you are. Style is a reflection of who you are on the inside not who you want people to think you are.
4. Why did you decide to study art in college? I made the switch initially because I didn't want to do something hard, I wanted to do something I was good at. In the end, I liked the change because I was challenged in a way I'd never thought possible. "No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did he would cease to be an artist." ~ Oscar Wilde This saying I didn't come across until much later, in fact, I came across it after graduation. I feel this quote is so true of those who consider themselves artists. Going through art school, I learned how to read & express myself with a visual language. Nothing is ever as it seems. We encounter icons & representations every day, it is only through the careful study of art that we see things that are related. I use the knowledge & skills I learned in school everyday. I may not have a job in what I have a degree in but I will always be able to bring art into the job I have & I am very happy to be able to do that. It was the best choice I ever made.
5. Why did you start blogging? I started blogging, sheesh, in about 2006. I thought it would be fun & I never imagined I'd be where I am today. I am no good at blogging, I just like to do it. I don't do it for the followers or recognition, I do it because I see so many quality blogs out there that I have learned from & I want to share my knowledge with others who want to be creative or who want inspiration. I hope to be a quality source of inspiration & a daily read for others like the blogs I love are.
6. Where do you see yourself in five years? I have no idea. I don't know where I'll be & I don't know how to set goals that far. All I did in college was look to the next year, 'will I have enough money?' 'can I afford this?' 'Will I have a job when I graduate?' & I don't want to do it any more. That isn't to say I am not striving for things....I am just enjoying the present with the future in mind. I save a little every month, I work towards the things I want for myself, etc. I still think I am in such a transitionary state that I'll just get there when I get there. (Answered probably 3 years ago and I still feel this way!)
7. Who designs your blog? I do!! I've done it since the beginning. I've used crazy things like Microsoft Publisher & the print screen button. I used to use Picnik the free online photo editor where I paid for the pro version. I primarily use the pro version of flickr to host my photos as well. There are tons of free photos sites where you can do an alright job designing your blog - PicMonkey, FotoFlexer, Pixlr, etc. To make color pallets & to make and find backgrounds, I use Colour Lovers. It takes a lot of playing around & accidents to come up with the final result. Nearly every week I am not satisfied with my design. I've grown though! I've had countless blog layouts, I can't even remember what the first lay out looked like. I get inspiration from the blogs I read, websites I visit, & things I see online & off. I learned a little bit of HTML in the days of MySpace. I thought I was cool stuff! If you have any questions in designing your own, I'll try my best to help. Shoot me an email at fivesixteenthsblog@gmail.com. You can also check out some cool info in my Boost Your Blog series.
8. Do you have any tips for new bloggers? I sure do! I am not sure where these all came from, but these are the tips I loved from bloggers when I first started blogging:
- blog like you have 3000 followers. Not only will it make your content better but you will be surprised how your followers grow when you start getting noticed
- don't blog for the wrong reason. You want to blog because you want to showcase a talent/your life/etc. You don't want to start off trying to compete with huge blogs. You'll be disappointed not only because it doesn't really gain speed like that, but because you aren't being yourself.
- comment on the blogs you love. Try to make friends or at least be regulars on blogs you love. Tweet at your fave bloggers too. Don't be spammy though, share things with them that you think they will like, tell them you love the bag they are wearing in their most recent post, ask them a question about a DIY you are confused on etc. Don't bug, but don't sit back. Join in the conversation, it's fun!
- join link parties. I don't do them too much any more but when I first started getting serious about blogging, I met a whole lot of people through link parties. As you go, you'll learn what type of blog you are & what type of blogs you love. There's no harm in growing.
- enter giveaways. It'st just plain fun. You'll have something to post about. And you just might win!
- be a part of communities. Join Twitter, Flickr groups, blogger groups, Polyvore, Instagram, etc. Don't let it take up your life but the more you post your link, the more people will visit. Be sure to follow the rules of the community as well.
- develop unique & interesting content. Just don't repost the things you've found on pinterest but incorporate your take on it. Share things from your life, share the DIY you pinned & your take. It's alright to be similar: everyone always loves a good recipe & wants to see what you wore but don't plain copy. Be true to you!
Have a question you want answered? shoot me an email here: fivesixteenthsblog@gmail.com
There are so many more things that I live by, perhaps I'll do a post on them later!