Hey everyone! I am inspired to share a dream I have with you all today. I don’t normally discuss this with anyone but Ryan and my best friend but I recently had a near death experience and it pushed me to do more things that make me happy. My near death experience was eye opening and I appreciate having a second chance.
Let’s talk a little about my near death experience first. I was in the car with my best friend, she has a 2006 Monte Carlo. As we were making a left turn onto my street a huge pickup truck that was behind us didn’t see us until the last possible second and the person had to swerve around us. Since we were completely stopped waiting for the person in the oncoming lane to pass, we definitely would not have made it if we were hit. The impact of a pickup truck that size coming full speed of almost 45mph hitting a still car would be detrimental. We were both pretty shook up from the experience and we now realize how precious life is and how fast it could all just be over.
So, I am making it a point to do more things that make me happy, to not argue about pointless things, to be more positive and to always say I love you and goodbye to those I care for. I know that’s a loaded list of to-dos and it will take time for me to change my ways but I wanted to share some dreams I have when it comes to my life. When I accomplish these dreams I will likely share it with you all.
My dreams:
– I want to make a life canvas. I was inspired by a video with Jason Momoa that gave me this idea. After my near death experience I realized there wasn’t anything in my life that I was leaving behind that captured who I am as a person. No makeup, clothes or skincare is going to show who I was. So I want to make a scrapbook with pictures of me with people that I love, and maybe put my accomplishments that I am proud of in the book. If you want to watch Jason Momoas video to get a better understanding of what I am talking about here is the link: https://youtu.be/Ey1vror6dco!
– I want to graduate college and get a good job.
– I want to get married to my soulmate
– I want to be a home owner at some point in my life
– I want to have children
– I want to have a successful blog and YouTube channel and in turn be able to start my own online boutique
– I want to live a happy life.
These are my dreams and I hope to achieve them during my time here on earth. They seem like basic dreams to have but I guess we don’t realize that everything we wanted to amount to can be taken away in an instant. We aren’t promised tomorrow, so live today! I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content. Let me know your dreams in the comments down below.
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Sometimes as we look back on things, we realize that our younger self would have never known what was in store. The future I had planned for myself was so different than what it is at this moment. So, I wanted to write a post about what I would tell my younger self. I hope you enjoy this letter.
Dear 17-year-old Stephanie,
As you are reading this, you may think arrogantly that this is not the way life will pan out for you. You are such a hardheaded person. But there are some things that you need to hear.
Stop worrying about if you are good enough, you always will be. Those who don’t see this don’t deserve to be in your life. You are going to meet your soulmate soon and he will be the best thing God has ever given you. There are hardships within this but try to look past them and realize that the only thing that matters is your love for him. You will wake up every morning so thankful that he is in your life. As for college, stop boasting about going away forever. College isn’t what you think it will be but this is okay, you will learn more about yourself here. Keep your head up high and remember that most of the problems you will face are only temporary. You will go home a lot, and you probably feel lonely but I swear this feeling won’t last forever. For that carefree feeling you have, this will wash away. You will wish for more simpler times when you get to where I am now. So enjoy every moment.
You are going to lose your best friend for a little bit as well. These times will be very tough on you but you have to be strong. No one will understand the pain you are going through but try your best to realize she is going through pain too. Be forgiving. You will both reconnect after a long while but things will be back to normal with time.
You will never again be the person you are right now. Bask in this sunlight and enjoy this part of you because I promise you’ll miss it. I don’t think this part of who you are is lost forever, it will always be deep inside of you but you will change. I haven’t determined if this change is for the better or worse but I am hopeful about the future at this moment. You will worry a lot, some of this anxiety will be crippling and when you go through it you will know what I am talking about. Just know that it all works out in the end. It will be okay, just trust yourself. You are a lot smarter than you realize, so don’t let failures push you down. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, so get on your feet and keep on fighting.
At some point you will come in contact with some selfish and malicious people, and you need to understand that not everyone has the same heart as you do. You are a unique breed of person, don’t let them affect you because in the large aspect of things you will always be the better and bigger person.
You will amount to great things. It might be hard for you to trust fate and not try and plan out the next 50 years (yes I know you), but I promise you that everything will fall beautifully into place. You have an amazing life, in hard times it may be difficult to see this but I hope that you remember this letter when you do. Make sure you kiss and hug everyone as much as you can, this will be important later on.
Be kind to yourself.
– Love, 21-year-old Stephanie Russell
Recently I have been struggling with time management because I am always so busy. We’ve all been here, and balancing out life as well as work is very hard. I’ve come up with a few solutions to the problem that I would like to share. But I first want to discuss how much I have on my plate to give you an idea of why I had trouble with time management.
Not only do I have an internship that I work for 13 hours a week, I also have a full course load which is 21 credits. On top of that I took on a second internship that I work for 12 hours a week and I am also the head of an organization on campus which is a ton of work. I am also taking on a note-taker position at school which means I have to take notes for students in class and type them out and upload them for the students to access. Plus, I am joining Ju Jitsu which I will be going to for an hour or two twice-three times a week. I also have to do stuff for my blog as well as YouTube channel. I try to go to the gym as often as I can after school or on the weekends for an hour or two. On top of all of that I also have a relationship, social life and family life that I try to keep intact. It’s a lot to handle. Trying to fit everything in my schedule seems almost impossible but I’m managing to do it.
So what are the ways to better manage your time and your life? First off, buy a planner and actually use the planner. This will help you remember due dates, events and will prevent you from planning something on a day you already have plans. You can even color-code the planner to make it easier to read which assignment is for which class and what event is mandatory or optional.
Second, set reminders on your phone for things that can be easily forgotten a few hours before it is due or you need to show up. Whether that be for a meeting, or a weekly discussion board post.
Third, don’t say yes to something until you know that you have nothing else to do. Nothing feels worse than scheduling an appointment with someone and then having to cancel last minute because you forgot to check what you had planned already. So make sure to double check your calendar before agreeing to something.
Fourth, do important work before the due date. This is extremely necessary because if you have a lot of stuff going on things may slip your mind or you might not have time to do it later. It’s best to keep up with any work you have by doing it a week in advance if you can.
Fifth, if you are trying to do things for yourself make sure you make time for it. Obviously, you need to make sure you have everything done that is necessary to get done first. But if you want to work out then try to allot time for it to happen. It’s important you do things for yourself when you are busy because otherwise you might drive yourself crazy.
Sixth, don’t assume that you don’t need a social life. Humans are natural social creatures and being social is necessary sometimes. So whatever opportunity you have to hangout with friends, go somewhere with your significant other, or be with family then take it. But again make sure you have no other obligations before saying yes.
For instance, here is my tentative schedule:
Monday:
Internship #1- 10am-4:30pm
Ju Jitsu- 8pm-9pm
Tuesday:
School- 10am-4:20pm
Internship #2- 4:30pm-9pm
Homework- 10pm-11pm
Gym-11:30pm-12:30am
Wednesday:
Muay Thai- 10am-11pm
Ju Jitsu- 11pm-12pm
School- 3:30pm- 10pm
Gym- 11pm-12am
Thursday:
School- 10am-4:20pm
Internship #2- 4:30pm-9pm
Homework- 10pm-11pm
Gym- 11:30pm-12:30am
Friday:
Internship #1- 10am-4:30pm
Ju Jitsu- 6pm-7pm
Gym- 7pm-8pm
Hangout With Friends- 9:30pm-12:30am
Saturday:
Family and Boyfriend day
Do any other homework
Sunday:
Homework, boyfriend and his family day
Meal prep for the week
Gym?
From this schedule I am able to move things around and schedule things around activities that are already implemented in my plans. I hope this helps you with making your schedules and that you enjoyed reading his post. Please remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content. Comment down below what helps you while making your schedule.
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Hey everyone! I hope this post finds you feeling well. I am currently announcing that from now on I will only be doing one post a day! So, from here on out I will only be scheduled to post once a day. This has nothing to do with my followers, readers or email subscribers! I really appreciate all of you and this is just a decision I made for myself by myself.
For the past eight months or so I’ve been posting twice a day and it’s taken a lot of dedication and time. I am very proud of the content I have put out and I love to blog! I started posting twice a day as a fun thing to do during the holiday season for Christmas. I then realized that I enjoyed posting a lot and I ran with it! I posted twice a day since then and it was a ton of fun!
I am no longer posting twice a day because of how time consuming it is. I am not becoming lazy but I am about to graduate college and I really have to focus on my schooling. I also am going to be commuting back and forth from school this year and it would be almost near impossible for me to be able to do two posts a day while being so constantly on the road. I will always try to post quality content but I just am unable to do it as frequently.
Another reason why I am unable to post as much is because I am currently trying to kickstart my YouTube channel again. I had done some videos in the past but I felt that the quality wasn’t there so I had deleted the past videos. I am now starting over and trying again with YouTube which will also be another time consuming aspect.
I appreciate you all and I hope this doesn’t deter you from reading my blog posts! I hope you enjoyed all of the posts you’ve read from me and I promise there are more amazing things to come! Please remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content! Comment down below what your thoughts are on this!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Hey everyone! I really wanted to interview Ryan because I want to have you all get to know him better. I talk about him a lot on here and I feel that sometimes there’s a disconnect when I talk about him. So I decided a Q&A Interview would be the way to help make that connection!
What’s something I do, that I don’t realize I do, that you love?
You do things in cute ways. Like for example, you lay on your belly to doodle or wash the car with a sponge and rinse it off with a bucket of water instead of sitting to doodle or washing the car off with a hose.
If I was really sad, what would you do to cheer me up?
Roll you up in a blanket sushi roll and feed you Chipotle or ice cream
What outfit of mine do you like the most?
Jeans with a nice flowy shirt and sneakers
Do you prefer a date watching movies at home, snuggled up on the couch, or out at the movie theater?
Snuggled up together
What would be your ideal vacation with me?
On a beach relaxing by ourselves
What, to you, is the most important thing in life?
Comfort
What would be the absolute perfect day?
A day in nature
What’s something you tried really hard to like but just couldn’t?
College
What names were ruined for you because you knew someone terrible with that name?
Philip
What’s the most stress relieving thing you can get/do for less than 20$?
Cheap concert tickets
Should TP hang over or under?
Over
Do fish have necks?
Fish do not have necks
What’s the last thing you Googled?
“Restaurants”
What are your 10 most recent emojis?
😂💕❤️💝😊😘😍😏😑🇺🇸
What “old person” things do you do?
Read the news
What’s your favorite candle scent?
Eucalyptus Mint
How old do you think you’ll be when you get married?
It’s a surprise
Do you spell the color as grey or gray?
Gray
Where do you buy your jeans?
Target
How old were you when you found out that Santa wasn’t real?
What? Santa Clause isn’t real?!
What is one band you don’t like to listen to?
21 Pilots
What makeup trend are you not a fan of?
Big Lips
Do you have any tattoos?
No
Who said “I love you” first?
Me
Describe me in three words.
Sweet, caring, and beautiful
What is my weirdest habit?
You breathe in really hard when you look in the mirror
I hope you all enjoyed this Q&A boyfriend interview. I hope you got a better idea of who Ryan is as a person and I hope it’s easier to make a connection when I talk about him on my blog! Please remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content. Comment down below any other questions you’d like me to ask him!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Hey everyone! I’ve wanted to share this photo challenge that I am trying to do this August and I will be uploading the results sometime soon! I wanted to do a photo challenge because it’s something that not only I could challenge myself with but I could share the challenge with you all.
So, for the challenge you can either choose to do the pictures whenever in August or you can do one everyday for this month. It’s up to you how you want to do this. Just make sure if you are Blogging this, to provide a link to my website and credits to this challenge. Also, if you are posting this on social media please @me and hashtag #NotTooShabbyChicFashion #AugustShabbyPhotoChallenge and I will take a look at the pictures!
This should be a ton of fun and I’m super excited to do a photo challenge. I haven’t done one of these since I was 17 and I am so happy that I get to share the photo challenge experience with you all! I will post the pictures for it soon on my blog! I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content! Feel free to use this challenge, and comment down below if you are going to join!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Hey everyone! I’m turning 21 soon and I couldn’t be more excited. I wanted to do a fun “finally 21” Q&A that asked 21 questions, some to do with drinking and others are just random! This should definitely be a fun Q&A! I love to do Q&A posts because it allows you all to get to know me better and it’s also just fun in general!
1. What is your go-to drink?
I’d have to say I really like Smirnoff Ice Green Apple but I also really love Malibu and Pineapple!
2. How old were you when you went to your first club?
I used to go to teen night when I was about 12 years old!
3. What are you most excited for being 21?
I would have to say getting ID’ed. I’m not big into drinking but if I pick up alcohol for my friends or family I am excited for the person to ask for my ID.
4. Are you close with anyone now that you initially disliked?
Yes, I actually really didn’t like my best friend because when we first met she actually punched me really hard in the arm because I was trying to hide something from our friend group and everyone was fighting with me to get it and she punched me and I was so mad.
5. Are you more likely to avoid conflict or engage with it head on?
I hate confrontation so I usually try to avoid conflict unless there is no other choice.
6. What age did you go on your first date?
I was 17 years old!
7. What was a recent dream you had?
I actually dreamt last night that I had a birthday party with my friends and family at my house!
8. Do you have any birthmarks? If so, where?
I do! I have two, one on my arm and one on my leg!
9. Have you ever taken karate lessons?
I’m actually a brown belt (belt right before black) in karate!
10. How and where do you prefer to study?
I prefer to study in the library and I like using flash cards, notes and quizlet!
11. What are your 21st Birthday plans?
I am going to the DMV in the early morning to get my license renewed. I am then going to NYC and then going to a club with some of my closest friends when I get home.
12. How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had?
Only one boyfriend!
13. How many pairs of shoes do you currently own?
About 110 pairs!
14. How old do you think you’ll be when you get married?
I’m hoping I’m engaged by 22/23 and married by 24.
15. What app do you use the most?
Facebook messenger
16. What book are you reading at the moment?
Tale Of Two Cities
17. What did you do for your last birthday?
I opened a ton of presents and I went out to dinner with my family and had cake when I got home!
18. What does your name mean?
Crown– it’s fitting!
19. Favorite Birthday Memory As A Child
I would go to Chucky Cheese for my birthday a lot and I remember one year where I got a ton of cool gifts and as I opened them at home I got calls from my family members and they were saying happy birthday to me. I realized the call mattered more than the gift ever could!
20. What activity do you procrastinate the most?
Definitely getting ready to go somewhere or cleaning my room.
21. How do you feel about turning 21?
I’m excited but it’s only an age to me! I still feel younger than I am!
I hope you enjoyed this post and remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content. Comment down below questions you’d like me to answer!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
Learning life lessons is probably one of the most important things in life other than surrounding yourself with people who you love. It’s what gives you wisdom and the ability to guide people when they need your help. So I’m going to share the most important 21 life lessons I’ve learned thus far:
1. Be who you are unforgivingly.
2. Cut off people who bring negativity in your life.
3. Let stupid drama go. It will be irrelevant in the near future.
4. Love your body– and take care of it.
5. Care about your education
6. Do not be afraid to fail, it may even put things into better perspective.
7. Put your personal relationships first.
8. Let go of grudges because having a grudge is something you carry around everyday and you are only hurting yourself that way.
9. Choose your words wisely because this is something that could make or break a friendship, or relationship. Words hurt.
10. Take responsibility for your own actions and decisions.
11. Don’t fight– try to solve the problem.
12. Material things don’t last so don’t live a completely materialistic life. Chase after experiences.
13. Help others
14. Be the bigger person
15. Not everyone will like you. Accept this.
16. Fear is limiting. Let go of your fears and live your life freely.
17. Time will make your past problems seem so unimportant. Don’t worry yourself too much, problems will pass, they always do.
18. Don’t be jealous, it will only make things harder in relationships and in life. Comparison is the thief of joy.
19. Not everyone has the same heart as you.
20. Be honest with yourself.
21. Love is the most important thing in life.
These are my 21 most important life lessons thus far. I’ve learned these things the hard way and it took a long time for me to realize. I hope you took some important lessons away from this post and I hope you enjoyed this post! Please remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content.
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
As an incoming college student or underclassman in college, there are a lot of questions that you may have. I’m here to answer those questions and give some insight into college as a senior! So let’s jump into this Q&A:
1. How is it living with a roommate?
You’re generally in close quarters, which can be hard to get used to but it’s not terrible. Your roommates can either become your best friends or your worst enemy. My advice is to make sure you calmly discuss issues you may have, keep a clean room, and try to get to know your roommate. You might get upset and aggravated from time to time, especially because you feel like you don’t have any privacy but after a while you will figure out ways to deal. I am still friends with my freshman and junior year roommates.
2. How do you make friends?
Making friends is scary in college, but it’s generally easy. You make most of your friends the first week or two you stay there. There’s a lot of bonding that happens when everyone is hanging out the first few weeks and it’s important you take part in this. You will also make friends within your classes, in your major, in the building you live in, and in clubs you join. I recommend joining tons of clubs, be extremely social your first few weeks, make a point to hangout with people in your building, make friends your first day or two of class, join a few clubs and make study groups with people in your major. You will realize there are a lot of times you randomly become friends with people, whether it be giving someone a ride to their car, letting someone copy your notes etc. you will also notice you will make friends randomly through your college experience.
3. How to cope with changing your major?
This happens to almost everyone in college. It can be scary and discouraging when you realize that what you wanted to do previously is no longer something you enjoy. You can’t expect to want the same career path that you did when you were a teenager. Passions can change and that is okay, just think positively and don’t worry about what anyone else says. It is your life and your choice.
4. How do you choose your major?
This has a lot to do with knowing yourself. You may have a good understanding of where your passions lie when you are young but this isn’t the case for everyone. For others that are not so lucky to know exactly what they want to do in life, understanding your passions and yourself takes time. There’s no rush, so take your time and try different subjects out and see what you like.
5. How do you balance everything?
When you go to college, if there is one thing you learn it’s time management. You learn how to prioritize. I say, see what you can fit into your schedule and what you can handle the first few weeks. Then try to eliminate things that aren’t at the top of your priority. Just remember that academics come first.
6. What is the most important part of college?
The most important part is getting real professional experience and making professional relationships. College isn’t only about going to class and getting involved, it’s also about getting internships and professional experience to help further you in your career goals. Make sure you get as many internships and experience as you can before you graduate. This will set you apart from your peers.
7. What have you learned while in college?
DO NOT slack off. Go to class, be there on time, do your work and actually study. This is no joke, it is important that you get good grades and do well. Otherwise you won’t learn anything but bad work habits.
8. Should I work while I’m in college?
I say do what you can. If you feel like you can’t handle both working and school then you could do work during your summer vacation or do seasonal work during break. If you feel you can handle it, then definitely go for it. Just don’t overload yourself, a job is important but you still need time to do homework and study as well as school activities. If you choose to do so, it will teach you a lot about yourself and responsibility. You can even try and get a paying job that relates to your major.
9. How do you adjust to college learning?
Learning in college is a lot different than high school. If you barely just got by in high school you will really need to step up your game in college. My advice is to actually study, find a method that works for you whether it be flash cards, highlighting notes, or making pretests. Take very detailed and organized notes, and if the professor says it twice it will more than likely be on the exam. Buy a planner and ACTUALLY use it, this will help you remember deadlines and manage your time wisely. Get help when you need it, there are amenities every college has to help you when you need it, there is tutors, writing centers, career center, and even professors might help, you just need to make the effort.
10. What are some important things you’ve learned during your college career?
– Kiss your professors butts and try to make sure they remember your name the first few classes for good reasons. Being your professors favorite student will help when you need a letter of recommendation, or the extra bump in your grade (this will only help you in the long run).
– Don’t leave your clothes in the washer– first of all, they will stink if you leave them too long. Second of all, other people will throw your clothes in the dryer if they want to use the washer machine and this can ruin the clothes if you have items that can’t be put in the dryer and those who do this usually don’t put dryer sheets in (which means it will smell).
– Get to the school early if you want a good parking spot (or a parking spot at all). This especially goes for those students who are commuting.
– Actually keep track of your grades because you don’t want to realize you failed when it’s too late to do anything about it.
– Invest in a good laptop, you will need something that will last you past your college days. So make the investment and you won’t have to worry about the computer crashing and losing all of your work.
– If you are tight on money, and the professor has the book in the library take pictures of the whole book. Sometimes you get a sample of the whole book on the kindle for a certain amount of days, take screenshots of the whole book. This will take a lot of time but it’s better than spending the money. Ask around to see if the professor actually uses the book, if not you don’t even have to waste your money to purchase it.
– Be professional, always. Think if college as a precursor to your career. Be punctual, dress nice, and meet your deadlines.
I hope you enjoyed this post and comment down below any questions you may have about college life and I will answer them! Remember to subscribe for email notifications for when I post new content.
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
It has been a whole year with my blog Not Too Shabby Chic Fashion and honestly, having this blog has changed my life for the better. It has allowed me to be more comfortable and confident with myself and in my writing. I am elated I have had such a great experience with blogging thus far and gained such amazing subscribers.
I haven’t even realized it has already been a year until WordPress told me! It was a nice surprise to wake up to. I’m thinking of having a small get together in celebration of my blog being 1-year-old. This blog is like my baby.
My Stats The Past Year:
This was in 2017, and my most viewed has been my homepage with 557 views, and my second most viewed post is Tarte Treasure Box: Review and coming in third for 2017 is Jeffree Star Holiday Collection: Swatch And Review!
My stats for 2018 are a little bit lower since it this year has just started but my first highest post in 2018 was the Jeffree Star Holiday Collection: Swatch And Review with 397 views, in second is Home Page/ Archives with 191 views!
I hope you have enjoyed this year with me and comment down below how long you’ve been reading!
-Stay Chic,
Stephanie Russell
