According to Alyssa

First of all, I just want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to read the last article that I posted and leave me so many lovely comments!  It means the world to me that you all are interested in what I'm doing at work.  I just wanted to leave a quick note to let you know that I've been published in Maniac again!  Though this article is much shorter, I am still so proud of it and hope you guys enjoy it!

This time, I attended an event (thrown by Maniac) that celebrated the grand opening of the cutest little chocolate shop!  I started out wearing a white dress and ultimately had to change because I ruined it with chocolate...surprise!  Haha, but it was a really nice time for me to be able to relax with my co-workers and make some new friends!  Please check it out below and let me know what you think!  (If it's too small to read, you can check it out here!)

Today's post is going to be a bit more of a serious one.  I don't believe that I have ever written anything on this subject before, so I apologize if I'm a bit awkward...

In the past five years, I have lost two very important people in my life to the horrible disease that is cancer.  First, my Aunt Lisa to skin cancer and a few years later, my Nanna to lung cancer.  (Both on my mom's side of the family.)  My father has had a cancerous mole removed, and I myself have had about 6 pre-cancerous moles removed from various places on my body.  It's a very, scary thing.  Because their is a history of cancer on both sides of my family, all of us are required to get a skin check every six months.  So, helping people with this disease has always been very dear to my heart.

Recently, I've been introduced to the story of a brave little girl named Maliyah by her mother Tazz Jones.  Maliyah is five years old and is unfortunately another person in my life who has been diagnosed with another form of cancer, neuroblastoma.


With the majority of her treatments taking place in New York City, Maliyah and her mother are having to constantly travel from Pittsburgh to the Big Apple.  This alone can cost so much money.  When you add the costs of the actual treatments on top of it, the amount is truly unbearable.

But, fortunately for us, there is a way that we can all help this beautiful little girl get her treatments without having to worry about the costs!  Tazz Jones has created an online shop where we can purchase beautiful jewelry and all of the proceeds will go towards helping Maliyah beat cancer!  Isn't that awesome?!  I'm so excited to be able to help share this opportunity to with you.  Hopefully, with our help, Maliyah can become cancer free!

If you are interested in helping out, please check out the shop here!

xx

Though my year has been one of the most exciting ones yet, I think this announcement may be the best of all!  I am so very pleased to share with you that I am writing and self-publishing a children's book!  HOORAY!  I can't believe it is actually happening.

If you are new to my blog, then you should know that I write about beauty, fashion, music, and life for Maniac Magazine which is so much fun!  I truly love every second of it.  But, I've been wanting to do some more fictional creative writing to stir up the pot.

I am also a HUGE fan of Christmas.  I have been watching the past few years of Zoe Sugg and Tanya Burr's vlogmas videos every day for the past month (I know it's early!) and listening to Christmas music in the shower.  MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAAAAYS! (Anybody know who sings that?!)  My boyfriend is extremely annoyed with me, but whatever!  It's the most wonderful time of the year, and it's only 5 months away!

So with my mind full of ideas and high on the thought of Christmas being so soon (lol), I texted my friend Katherine, who is an AMAZING artist (YES, SHE DID THE REINDEER PICTURED ABOVE.  ISN'T HE GORGEOUS?!) and half-jokingly said "let's write a children's book".  Her response was entirely serious and 100% for the idea.  And that was it.  We got to work right away and are now so pumped to be writing a children's Christmas book!

The story follows a retired reindeer far past his glory days who is searching for a way to continue to bring happiness to children!  We've launched a Go Fund Me campaign in the attempt to raise some of the money that we need to publish this book in time for Thanksgiving!  If you're interested in learning more, PLEASE don't hesitate to check out the campaign and make a donation!  We've included some pretty awesome rewards for anyone who helps us out, so we think it's definitely worth it!

Also, if you can't afford to donate, don't worry!  You can always just share the link to the campaign and help us spread the word!

Thank you all in advance!

xx

I cry when I'm surprised.  It's my natural reaction and I can't control it...but this week, I may have shed a few more tears than usual.  This past Monday, I had a particularly horrible night at work.  My anxiety was acting up and I just truly wasn't feeling comfortable being away from my bed.  So, when I finally arrived back at my apartment and sat down in front of the TV with Eric, it was a relief.  But I had NO IDEA, how much better my night was about to get.

     Hooray!  I've officially reached 500 blog followers and could not be more excited!  To commemorate this personal milestone, I have decided to do a giveaway!  Deanna of La Clé Jewelry was nice enough to team up with me to offer you the chance to win one of their gorgeous key necklaces!  Each key is dipped in a different color paint to represent a unique personal quality.  You are meant to embrace your key's meaning and stay positive each day as the paint continues to wear off.  Once it has, you can post a picture of your key using the hashtag #NakedKey and La Clé will make a donation in your honor to the charity of your choice!  Pretty cool right?  Now all you have to do is win!  And that couldn't be easier.

     All you have to do is follow me, check out the list, and leave a comment below telling me which color you'd choose and why!  I'll pick a winner at random on May 26th (one week from today) and I'll be in touch so that your key of choice can be sent to you!

     If you aren't chosen however, La Clé just launched a referral program where you can earn a free key by spreading the word to your friends!  Check it out here!


     Want to earn a few extra entries?  Follow me and La Clé on Instagram for two extras! (One for each follow!)  And tag a friend below for a third extra!  If you choose to do this, please leave your Instagram handle in the comments as well!

Best of luck!  And stay tuned for more giveaways in the future!

xx

P.S. I'm Baby Blue ;)

     Good morning! I've just woken up and thought I would write a little post.  (I really need to get myself on a regular blogging timeline!  What do you think is the best/easiest schedule to keep?  I've got a lot of exciting things coming up in the next few months, so I'd like to keep on it!). 

   
     Ever since my freshman year of college in 2011 (Yikes! Has it really been four years?!), I've toyed with the idea of creating a YouTube channel.  I find the idea of vlogging as well as creating fun sit-down videos to be extremely exciting, however the thought of actually planting myself in front of a camera and speaking openly on any subject seems absolutely terrifying (which is probably why I haven't actually jumped into it yet).  But I think that this is the year I may actually do it.  I've got a lot of exciting things happening in my life in the upcoming months, including moving to a new apartment with my boyfriend, flying across the country to adventure in Oregon, and starting an internship at a fashion magazine and I'd love to be able to document these occurrences and share them with people who may have similar interests.

     That being said, I am officially reaching out to any and all YouTubers for advice, tips, tricks, and just general thoughts on the YouTube community as well as my want to be a part of it!  I'd love to hear about your experiences and hopefully gain some new friends in the process!

xx

          One thing that I am incredibly thankful for is the fact that all of my friends are so creative and talented.  I'm constantly surrounded by filmmakers, photographers, musicians, and actors.  (What a blow to my ego! Haha!)
          Last semester, my friend, Lindsey, invited myself and our mutual friend, Michelle, to model in a photo shoot she was doing for her editorial photography class!  The day was a complete dream come true.  We had been given permission to use the empty penthouse apartment in one of the classiest apartment buildings in downtown Pittsburgh and we spent the day laughing and having some real girl time!  It was a blast and I felt like I was in Serena van der Woodsen's Upper East Side apartment!  Our wardrobes consisted of vintage nighties and men's suits.
          Let me know what you think of the photos I've chosen to show!

          Halloween this year seemed to roll around very quickly!  While I'm normally very prepared when it comes to costumes, (I made my Poison Ivy costume last year leaf by leaf!), this year, I just wasn't ready!

          With our busy schedules, Eric and I have been struggling to find a time to squeeze in some fall activities.  But with a small window of time this past weekend, we finally managed!

          For the longest time, I've wanted a pet of my own.  My family has two dogs and a cat, but since I no longer live with them, my need for a fluffy companion has greatly increased.  Enter my friend Alli.  Her cat, June, had kittens about two months ago and guess who got to take one home a couple of days ago?!  That's right, ME!  I am so overjoyed with my new little lady.  She uses the litterbox and doesn't dig her claws into any furniture!  She also loves to snuggle and play.  (Now if only I could get her to stop waking my boyfriend up at 4 a.m.!)  Ladies and gentlemen, meet Sloane!