Many of you guys know that I’ve got my hands in a few different pots already in 2020 – launching my own photography business, planning a wedding, and helping Samuel launch Station 1923 handcrafted rubs and seasonings. Never in a million years did I think I’d find myself juggling so many major, life-altering projects at once.

And then, the other shoe dropped.

Samuel began talking about home buying. I kid you not, I thought my head was going to explode. It costs money to start a business. It costs money to start two businesses. It costs money to get married. It most certainly costs money to buy a house.

Homeownership is something we both aspire to, although I’m not quite sure where it falls in our timeline of things. Christina Patrice Creative has launched, but needs more love from me. Station 1923 is set to launch this spring, and we’re ramping up to meet that deadline. Our wedding is August 8th, and I’m already knee-deep in spreadsheets and emails with vendors.

Since Samuel officially put home buying on the docket for some time in 2020 (or even early 2021), that one thing became abundantly clear to us both – we could NOT go into debt for our wedding. To ensure that we’re taking the necessary financial steps to prepare for home buying, I’ll be working alongside CreditRepair.com for credit education and services (this is something I’m looking into, because ya girl most definitely has student loan and credit card debt).

The first and most obvious point: putting wedding expenses on credit cards was out of the question. Instead of racking up debt to pay for wedding costs, here’s how I’m planning to make our dream day one for the books while keeping us on track financially:

1. A Realistic Budget
We had an honest conversation about how much of our savings, current, and future income we could reasonably dedicate to wedding expenses. The goal is not to wipe out our savings accounts while maintaining our current financial obligations. We agreed that turning to credit cards is simply not an option, considering our goals. We decided that in total, we wanted to spend no more than $7,000 for our wedding and reception. $6,000 or below, even better.

2. Uncommon Venues
Admittedly, we have a few things working in our favor to stay within financial range. The ceremony venue itself is taken care of (he is the son of a pastor). That said, our primary focus is the wedding reception aka afterparty. Looking for venues on websites like Peerspace and Splacer has been major for us – we’re able to find atypical venues with flexible accommodations for things like food and alcohol – which are huge financial drains at a wedding (and general event) planning. Explore non-traditional ceremony and reception venues like warehouses, art galleries, and even private residences to keep costs on the affordable end.


3. Rethinking Food and Beverages
This tip goes hand-in-hand with venue exploration. If at all possible, avoid venues that require you to use their vendors – this will lock you into paying a lot more for food, beverages, service, and a bar (if you go that route). Our venue has no restrictions on either – so we’re able to bring in whatever we want. We’re going the pre-planned food truck menu route, keeping our per person cost to around $14. As an added bonus, we’re avoiding the bland protein, pilaf, salad, and dinner roll menu. The same goes for beverages. Since we won’t be selling or serving alcohol from behind a formal bar, Costco is our ace in the hole for big bottles and mixers.

As far as the cake is concerned, we’re not going to dump hundreds of dollars into a big fancy cake that looks good for the ‘gram. We’re going to have a small cake for ourselves, with a cupcake and candy bar for guests. Simple, fun, cute, affordable.

Don’t be afraid to do things a bit differently to cut costs where you can. If your guests would “feel a way” about your ceremony or reception being non-traditional, then they probably don’t deserve an invite to begin with. Just sayin’.

4. DIY Decor
Neither of us is into the super formal pomp and circumstance of typical receptions, and I don’t know the first thing about flowers. We’re both pretty easygoing, low-maintenance people, and want the celebration of our union to be reflected in that.

We settled on a venue that doesn’t require much in the way of decoration — the light fixtures, wall art, and furniture all fit our vibe and wedding afterparty goals. Therefore, we’re keeping decoration costs to a minimum. What we will need as far as centerpieces and decor will take the DIY route, thanks to, of course, Pinterest.

We’re going for a casual, rustic/industrial chic vibe – think pendant lights, wood, metals, greenery, and mason jars. Thanks to photography prop shopping, your girl knows her way around a Hobby Lobby and Michaels to make these decorative accents happen on a budget. Yes, my living room will be crafting central – but it’s worth it to avoid the debt.


5. Keep Track of Everything
With vendors and tastings and planning and shopping all swirling around my calendar, it can be hard to stay on top of dates, transactions, and of course, day-to-day obligations. While my days are filled with updating spreadsheets, ensuring deposits are paid, and making decisions about what sneakers to wear, I’m grateful for CreditRepair.com, who is able to assist people like us with the financial end of 2020 homebuying goals. I’m thrilled to spend more time on wedding details and fine-tuning our businesses and less time figuring which items on my credit report are inaccurate or erroneous. CreditRepair.com’s technology provides members with a personal online dashboard, a credit score tracker and analysis, creditor and bureau interactions, text and email alerts, mobile apps and credit monitoring. When considering working with a credit repair service, It feels good to know that I can trust CreditRepair.com to handle the things I need to assist us in our homebuying goals.

And while I’m excited to walk down the aisle with the man of my dreams, I’m even more excited that we’re able to do so on our terms financially, while setting ourselves up for success in the future.

While I’m by no means an expert in finances or wedding planner, I’m happy to answer any questions you might have. Leave them in the comments below! Here’s to a powerful, productive, and financially-sound 2020!

As a creative space...not so much.

Two major things were wrong with my room: brown walls (wood paneling), and an abysmal spatial arrangement. I rocked with it as long as I could, making it work (barely). As I ventured back into the traditional in-office working world in January 2018, revamping the space fell lower and lower on my list of priorities. Eventually, I reached the point where I didn’t even want to spend time in the room — so it slowly became a place to “drop off” stuff I didn’t feel like putting away.

Over time, it became increasingly difficult to find my motivation to blog, take pictures, and record videos.  I reached my creative rock bottom and felt totally uninspired to do any of the work that brings me joy. More than this, I began feeling like I didn’t truly have a space of my own, which for a territorial homebody like me, triggers a little bit of stress and anxiety.

Samuel had his man cave... and I had the domestic equivalent of a church overflow room.

I had reached my limit, and something had to change.

With no budget, no plan, and no idea what I was getting myself into, I called my friend Antoinette (from Sup and Dine) for some help.

Phase 1: Reimagining

The first thing Antoinette had me do was clean up. I firmly believe she’s on a personal crusade against clutter, and I’ve grown to appreciate the fact that she refused to go anywhere near the actual project until I cleaned my sh*t up. She literally held my paint samples hostage, y'all.

After I provided photo proof that my room was clean, she came over to assess the space. I told her that I had two goals: to create a space that inspired me, and a space that I actually would want to spend time in.

Since my room is long and not very wide (think shoebox), she proposed using furniture to create a distinct split in the space — half work, half chill. I was excited — and ready to roll out to IKEA that second. But in true Antoinette form, she wanted me to test the concept with my current furniture and make sure the flow would work for me.

So I re-arranged my room according to her vision, dragged a chair from the living room for a mock seating area, and sat with this hot mess of a set-up for a week:

Phase 2: The Waiting Game
Once we had a rough proof of concept, Antoinette then provided me paint sample colors and a new challenge: test them out, watch them in different types of light, and "sit" with them for several days. As annoying as this was, I'm glad I took her advice. I already knew I wanted a cooler white, and assumed I'd be going for the brightest white in the sample bucket.


Once I saw it on wood, I hated it. It looked like I had painted my wall with white-out. This would mark the first of many times that I'd send her a signature (albeit expected) text: #YouWereRight.

Phase 3: Do the Work
Once I settled on a color, it was time to put a plan in motion. I opted for Valspar's Cool Gray (which isn't gray at all) with an eggshell finish since I'd be painting over wood paneling. Yes, I decided to leave the paneling up. Here's why:

• It would be a LOT of paneling to remove
• Not one single soul knows what's behind the paneling
• I have no clue how to repair walls, and didn't want to pay someone that did
• I liked the idea of having texture on my walls

Phase 4: Spend the Money
I proudly sent the above photo to Antoinette, proving that I was ready to go on to the next phase and purchase furniture. Understanding my budget, she made a desk recommendation to start. I tried to undercut her suggestion and go for one $50 cheaper — and I ended up sending that #YouWereRight text in the middle of IKEA.

While at IKEA, I also picked out my desk chair, and TV stand. If you plan to shop IKEA, the desk is ALEX, the chair is TOBIAS, and the TV stand is BRIMNES. For similar pieces, you can also take a look at this Amazon list I created!


That Monday, we did an after-work whirlwind through Cost Plus World Market (my new favorite store btw), Home Goods, and two Targets. Throughout the rest of the week, I would go on to make another trip to Cost Plus World Market to retrieve a few things I left behind (because #SheWasRight), two more trips to Home Goods (another #YouWereRight moment), one more Target run, a Wal-Mart stop, and one final trip to The Container Store.

Don't ask me how much gas I burned. I don't even wanna think about it. My only saving grace was that I work less than 5 minutes away from Home Goods and The Container Store. Because the majority of what I bought was on sale/clearance or purchased at a discount retailer, I took the liberty of creating an Amazon Store list to share with you all. This list features furniture and decor items similar in color and style to my current set-up. Check the list out here.


Here's the full breakdown of everything I grabbed for the remodel:

Cost Plus World Market

• Janell curved loveseat (out of stock, here's a similar one)
• Napa blush and green area rug
• Always a Deal! Jadeite and Slate Green throw pillows
• Jonas gold accent table (out of stock, here's a similar one)
• Art Deco ceramic coasters

Workspace.

It was a tiny detail for the desk, but I love it. And it was $7.

I love this chair, with or without the faux fur.

The entire set-up is Bailey approved (and ScotchGarded). I use this tool to remove her fur.

I didn't want this table at first. Now I'm obsessed with it. #SheWasRight

Faux greenery for the win!

Same organizer, different baskets (and a lot less product)

I didn't need more coasters, but I'm in love.

Night and day doesn't even begin to describe the difference.

I just love this new space from every angle.

 If you have any questions about the she shed, hit me up on Instagram!

It hit so close to home, that I couldn't just make a post on Instagram about it. To do it justice, I had to write. I don’t really share tons of personal details about my life on social media or this here blog, but I know that everything happens for a reason. And if my story reaches just one person and reminds them God's got your back, then it was all worth it. 

Now let me walk you through my story.

It wasn't for me.

I also knew I wasn't going back into education or nonprofit work. So in 2015, I changed my career trajectory to copywriting - marrying an innate skill I had been blessed with (writing) and my new found interest in social media and marketing. 

It wasn't an easy road, by any means. I've got some horror stories, but that's for another time.

As I navigated through building my resume, I was blessed with the opportunity to work from home as a copywriter with an agency that I saw myself growing within over at least the next 5-7 years.

It didn't happen that way. 

Remember what I said about 2017? Before the year was out, I found myself knowing that my time was coming to a close. I was overwhelmed, feeling like there weren't enough hours in the day, over committed to various endeavors (work + blog + photography + external client consulting + life), and most of all, creatively drained. I realized that I had a hard time saying no. I bit off more than I could chew, in almost every arena. 

As it turns out, I'm a terrible juggler. Some balls got dropped. Others made me feel like I was barely hanging on. I definitely lost some opportunities. I felt unstable and unsure - and I really began to question whether I was cut out for the digital marketing world. After all, my degrees are in Political Science and African American Studies. I didn't even know what a copywriter was until I was halfway through 2014. Anything I knew about marketing and social media was by trial, error, and reading various blogs and websites. 

But let me tell you about my God.

He made me so uncomfortable in my current situation that I had to move - whether it be as a copywriter, or going back to my education roots. I literally could not afford to sit still. I took a few days and got really clear on my 2018 goals. I wrote down the salary + benefits I desired, the job title I was after, and the location that I wanted to work in (because in case y'all didn't know, sometimes the commute ain't worth the cash). 

I dusted off ye olde resume and cover letter, and got to work applying for jobs in my field. I prayed fervently each day - learning more and more what it meant to completely trust God. I didn't cast a wide net - I stayed within copywriting and digital marketing. I skipped over anything that was part-time, contract, or significantly below my desired salary. I did apply to some pretty far out areas, but I knew everything rested in God's hands - and wherever He would make a way, I would follow.

Less than a month into applying for jobs, I was getting all kinds of phone calls, e-mails, and interview requests. I thought something was wrong, I was being scammed, or that I had erroneously oversold myself on paper. But the leads were legit companies, many of which I had heard of, seen, or personally spent money with.

After one phone call in particular, I got really excited. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but even before my interview, I had a feeling. Like that unshakable, could-only-be-God feeling. But I was still being a little stubborn. As I drove nervously to my interview in the rain, Samuel assured me that God was in control. Whatever the outcome, it all works in my favor. His words of encouragement helped, but I was still nervous throughout the entire interview. 

That was a Monday. By Tuesday, I was notified that I had moved to the next round and was asked to complete a writing exercise and submit my references. 

By Thursday, I HAD A JOB OFFER. But get this. 

Salary + Benefits - On target.

Job Title - Check.

Location - EXCEEDINGLY, ABUNDANTLY BEYOND ALL I COULD EVER ASK OR THINK. If you've seen my Snaps (maneobjective) or IG stories then you already know this - but I literally work across the street from the beach. 

The company I'm with is amazing. I literally like every single one of my co-workers. The work I do is fun, creative, challenging, and leverages my best skills. There's also opportunity for growth. When I tell y'all I couldn't ask for more...

Yes, adjusting to office culture from working at home was (and still is) in some way challenging. I've had to adjust my gym schedule, blogging schedule, and get creative about spending time with friends, family, and loved ones. But I wake up every morning, completely unable to relate to that "ugh, I gotta go to work" feeling.

This is where I'm supposed to be in this season. And it feels good.

So whoever this is for - if you're in a season of discomfort, receiving more no's than yes's, and finding that some doors are closing, know that God is shaking things up for a reason. Hold on to your faith. Spend more time with God. Seek Him first. Rest knowing that all things are working together for your good, and the mountains you're climbing are only temporary. Your breakthrough is coming. That door is about to open. And when it does, it'll be in such a way that you have no other choice but to know it was God that did it.

I'm a living, breathing, walking testimony to that fact.