I’m a wedding designer, custom stationery stylist, and cheerleader of creative entrepreneurs. With an intention of living life in a richer way by making every moment and sweet detail count, I founded my creative studio in 2007 which encompasses my many passions and talents.
Raised in Southern California and Las Vegas, my husband and I moved to Nashville six years ago and haven’t looked back. With a full-fledged southern plantation wedding and sweet little boy born one year later (and a little girl due soon!), we truly feel like they are living ‘the sweet life’ each day. (Photo above by Sara E Rose Photography)
HOORAY! I’m really excited to share Amber’s pick six!! Amber’s an incredible mama and such an inspiration to women who are building the lives they dream of. I got to see Amber again when she spoke with me at Making Things Happen last month and feel that sweet little girl kick in her belly! Best ever. Without further a due… Amber!
GOT 2B ROCKIN’ DRY SHAMPOO: My roomie at Engage!13 did her own experiment of dozens of dry shampoo products priced high and low and this was the one she said was the best. I believe her! I love that it’s super affordable and can be found easily in stores like Walgreens or Target. Dry shampoo is a life-saver for long, thick-haired gals such as myself.
COZI APP FOR FAMILY CALENDAR & SHOPPING LIST: We’ve used this free(!!) app for 2 years now as our online family calendar. My husband and I joke that “if it isn’t in Cozi, it doesn’t exist.” We both have busy home and work schedules to coordinate and this makes it to easy to update on the go from either our iPhones or computers. The app allows us to send reminders via email or text message for things like soccer practice or if I have a client meeting that evening and will be missing dinner. It sends a weekly calendar email on Sundays to let you know the family’s schedule for the week ahead. I also love its Shopping List feature so at any time one of us is at the store we can see and update what is on our list in real time.
GO DADDY BOOKKEEPING: I made one of my goals in 2013 to get really serious about knowing where all my business dollars were going every single week. I’ve used Go Daddy (formerly Outright) for some time now and I love how smart it makes me feel. I reconcile my accounting on a weekly basis now. It automatically feeds in all of your business accounts (everything from your checking to credit card) and once you’ve assigned categories to regularly scheduled expenses or income, it starts to automatically do everything for you. It’s so empowering when you are informed about your finances and Outright makes it so easy for non-math-or-accounting-loving people such as myself.
COFFEE MATE NATURAL BLISS SWEET CREAM: Though I’m not a poster-child for healthy, wholesome eating, I get excited when I find food products that appear more “natural” and taste good too. This line of coffee creamers have three to four ingredients (with words that you can actually pronounce) and makes you feel better about consuming than the ones with a long laundry list of additives and chemicals.
BACKYARD GARDENING: Since we moved to Nashville seven years ago, my interest in gardening has grown and grown. When we built our house, I researched all of the 10+ tree species we planted in various places of the yard so we could get the best show in the Fall (my favorite season). For mother’s day two years ago, I asked for my husband to build some raised beds for a vegetable garden. While it originally started as a side hobby for me as a way to de-stress and be outside, it’s turned into a really fun family activity. I love how appreciative our four year old son is now of growing plants, flowers and vegetables. He is really enthusiastic about helping with basic chores and I’ve really enjoyed teaching him about the different varieties and names of things we have grown. There’s nothing better than him grabbing my hand and asking if we can go outside to look at what’s new in “mommy’s garden.” It has been such a great teaching tool for us all! I created a hashtag #ahliving on Instagram of my gardening adventures:
RENT THE RUNWAY: I love, love, love this concept! Rent the Runaway or RTR is an amazing service of designer dresses you can rent for a several day period that are shipped direct to you for a fraction of the retail cost. I’ve used RTR at least a half dozen times for attending conferences and galas and haven’t been disappointed. I’ve had them ship directly to my hotel when I’ve been away from home and I love that they send you free back-up sizes. It’s fun to be able to play dress-up and not have to commit to a large expense on a dress you may never wear again.
Follow along with Amber at:
Website: http://www.amberhousley.com
Blog: http://www.amberhousley.com/blog
Instagram: @amberhousley
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THE SIMPLICITY SERIES features busy gals, in different stages of life, making what matters happen and tips and tricks they’ve found to be helpful. Simplicity is about building margin into your life and spending time on and with that which fuels your heart. While we love to share products and services that help us day to day, but simplicity is about HEART and intentionally choosing the thing that matters most (your TREASURE) more than anything money can buy. We wear many hats and we know you do too, so we’d love to hear your thoughts as well!
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34
