my first {and quite possibly last} modeling gig

As a young girl I wandered through the Laura Ashley store in Charleston, South Carolina.  The vivid floral prints and English-inspired designs were dreamy for a garden-loving, whimsy-seeker like me.  There was something both dramatic and quaint about that store.  It was a reflection of the kind of life I wanted to live.  Ever since that day of delight spent in between the aisles of dresses and bedspreads, Laura Ashley has symbolized the classic beauty of the past mixed with a whisper of exciting possibility for the future. 

This week, if you take a peek at the Laura Ashley website, you’ll see my face. 

Me…modeling.

I have to laugh.

But the truth is - when they asked, I couldn’t say yes fast enough.

My eagerness wasn't due to the fact that I am confident in my modeling skills {because...well...I have none} but because I am confident in the timeless vision of Laura Ashley so I knew that somehow they would work their magic on me.

{and honestly, I thought it would be so stinkin’ fun...which it was!}

So I was a model for a day, but...in case you may be tempted to think otherwise here are 5 good reasons why I am not a real model…

1 :: I showed up to the shoot with grass-stains on my heels because I had just mowed the lawn a couple of hours earlier.

2 :: I'm pretty sure the main reason they asked me to do it wasn’t because I have a beautiful face but because my family has a beautiful place for picture-taking.

3 :: In half of the shots I look like Mr. Ed.

4 :: The day before the shoot I swung by Great Clips to get my hair cut.

5 :: I don’t use any special products to ‘beautify’ myself so my teeth are yellow, my wrinkles are deep, and sun spots dark.  I was counting on the editing magic.

But do you want to know what’s funny?  Of the hundreds of shots we took that day the one that landed on the website was not posed and it didn’t require a lot of edits.  It was just me, relaxed, being myself.  

Sometimes all you have to do to be beautiful is just relax...and be yourself.  So maybe we can all just take a deep breath and stop trying so hard.  
Whatever this day holds for you I hope you have a chance to slow down, put on an easy smile, and let the world see you in all your beauty {grass-stained heels and all!}.