Jess Lively

  Today I wrote a column on The Everygirl that I wish I could have read myself a month ago. I shared what I wish I knew about handling massive change. The things I share are lessons learned over the past few months handling so much change at once. Because no matter how great our [...]

  Tomorrow on Wish I Knew Wednesday I’ll be sharing on an important topic: why you shouldn’t undercharge for your services. The principals will also apply for product-based companies, but we’ll be approaching the topic from the service side of things. If you’d like to get the email, simply sign up by clicking on the image below. [...]

  Our entry way is coming along. There is still one important change that needs to take place… but until then I’d like to share how I’m currently using the area and a few cheap tricks I’ve come up with that look cute and keep things organized. You’ll notice that we scored a beautiful 1880′s [...]

  Just five days left until the Jess LC shop closes on Friday, November 2nd (6p CST).  Feel free to order remaining styles at 25% off by using the code FINALFINALSALE. All sales are final.   As I’ve shared, I’m going into a new chapter in my life and career helping people design lives and businesses with [...]

  Since moving to the new apartment, Mr. Lively and I have switched cable providers. Over the past few years we had Tivo through a special offer. I loved Tivo because it recorded my shows easily and also recorded shows I might like. We loved that second feature so much that we rarely watched live [...]

This week was a very interesting one. I worked with new clients on entirely new projects which will be shared in the months to come. We caught up on the orders as we go into the last week of Jess LC. And the apartment is really coming into it’s final stages (cough… excluding the guest [...]

When it comes to art for my home, I am all about making it when possible. It saves money and gives me the exact look and scale I’m going for. Though I definitely have a knack for coming up with new ideas, I don’t take on super complicated projects. A few of my projects for past [...]

This morning I received a thought-provoking story from a friend that I thought I’d share!   When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in [...]

I’ve so enjoyed seeing all of these amazing ladies share their intentions week after week, but this week I thought I’d mix it up and introduce a little testosterone to the mix. My boyfriend, Trevor, who is also a talented designer, (one of his designs recently made it on Apartment Therapy) agreed to write and [...]

  On the organizing front in the new place we’ve been making progress! A few weeks ago I shared Phase One of the tiny 4′x5′ master closet Mr. Lively and I share. As you may recall, it looked like this. Not too bad, but definitely not taking advantage of all the vertical space on the back and [...]

  In tomorrow’s Wish I Knew Wednesday I am sharing how to pick a shopping cart. When it comes to selling things online there are many awesome options to choose from and I’ll share some of my favorites which I recommend to my clients most often. In other Business with Intention news, I am so [...]

Yesterday Mr. Lively and I worked a bit more on the apartment. Not a lot because I totally needed a break, but we did finish the gallery wall in the back hall. As you may recall, the hall to our bedroom first looked like this before we moved in. Long, white, and kinda boring. To [...]

When I first decided to evolve my career and end Jess LC in favor of becoming a professional, full-time helper of people I was elated. I felt like I was finally coming into my own, that I was becoming more “me” in my career. I was playful, optimistic, and confident about my business future and [...]

This weekend is the first weekend that Mr. Lively and I will have both be in the apartment having a “normal” weekend. That is, if you count plans tonight, tomorrow night, and a half marathon on Sunday, as “normal.” In order to finally have a chance to unwind and step away from the constant work [...]

While Mr. Lively and I worked on the living room curtains I thought that I came up with a killer trick to share with you all. I really believed in a random stroke of genius, I had come up with something new and fresh to offer the design world. But recently on a trip to [...]

When it comes to style there are many ways to be intentional. Having a willingness to play and experiment with fashion and decor is great, but knowing what classics I adore regardless of the season helps me make confident decisions and curate a signature look. With my brand, Jess LC, my focus and direction paired [...]

Hi guys! First of all, I’m sorry for being tardy for the party with this post today. Did anyone else think today was Tuesday? No? Anyway, I am so very excited to share this weeks DYL interview, for a multitude of reasons. First of all, I knew I’d love Hilary when she sent her first [...]

Over the past few weeks I’ve had more highs and lows than I’d like to admit. Sure, I changed my birth control the same day that we moved. So part of me would like to blame the hormonal changes just a little bit. But I don’t think that’s really the case, or at least not the [...]

Over the weekend in Ann Arbor I took Mr. Lively to my second favorite thrifting shop, The Treasure Mart.* Right before we accidentally spilled coffee on a blanket I was convincing talking Mr. Lively into**, he spotted a steal of a deal. Clocking in at just $60 for a well-sized oval white marble top, this coffee table [...]

In tomorrow’s Wish I Knew Wednesday I’ll be sharing from my personal experience whether I think PR is a good investment. I worked with a successful PR firm for about six months a few years back, and it gave me an insight into the industry from the small business perspective. If you’d like to get the [...]

When Mr. Lively and I got married the number of important documents that I needed to keep track of tripled. Not only did I then have Mr. Lively’s birth certificate, social security card, etc. but we also had car documents and ring appraisals to store. Rather than scour the apartment every few months to find [...]

There is definitely progress happening on the home front. I’ve honored my birthday by treating myself to some home design time. Here is one of the recent updates which makes me so, so happy. Mr. Lively’s bachelor dresser (hailing from the land of Swedish meatballs) is looking a bit spiffier in his new digs. Here [...]

Right around my sixteenth birthday, my family got our first dog. Her name is Mackenzie and she is a wonderful furry family member. When we got her, I remember wishing from that day forward to get a Westie puppy of my own. Fast forward twelve years and my wish has now come true. On the [...]

This weekend Mr. Lively and I are hitting the road and heading to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a fall weekend away. I haven’t been back to my alma mater in the fall in quite a while. So this is a real treat. We will be staying with my dear friend Vicki of Heavenly Metal. Her [...]

This week two different thought chains have intertwined in my mind and left me with a pretty profound conclusion. I’ve been mulling over the discussions on career intentionality and also contemplating my new phase in my own personal life. Given all that has shifted over the past seven months for me, there are moments where I [...]

Every now and then I find myself at a loss for what to share. Today is one of those days. So instead of writing my own message on intentionality I’d like to share links to two important articles which relate to topics I’ve covered before.   Email Intervention in Corporate America Cathy sent me this [...]

As we’ve been decorating our home (or at least starting to decorate our home) we have been using Craigslist to find pieces that have a bit of character with a great price tag. The Craigslist app has been my constant companion lately as I’ve hunted for the perfect mirror, guest room furniture, etc. Here are our [...]

Hey guys! I’m really excited to introduce Rita to you, today. She’s the blogger behind this adorable blog, TOMORROWtoday, and I absolutely loved the intentions she sent over. I’m particularly honing in on the “be active” intention today, since the slight shift in temperature over in the midwest is already making me feel a little [...]

Before Mr. Lively and I got married we had a few in-depth conversations about money and how we wanted to manage our finances. We were focused on setting a good foundation as a family and money management was something we naturally wanted to plan for right from the start. Once we got married we had a [...]

As I mentioned in my post about careers with intention, every career path has trade-offs and opportunity costs. I also believe that there has been some overemphasis and maybe a bit of glorification in the blogging world when it comes to self-employment. Though we all know the wonderful benefits of having a small business (flexibility, [...]