Weekly I receive emails or phone calls from friends & followers alike wondering more about 'the how' behind Sonny Daily, so I decided to start a new series called Shop Talk, where I'll go more specific into those details.  So many have been so supportive when I made the big switch from Olive Lane to Sonny Daily & I can't thank you enough.  I will start by telling you upfront I was afraid of doing it.  I spent 2 years in that spot. Not satisfied with Olive Lane or the opportunities I could see down the line with it, but also afraid to leave it behind.

But I did & from where I sit now, I'm so grateful, beyond humbled & back to grateful.

From what I can sort the most frequent question I receive is along the lines of this:

We've been taking a summer trip to Newport Beach for 15 years now & in that time, we've learned more than a few things.  Every year we rent the same house and its in the perfect location from the Newport Pier. If you've never been you ideally want to rent a place between about 40th St & 56th St -- this will put a good bike ride distance from the Newport Pier, off the board walk.   You might be tempted to stay close to the pier, on the board walk & I'd highly advise against it.  The pier is BUSY & while there is good beach parking, man those beaches are PACKED...which translates into a bit gross. On the boardwalk, is iffy, only because the boardwalk is always busy & the walk through the sand to the beach is a long one.  If you go a bit further down, you can stay a block off the beach & still actually be closer to the water believe it or not.

4,032 sq ft || 5 bed, 3.5 bath || 1.5+ acres
​$749,900

Leave a quick comment to let me know you'll be there...can't wait to see all your faces!  I'll have lots of treats & drinks on hand to keep you cool while you explore every inch.

This summer I've had a bit of a quandary when it comes to getting dressed.  I'm on baby number 4 and I've never ever been pregnant through the summer...much less an Arizona summer.  Knowing this is my last baby, I haven't been too interested in building an amazing maternity wardrobe.  Let's be real, is anyone ever interested in building an amazing maternity wardrobe?  Didn't think so.  To be honest, I was mostly concerned about the bathing suit situation.  Perhaps it's because I haven't been pregnant in over 5 years, but I had visions that haunted me, of maternity tankinis with yards of ruffled fabric floating around me in the pool.

Good news is, dresses are killing it this summer & I found the perfect maternity one-piece that doesn't look like an absolute nightmare...in fact, it's pretty darn cute.

dress || sunnies, similar || lipstick

It's been one year.

One year since I closed up shop on Olive Lane.  One year since I met my mailman out front to ship packages.  One year since I've put a design on a tee.  One year since I leapt into something new.​

For those of you who might be new around here, Olive Lane was something I had done for about 4 years, and oddly enough, now I can't remember exactly when I started it.  By the time I closed it down though, it was a well-oiled machine.  It had grown year over year to the point where I was considering fulfillment centers, and the like, if I was going to continue it.  While I loved the creative outlet, the extra income & business aspect of it, it still left me lacking.

After a week of dinners that were of the grilled cheese and takeout variety I headed to the store determined to combat my dinner time woes.  My goal was mostly something fresh, relatively healthy and most importantly, EASY.  That really means, does not include turning on my oven.  By the end of the day I find I'm not wanting a hot meal, just something fresh + crisp.