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Ya'll.

This quote literally has always made me cringe a little. So much so that I knew when I began designing I had to put it on a shirt. Maybe it's meant to be sarcastic. I don't know. I've always had a weird sense of humor like that.

But seriously though. It's taken me a very long time to find my own happiness and to figure out what even makes me happy. The other day I watched a little video clip and in the video the Woman was saying how we as Mothers and Wives often lose our way. We forget how to find our own happiness because we are constantly serving others and in that servitude we begin to think that in order to find happiness we need to gain that happiness FROM others when in fact happiness comes from within ourselves. 

When I first looked at this quote or heard it, I immediately thought of the husband. He needs to keep his Wife Happy and in return they will have a Happy Life. I thought that was ridiculous. Absurd. Insert the cringe face. This quote doesn't mean that to me. It's about keeping ourselves happy as Wives and Mothers so that we can have a Happy Life with zero regrets. You see when we are doing what we love and what we enjoy, we are able to spread that to others. We are able to put that energy into positive things and focusing on our blessings. So it's not so much about perhaps keeping someone else Happy but allowing them to find their own Happiness even if it's different from your own. Then embracing it and loving them more because of it. 

I still have so much to learn in life but if I can share one thing I have, it's not to settle for anything that makes you unhappy. Or anyone for that matter. Life shouldn't be about sacrificing your own happiness for the sake of someone else because that only leaves you with a whole lot of resentment and regret. You deserve to find your passion and utilize it for all it's worth. You deserve to be around the people who love you for who you are at your worst and at your best. You deserve to be Happy. 

XOXO,

Barb

Owner, Designer, Workaholic at Southern Mess

Ya'll there are things in our life that are meant to challenge us. Some deep to the core of your soul and some that seem devastating at the time but are really minor in perspective. 

For the past 10 days we were without electricity. Hit by an ice storm that devastated our town, the area, and our farm. Pretty hard when you are caring for a family, a business that is run online and a farm. I went 3 days before I showered, then 3 more after that. I think that's the longest I've gone without one, since I was like 5. That first shower offered to me by someone who owed me nothing. Just a kind gesture and one worth remembering. Inspiring me to pay it forward someday.

We did break down and buy a generator after about day 5 or 6. A painful purchase, but without it we would continue to go without hot water, which not only we need for that said shower, but our bottle calf who I worried would get sick drinking his milk cold. We needed power to cook, so my girls could go back to school, so I could work. 

I've been spending my time cutting out the ugly from my life. Whether it be people, my own thoughts, or the noise from the outside world. Through this, I remained positive, slightly anxious but manageable and I focused on all the things I COULD do without electricity. Yea, hauling buckets of water to animals isn't fun, but hey I could use the exercise. To be honest, without the distraction of my phone or the internet I got to read, A lot. I got to really listen to my kids. I got to explore outside. I even got to watch my girls spend a whole day helping their Dad move tree limbs while I deep cleaned all the places in our home I always say I have no time to do.

If you look closely in the photo of me, you will see some of those branches blurred in the background. I contemplated moving them. I did. And then I decided that even though no one will probably notice, I will. I will see them and remember this storm. A man lost his life getting power back in our area. Working around the clock, like countless others, so our area could stop living in the dark. Makes my hot water catastrophe seem like an absolute joke compared to the nightmare his family is living right now.  

Each day is a gift. There is no promise of a tomorrow.

 Cherish the beauty even in the storm. And keep on smiling. 

XOXO,

Barb

Owner, Creator, and Work A Holic at Southern Mess

As another year creeps in, I'm constantly reminded that I'm not getting any younger. I have 3 little girls and my oldest will be rushing off to Jr. High next year. Unsettling for a Mama who gave birth to her at the young age of 22 for sure. 

Interestingly enough, this day, my birthday, is also the anniversary of Southern Mess. Up until this time last year, we were a small Etsy shop still testing waters. Over Christmas last year, I told my husband I was going to become an online boutique. I'm pretty sure he rolled his eyes. 

My first website looked childish really. Setup as best I could. For those who placed their very first orders, thank you. You've watched us grow, succeed, and become well, You. 

I wanted to do something special for our anniversary but wasn't sure what. So I ordered this over the top Southern outfit from another boutique owner not really confident I would actually ever wear it. Oh how I tried it on. For weeks. Back and forth. Do I? Don't I? Is it too flashy? Am I too old? Can I even pull this thing off? I need to lose weight. I need to be 20 again. My boobs are too big. My stomach isn't flat enough. Can my legs get any whiter?

And then I remembered something said to me by two different people last week. Eat the Cake. Buy the Shoes. Take the Trip. I kept thinking "Wear the dress." 

And I did. Because our whole company, my vision, is about celebrating woman. For who they are, what they've become, and what they can be. No strings attached. I designed a shirt with a phonetically spelled cuss word displayed across the chest for goodness sake. I can do this. And I did. 

So Happy Birthday to me, another year older but probably not grown up yet, whatever that is anyway.

Happy Anniversary to Southern Mess because without ya'll, there would be no us. 

So let's celebrate because we can't wait to show you how unstoppable we can be in 2017. 

XOXO,

Barb

Shopping Small is so much more than supporting local communities.

It's supporting actual people, working hard every day to make a dream come true.

It's putting food on the table. Helping makes end meet. And loads and loads of sacrifice.

I came across this this quote last night as I was laying in bed trying to figure out a way to get everything I needed to do done. Life has been nothing short of complicated for me lately as we gear up for the holiday madness and I work on balancing all of my obligations. 

"Be thankful for the bad things in life for they open your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before." 

This. A quote that may not mean much to some but means a whole hell of a lot to me. 

From the outside we always appear to have it all together. The perfect home. The perfect job. The perfect kids. The perfect life. But the truth is in the rawest moments, there are very few, if any, that have actually accomplished this persona. 

My life has been nothing short of "bad" things but every single one has turned into something beautiful. Sometimes it takes several years to actually see that beauty. But it's there. Waiting to shine. Waiting for you to see how amazing it can all be. 

Many people don't believe that everything happens for a reason, but I do. I'm not always sure about the reason or confident in where it's going, but in my life it's always led me to something incredible. In the times life was downright awful, I made it. In the times I doubted myself, I somehow pulled through. Every time I wanted to throw the towel in and give up, I didn't. I kept going even if my direction changed. But none of these things would be possible without drive and commitment. If we sit down and have a pity party nothing changes. YOU make that change in your life and you can direct yourself wherever you believe you can go. You just have to stop and listen. Be reflective and let go of the doubt that may be holding you back. 

So this holiday season, as we sit down tomorrow with family and friends, be incredibly grateful and attentive to all of the good things you may have not been paying attention to before. It's there. I promise. 

From our Family to Yours we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving! 

XOXO,

Barb

Southern Mess Boutique 

We want to take some time to celebrate the faces behind our Southern Mess brand. When we started out on this journey, we knew we didn't want to feature professionals. We wanted real woman and we wanted to ensure we celebrate those that are truly who we are both as a brand and as Women/Mothers/Trendsetters. 

Say Hello to Randi! An active Momma of 2 who is an all out natural! Not only is she absolutely gorgeous she's super down to Earth and a lot of fun to be around. She's not afraid to speak up for what she believes is right either. We LOVE that about her! 

She's been married to her husband for 7 years (he's a former model too!) and they have two of the cutest little boys you'll ever meet. They just got a new puppy and he's super fun to watch! 

She's been a teacher for 10 years and she also teaches group fitness classes. This weekend she is participating in her first marathon running 26 miles! Exercising is one of her all time favorites! She's also an R + F consultant and their products totally rock! You can check them out here at : randicunningham.myrandf.com 

She refers to herself as a control freak (ummm can totally relate there!) and is very head strong. If she decides she's going to do something, there's no changing her mind! She adores being a Mother and a Wife and works hard to cherish every moment with her family. She uses her faith to focus on what God has planned for their lives. 

Her style consists of mostly jeans and tshirts so Southern Mess is definitely her jam! 

Her motto is: "Don't let fear decide your future!" 

Photo shoots have not been in my favor lately. The weather up in the Panhandle of Texas has been insane, windy, and don't even get me started on the dust. I've been postponing new arrival shoots hoping the weather would eventually give me a break. It hasn't! So we decided to go through with our model shoot anyway despite a chance for rain and the wind a blowin'. 

Of course, I get this crazy idea a few weeks ago that I wanted to take photos from our Hunting Line using my husband's deer blind. If ya'll know a hunter, live with a hunter, or have ever been around a hunter then you know that in November you DO NOT disturb the wildlife and you DO NOT host a dang photo shoot on sacred ground. But of course, I'm a Capricorn which means I'm stubborn, so I tell my husband we will go early so that all will remain as it was and no deer will be disturbed in the making of our ad campaign. I didn't give him a chance to tell me no. 

So...we load up in our Ranger and we head out. Wind is messing up everyone's hair but whatevs. We get half way to our destination and our Ranger begins to slow down. I'm thinking "this is weird" and then it goes no more. We are stuck. Surely not. This can't be. We are far from much and I have 3 models in full on model gear with heels to match as well as my 3 children (mind you I discover one is barefoot). My husband is out gun shopping (imagine that) and....between 4 social media junkie adults we have no phones. Yep, you read that right. Not one. So we look on the map my husband drew us and decide no biggie. It's not that far. We will just walk. We send my oldest and middle child on a hike back to get a 4wheeler which will then take them up to our home to drive a vehicle back and we start walking. Barefoot child stays in the Ranger.(let the judging begin) We get further down and realize that the deer blind is still super far away and no way we are walking that far. So I'm thinking, Whatever. Screw it. Maybe it's a sign. Let's just take photos right here in the pretty field. So I grab my camera and....ya'll I can't even make this stuff up....No battery in the camera. So now here we are, all dressed up with really no place to go. With no phones and no battery. Mind you, now it's getting later and we have accomplished nothing. So by now we are laughing and I've pretty much decided this is not going to happen.  I begin to wonder what's taking the girls so long and my Mommy worry sets in. Then sure enough I see this little blue van coming down the road (yes, ya'll I live in the country and drive a mini van, super trendy I know). So now we all load up and my sister in law gets her Razor, which is crazy fun but not when you want nice hair, and we take the 4 wheeler, Razor, and mini van out to our deer blind destination. Finally, we make it, only to discover that the whole thing is surrounded by an electric fence and that voltage is pumping! Now, I may be country, but those fences make me nervous and lowering one while it's charged gets my heart pumping. But we handle it like champs and drive on through.

Now for the kicker...You know what photos turned out the best? I'll give you a guess..Not the ones up on our deer blind but the ones in the field of grass below. You know, the same grass we have in our pasture right outside our door without all the work involved.

I think we all earned a drink or five tonight! So when you see our photos pop up give us a little cheer because, my friends, we definitely earned it!

XOXO,

Barb

It's that time of the year and we are ramping up production to bring you the brightest and the best. In order to do so we have made some changes so that we can be as efficient as possible and get your gifts where they need to be. 

Holiday Office Hours: 

Monday-Friday 8am-12pm. We will only be answering calls and emails during these time frames so that we can focus on getting your orders processed. Please know that you are not being ignored and we will get back to you. 

Returns: 

Orders placed between November 1 and December 23rd will have 30 days to return. All other policies in regards to returns are the same. Please review our current return policy for this information. Please indicate at time of ordering if item was a gift so that if it is returned we can send the store credit to the correct person. Personalized and custom orders are not eligible for return. 

Custom Orders: 

All custom and personalized orders must be placed by November 20th to guarantee Christmas delivery. Any orders placed after that date will not be guaranteed in time for Christmas. 

Shipping: 

For all other orders that do not include personalization or custom requests please order by December 20th for holiday delivery. Be sure to choose Priority Mail if you're cutting it close so we can get your packages to you in time! 

***Don't forget we do have Gift Cards available and they never expire!!!***

Happy Holidays from all of us at Southern Mess Boutique! We appreciate you and your business. 

XOXO

Barb

Let's talk trends. Like truly. We follow them. We buy around them. We dress around them. Some last no more than a year and some flow for what seems like forever. 

If you met me on an average day, you would probably not find me trendy. Chances are I look like one hot mess. Maybe I have makeup on, maybe I don't. Lipstick on me? Never. Eyeliner. Nope. I'm a pretty basic chick. I've never even dyed my hair. Say what? It's true. I don't paint my nails either. Okay that's kind of a lie. I actually really like to paint my nails. And get them done. But I have 3 kids, 4 businesses, and a farm to run. So it doesn't happen often. 

But this average jeans and tee girl has gotten crazy excited this season. Why? Because the latest looks are some of my favorite things and they all pair perfectly with our Graphic Tee line, Southern Mess. 

So let's talk Plaid. Not your Grandfather's Plaid but today's plaid. It's back and it's rockin as a layered look with graphic tees,  as longer cardigan styles, and accented with lace and sequins. I could wear it EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Want to dress it up? Slip on a solid colored dress and some boots. Done.

We are also obsessed with modernized vintage. The latest craze, and one we thought we would hold alone, are distressed button ups and flannels. OMG. It's the bomb. 

Animal print continues to rock the market and CAMO IS BACK. Well, it never really went away for me, but it's back with styles that are insane and it's nice to see I'm not the only one sporting that look anymore! 

So keep checking back this season as our models bring you the latest looks to life in our next big campaign shoot coming up. 

Lots of Love,

Barb

Southern Mess 

We want to take some time to celebrate the faces behind our Southern Mess brand. When we started out on this journey, we knew we didn't want to feature professionals. We wanted real woman and we wanted to ensure we celebrate those that are truly who we are. 

Our first feature is Janette Sandoval. I was crazy thrilled when I asked her to model and she agreed! I loved her edgy look, spunky personality, and she's a rockin Mama too! 

She's been married to her husband for 9 years and together 13. They have 3 children and she loves being a Wife and Mommy. She owns her own Hair Salon called Twisted Sisters in Perryton, TX where she was born and raised and shares the responsibility with her sister and business partner. She's been doing hair for 7 years. She loves her job and plans on doing hair until she's 80! 

She's a tattoo lover and has 7 already with plans for more. She's all about self expression whether it be her client's hair or her own personal tattoos. 

She's always there for her family, kids, and her friends. Shes a Taurus so she can also be quite stubborn but hey, that's a good thing! 

Her motto is "Life is too short for Maybes". 

Here's all the details on how you can win this super awesome Gold Macbook Air. 

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For the longest time I was afraid to even design. I was afraid my ideas would be "dumb" or "suck". When I finally dove in, I did so very cautiously basically doing "safe" things like monogramming. It wasn't me though.I wanted more. I needed more. So last Christmas, I got brave enough to roll out some of my designs. Things I've had written in notebooks, saved in notes, and in my head for years along with a million other "gotta do someday" ideas. Once I started designing, I couldn't stop and many are still our best sellers today. 

This summer my husband got laid off from his job and I began looking at options for expansion, pushing every ounce of negativity away from my brain that was screaming "No one else is going to want those!". Well, Southern Mess did it anyway and with a small launch as I type this, our little shirt line is now in over 30 boutiques nationwide and counting! But that's not what this blog is about. 

This past week we did our first photo shoot. It was important to me that we didn't use professional models. I wanted real woman, with real flaws. Mothers, Wives, Community Members. I wanted real life. Chaos. Insecurities. And I was scared to do that too. Scared that when I asked, no one would want to model. Scared that our photos wouldn't be good enough. Scared there would be no photographer even willing to take them. Scared I would forget something in the planning process. Always scared. But not anymore. 

Because what I got in exchange was more than I could ever ask for. I got encouragement, excitement, and support. A tribe of people both near and far who didn't care whether I failed or succeeded. Who were just there for me. Period. A husband who mowed the whole ranch the day before our shoot, let me use his rusty Jeep in a pasture full of cattle and manure after washing it, and who refused ever so politely when I asked him to model our Papa Bear shirt. 3 little girls who followed our photo shoot around in awe. Who gladly help me tag clothes in exchange for bath bombs, and who give up so much of their Mommy time so I can grow this little shop. Not one, but 4 photographers who were so excited at the opportunity to shoot for our boutique and to the one we chose. Who was patient, fun, and of course, AMAZING. A mentor who is sincere and keeps my goals on track when my mind begins to wander with all the to do's. These Women pictured, who didn't hesitate when I asked if they would model, and the rest who weren't able to make the photo shoot but were just as eager to be backups. Our family and friends, who love us even with our crazy busy schedules and missed events. 

And to those, who I hope read this and it's the push they need to go for their dreams, stop fearing failure, and jump in anyway! 

Real Woman. Real Fashion. Real Life. 

That's who Southern Mess is. That's who we all are.