Let the #GIRLTALKSERIES begin...

And so it's begins! To say last Tuesday night was a dream is an understatement. What started as an idea over dinner and vino, transformed into something the three of us never imagined. I am beyond thankful for the hard work these two ladies put into making the first event of our #GIRLTALKSERIES a smashing success! It's a matter of several elements all coming together, but it all starts with an idea.

Our idea started on neon, star-shaped paper and poster board covering my living room floor. While there may have been several words and phrases jotted down, our vision was clear. We wanted to create a series of events to motivate, support and inspire women in the Atlanta community. I'm a huge believer in women building one another up, versus tearing each other down with our words! We need to be cheerleaders for one another, and what better way to do that than with events filled with strong, beautiful ladies!

I am so lucky to have met Allie and Erica. It's truly takes #TEAMWORK to make the dream work! It also takes several other amazing people who believe in what you're doing. Thank you to David of LDV Hospitality, Todd & co. at Etro, and Liz Lapidus and Blair Cofield of Liz Lapidus PR for connecting all the dots to make our first event with #GIRLTALKSERIES possible! If we we're at the Golden Globes I'm sure the teleprompter would be telling me to wrap it up, but we are just so thankful to all those that helped make it happen! 

Last Tuesday evening, ladies from all over the metro-Atlanta area gathered at Corso Coffee (located at  Buckhead Atlanta) for an evening of lite bites, wine, fellowship and to hear the one and only Lynn Lilly talk about her tips and tricks to creating YOUR brand! Being that the event was at Corso (which is under the LDV Hospitality umbrella), we were all greeted at our seats with these adorable black and white fliers about the new Dolce restaurant (opening September 2015) at Buckhead Atlanta. The LDV team is gearing up for the opening with a HUGE social media contest, where the grand prize winner will WIN a 1-night stay at The Gale Hotel for 2 + Dinner for 2 at Dolce Miami! 

The Rules:

Contest runs now through September 13

All photos must be tagged @dolce_italian and @ldvhospitality (you must also follow both accounts)

Instagram what 'La Dolce Vita' aka The Good Life means to you!

All photos must be hashtagged #DolceAtlanta

PS - If you win, I vote you take me!

As the hosts, it was wonderful to see old and new faces come out to the event! Luisa (of Peaches to Pearls) is always a doll! She has been such a joy to get to know and has such a eye for fashion. 

Even though Luisa and I couldn't sip on any coffee or vino (see her blog for more info, we're in the midst of Luisa's #eatpretty15 challenge), we were able to indulge in some of the tasty bites Corso prepared for our group. The Eggplant Caponata was by far my favorite! The Corso Platter filled with artisinal cured meats and cheeses was scrumptious, as well. And if you follow me on Insta or Twitter, then you know how I feel about their coffee! Their Almond Milk Latte is divine. Oh, and their Nutella gelato is life changing!

Allie and I catching up with Luisa of Peaches to Pearls

Once our plates and glasses were refreshed, we took a seat to hear what Lynn Lilly had in store for us! If you're not familiar with who Lynn is, I'll catch you up to speed. 

"Lynn developed her passion for entertaining and event planning while at Auburn University. She turned that passion into a career after graduation working in events, advertising and marketing and eventually owning her own event planning firm. Lynn has ridden the ups and downs of business and learned her fair share of valuable lessons. A year ago Lynn was exploring the vibrant creative streets of Tokyo with her then fiancé (now husband) when she was overwhelmed with the inspiration to create a unique online experience for like-minded passionate women. A few weeks later, Lynn came back to the states and brought the idea to her two most creative friends and shortly after Craft Box Girls was born. Craft Box Girls is a vision turned reality. This is only the beginning of the Craft Box Girls journey. Lynn has a desire to create a household name that will be a trusted and vibrant source for every aspect for women and the maker community." -via her Craft Box Girls's Blog

Every time I hear Lynn speak, it reignites the drive in me to do more with my blog. And to think BIG! Lynn's focus for the evening was to help us create a mission statement which will ultimately lead us to building the brand we vision for ourselves. 

Lynn provided everyone with a piece of paper covered in questions. She explained that these questions would help mold our mission statement! It's important to develop a mission statement early on, because it allows you to focus on why you are starting and/or started your blog. Many opportunities will come your way, and you need to remain true to the vision of your blog! If you missed out on the event and would like a recap on what we learned, email me at kmboring@gmail.com. Would love to have you at the next #GIRLTALKSERIES event!

After a few girls read their mission statements, Lynn explained to the group how she got into TV. Lynn can be seen on several local affiliates doing fun, creative segments! Being the guru of the room, she lent us a few tips for breaking into the "biz!"

Lynn Tips for TV:

Make a reel of your BEST work (NO nerves or "um's)

Your reel should be 1:30-2:00 minutes MAX

Do your research aka Google or LinkedIn to find producers

Let them see that you are the expert

Be engaging and personal when you email the producers 

Follow-up!

Be easy to work with and grateful

It was amazing to hear from Lynn and see all the ladies put their ideas on paper! We wanted to create this series of events to motivate, support and inspire the women that attend. So, to see these women mingle and exchange numbers was awesome! 

During all the mingling, the three hosts (with the most) stepped out to the streets of Peachtree to document these insanely, gorgeous dresses Etro provided us with for the evening! Thank you to Todd & Co. at Etro for being so hospitable and treating us like queens at our fitting (BTS pictures to come)! Head on over to their Buckhead Atlanta location today to see their Fall 2015 line. The pictures do not serve them justice!

As with any event, once you have the outfit in place (I cannot thank Liz Lapidus and Etro enough) it's time for hair and make-up. My uber talented sister, Blair, who took all the pictures from the event, also did my hair! This "easy" look can be done in 10 minutes or less. I wanted something sleek, yet relaxed. This summer, I've gone with a braid (in some form) for most events. My poor hair can't handle the humidity #FrizzBall. I absolutely this braid up-do!

For the make-up, I paid a visit to my boo aka Jeremy. He's amazing! He knows how I love a good glow and strong lip. Mission accomplished, yet again! 

Hair: Blair Boring // Make-up: Jeremy at Phipps // Earrings: Tory Burch // Dress: Etro // Heels: BCBGeneration 

Each of the attendees also went home with a loaded swag bag filled with Lynn's Chocolate Chip Bourbon Ganache Cookie Sandwiches, Corso gift card & other fun goodies!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: BLAIR BORING

We are already planning the next event in our #GIRLTALKSERIES, so stay tuned! If you'd like to get more information on this event or on the mailing list for future events, feel free to drop me a note at kmboring@gmail.com. Would love to hear from y'all!

*Huge thank you to David Abes of LDV Hospitality, Todd & Co. at Etro, Liz Lapidus and Blair Cofield of Liz Lapidus PR, my crazy talented sister Blair, and my amazing friends Allie and Erica for making this all happen! While this post may have had a sponsored element to it, we had a wonderful evening and thoroughly enjoyed meeting all the lovely, new faces! Thanks for supporting the sponsorships that Kale Me Kelly collaborates with so that I can continue to bring you all one step closer to the happenings around Atlanta.