Phoenix Epilepsy Walk

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Fashion is an industry that I love to be a part of, but something that means more to my heart are the relationships in my life. This blog is my place to share my passions, and something, or rather someone, that I fell in love with over three years ago is my adorable niece, Claire. She's the most beautiful little girl full of all of the sweetest smiles, chatter and joy. Claire and I have an addiction to Nick Jr. and the Disney channel. We also love the beats of Justin Timberlake and Beyonce. Claire always wears cute outfits, and I credit my sister-in-law, Nicky, with her taste.

But Claire also faces more challenges than the average three year old because at five months old she was diagnosed with epilepsy. I didn't know anything about epilepsy until she was born, and something that I quickly learned was that there is NO CURE for it. There are many drugs on the market prescribed in hopes that they will help seizures subside, but there is still no cure because the brain is SO incredibly complex scientists still know very little about it.

The average person is untrained in how to help someone who experiences a silent seizure, and many treat those who battle with this disorder differently - lacking compassion and respect.

So, to make a difference and fight alongside Claire, I'm participating in the Phoenix Epilepsy Walk put on by the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona, which is an organization that CAN help make a difference as long as they have the proper funding.

I would LOVE to have you walk along with me! We can talk fashion and all things style while we make a difference in people's lives including Claire's. Sounds like a perfect combination if you ask me. =) This is a non-competitive walk on Saturday, November 19, 2011 from 8:00AM to 9:30AM at Steele Indian School Park (300 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, AZ 85012). You can register with Team Claire Bear by clicking here.

And most importantly you can donate to the Epilepsy Foundation by clicking here.

My other life - Promise Tangeman Creative

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I live a double life. I'm a stylist AND a project manager for Promise Tangeman Creative (PTC). I love both of my jobs because they equally serve creative industries, but play to my different skill sets.

Promise is a dear friend of mine, and a HUGE supporter of AVE Styles. She not only created my beautiful branding two years ago, but she has been one of the biggest cheerleaders since the start of my business.

This past weekend PTC got together with one of our lovely designers, Liz from Liz Designs Things, who lives out in California. We just had a girlie, nerdy, creative weekend. Coincidentally, Alyssa Yuhas from WeLikeWeLove (one of my favorite online magazines and graphic designer in her own right) happened to be visiting the beautiful desert from Canada. We were able to grab a cup of Joe with her and talk shop. Can I just say how COOL it is to connect with people in person that you've only known online!?

Of course, we HAD to throw in a fun photo shoot to document the trip. We used Prom's rad chalkboard wall in her home and stayed up until 12:00A.M. taking photos.

What I'm wearing: Long-sleeved lace t-shirt, Forever 21; Maroon knit jumper, Free People; denim jacket, J.Crew.

You can see even more on Promise's blog, and I hope you enjoyed the evidence of our creative weekend adventure.

PS - I've busted out my J.Crew 8 year old denim jacket, and I'm lovin' it!

The Greens Styled Family Shoot

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The Greens are one of the cutest families on THE planet, and I had the opportunity to help conceptualize and style them for their family photo shoot with Session Nine Photography.

The Greens are dream clients because they were imaginative off the bat. Meghan wanted a fairytale-like portrait session, and of course, Session Nine and I were all over it. Now, we're not talking dragons and Harry Potter. We're talkin' the Princess and the Pea and forest nymphs - whimsical, beautiful, airy.

Check out this Pinterest board to see what I mean, http://pinterest.com/alexandraevjen/fairytale-family-shoot/

Once all parties were on the same page, I visited the Greens' home to pick outfits. We didn't find EXACTLY what we had envisioned, so instead they decided to do some shopping and Meghan decided to make vests for her boys and an INCREDIBLY cute romper for her daughter Brynlee (Check out Meghan's clothing line for kids!). Isn't she the cutest?!!

After a lot of picture messaging and emails filled with links to clothes, Meghan and Justin found their outfits and them some!

The perfect location for this shoot was the amAZing Rio Salado Audubon Center. It's a nature preserve smack in the middle of Phoenix. There's never anyone around, so it's easy to set up a scene.

I hope you love the photos, and I hope this encourages you guys to think outside of the box for your annual holiday photo sessions! You can see even more photos on Session Nine's website, click here.

Please email me if you would like some help picking out your outfits for your photos, alexandra@avestyles.com. I would be happy to help!

Phoenix Fashion Week

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Starting yesterday and continuing until Saturday night, the fashion community of Phoenix is coming together for Phoenix Fashion Week. It's a cool event just to see the emerging fashion designers in the area, and to see the community come together to celebrate our shared love for fashion.

I'll be dressing for runway shows all day today and Saturday, and hopefully tweeting some behind the scene pics.  Make sure to follow me on Twitter to see my updates.

If you don't have anything going on tonight or Saturday, check out the event!