One of the only things cooler than the beautifully frothy and ethereal gowns designed by talented indie fashion designer Jillian Fellers is that she creates and produces all of her pieces right here in the Omaha area. Hailing from Lincoln, Nebraska with a background in textiles and design, Jillian’s workmanship reflects her intense attention to detail and her designs show her ability to anticipate trends and styles that brides today are really looking for.

Hand-rolled hems! Silk chiffon! Boning and corseting! Color!

I love Jillian’s work and all of the design decisions she’s made with this collection. The hand-dyed appliqued lace, the peplums, and the high-low hems are so flattering and cool right now. I’m especially in love with her bridesmaid designs–they’d all be beautiful dressy options! I’m so excited to recommend Jillian Fellers’s expert work, and I love that she’s doing it all as a mother, entrepreneur, and designer here in the Omaha area. So cool. Check out her Etsy and follow her on Twitter and Facebook too! Indie design makes the world a prettier place.

xx
meg

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The Faint performing at The Slowdown, taken by Chevy Anderson for Hear Nebraska

Our nonprofit community in Omaha is so wide and generous, and it’s hard to meet someone here who isn’t either emotionally involved with a local project here or directly working for one. Being a part of the vibrant and progressive cultural community in this city and learning about all of the amazing work people are doing for the betterment of our world inspires me to no end. So charitable giving is something that’s a big part of my life, and in Omaha it’s easy to find hundreds of worthy causes to support, which can make it a little overwhelming sometimes to decide where to give.

That’s why I’m so excited about Omaha Gives! It’s a 24-hour marathon giving event organized by the Omaha Community Foundation to increase philanthropy for local organizations in the Omaha area, and I’m writing about it both because I’m excited to participate and because I want to invite all of you to throw in your support as well. The goal is to inspire as many people to come together to support local nonprofit organizations as possible.

Just $10 is the minimum donation to participate in Omaha Gives!, and there are tons of local foundations, donors, and corporations that will be matching each dollar donated to raise even more money for these hardworking organizations. Knowing that I can just drop a Hamilton and make a difference for a local nonprofit makes it really easy for me to participate–I can’t always give $50 or $100 during fundraisers, but I know I can spare a ten or two. Check out this video from the Omaha Community Foundation that explains more:

Omaha Gives! is on May 22nd starting at midnight and going for the next 24 hours. To participate, just go to OmahaGives24.org and donate via credit card to any of the nonprofits that have registered as particpants. You can search them by service area or name and find something that you truly care about supporting. Here are some of my favorite organizations that I’ll be throwing my support toward:

• Maha Music Festival – Omaha’s biggest nonprofit music festival, thrown each summer by a community of amazing volunteers
• Omaha Girls Rock – A yearly summer camp that gives girls the confidence to use their voices through music education and performance (I can’t wait until Alice is old enough to go!)
• Hear Nebraska – This organization cultivates the state’s vibrant music and arts community by providing resources and a voice for bands, artists and members of Nebraska’s creative class (and they’re our neighbors at Hello Holiday!)
• Bemis Center for the Contemporary Arts – A huge studio in downtown Omaha offering residencies to artists from around the world and programming to engage the public
• Nebraska AIDS Project – Providing support to those dying with AIDS and education to prevent the further spread of HIV
• Omaha Area Youth Orchestras – OAYO offers music instruction and orchestral performance experience for over 550 students each season. I was a member for eight years as a child!

Obviously there are hundreds of worthy organizations–more than I can mention here–and I encourage you all to scroll through them and find something to support with a $10 donation that speaks most to you. Anyone can donate, each donation is completely tax deductible and you’ll receive an e-mail after you donate to keep for your records. You can even give right from your phone (just click through from this blog post!) After you donate on May 22nd you can also watch the leaderboards to see which nonprofits are raising the most money to get those corporate matching funds!

I love my city and it wouldn’t be a great place to live without the tireless work that our local nonprofits do because they care. Because they have a bigger vision for this city than anyone else. Because they dream and they know people can do more. I agree with them and I support their missions–join me on the 22nd to make even more magic possible!

xx
meg

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So I’m *almost* moved in to my new apartment–all the main furniture is there except a few dressers for Alice’s room, a buffet table for the dining room, and a beautiful upholstered chair with embroidery all over it. Most of the furniture I brought in came from the home of my great-great-grandmother Edna, and she had the most impeccable taste and took care of everything so well. It’s really fun to see the pieces she loved in my home now. My spare room will be available for guests on Airbnb and I look forward to photographing the space as soon as I have everything settled in. Plus of course I gotta write about it here. It’s so pretty, you guys. I’m so glad to be living somewhere I love.

This is one of my favorite out-to-dinner dresses to wear lately. When I found this red gingham-print dress from UK designers Emily and Fin, I knew we had to get it in the store before Summer. It’s just perfect for every party, cotton, washes well, pockets, cute back. Pretty much everything I look for in a party dress. I also like that it’s roomy in the bust, which is ideal for ladies like me with a bit more on top.

Dress: Perfect Picnic Dress; Shoes: Late Night Platforms from Seychelles (on sale!), Sunglasses: Dionne Sunglasses from Hello Holiday (currently sold out)

xx

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