Life and Work with Laurel Stavros

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurel Stavros.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a content creator and product stylist at A Bubbly Life, an online blog sharing DIYs, parties, and cocktails. Recently, I opened up the blog to include more lifestyle content and sharing our personal lives, including my struggle with clinical depression.

I started A Bubbly Life over seven years ago, six months or so after having my first baby. I never thought I would be a stay at home Mom and once I had her, I could not imagine working full time anymore. So, I quit my career of 12 years because I wished to stay home with her. I also really, really did not like my job and I thought it would be such a poor example to be passionless at a job and I should maybe find something else. In the beginning, it was a tight squeeze financially, but I was very frugal and many of my beginning DIYs on A Bubbly Life were sharing thrift store furniture makeovers.

Once I decided to stay home with her, I started to go little nuts with the baby & me solo (my husband worked a lot) and decided to blog as a creative outlet while home with her. A couple of things went viral and I decided to run the blog as a business and I am now a work at home Mom to three kids =).

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road, but nothing in life really is, haha. I think identifying obstacles as challenges to overcome and knowing you will learn and improve and only become better helps. I think if we never fail, we really never grow and evolve to be better people. Some of my struggles were more personal, I had postpartum depression after the birth of my 2nd child and could not work for a bit. Recognizing that I needed to take a step back and take care of myself was a very important lesson for me. I currently struggle with clinical depression and I learned if I do not take care of myself, I am not really good to anyone- my husband, my children or my business. Opening up about my experiences on my blog was very scary and took a lot of vulnerability. Many followers and readers have reached out to me and shared their experiences and they have told me they feel less alone. So, my advice would be to be open and vulnerable. No one has their sh*t together and no one’s life is some picture perfect Instagram. Reach out to people when you need help, you may make some of the best friends in the community by doing so.

Please tell us about A Bubbly Life.
I create DIYs, parties, and cocktails for brands to help them promote their business. All my DIYs, parties and cocktails are EASY. I think that sets me apart- you do not need a lot of know-how and you do not need a lot of time- I’m a Mom of three young kids, I just do not have time for huge projects, so I think my work is accessible to the majority of people to do at home. I also style for brands, meaning I take their products and make them look even better- these photos are usually shared on their sites, not mine. I am known for bright, celebratory images using lots of patterns, floral, citrus and pink!

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
I am sort of obsessed with podcasts- Armchair Expert is my favorite! For work stuff, I love Work Life with Adam Grant, How I Built This and Ted Radio Hour. I watch Ted Talks on YouTube often. Also, I am kind of old school and have a planner for my editorial calendar – pen and paper just work best for me when it comes to sorting thru my ideas. Pinterest is wonderful for creating mood boards for clients and helping me map out my plans for a room.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.abubblylife.com
• Email: laurel@abubblylife.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abubblylife/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abubblylifeblog
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/abubblylife
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/abubblylife/

Image Credit:
Laurel Stavros

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