about 

"in a world where you can be anything...be kind."

  Hey! I'm Hayley. I'm 31, a newlywed, & currently pregnant with our first baby. I started this blog during my last semester of college in 2014. I knew I liked to write and design things, so that's where this all stemmed from. I originally began writing about things that were on my mind, but soon enough, it turned into a fashion & decor blog.

  After college, I tried to find something I was passionate about, trying out multiple different jobs with my degree, & I hated everything. I was blogging behind the scenes for fun while impatiently waiting for dance auditions to come my way. I was a professional dancer for 5 years after 13 years of training – danced for Paula Abdul, Demi Lovato, have done commercials, music videos, etc, but that life stopped fulfilling me as it once did.
  So fast forward to now – I work as a jeweler (@HappyJewelers) where I'm a social media manager + diamond specialist … and then obviously run this blog & The Blondie Shop

hayley larue

I bring my own Tapatio bottle to Italian restaurants (I love it on my pasta,) and bring it to the trendy Mexican restaurants that don’t carry it. Speaking of spicy food, have you tried my instagram famous Salsa Verde Chicken Lime Pasta? It’s a hit, trust me.

Now, I may look like your typical white girl, but I’m actually half Mexican & speak fluent Spanish. (My mom is Hispanic and my dad is just straight up white.) And no, this is not a joke. People often laugh when I tell them this. I LIVE for spicy food – like, my mom had me pouring hot sauce on my food when I was 3 years old. 

I got married on September 12th, 2021, to Daniel, my high school homecoming date. You can read all about our history and how we reunited after 10 years, here.

love story.

libra.

Questions.

DO YOU HAVE TIPS ON GROWING YOUR BLOG & INSTAGRAM?

This is probably my number one question, so I wrote up a HUGE post all about this!

HOW DO YOU EDIT YOUR PHOTOS? WHAT FILTER DO YOU USE?

This changes pretty frequently, but right now, I use the Tezza App & I love the INSPR filter. I also have a blog post showing some of my favorite Lightroom presets here.

WHAT KIND OF CAMERA DO YOU USE?

I used to use a Canon to shoot all of my blog photos, but for the past 2+ years, I've just been using my iPhone!

WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR DOG & WHAT KIND OF DOG IS SHE?

Meela is a "red" toy maltipoo. Have a post all about where I got her here.

DID YOU GET A BOOB JOB?

NO. I did NOT get a boob job, yet am asked how many CC's I got ALL.THE.TIME. lol
If I did, you all know I'd be 100% honest and would have done a whole post on it.

HAVE HAIR EXTENSIONS RUINED YOUR HAIR?

Nope! In fact, my hair has gotten healthier. The results are kind of mind blowing. Read all about it here.

me in a nutshell