Hi! Cristie & Laura here! We so excited welcome you to our blog that is curated by our personal mix of affordable + splurge worthy faves for your closet, makeup bag, home & travel. We started our blog fall 2016 after owning a clothing boutique for 7 years together right after college. After a lot of life changes for both of us over the years (we both got married, Laura had 2 precious babes, and we both moved to Dallas) we realized it was time for us to make a change in our careers and always had an itch to have a sister- duo blog! *Because it is never too late to decide you want to change the direction of your life:)*
Our love will always be working together to bring great style at every prices point while also striving to remember the balance of what life is really about. We hope this platform can inspire you, encourage you and bring a little humor to your life.
We love sharing our favorite finds in fashion but also what we have founds and love in beauty, home, travel. We think of all our readers as our friends and would love for you to join our girl gang <3
And of course, you can always keep up with us via social media as well if you’d like:
Instagram: @merrittandstyle
Facebook: Merritt and Style
Pinterest: Merritt and Style
Twitter: @merrittandstyle
Email: hello@merrittandstyle.com
We share daily sales & try-on hauls through our Insta stories 🙂
Hi! I’m Cristie, lover of all things fashion. I currently live in Dallas, Texas. I love cultivating personal style in all facets of life including fashion, beauty and home décor. And if I can find it on sale, even better! I love mixing budget-friendly fashion with the occasional closet staple splurge.
I love what fashion can do to someone’s confidence once they find things that flatter them and truly reflect who they are. I love being a part of those moments with people and showing them how beautiful they are when they feel confident about themselves especially when its in a great outfit they love. I love getting to witness people seeing themselves in a positive light – and if I can contribute to even a little of that feeling with this platform – I’m grateful.
It’s only right to tell you also about the better half of me, which is my husband, Garrett. He is my best friend and the funniest man I’ve ever met. We got married in 2016 but have known each other since freshman year of college. He is my grammar checker, my Mr. Fix-it-all, a top notch travel guide, and my biggest fan. I am not sure how I got so lucky, but I’m so grateful for him.
Laura is my ‘co-’ part of all my adventures. There could never be another person that I’d rather have in my corner and as my business partner. She is the go-getter, the hustler, the boss babe, the hot momma and she juggles it all with her own style and grace. There is no one that works harder and has more drive to succeed. I can still remember in college agreeing that we were going to start our boutique together and then watching the wheels in her mind start turning as she dreamt up incredible plans for our future. She pushes me to dream bigger and helps encourage me to push myself to see what I’m really capable of. She is my best friend and I can’t wait for all the new adventures this next chapter will bring us.
My favorite quote is by Erma Bombeck and it says, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me’.”
I have loved this quote for years and am so excited to continue pushing myself in the talents God’s given me. I love a challenge. I love empowering others to also think out side of the box. Cheers to using the all the talents life brings us!
Work hard, stay humble and be kind… truly words to live by!
My name is Laura and I’m 30 years old. I’m married to my best friend, David, and I am incredibly grateful to be the Mommy to Beckham (4) & Chamberlain (16 months)… Constantly learning what being a boy mom is all about, but I adore my little growing family!
The last 7 years I have owned a boutique, called ShopbellaC, (online, Storefront & large retail shows) with my sister/bestie, Cristie! It truly was the adventure of a lifetime. It was amazing to create a vision together and then get to bring the magic alive with one of my favorite people in the whole world!
I have a great appreciation for the business of fashion and the wide range of things owning my own boutique has taught me. My favorite part would truly be working with my sister and getting to interact, collaborate, and create with so many talented individuals! I am a true “girly-girl” in all meanings of the term. I have a love for bright colors and floral patterns! I am drawn to anything gold and have a weakness for luxury bags. Although, I do love to bargain shop and get a thrill from finding a deal at Nordstrom Rack and T.J.Maxx! I am a lover of pink and have a true appreciation for big hair and full makeup… We DO live in Texas, after all. However, my boys are helping me discover that I have small bits of Tomboy hiding deep inside!
I could not be more excited about Cristie and I’s next big adventure, Merritt & Style Blog! Although we have had great success with ShopbellaC, which, to be honest, far exceeded my dreams and expectations, we have decided it is time for a change. After two moves, a wedding, and the arrival of two babies, we are ready for our next endeavor! We decided to make a change that will suit our family’s lifestyle a little better than living at our storefront and traveling all holiday season to our retail shows. We had always created SBC to make adjustments for when we started our families, so the time had come to try something new and release a whole new side of our creativity!
I adore the quote “Behind every successful woman is a tribe of successful woman who have her back”! But for me it would be “people” not just women. This has been something in life that I never take for granted.
Our parents have instilled in us the power of hard work and determination. They have raised us to not steer away from the steep upward climb of success! They taught us to get in your lane and not let the chatter distract us from the finish line! Our mother also displayed to us the importance of humility and sacrifice. God first and family second was a motto we were raised on. I wish everyone had the privilege of being raised by parents who believed in them and gave them the encouragement and space to live outside the lines!
My husband, David, has also helped me take my dreams to the next level. Talk about support…. That man has worked many retail shows, driven across country for retail events and was constantly getting sucked into ShopbellaC storefront projects…He even had to play Santa one year at the store, HaHa! He is always encouraging me to strive for my best and not limit God’s desires for me.
Cristie is truly one of the most talented people I have ever met! She is creative and driven. She will research a topic or skill until she can achieve it (hair, makeup, photography, marketing, social media Etc…) Honestly, she amazes me daily! She also has been stylish since the moment she could dress herself. I can remember when we were little I would put on exactly what our mom had laid out (bow and all, because, of course, we were raised in the south) and Cristie would make alterations to the look daily to make it all her own! It’s just within her. She has styled everyone in our family at one point or another from our mom, to our cousins and even our grandmother who was 95!
Cristie is also one of the hardest working people I know. She adores people and truly takes the time to invest in the ones she loves! It is an honor to be her sister and a privilege to be her best friend!
Seize the day… yes, I believe I will!
