Going Red for Addison + A Heartfelt Event with Kendra Scott

Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson

RED DRESS || STATEMENT EARRINGS || NUDE HEELS

There is so much more to this red dress than just a bright bold color, a figure flattering silhouette, and a beautiful ruffle detail.  This dress has meaning...the reason I wear this red dress HAS meaning and it is all about Addison!

For those of you who have been regular visitors to KBStyled, you will most likely recall "Addison's heart story" that I have shared for the last 2 years.  

You see, Addison was born with a heart defect...her heart was a little less than perfect although she seemed absolutely PERFECT in our eyes.  From the day she was born, there was always a dark cloud that followed us around knowing that one day, Addison's tiny heart would have to be fixed.  What this meant is that our sweet baby girl had to undergo open heart surgery to mend her broken heart.

Surgery day came and went with much success and she is a thriving, spirited, funny, adventurous, loving, and smart 6 year old!  Read more about our "Addison's heart story" HERE!

Having gone through this experience with our sweet little girl we have become more aware about how we can give back in a way that benefits & supports others who may have a similar condition or who may have overcome heart related health issues.

For the last several years I have been involved with our local American Heart Association chapter.  Being able to share Addison's story and use my voice through KBStyled has been such a blessing.

Giving back to the American Heart Association is important to me and my family.  This year marks my 3rd year hosting an event with Kendra Scott to benefit the American Heart Association.  

On 2/13/18, I will be hosting an "give back" event with Nashville's local Kendra Scott where a percentage of the proceeds will be donated back to the American Heart Association.  My hope in doing this is that I will bring more awareness both locally and nationally.

I've included the details for our event below!  You don't have to be local to get involved.  If you wish to contribute to this cause, you are welcome to contact our local Kendra Scott store and purchase the "Addison earrings" (see pic below) or any other item so the proceeds will go to the Nashville American Heart Association.

To Order:

Kendra Scott Nashville

"Addison" earrings or any other item

Call: 1-615-600-4353

Every bit of involvement makes a difference!  Last year I heard from so many of you with personal heart health related stories and I imagine there are many stories to share.

If you live locally, I'd love for you to come out the evening of the event to meet, enjoy an evening out, and support a great cause!  I hope to see you there!

On behalf of Addison and our family, thank you for letting me share a bit about her story with you!  I appreciate you taking the time to read today's post and if you ever wish to share your own personal story, please don't hesitate to reach out!

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From My Heart to Yours...Thank you!

Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson

The evening was perfect...it was an evening filled with love, an evening where friends came together to honor a special little someone, an evening where we adorned our red in hopes of bringing more awareness to a cause that impacts so many lives on a daily basis.  It was such a special evening...one that comes around once a year but one that will leave a lasting impact on our hearts.

It was an evening where I was blessed with the gift of partnering with Kendra Scott & the American Heart Association to honor our sweet Addison and to bring more awareness to heart disease in women.  This is a cause that I am so passionate about and that means a lot to me and my family.

You see, Addison was born with a couple of holes in her heart and as she grew, one of the holes closed on its own and the other continued to grow larger and larger.  We knew that at some point this hole would have to be fixed but at the time, we didn't know that it meant our baby girl would undergo open heart surgery.  It was a tough time for our family but we knew that she was in great hands and that before long, our baby girls heart would be whole again.  Surgery came and went and she recovered beautifully...she is such a strong little girl and now she thrives as a beautiful, sweet, independent 5 year old!

After this life event, I knew that being involved with the American Heart Association was my calling.  After all, it hit so close to home and I wanted to do something to make an impact!

Because Kendra Scott is so passionate about giving back, they provided me with an opportunity and the perfect platform to host an event in Addison's honor to raise money for the Nashville American Heart Association.  I'm so happy to report that we raised $668 for our local chapter!!!  My heart bursts with pride and gratitude to have had this opportunity and to be able to make an impact no matter how big or small.

Addison will always know how loved she is and how we all worked together to bring awareness to something that impacted her at such a young age.  Not only did we come together for Addison, but we came together to honor ALL women and ALL families who have been impacted by heart disease/heart defects or who know of someone who has personally been impacted.

Thank you so very much to Kendra Scott and the American Heart Association for partnering with me for this event.  It truly means the world to me and my family.  I feel humbled and honored to have the opportunity to represent such an incredible brand and to raise awareness for such an important cause.  And many thanks to all of YOU who offered your love and support here locally and at a distance...we are forever grateful.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by and for taking time out of your day to support KBStyled.

*Thank you to Maggy London for providing my beautiful red dress, Deidre DeFelice for styling my hair, and Brittany Fuson for providing fashion illustrations during the event.

A HEARTFELT EVENT WITH KENDRA SCOTT & THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

Photography by Madi Flournoy Henderson

RED DRESS || HEELS || ADDISON EARRINGS ||  ALEX EARRINGS || ELISA PENDANT || RAYNE NECKLACE || SOPHEE EARRINGS ||   

"I saw that you were perfect, and so I loved you.  Then I saw that you were not perfect and I loved you even more".  - Angelita Lim

When your child is born and everything on the outside is absolutely perfect...so much so that all you can do is sit and stare.  She is stunning to the eye with a head full of hair and piercing blue eyes.  She nuzzles up to you because you are familiar, your scent is what she knows, you are her safe place, your voice is music to her ears...and because she is yours and you are hers.  You are her MOM and that unconditional love and bond is stronger than ever.  It's magical...a moment in time that is unforgettable.

And then you are told that your child may not be so perfect on the inside.  That in fact, her tiny heart is less than perfect.  A heart with holes.  Something so brand new that was supposed to be whole and perfect...something was broken.  A tiny heart that has to work a little harder to function properly.  A heart that will ultimately have to be fixed.

This was our moment in time...when we learned that Addison's tiny little heart was less than perfect.  Our perfect baby girl was not whole...she would need to have her tiny little heart fixed in the near future.  She had to grow and mature enough to undergo a lengthy open heart surgery to make her heart whole again.  Her impending surgery was the heaviest dark cloud we have ever faced but surgery came and went and she is now a thriving 5 year old with a very special scar that will forever remind us of that tiny, now thriving, heart within our perfect little girl!

With this all being said and as you an imagine, The American Heart Association is a very near and dear cause to our family.  I am beyond exciting to be teaming up with Kendra Scott & The American Heart Association to host an event in Addison's honor and to kick off heart health awareness month, which kicks off in February.

Our event will take place on Thursday 1/26/17 from 5pm-8pm at the Nashville Kendra Scott store and 20% of all sales during our event will be donated to Nashville's American Heart Association chapter.  Also, there are certain pieces, including the "Addison" earrings (and those that I am wearing in today's post), that if purchased, an additional 20% will be donated!  Consider it a girls night out...there will be food, beverages, live music, and some other special touches!  I've included the invitation below for additional details.

If you don't live in the Nashville area but you wish to support this cause in honor of someone you may know (or in honor of our sweet girl), you may contact our local Nashville Kendra Scott store to order.  Ask to speak with Laura and she will be happy to assist you!

To Order:

Kendra Scott Nashville

"Addison" earrings or any other KS piece

Call: 1-615-600-4353

If you do live in Nashville or the surrounding areas, I do hope you will join us for a very special evening.  I hope to see you there!

THANK YOU in advance for reading today's post and for any support you will provide in my mission to honor Addison and all others impacted by defects or heart disease.  If you wish to read more about Addison's story or more about how heart disease impacts so many women...can you read more HERE.  From my heart to yours...much love! 

Go Red For Women...Go Red For Addison

| Photos | Sweet Magnolia Photos

RED DRESS || BAG C/O || EARRINGS C/O || HEELS (SIMILAR HERE & HERE)

I've been so excited to share today's post all week long...it is a post that is very near and dear to my heart because just a little over a year ago our sweet daughter, Addison, had open heart surgery.

I know, gasp, OPEN HEART SURGERY.  It still takes my breath away to say it out loud and of course writing this takes me back to that exact day when I watched a team of medical professionals take her off to surgery while she held a nurses' phone in her hand watching "Frozen".

The myriad of emotions at that time in our lives was overwhelming.  Addison's case was rather common, unlike some children who have more severe cases with life long hurdles to overcome.  So we were the lucky ones.

Six hours of surgery and minutes that felt like hours just ticking by as we waited to hear how she was doing.   "Beautifully" was the report that we received from her surgeon..."Addison did beautifully"!

Her heart has been repaired and beyond frequent checkups, she is expected to live a normal full healthy life!   Thank God...our baby girl's heart has been mended.

Through this process we have met other families who share a similar story as ours and it has also provided us an opportunity to connect with our local American Heart Association.

Just this past year, I was invited to join a "passion committee" with our local American Heart Association.  This invitation was such a welcomed invitation as I had been pondering how to become more involved with our AHA chapter and how best to honor Addison and give back.

Spreading the word about heart disease and the impact that this has on women is a large focus of this committee.  Did you know that heart disease is the #1 killer of women?!  Heart attack & stroke kills 1 in 3 women.  Many women don't think about heart disease and they certainly don't think they could ever fall victim to this disease.

I'm sharing all of this because there is a way for YOU to make a difference.  The American Heart Association is celebrating 12 years of the "Go Red For Women" movement.   The more awareness, the more lives that can be saved!

National Wear Red Day is on February 5, 2016 and I encourage all of you to wear something red on this day (it can be anything...a top, a scarf, a piece of jewelry, etc).  Join the fight against heart disease and help me honor not only Addison, but all of those women and children who have faced either heart disease or a heart defect.

I'm also so excited to share with you that I will be partnering with The American Heart Association and Kendra Scott to host our 1st annual event in honor of heart month, the Go Red For Women movement, and our sweet Addison.  The event will be on Thursday, February 4, 2016 from 6-8pm at our local Kendra Scott store and I hope you will join us if you live close by (invitation is below).

Kendra Scott has been such an advocate for giving back and this will be the second event I have hosted with them to benefit our local AHA chapter.  I feel so very lucky to have such an amazing brand as a part of my personal mission to honor Addison and to bring awareness to heart disease and its impact on women.

What's even more special is that I was given the opportunity to design a pair of gorgeous red Kendra Scott earrings in honor of Addison and we are calling them the "Addison" earrings!  How special is that?!  These are the perfect earrings to honor all of those #heartwarriors out there!

For any "Addison" earrings that are purchased, 10% will go back to the American Heart Association! If you wish to purchase a pair of "Addison" earrings and in turn donate to the AHA, please call our local Nashville store and ask to speak with either Abby or Beth!  Below is our store's contact information.

To Order:

Kendra Scott Nashville

"Addison" earrings

Call: 1-615-600-4353

Other calls to action:

1)  Will you commit to wearing red on 2/5/16, "National Wear Red Day"?!

2) If you live locally, will you attend our event on Thursday, 2/4/16 to honor Addison and raise awareness (and charitable donations) for our local AHA chapter?!

3) If you haven't had your well woman check recently, will you commit to scheduling this and following through to ensure that your health is in balance?!

If you have had any personal experience with heart disease or have had a child that has a story to share, please let me know in the comments below.

Thank you so very much for reading today's post.  I know it was much longer than normal but it's hard to open your heart and share something so important to you in just a few sentences.  In advance, thank you for any support you will provide in my mission to honor Addison and all others impacted by defects or heart disease.  Much love!