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Things are cuhrazy 'round here. In a few short words: We're moving, within the next 30 days possibly sooner. We've found a loft and are signing a lease on Saturday. We have found someone to lease our house and Drew started his new job this week.

We are moving from a 3 bedroom house with a basement, huge yard, garden, two outdoor buildings, driveway, garden,  and laundry room in the country to a 1 bedroom, 600 square feet loft with stackable laundry in a closet and parking in a parking garage in downtown Roanoke. Hellooooo new lifestyle.

Our next few weeks will be purging furniture, deciding what goes and stays, learning how to get around Roanoke, cleaning, grad school, blocking, and traveling to Pound 6 times to watch my brother play basketball. I'm already tired.

But, God is good and He has left us no doubts that this is exactly where we are supposed to be. More details to come.

Today we are happy to feature the Port St. Lucie-based  M. Elle Creative, the design business of blogger, Marianne Humburg. You might know Marianne from her blog, Things We Didn't Buy. As it's been a while since we've featured a small business, I figured it would be a great time to showcase another Sunshine Blogger/business owner. Thank you so much Marianne for answering my questions and being a part of this showcase.

What type of business do you own? 

A graphic/web design studio focusing on blog design.

When did you decide "this is what I want."? 

After working as designer for an accessories company for almost four years I decided I wanted to venture out on my own. After leaving my job in March of 2012 I spent six months in Europe living, working, and traveling. I returned to Florida last September and starting doing some freelance graphic design work. I had quite a background in graphic design, but knew almost nothing about web design. I challenged myself to design one of my friend's blogs and it didn't turn out half bad! I then was offered a great internship with Blair from Leap (she's an amazing web designer) who taught me more about building sites on WordPress and Blogger. I continued to work with her until we both felt I could tackle projects on my own bringing me to where I am currently - launching my own design business!

What has been your most challenging moment as a small business owner?

Keeping track of everything! I would like to say I am fairly organized, but this running a business is definitely a challenge for me. What do you enjoy most about being a small business owner and blogger? The flexibility is a definite plus. Also interacting with other bloggers. I have met the most wonderful individuals doing this!

What advice would you like share with other small business owners in Florida? 

Have fun with it, be creative, and take on projects that are a little scary as they are the ones that will help you grow the most.


Be sure to get to know Marianne by following her via social media:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin

Past

Well first of all, we've been skunked again. Our poor Ikey still reeks from a skunking incident that happened a week ago tomorrow. It happened the morning of my meeting with my site supervisor at my blocking placement, I repeatedly apologized for the odor.

And worse than that I unknowingly gave my students suckers that both smelled and tasted like skunk on Friday. They had been innocently sitting on my kitchen counter the morning of the incident. However, when they asked me why they tasted/smelled like skunk I told them that the Dollar Tree must not keep their candy very fresh. Yes, I feel guilty. But it was much easier to lie to them knowing I'll never see them again. Friday was my last day in my high school placement.

Present

 I miss those kiddos. I had some sweet kids. I had some kids who were going through tougher situations than any 15 year old should ever have to go through and they made my days brighter. I think of them often and I hope they find their way. They are all so full of strength.

It's too early to tell how I feel about my middle school placement, suffice it to say it will be different. But I'm not yet sure if it's a good or a bad different.

Future

In more life-changing type news: Drew accepted a new position at a company in Salem, VA. We are so excited for him to begin this new job and for this to hopefully be the first step towards us moving where we feel pulled: Roanoke.

I've requested to do my student teaching in Roanoke in the spring and if we can lease our house we could be moving as soon as December. It's been a bit of a whirlwind but it has been an awesome ride. We are so grateful for God's timing and are praying that we can immerse ourselves into the community He has for us.

Also, we are signed up to run the Color Me Rad 5K this weekend with Drew's parents and sister. I'm excited for them to come visit but in the interest of full disclosure, we have done no little training. It should be interesting (read: embarrassing).


I hope that fall wherever you are is as beautiful as it is here in the Appalachian mountains.

Who?
My name is Tiffany and I blog at The Style Passport. I'm 31 years old and my day job is investment banking. I also have an Ebay business where I sell beauty products such as high end makeup brushes, makeup palettes etc. In the 2 years since starting my business I have partnered with a number of popular makeup brands such as BH Cosmetics and Z Palette. I hope to continue to grow my eBay business so that one day I can make it my full time career. In my free time traveling the world, beauty and fashion are my favorite topics of discussion. Through my blog I hope to share what I love and meet new people along the way.

What?
I started thestylepassport because I'm always traveling and friends and family always want me to show them pictures and give them all the deets about shopping, food etc. Last year I spent a month in Paris and the time just flew by. I lived like a real Parisienne and my one regret was not having a place where I can keep all the great memories I made. So now I've finally built up the courage to put myself out there with my blog.

I currently live in Orlando,Florida but was born and raised in Staten Island, NY. I consider myself Bahamian-American as my dad is originally from The Bahamas. I go back and forth to Bahamas quite often to see all of my family and I just love the culture, beaches, food - everything!

When?
I am new to the blog -o -sphere and I started thestylepassport only a month and a half ago. I am learning new things daily on how to improve my blog and everyone in the community has been very helpful.

Why?
I love the fact that blogging allows me to have a forum where I can just be myself and show people things that I like. I also love reading other blogs who have a different perspective on life than I do. My favorite blogs to read at the moment are British fashion and beauty blogs.

Uniquely You:
I am obsessed with coffee and guacamole. I sometimes go months without eating meat. I like meat but I go through phases where it grosses me out and I won't eat it. The only music on my ipod is EDM, teen pop (Justin Bieber, one direction etc), Drake and Justin Timberlake.

Favorite Quote: "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." -John Lennon

Connect with Tiffany elsewhere too!

BLOG | SHOP

Our lives are pretty busy. Hence, the rare blog updates. I'm still adjusting to the all day every day, switching between teacher and student, and creating lesson plans which currently take me about 7 hours each to create. But I'm sleeping a lot on weekends and powering through. I love my job so much so far. I can't wait until I'm paid to do it rather than having to pay to do it.


Lately, we're very into fantasy football. Drew and I both suck but it's a great way to spend our Sundays, piled up on the couch calculating points and cheering for our guys. Here are our standings so far today....Don't let my dad's 4.00 fool you, he's just waiting for Peyton to play here in a few.





Also, at the request of my blogger friend Erika I downloaded the app Fooducate. I hadn't had much time to fool with it until this morning and then Drew and I got carried away. It grades your food by scanning the barcode. We were pretty surprised by some of the things we thought would be pretty healthy...like our bread that were not. It's free and pretty handy.


Yesterday marked the beginning of hunting season so that will be taking up Drew's Saturday mornings. And I'm preparing to switch from my placement in a high school to a local middle school. I'm excited but I know I will miss my high school kids, they have made my experience such an enjoyable one.

So in short, I sleep a lot, we watch football, Drew hunts, and we scan barcodes. You've not been missing much.

Okay, here's a few more of the exciting things you've missed:

Happy Friday! Don't fret, our Blogging 101 series will be back very soon. However, I hope you've been enjoying the guest posts from our wonderful guest bloggers. Today's post is a wonderful guide a few fun places to check out while you're in Orlando by Ashley who you can find via Instagram at @EntirelyAshely. I had the pleasure of meeting Ashley at the Meet & Make event earlier this year. She was wonderful to sit and craft with and writes a pretty awesome blog post. Be sure to follow her on Instagram and many thanks again to Ashley! - Angel of Studio 404

Gatorland

Orlando has plenty of small, close-encounter animal attractions, but my favorite is Gatorland. A friend of mine’s boyfriend is an alligator wrestler and animal handler there and I can genuinely tell you they care deeply about the animals. They regularly buy and rescue alligators and other reptiles from trappers so they can live the rest of their lives in a safe environment. The handlers even take their show on the road and do educational presentations for schools, camps, etc.

Gatorland has two gator shows and one exotic animals show (watch out, they like to pick people from the crowd for this show!). In addition to the animals and shows, there is also a petting zoo, train, splash pad for the kids, and zip line course. One of the animals they are known for are the albino (white) alligators. There are less than 50 in the world and Gatorland has a few of them. Did you know Florida residents can get in for just $9.99? Considering regular admission is more than double that, we get quite the deal. Gatorland is all outdoors (even the eateries and bathrooms are air conditioner-less), so I’d recommend visiting in the cooler months, even if the alligators are more active during the summer.

Leu Gardens

An oasis in the city, Leu Gardens is an Orlando favorite. You can get in for free on Mondays and $10 any other day. The gardens are expansive and beautiful, the result of the Leus’ bringing back seeds to plant in their garden from their travels. The Leu House Museum is also included with your admission and is a restored 19th century house listed on the National Register of Historic Places. If you’re interested in Central Florida history, the very first owners of the house were the Mizells in the 1850s. Leu Gardens also has a gift shop, botanical library, and welcome center that houses permanent and rotating art exhibits.

One of the best things about Leu Gardens is the events they host. Each month they have a $5 Date Night where an movie is played outdoors on a giant screen in the gardens. You’re encouraged to bring a blanket or chairs and a picnic dinner. There are also seasonal events, such as a Valentine’s Stroll in February, Ghost Stories in October, and a Holiday House in December.

The History Center

Housed in Orange County’s first courthouse, the History Center tells the story of Central Florida’s history from the native people to the era of Disney and beyond. The museum even kept the courthouse’s original Courtroom B in place so visitors can see what the courtrooms looked like in the 1920s. There are always new traveling exhibits to see and events to attend. Upcoming exhibits include The Art of Warner Brothers Cartoons and Reel to Real: Gone with the Wind. The History Center hosts a bevy of free events for the community in addition to their event series’, which include the History Book Club, Lunch & Learn, and Retro Game Night. Admission is $12 and there are a variety of discounts offered. Since the museum is located in Downtown Orlando, you could pair the museum with a visit to the library, brunch/lunch/dinner at a nearby restaurant, or a movie at the Plaza Cinema Cafe.

Photos: Gatorland and Leu Gardens

Happy October! Autumn is in full swing and I'm excited that I've just launched a new brand — Studio 404. In celebration, this month's wallpaper is a little way to say hello to all of the current and future opportunities awaiting for us. Do you have any fun new opportunities waiting for you this month? Feel free to share in the comments below! We're so grateful that our directory is growing and we have so many bloggers represented around the state.