9 years ago today on October 25, 2014, I published my first ever blog post & established the creation of BITD.

Image by Arielle Lewis Studios created utilizing AI

Dress: Poppy Angeloff

Pin necklace: Traveling like a Broad Vintage

Every year I like to celebrate this anniversary milestone, as creating this space is something that has changed my life in wonderful ways. It’s no surprise I love cats, so when I was thinking up a concept, the idea of cats 9 lives stuck.

Like a cat, in these 9 years I’ve had to be dexterous and agile - evolving with the constant change in environments of this social media landscape. The last 9 years have been wild. Things are so different now than when I first started - some for good, some not so good - but I am immensely grateful to still be here, doing what I love to do. 

While recently I don’t quite feel like I’ve mastered the most recent shifts in social media landscape (just being honest), and I’ve internally struggled a lot this past year on ‘staying relevant’ and not getting in my own head, one thing that keeps bringing me back is my why. WHY I started BITD in the first place.

I started BITD as a place to connect with others to show that style can be used as a tool to make you feel confident and wonderful, to show that beauty and style is not limited to a certain size, and ultimately, that we should love and celebrate ourselves as we are today. Life is too short not to. As I’ve evolved, I’ve added in cats & fun & vintage topics to the mix, because they feel most authentic to me and fit within my why. For those who have resonated with this message, I am forever grateful for the support and love.

Legend has it that when a witch transforms lives between cat and witch (not saying I’m a witch or anything, lol), on the 9th time they will remain as a cat. This 9th year, I will remain focused on keeping my why prevalent - even through this ever shifting environment - to provide a bright, playful, and inclusive space for all.

So much love & cats,

XOXO

Dani