Guest Post: Ashley from Diary of a Reporter

A new week is here and I sure am happy for that! I made it safely to Virginia just hours before the rain from Hurricane Irene started coming down! It is so great to be back in my familiar hometown among many of my loved ones and years of precious memories. I have tons of pictures and stories to tell from my cross-country trip so be sure to check for those this week!

However, today I'll be spending a good portion of my time unpacking and settling in. Fun, fun! While I'm away doing those things, sweet Ashley from Diary of a Reporter will be taking over my blog for the day. As soon as I found Ashley's blog, I couldn't stop reading it. Plus, I just loved the conversations that we started having. Ashley is such a genuine and down-to-earth person with the warmest heart. She makes me laugh through her adorable vlogs, and sometimes tear up through her inspiring posts about life. She's a beautiful woman on the inside and out with many wonderful things to share and I'm so happy to have her here today with such a fun post for all of you!

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Hey girls! I'm Ashley from Diary of a Reporter and I'm so excited to be guest posting for Chelsea today!

Something that is making me pretty happy right now: braids are everywhere. Are you all as obsessed as I am?

Source: summertimeandamericanhoney.tumblr.com via Dana on Pinterest

Source: imgfave.com via *consonant on Pinterest

Source: lovelydisco.wordpress.com via Avalon on Pinterest

I thought so. Gorgeous, right?

Since my braiding skills are novice at best, I have rounded up my favorite braid tutorials from around the web. And now I'm sharing them with you :)

{One} Waterfall braid.

{Two) Super easy side fish tail up do.

{Three} French braid up do. And another, here.

{Four} Pretty cool rope braid.

{Five} French braid head band.

Braiding tips:

- practice while sitting on a low back chair/sofa as you can then rest your elbows on the back; easier to braid.

- keep your hands against your scalp as you braid which gives a tighter braid

- a little product, such as a hair spray or light volumizing spray, gives the hair 'grip' so it won't slide around while you braid

tips via.

Thanks, Chelsea, for letting me take over your blog for a day! Hope you girls found this helpful. Have a great day!

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Okay, these braids are all too cool. Who's coming over to do my hair for me? Once my hair is longer, you know I will be trying that rope braid!! Which one is your favorite?

Speaking of hair, Ashley just recently got the cutest haircut {she did it all by herself - yup, told you she's amazing} and it looks fabulous on her! Hop on over to her blog to see for yourself, and while you're there, say hi and check out her art, stories about life, and fun vlogs! I'm sure you'll love her right away too :) Thanks so much, Ashley for the adorable hair ideas!! I think many of us will be brushing up on our braiding skills now ;)