Hogger & Co. Style Profile: Dela Chic

I met Christine aka Dela Chic while she was visiting Boston from New Haven, Connecticut a couple of months ago. We had a lovely dinner together at the Paramount in Beacon Hill, and she says it was totally worth the parking ticket! :)

I met her around the time that I was thinking about launching my Style Profile photo project, however, this interview took place before the Style Profile for Nashua Soup Kitchen innitiative.

I still want to share Christine's Style Profile as she's one of the first people I'd interviewed for a Style Profile and she is one of those incredibly talented crafty people who has a successful Etsy shop so it's always nice to find out how she got there!

So, here it is.

{Photograph on the left by Christine's Hubby, Instagrams on the right from Christine and my outing}

 

Dela Chic is the name of my blog, which comes from my Etsy Account, which comes from a nickname (Dela) that friends from college used to call me. Dela is part of my last name which means "of the" or "from the" in Spanish. When I needed a name for my Etsy Account I wanted it to be something very close to "me" so I thought "Dela" with another word would be perfect. I thought about it for a long time and found that I liked Dela Chic the best.

 

 Even though I've had the account since 2010, my first blog post was on August 3, 2011. I did have a tiny blog a long time ago in college on Angelfire (yea we're going way back), but I can't even remember the name of it.

I've worked in the human service/non profit field for ten years and pretty much throughout college. It's a career that is not for everyone especially if you're looking to get rich. However, it is rewarding knowing when you've changed someone's life at some point.

I went to public schools in New Haven, CT from elementary to high school. I then attended Northeastern University for my bachelor's degree.

1. My loves - husband, puppy, family (I know you said things, but I can't leave them out)

2. Coffee - I will be an angry woman without it

3. My mom's cooking. I am my mother's daughter. Her food is like home to me and no matter what I make, I can't make it the way she does.

4. Car - I used to do public transportation.....but having a car just makes it easier to get from point A to B for me. I don't care if I pay for parking or even get a ticket. haha!

5. Phone - Funny how we have become so dependent on our "smart phones". My first phone was a Nokia 5110 with the retractable antennae and now with the Iphone I can pretty much do everything on it from ordering food, make reservations, blog, email, gps.

When I was little I wanted to be a doctor....even majored in Biology during the first year of college. However, some of us find out that what we think we will be when we were little doesn't really turn out exactly when we do grow up. My heart was not in it as much as I thought it would be. I didn't have the drive for it which showed in my grades. I didn't want to go look at cadavers in my Anatomy class.

 

(Instagram of the wonderful gift Dela Chic gave me)

I learned how to knit from my aunt when I was in fourth grade (9 years old). She wanted me to learn a hobby and to keep my fingers busy instead of watching tv. Of course she gave me the smallest knitting needles to work on a scarf that I never finished. When I was in college, I had a roommate who would often crochet while we watched TV. Then, one of our friends brought a blanket that she was working on for her god daughter. I felt the need to learn this craft because I kind of felt left out. haha so my roommate and my friend both taught me how to crochet. After a few years I got tired of doing the same basic stitches so picked up a few books and read tutorials online and practiced! Now, I can pretty much crochet in my sleep!

I am such a New England girl. It's tough for me to say that I'd retire anywhere else because I love the changes of the season, including winter. I guess I would pick Cape Cod, somewhere serene by the ocean. I love quaint little towns there with little antique and fishing shops.

My ideal Sunday is going to the gym early, road tripping somewhere in Connecticut maybe a vintage or thrift shop, then having Sunday dinner with my family.

"Personal style philosophy...hmm. I've never been asked that before!! I used to wear a lot of black, brown, and gray. I thought that I wore a lot of dark clothes for it's slimming effect. But in reality most of my clothes looked the same and I looked like I was in mourning all the time. I finally got out of that rut and started experimenting with color. Amazing how color can change someone's wardrobe completely...and even mood. I like classic staples with hints of vintage pieces. I am currently in love with stripes and lace at the moment."