Mary Gaskins

It’s the glow up for me! 🙌🏾 (Swipe to see the before) If y’all watch my stories then you’ve been following this kitchen Reno 🥴 (again pray for your friends dealing with a Reno ... the processes is tough😅) Anyway after cleaning I added everything back in the space along with decorative accents. All of this was picked by my sister so I just staged things for her. She drew inspo from one our favorite hotels @quirkhotelrva and wanted touches of rose gold and pink. I have a few more projects in her home were working on but putting everything in this kitchen took the wind outta me 😅 so we will be on a little home project break but we will be back ( I take breaks to not only enjoy the space but to avoid creative burnout) ... next project is the living room, stay tuned 😉 #kitchenrenovations #dcrowhomes #diyhomedecor #kitchenhomedecor #cratehomesweeps

Whew this #gifted dinner from @thepointdc was such a treat. The weather was perfect an evening out. @thepointdc just opened in DC's newest waterfront neighborhood, Buzzard Point. The new restaurant is one of Fish & Fire Food Group’s seafood-centric restaurants. Be sure to stop by when you’re in town and try out Executive Chef Benjamin Lambert's seafood platter and the delicious crab doughnuts, listen I didn’t know what to expect from these crab doughnuts but man they were good. I also really enjoyed the crab cakes and as a girl that grew up on bay crabs these crab cakes were the real deal. This place is definitely worth a visit if your local or planning on visiting the city ☺️ - - #thepointdc #fishandfirefoodgroup #dcfood #dcrestaurants #dcrestaurant #thewharf #dcinfluencers #blackgirlbloggers

You know what no one told me... adulting has a dark side. I’ve had to force myself to do things that I know are good for me multiple times this week, even though doing them was uncomfortable. It’s #mentalhealthawareness month and one thing I’ve recently learned is that my brain falls into thinking traps. What are those? Well essentially my brain gets a thought then plays out every possible awful scenario and tries to prepare to avoid said outcomes... which you guessed it isn’t actually a healthy practice, oh and it leads to anxiety about things that haven’t even happened yet 🥴 Throwing up a quick post about mental health is easy, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again doing the work is UNCOMFORTABLE 😣 Have I gotten the mastery over thought traps yet ? Nope. Am I working on it? Yup. Basically we’re in this together bestie and the trick is we gotta take it one day at a time ❤️ #mentalhealthawarenessmonth #thinkingtraps #therapyforblackgirls

Hey 👋🏾 I don’t really have anything important to say 😅 I just realized it’s been a while since I’ve dropped a selfie on my feed. Also Flat Twistouts have slowly become my favorite style☺️

The Final Reveal is here! This 6X9 rug from ruggable really has been the anchor for this room makeover #ruggablepartner After changing up the wall color and a few other decor pieces in this space my sister decided to go with a darker rug option. Thankfully ruggable offers amazing interchangeable styles. So switching out this rug cover was easy. The interchangeable rug covers make ruggable so versatile! This is yet another bonus to these rugs. If versatility isn’t enough all the other perks make these rugs a great investment. They are also pet friendly, washable and stain resistant. This beautiful print makes a statement and will set the tone for the rest of the rooms in her home (swipe to see the before) let me know how you guys like this finished look! Use code FUNMARYG10 to save on your next purchase. #homedecor #homesweethome #homestyle #homegoals #homedetails #homeinterior #homeideas #rugs #rugsofinstagram #rugstyle #rug #ruggable #thisishome #interiorlovers #cornerofmyhome #washablerugs

What a difference a rug makes ! #ruggablepartner This new rug from @ruggable is stunning 🙌🏾 You guys have been loving this living room makeover, and so have I. (Swipe to see the before 😳 ) As you guys know my sister’s living room needed some updates so it could better work for her, and her family, and better reflect her clean modern sense of style. That’s meant making several changes to the space including this rug that wasn’t her style. Ruggable is perfect for her family since their styles are non-slip, spill and stain resistant, washable, and pet friendly. This modern style from ruggable has really brought this space together and we’re NOT even finished the new design! We went with this beautiful 6X9 style for the space in a gorgeous neutral shade. Despite going lighter in color she won’t have to stress since this rug is washable! Can’t wait to reveal the next step of this makeover ☺️ Until then be sure to check out @ruggable and use my code ( FUNMARYG10 ) to save money on your next purchase. #homedecor #homesweethome #homestyle #homegoals #homedetails #homeinterior #homeideas #rugs #rugsofinstagram #rugstyle #rug #ruggable #thisishome #interiorlovers #cornerofmyhome #washablerugs

Here’s what I used thus far to decorate: •Candles •Books •Photos •Vases • Bookends Thanks for the love thus far on this project. Watch part 1 here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CNan5f5Ds_m/?igshid=15b45hzuge5lh #dchomes #livingroomdecor #diyhomedecor

Being active on my Peloton has definitely become apart of my daily routine ( it’s such an outlet for relieving stress) Here’s how I keep up with my hair while being active. Edge styler: @keracareofficial wax stick Tip: I use this same method when rocking my Fro and works well for my curly styles too #blackgirlfitness #silkpress #silkpressmaintenance

Imposter syndrome is a liar. Say it with me ... imposter syndrome is a liar. As I finished chapter 5 of @luvvie ‘s book, Professional Trouble Maker, and gather what’s left of my edges 🥲 .... I realize I still have to work on NOT listening to that doubtful voice that wants to convince all of us: - We don’t deserve to go out for that better job opportunity - Our work isn’t good enough (especially in creative fields) 😫 - We’re too different to be valuable - We aren’t worthy of nice things - We aren’t deserving of loving relationships - We should default to saying NO instead of letting ourselves say YES Listen I’m giving y’all the cliff notes because sis went in attacking the fact that all of us can be our worst enemy sometimes by listening to this lying voice, so here’s your reminder to stop listening! It may be that we are never able to get rid of that voice completely but we can work to turn the volume down. #mentalhealthmatters #impostersymdrome

Room refresh for the first day of spring. I love rotating my room like I rotate my closet. Here’s how I did this EASY ROOM REFRESH: - I swapped out pillow covers (super affordable and easy to do) and switched my @ruggable rug cover. - I also moved my room divider closer to my bed and made my night stand a new side table. I love how it turned out, I’ll also refresh my bed linens for a lightweight set as the weather gets warmer and that’s it. Oh and I stored my darker winter accents away until the next time I’m ready to use them. Are y’all digging the new look? (All brands are tagged ) Also y’all see how big Mo (the monstera is getting 😳 even on the floor she’s gotten so tall)

This past weekend my sister and myself (my sister mainly) experienced discrimination. I’m not going to lie although I know this sort of thing still happens, it was jarring seeing it up close and feeling it. The crazy part is that as a black person even when your in the right you feel that burden of how things will look and be perceived and somehow feel like it could possibly be your fault. Now I ain’t gonna lie I’m a bit scrappy (God ain’t done with me yet🥲) so I was ready to fight... but I could see my sister was genuinely upset (reasonably so) and it wasn’t worth it, leaving was the better option. I remembered @mikaela.pabon sharing a similar experience on her stories and I thought I can at least share what happened, and I expected to get a few DMs but the response was overwhelming in a good way! You guys showed up and rallied to make sure this wouldn’t happen again. While stories like this don’t always end in an apology and resolution I’m glad to see this kind of discriminatory behavior isn’t just accepted in the way it has been in the past. We give social media a lot of flack ( which is sometimes deserved) but it really can be a force for good ❤️

I saw these photos and man there’s a difference... While yes my hair grew in the 2 years between the photos it also got SO much healthier 🙌🏾 Here are 3 Tips for improving the health of your hair: - Let your ends go Regular trims completely changed the health of my hair. I got a lot of mixed info on how regular my trims should be once I stopped using relaxers, but I ultimately found a schedule of every 6-8 weeks works best for my hair. That’s about double the amount of trims I was getting. - Cleanse hair and scalp I wasn’t cleaning my hair as properly as I should have been for what my scalp needs. I aim to cleanse my hair and make sure I focus on my scalp when doing so. I also find my hair needs to be washed more frequently than what’s typically advised, by other naturals. I find washing my hair weekly works best ( unless I’m protective styling or rocking a silk press) -Rotate hair treatments I find rotating my hair treatments works best for me. I like mixing it up between treatments that focus on moisture and protein. This works best for my hair and helps my hair with maintaining balance. Dats it ☺️ hope at least one of these tips is helpful ❤️ #naturalhairtips #dchairblogger

And just like that the warm weather is over and there’s even a possibility for snow tomorrow 😅 hey east coast folks know the drill don’t put the winter clothes away yet. Until it’s spring forreal I’ll be rocking this cute coat from @loft and bright accessories to bring spring vibes to my wardrobe at least. Who else is counting down the days until warm weather is here ? 😅 - - #Instablogger #dcbloggerstyle #blackstyleblogger #blackbloggersunite #blackbloggersmatter #dmvbloggers #curlyhairinspiration #blackhairideas #blackhaircommunity #blackhairblogger #Naturalcurlyhairstyles #naturalcurlspoppin #dclifestyleblogger

That’s all.

Is that you Spring? Or is that just winter playing games 👀👀 if your from D.C or live on the east coast then you know the struggle 😅 Did you get a chance to enjoy the weather where you live?