Announcing the Winners of Our 2014 WOW Resolutions Giveaway!

We're very excited to announce one Grand Prize winner and five First Prize winners of our W.O.W (Words of Wisdom) Watch Collection Giveaway! Thanks to all entrants for showing your support and entering in our very first watch contest! The deadline has finally arrived and the winners have been selected with a random number generator. The Grand Prize winner takes home the entire W.O.W Collection of 5 watches (Joy, Love, Faith, Dream, and Hope), while the five First Prize winners take home one W.O.W watch of their choice! Drum rolls please...

Grand Prize Winner:
Ana Medrano  

5 First Prize Winners:

Cora Lukehart

Dionna Goltz Sanchez

Katie Harrison

Brandon Owens

Erika Avalos

Thank you again and keep an eye out for future contests and giveaways! Ya never know when we'll be inspired to bless our fans with free products!!

Catching Up With Blogger Signe of The Daily Savant

We came upon this lovely lady's blog last year and was immediately smitten. Signe of The Daily Savant blog fame is a self described "world traveler, stylist/blogger, climber of castles, and Oreo enthusiast" and that's when we knew we had to work with her. We love her for her sense of adventure (not to mention sense of humor!), funtastic style, and her joie de vivre which she communicates through her sense of style and honest writing. We sat down with Signe to ask her some hard hitting questions (spoiler alert: throwing darts is a great way to plan your next getaway!) that we were dying to know and knew our fans would love to hear too, so pull up a seat and join us as we get to know Signe a little better.

Winky Designs: Describe your personal style.
Signe: My personal style is always changing. In the last decade, I've  gone through grunge/skater, vintage, nothing-but-Juicy-tracksuits, and a little something I liked to call “city chic” when I lived in Manhattan. I am currently feeling a sort of conservative hippie/bohemian vibe that I’d love to take and run with, but my day job as a dancer/instructor requires me to live in leggings and things I can move in, so I've had to curb my style a bit.

W.D.: You've worn our Milk White Slap Watch quite a few times on your blog (THANKS!); which was your fav look?
Signe: Oh gosh… I live in this watch!  My students are all super young and have never seen a slap bracelet, so they love watching me slap it and all want to give it a go! I have two favorite looks with this watch. The first was a hippie look from January and the second was a super comfy, bohemian-feeling outfit that I was able to wear to dance in a few weeks ago….

W.D.: Has your wanderlust affected your style any?
Signe: My wanderlust has absolutely affected my style. I love to travel and I love to observe people, and I especially love to observe the people that live in the places to which I travel. I take lots of style cues from my travels, though they don’t always translate the way I’d like them to in my tiny village or on the air base.

W.D.: What was your favorite trip in all your travels and why? Any great tips to share with us and our readers?
Signe: I think my favorite trip was actually before I officially moved to Germany. I visited Soldier Boy (my significant other) right before he deployed last holiday season and we traveled all over the place. We spent New Year’s Eve in Prague and I cannot think of a better place to have rung in the new year. There were fireworks everywhere and the architecture was stunning! We've really been slacking on traveling lately since we've both been uber busy working, but are going to start literally throwing a dart at the map and going wherever it lands whenever we get a long weekend! Our last dart landed on Greece, so we’re busy planning our getaway!

W.D.: You’re pretty open with your readers, do you ever feel any hesitation about what you share/how much to share?
Signe: I definitely do feel some hesitation to share things with readers, but at the same time, blogging can be incredibly therapeutic and is the only way I can get feelings out. Since I moved to Germany in July, I got caught up in the rush to find a job, to get my visa and avoid deportation, and then I started working full-time, so I haven’t had a ton of opportunity to meet new people and with the time difference between here and sweet home Chicago, it’s been difficult to stay in touch with my friends at home. I've had a hard time with depression for the better part of my life, and only really started dealing with it head-on a couple of years ago. I've had a tough time connecting with people here and know that mental illness is something of a stigma to the military community, so I tend to stay quiet about it with people here and save my brain explosions, ups and downs with cyberspace. I try to preface posts that are going to be brutally honest about anything iffy, but I've yet to really have a super negative reaction to any of them.
W.D.: Thank you Signe for being so candid with us! We applaud your bravery in dealing with depression and we urge anyone also going through tough times in their lives to talk to someone about it. Psych Central is a great place online to find support groups with others dealing with mental health issues.

W.D.: What personal goals and aspirations do you have for 2014?
Signe: In 2014, I want to learn more about myself and about the world. I've found that I go in and out of these phases where I feel totally connected with myself and then end up feeling like a stranger in my skin. I’d really hoped that by now, I’d know myself pretty darn well, but I’m a mystery even to myself! I've also noticed that my travels have done quite a bit to shape me on a core level, so I'd like to continue traveling so that I can continue to grow as a person with something resembling global awareness!

Thank you again Signe for taking time out of your very busy schedule to sit down with us. We're excited to see what the future has in store for you and wish you the best with your travels and life with Soldier Boy! We'll be waiting in anticipation for your next lovely post on The Daily Savant!

Make sure to stay in touch with Signe:
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Bloglovin 

Top 5 Reasons Why You Still Need a Watch in Your Life

1. Your watch can be as unique as you are!

Are you a trendsetting fashionista? Vintage vixen? Goth girl obsessed with Hello Kitty? Whatever your style, I guarantee you there’s a watch out there to fit your style. It’s no surprise self-expression is commonly reflected in how we dress ourselves so why not include it in the accessories we wear? That’s why we at Winky Designs got in the watch designing biz; we wanted quality watches that expressed our unique style without breaking our piggy bank.

2. While it might be rude to break out your phone in a meeting or during a date, an indiscreet turn of your wrist never hurt nobody!

 

“Hey hey, put your phone away!” Don’t be impolite and check your phone when the situation dictates you pay attention. Yes, even when you’re counting the minutes until you can get the heck outta there. A watch allows you to follow the rules of politeness and still be aware of the seconds ticking by (sometimes super slowly if you happen to be in a boring class or meeting…ugh)

3. Sometimes you just need a break from your cellphone…

 

Facebook updates, calls from your parents asking where you are, work emails- can’t a girl get a little peace and quiet around here?! Sometimes we just need to unplug from the world for a moment and break up with our phones for a few hours. Go for a peaceful hike or read a great book in the small café around the corner, but know what time you need to get plugged back in with a wristwatch. Cause ya know, ignoring all those work updates for too long might get you fired!

 

4. Because you grew up wearing one so why stop now?

It’s a nostalgia thing. As kids we grew up wearing cute Pokemon or My Little Pony watches (some still might..I don’t judge) and it kinda became a part of us. Sometimes I talk to friends about why they still wear watches (yes, I’m a nerd) and they’d simply respond that they would feel incomplete without one. Plus, what if the hot guy passing you by on the street wants to hit on you by asking the time and you just oh so happened to forget your phone at home or your phone died, then what do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?! …a watch would definitely help.

 

5. You can’t go swimming or take a shower with your phone now can you?

…but you can with our fun and unique slap watches! Our Winky slap watches are water resistant up to about 98 feet so that means you can go frolic on the beach and swim with the dolphins. Afterwards, go rinse off the sand from your body all while never taking off your cute watch! Too cool, right? I suggest you be prepared to get a lot of eyes on you because people are gonna want to know where you got your watch from (and also because you’re so hot in your cute new bikini).

 

Catching Up With Local Style Blogger Camila Deribeprey

Photo C/O http://www.camilascloset.com/

Last week we had the pleasure of meeting local Vegas blogger Camilla Deribeprey. Her popular blog, Camila’s Closet, caught our eye as a fun and fashionable take on her own personal style. We love her eclectic styling ranging from feminine and flirty to casual chic (but always paired with super stylish heels). We caught up with the petite fashionista and self-described MMA fan at the Downtown Container Park grand opening to ask a few questions:

Winky Design: What made you want to start your own blog?
Camilla Deribeprey: I was enrolled in school, I just moved to Vegas and didn’t have any family or friends here and was just focusing on school. I thought I would do something creative and out of my routine so I started a blog! I’ve always been expressive, since I was little, through fashion and have been encouraged by my mother and the women in my family.

W.D.: That’s awesome! Where did you move from?
C.D: New Jersey

W.D: Wow, such a long way from home! How long have you been here?
C.D: About 3 years

W.D.: What do you think of Vegas and how much it has grown in 3 years?
C.D.: The city has changed a lot! When I first came here I felt like it was a big suburban area rather than a city since I spent a lot of time in New York and I’ve seen little by little, by getting out into different neighborhoods, its identity, it is becoming more of a city. And I like that!

W.D.: Yeah especially here in Downtown, it has changed a lot and becoming closer as a community. Have you heard a lot about the fashion start-ups that are here like the Stitch Factory and of course Zappos moving down here?
C.D.: Yeah, Zappos was a big thing for me. When I heard about that I thought it was really cool and it spoke to the fashion scene growing here. I think it’s awesome.

W.D.: I know! Hopefully in a few more short years Vegas can cement its own identity for fashion..
C.D: Yeah, be like a fashion destination!

W.D.: Absolutely! And speaking about fashion, how would you describe your own personal style?
C.D.: I’m gonna say I’m very girly and I like more classic timeless pieces although sometimes I go for a more edgy look. In 20 years I’m going to look back and be like “What was I thinking?!” But in the end, it’s all about having fun and expressing yourself. I heard this quote by Rachel Zoe: “Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak”. I like that and try to express myself through my style in the moment I’m feeling it.

W.D.: That’s what definitely drew us to your blog. Your style is so cute and feminine. It’s spot on for what we stand for: finding the joy in the simple things in life!
C.D: Haha thank you!

W.D.: How important is interaction through social media in what you do?
C.D.: Social media is essential, my blog is just another form of social media, a more personal and expressive one. Without other networking platforms no one would know of my blog’s existence and I’d essentially be talking to myself.

W.D.: Ok one last question, I saw on your blog that you would one day like to travel and explore different cultures. The owner and designer of Winky Designs has done her own share of travelling the world and gets a lot of her inspirations from that. What would you say is your dream destination is?
C.D.: India! The scenery, the food, the people would be totally out of my norm and comfort zone but I think I would love it. I think I would be turning my head back in forth saying “What is this?! I want to know! I want to taste it, I want to smell it! So I think a trip to India would be a dream to me!"

Our hats go off to this lovely fashionista blogger for being so open and warm and visiting us at our new store! Make sure to visit her blog Camila’s Closet and like her on Facebook and Instagram!