Hi, I’m Samantha.

I’m a mama to one sweet boy, Jack,  a precious baby girl, Lucy, living with my love in Iowa.

After attending The University of Iowa, I moved back home to Des Moines with my husband. I’ve spent ten years working in the corporate world and freelancing as a stylist and writer for both local and national brands, I continue to work a full time job in project management while raising a family in Des Moines, in addition to starting my own Etsy shop, Finley James in  2021 where I create and sell handmade goods for mamas and babies.

For the past ten years, I’ve been writing The Brunette One. What started as a creative outlet at twenty two, has grown and evolved in ways I’ve never imagined. While fashion is still a subject I love, my life shifted and my purpose became much clearer. I love being able to be a support and empower others in similar life stages as we figure how to navigate this next chapter of our lives (motherhood, working full-time, dressing & decorating on a budget, you know, all the things)!

The Brunette One is a collection of splendid things. It’s a of collection of thoughts on motherhood, home, life, and style.

So you have brown hair, what gives?

A close friend of mine growing up also happened to share the name, Samantha; however, she was platinum blonde and I, of course, was the brunette. When friends would call out our shared name and to which we would both reply, friends would often specify by stating, “No, I meant the The Brunette One, ” or “No, The Blonde One.” I’ve since been down many different hair color paths, but will always go back to my roots as The Brunette One.