Minneapolis love

Happy Thursday everyone! We are so. close. to the weekend. I'm pretty excited about it.

I just wanted to take a moment to solicit a feature over at The Everygirl today. I know, you're shocked and surprised that I would tell you to go read TEG because I have never ever done something like that. I am just extra excited about today's feature because a) I did the graphics and b) the woman being featured is a designer who is based in Minneapolis! Megan Gonzalez of MaeMae Paperie. The first Minneapolis Everygirl. It's exciting (at least for me!). Here's a little sneak peak of the feature, with insanely beautiful photography by Wing Ta from Canary Grey Photography, also in Minneapolis. So much hometown love today. To check out the entire feature go here.

Seriously, how pretty is this? Eye candy galore. Have a happy Thursday everyone!

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Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

Here's a bit of Wednesday wisdom for everyone. It's a phrase that Steve Jobs quoted in a Stanford commencement speech back in 2005. Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish. Always be hungry for knowledge and always be foolish enough to follow the impossible dreams. Or at least that's what it means to me.

This is how Steve closed that speech:

"When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

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Ten Little Things

Oh hey! Remember when I used to put up Ten Little Things posts? Like all the time? Well it's been awhile, and I'm sorry for that (assuming you like them, that is). The entire point of these posts was to find joy and inspiration in the mundane and in the constant rush that is everyday life. And I need to get back to doing that. So here goes. The first TLT post of the new year.

1. Sending someone else a gift in the mail. And just gift giving in general. There's something about it that makes you so happy.

2. Finding money on the sidewalk. I found $5 right outside my apartment the other day. It was awesome.

3. Turning on the radio at the exact moment that your favorite song comes on. It's basically fate. Especially if you're a girl like me who doesn't listen to the radio very often.

4. When the delivery person brings a package all the way up to your apartment and sets it outside your door. It's like, wow, you're a real class act. That was really nice of you to walk up two flights of stairs and down the hall. Thanks!

5. Interacting on twitter with someone you admire. Last week Mr. Andrew Jenks (my roommates from junior year of college probably remember my extreme joy every night that World of Jenks was on MTV) replied to one of my tweets and I was all over the place happy about it.

6. Finishing a to do list. So productive. So satisfying. So happy.

7. Stepping on crunchy snow / ice. This might just be me, but it's my winter equivalent of walking through big piles of leaves in the fall.

8. The Carrie Diaries. Has anyone else seen the series yet? What do you think? I personally love learning about Ms. Bradshaw in her formative years.

9. The moment one of the features I designed goes live on TEG. Like today! It's a home tour. And it's gorgeous. 

10. Good design & good photography. There's just no substitute. I've been working on Thursday's feature for my internship and the work is just insanely beautiful. You're going to love it. Plus, the woman being featured lives in my very own Minneapolis! How could it possibly be better?

You can check out other ten little things posts here, here, here, here (Chicago style), here, here (fall style), here, here, over here, here (Hallowen style), here, here (Holiday style), here, and here! Phew. That's a lot. Remind me not to tag this entire series next time.

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

It's definitely monday...

I write all of my blog posts the night before they go up. Some nights work better than others for getting interesting material and lovely little graphics put together. Last night was not one of them. I was working on tomorrow's feature for The Everygirl and continually got distracted. It was seriously like I was back in college procrastinating on a paper. So many interesting things on twitter! So many amusing videos on YouTube! So many other blogs to read! Somewhere in between my third SNL Digital Short and searching YouTube for the airplane scene from Bridesmaids, I realized I should probably get back to work. The internet can be an overwhelming place! So basically I'm saying a big giant sorry for not having the usual weekend snapshots post ready to go. This weekend was a busy one for me with not much alone time, so I guess Sunday night was when I decided to catch up on that downtime. Sorry about that. 

Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Despite the busy nature of mine, it was pretty lovely overall. I got to spend lots of time with friends and I also drank the ginormous latte pictured above. Oh how I wish I had one now. Mondays. 

P.S. Tell me, did anyone else watch Downton Abbey last night? Did anyone else just stare at the tv, mouth wide open, in shock, and then immediately start crying? That was one sad episode. 

Ms. Jenna Lyons

J. Crew. Also known as my favorite store ever / my mecca / a place that is just full of inspiration. I love it there. Have you heard me mention it in my posts ever? Oh that's right, I mention it almost every day. Sorry about that.

The other day I was browsing my pinterest feed per usual when I came across a photo with the caption Jenna Lyons' office. I repinned immediately, obviously. Then I searched Jenna Lyons' office in my other mecca (google). Oh my goodness. I can't even. It's beautiful and there is inspiration everywhere. The walls are covered with photos and quotes and clothing racks crowd the open spaces. Slightly cluttered, but just perfectly Jenna. This is where the President and Creative Director of J. Crew creates and envisions the ideas that are going to inspire me when I walk through those store doors. Awesome. Here's a glimpse into that world.

this is where she works.

with these people.

constantly surrounded by inspiration.

you and me both, jenna.

racks upon racks of j. crew loveliness.

Now don't mind me, I'm just going to go spend a chunk of my weekend finding inspiring images for my own inspiration board (I probably won't take up an entire wall like Jenna did...but I totally want to). I also have plans with friends tonight and tomorrow night and a few features to finish for TEG. It's going to be busy and productive and fun. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! What are your plans?

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Why I Blog

 Can I let you guys in on a little secret? Okay awesome. When I first started this little blog nine months ago (I cannot believe it's been that long) I didn't tell a single person about it. Not a soul. In fact, I don't even think anyone read it really for a few months. And guess what else? I still haven't really told anyone about my blog. Ridiculous, I know. But a few months ago I posted links on twitter, instagram and pinterest and slowly but surely people have made the discovery of this little part of my life. I guess I was a little self conscious. Would my friends and family like it? Would they get it? Would they think it was stupid?

Recently some of my very best friends in the world (and my mom, of course) discovered this little part of the internet. And guess what? They do like it. And I think that's just awesome.

I started this blog for a few different reasons, but mainly because I wanted a creative outlet and I wanted to have something to keep me busy. At the time I had just graduated from college, was in the middle of job searching and had oh so much free time. Now I blog for so many different reasons. Just to clear up why exactly I blog, let me share a few quick reasons with you here.

1. Creative outlet. My day job has nothing to do with my major in school (architecture) and it just doesn't fulfill me creatively. That's where this little blog (and of course my internship) come in. They fulfill that creative aspect of my life that I just need to have.

2. It keeps me learning. Constantly. Not only am I learning about myself and my interests through what I write, but I'm also learning about fellow bloggers that I keep up with every day. I also am constantly learning more about the Adobe Suite. Even though most of the graphics I make for the blog are relatively simple, it's still so important that I stay up to date with InDesign and Photoshop. That way when I do get a design related job someday, I'll be good to go.

3. Blogging serves as a resume in a way. It shows employers (at least ones that care about design and may have a blog on their website) that I can create graphics and cohesively discuss various topics. It also goes to show that I can follow through with my commitments. I put up five posts a week and that definitely takes a bit of time and forethought.

4. And then there are the fellow bloggers and the inspiration they provide. There are legitimately bloggers that have become my friends. Well okay, my internet friends. It sounds weird, I know. We e-mail sometimes, comment on each others posts and instagrams and are just always supporting each other but we've never met. These bloggers keep me constantly inspired and entertained and I'm always thankful for that. In all honesty, I'm not quite sure where I looked for most of my inspiration before blogging.

5. Because I love love love it. You guys, blogging is fun. And it's fascinating and it keeps me constantly learning and on my toes.

Okay that's all. I'm done explaining myself, promise. Just wanted to clear that up.

I'm off to find a Jackie O. inspired outfit for the day. Yesterday one of my coworkers said, and I quote, "I like your style...You know who it reminds me of? Jackie O." And with that, she became my favorite coworker ever. Such a great compliment. I'll see what I can pull together. Happy Thursday everyone!

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Inaugural Style

How incredibly refreshing is it to have a First Lady with such an amazing sense of style? Pretty darn refreshing, I would say. Michelle Obama has showcased her incredible fashion sense since her husband took office four years ago. And one of the most fantastic things of all? She shops at J. Crew. I love that she shops at some of the same stores as me. It makes her seem so relatable.

I was really impressed with the outfits she was wearing on Monday at all of the inauguration festivities. Especially these two.

On the left: Staying warm & looking fabulous while doing so. Love how she cinched her coat with that J. Crew belt! On the right: Jason Wu's second inaugural ball dress for Michelle.

Can we also discuss how personable Michelle seems? I can't quite pinpoint exactly what it is, but there's just something about her that makes you want to be her best friend. And her shopping partner, too.

What did you think of the First Lady's inauguration choices?

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Weekend Snapshots

Three day weekends are just the best. Ever. I feel so well rested and ready to take on the short week. These past few days included a bit of shopping, some work, lots of sleeping and some time with friends and family. Pretty standard but just exactly what I needed. I also came across this version of Skinny Love and then proceeded to listen to it approximately 10 times. It's so good.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend as well!

Weekend: day three

I'm going to pretend my day looks like this photo. I'll also pretend that the high today isn't a negative number. Oh winter. But on the bright side, today is still my weekend. And that's wonderful. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day to all of you! I'll be spending it inside, hibernating. Prepare yourselves for regularly scheduled blogging tomorrow.

See you bright & early tomorrow morning!

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Happy friday!

       

Count em up. One two three. One New Girl character for every day of this weekend. That’s right, it is a THREE day weekend for me and I am so excited. On the agenda is sleep, friends, working on a few Everygirl features and working on a few things for the blog as well. I also really hope to go shoe shopping and possibly get a few new clothes for work. I haven’t been shopping in a while and therefore I am just going to justify it. Exciting stuff all around.  Oh! And I am also going to catch up on New Girl. I love that show. Could you tell?

Happy happy weekend from me to you! What are your plans? 

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The eternal debate

Comfort v. style. It's the eternal debate. Or at least between my mom and me. Are four or five inch heels comfortable? Not really. They can be bearable and they make any outfit look 10x more amazing, but they're just not profoundly comfortable. It's always a toss up, and as far back as I can remember I've always gone with style over comfort. Especially when it comes to footwear. But recently my feet just haven't really been able to do it anymore and I'm thinking I'm going to try really hard to wear comfortable shoes more often, especially when I'm at work all. day. long. One particular version I'm thinking of buying are the Eddie Ballet Flats (or the Reva, or the Carrie) from Miss Tory Burch. These guys.

Not super cheap (although the Eddies are on sale!), but I've heard amazing things about them. My poor feet have gone through far too many hours in heels and I want to give them a break by wearing some comfortable, quality shoes every once in awhile. Can anyone else vouch for their amazingness? Or do you have any go to brands where you find pretty shoes that are actually comfortable to wear all day? Let me know!

Wise words

I thought I would throw out a little midweek wisdom for your Wednesday. This is one of my favorite quotes ever. It comes from an amazing commencement speech given by Steve Jobs at Stanford in 2005.  I happened to watch it for the third or fourth time last night (I love inspiring speeches) and thought I would share it with you here.

I guess when you (like me) are in the stage of your life where you're just trying to figure everything out - your passions, what you want to do for a living, where you want to live, your goals, who your friends are, etc, etc - it's helpful to have some guidance along the way. Or at least a really wonderful quote from an extremely inspiring man. I'm also thinking of doing something with this quote, even though it's really quite long. Maybe printing a version of it, framing it and putting it somewhere in my apartment. Perhaps in my living room or maybe above my bed. I'll let you know. Just because it's good to always have a bit of inspiration in your everyday life.

So what about you? What's your favorite quote? What words inspire you?

Is it spring yet?

I think I'm ready for spring...which is awesome, since it's barely halfway through winter. Hmph. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's the fact that the last few days have been freezing cold. Or maybe it's that from Monday through Friday I work straight through all daylight hours and am having serious withdrawals from the sun. Either way, it's cold and it's dark and I'm just looking forward to the end of winter. Here are a few things I'm doing to combat the winter blues.

1. Bright clothes and nails (see above). Some people seem to think it's taboo to wear brights in the winter, but I disagree. I have definitely started incorporating brighter clothing into my wardrobe.

2. Take advantage of the sunshine on the weekends. I've been trying to get outside (despite the cold) on Saturdays and Sundays when I have the opportunity.

3. Do things that make you happy. And watch things that make you laugh. Like this. Guys, I can't get enough of these two.

What do you do to get you through the winter months?

Oh hey, P.S., want to check out a feature I designed over at The Everygirl? You should. It's a home tour. And it's pretty. Like seriously pretty.

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The Globes

{taylor swift}

It's unbelievable how quickly I get sucked into anything entertainment / celebrity related. So, of course, even though I didn't plan on it, I was completely hooked on the Golden Globes last night. Everyone looked amazing, of course, but some people stood out more than others. These were a few of my favorite looks. What did you all think?

{kerry washington}

{katharine mcphee}

{olivia munn}

{anne hathaway}

{jennifer lawrence}

And now, of course, I really really want to see Silver Linings Playbook. And Argo. Has anyone seen them yet? 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! 

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A Reminder + Happy Weekend

Last night I was up late working on a feature for The Everygirl. Like late. Like 3am. Like I wake up at 6am to go to work. I was lying on my couch (not the best position to be in when you're trying really hard to stay awake) and was starting to get stressed and tired and was losing all forms of creativity required to complete the task at hand. Then all of a sudden I had a realization. I thought to myself, "Wait. What are you doing? You wanted this internship so badly and you love this internship so much. Get over it, stop complaining and get the job done!" That's literally the thought process I had. I then looked up an e-mail I had sent to my mom right after getting the internship back in August. It was appropriately titled "Ahhhhh!" and full of ridiculous amounts of happiness.

Once I realized this I immediately went back to work with a completely new outlook. I am so thankful for the opportunity to intern for The Everygirl and to be learning from two people that I admire so much. And I need to remember to continue to be thankful for those things, even when I have designer's block, (is that a term?) and even in the very early hours of the morning.

It's so important to always remember to put things in perspective and be thankful. When you're overwhelmed by your blogging to do list, remember how excited you were when you got your first comment or your first few followers. When your job is stressing you out, remember how happy you were when you first got it and how blessed you are to have a job. When your family or closest friends are driving you crazy, remember the times they were there for you when no one else was.

Just a little reminder and word for thought as you go into your weekend. Speaking of which, what are your plans for the next few days? I'll be fitting in brunch, time with friends, sleep and Downton Abbey on Sunday night. Sunday nights have all of a sudden become so much more exciting. And I love that.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Home Goods Heaven

I discovered the magic of West Elm online a few months ago (via some of my favorite bloggers, naturally) but I had never actually been to a store in person until yesterday. I was just driving along with my mom on our way to Whole Foods. We were minding our own business...and then -bam!- out of nowhere, a West Elm magically appeared. In the flesh. Like a mirage in the distance. And I just had to stop.

Let me tell you, every item was even prettier in person than on the web. And it got me starting to think of some of the finishing touches I would love to add to my apartment. These are a few of my favorite items.

Rug // Tray // Pillow Cover // Sofa

On doing what you can

With New Year's Resolutions in full swing, it seems that everyone is putting a lot of pressure on themselves to start the year off on the right note. This is not a bad thing in the slightest. But sometimes that pressure leads to stress and anxiety, which can lead to inactivity in the long run. I know so many people (myself included) who simply drop their goals the moment they don't measure up to their original standards.

This all goes back to my post last week on writing New Year's Intentions rather than resolutions. And one of my intentions for the new year is to focus on health. This is an insanely broad focus, but I like it that way. I feel like it serves as a guideline for me to constantly remember instead of a specific goal that might stress me out over time. One of the ways I hope to focus on health is by working out regularly.

If I'm being completely realistic, I know fitting in regular workouts is going to be a challenge. Juggling work, an internship, a blog, sleep, friends & family and attempting to work out on a regular basis is tough. Not at all impossible, but tough at times. If anyone else is a fan of Bethenny Frankel, you'll know that she is always advising to do what you can. And that's what I intend to do this year. I know that some weeks will be better than others but that is completely okay. My life is a constant balancing act, and I just can't beat myself up if I occasionally don't measure up in one area.

I bring this entire topic up because I worked out on Monday night for the first time in a month and a half. I had surgery at the end of November and didn't have the energy to work out for a while and then after some time I guess I just got used to not going to yoga and not running. But on Monday I was walking home from work and I decided the weather was nice enough and I had a bit of extra time so I might as well just give running a go. It felt amazing. I may not have time to work out the rest of the week but I am going to fit it in when I can. And when I do work out, I am going to make the most of it and be thankful that I did.

How are your resolutions / intentions / goals for 2013 going so far?

Brights & Balloons

Oh happy day! J. Crew has released their most recent style guide. It comes complete with a hot air balloon backdrop. And it's located in the middle of the desert. Naturally. These are a few of the items that they are featuring this month. And I think I want them all.

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It's times like these when I wish I lived further south and could take advantage of spring styles a little earlier. But I do suppose this gives me the opportunity to wait until they go on sale. I especially plan to keep my eye on those metallic sandals. Love them.

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Weekend Snapshots

Ahhh the weekend. Thank goodness for whoever decided to create weekends back in the day. I salute that person. After a thoroughly exhausting week, I was so ready to relax and enjoy my weekend, and that is just what I did.

I filled my two days with lots of sleep, a girls night on Friday, plenty of down time, some work for TEG and then of course the season premiere of Downton Abbey on Sunday night. I also listened to ridiculous amounts of Macklemore. Because that's all I listen to these days. Macklemore and Taylor Swift. Go figure.

Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! And now for the first five day work week I've had in a while... Bring it on, Monday.

It's the most wonderful time of the week

Today I'll leave you with these images of two of my favorite things. Fresh flowers...and twirling (probably because of that scene in You've Got Mail). Because they make me happy. And that's what the weekend is all about.

This week flew right on by. Did anyone else think so, too? I had all of these grandiose plans for the blog this week but they just didn't happen. Far too much to do for work and my internship. 

This weekend I plan to get a bit ahead on blogging, work on a few features for The Everygirl and make the weekly attempt to catch up on sleep. I'm also so looking forward to a girl's night this evening with some of my very best friends. And then fast forward to Sunday...and the season premiere of Downton Abbey! I'm so excited. Does anyone else watch Downton? If not you should give it a try. It's good stuff.

Anyway, I'll stop going on and on and let you get to your weekend. What are your plans?

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Bauble Envy

I've been eyeing approximately one million different statement necklaces recently. And how could I not? They're everywhere. All over the place. Wearing a sweater today? A bit of chambray? How about a simple tee? Whatever you're wearing, there's just one thing that could properly spice it up. BAM. A statement necklace. I'm loving these options from BaubleBar. Mainly because they're beautiful and versatile, but also because they're completely reasonably priced. And I love the sound of that.

Have you been rocking any statement pieces lately?

P.S. I realize this sounds like it's sponsored. But it's not! Promise. I just love BaubleBar.

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Twenty Thirteen

Happy 2013 everyone! For real. I'm super happy about this year. It has a much better ring to it than 2012 as far as I'm concerned. In honor of the start of 2013, I'd like to set a few intentions for the new year.

I read this awesome article about setting intentions instead of resolutions on The Everygirl the other day. The article was written by Jess Lively (who has been mentioned here before) and is about making intentions about how you want to live your life. Intentions are goals that can be adjusted depending on your own circumstances. They're different from resolutions, which tend to be specific goals that leave no room for change or adaptation. And in my experience, generally if people don't live up to their New Year's resolutions, they just drop them.

These are my intentions for 2013. I'm keeping the list short, because I don't want to get overwhelmed or forget to focus on any one thing throughout the year.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It's 2013! I hope you had a lovely time ringing in the New Year with friends and family. I'll be back tomorrow with a few resolutions, once I figure them out for myself. In the meantime, have a wonderful start to 2013!

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