I have the most severe case of writer’s block I’ve ever experienced for this blog. Sitting in my queue are six drafts waiting to be edited and nothing left to give for many of them. I’m tired of writing and yet I feel like if I don’t, my blog will be swallowed by a black hole filled with HTML and hacked email accounts.
The best way to cure a block of creativity is to just start. Create. Make something. So to break the silence, I thought I would share a photo from my time indoors last week during the big snow storm here in Seattle.
I’m sure you heard about it. Everyone did. It was disappointingly anti-climatic.
Since I can work remotely, I spent most of my time sitting on my couch bundled up in my pjs answering emails and working on projects. It was a delightful change in an otherwise predicable routine and I was grateful for the chance to get ahead while staying inside for four days.
Over the week, Stella had the habit of finding the warmest spot in the room, even if it meant standing so close to the space heater that the blocked air overheated the coils, setting off the safety switch to shut down the fan. It was hilarious and I had to share.
Have a great week, more to come.
Goodbye 2011. Hello 2012.
Crossed off another item on The List 2011…sang karaoke by myself.
Celebrated my first Hanukkah and finally learned the story of the menorah.
The best part of the holidays are the cards.
Interactive street art in Capitol Hill.
Dinner for two on NYE.
Happy 1 Year Anniversary to Stelle Belle!
How were your holidays?
I realize that as the world turns the corner into 2012, Christmas is a distant memory in the minds of most of us. We’re at the gym…cleaning our closets…heads down into a new project with a deadline that knew of no holidays. Even so, I’d like to do a short recap, so thanks for your patience.
This year, the holidays were a bit different for me. And while I was grateful that I had someone special to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with, I missed my family and our annual holiday traditions. Nevertheless, I created some new traditions for myself and enjoyed a Christmas dinner with some people I recently met this fall. If I couldn’t be home for the holidays, this was a great way to spend it otherwise. So in an effort to contribute to the rather large dinner I was invited to attend, I agreed to help bring two desserts for Christmas dinner. Eagerly, we agreed to bring my infamous caramel cake and ambitiously decided to attempt a southern pecan pie from scratch — pie crust included.
At noon on Christmas Eve, the baking began. The pie turned out perfect. But by Christmas morning, I stared through angry tears as my third batch of failed caramel was scraped into the kitchen trashcan. My mother’s words from the night before were right, you cannot make homemade caramel icing when it’s raining outside.
It’s meteorologically impossible.
With most grocery stores closed on Christmas, and most of my remaining baking ingredients sitting in the trashcan beside the stove, I pulled out my favorite cookbook, A Taste of Georgia, and searched for something that I could make to cover the two layers of yellow cake still waiting patiently on my kitchen table. Almost immediately, I found a really easy chocolate frosting recipe.
The frosting was delicious. No, it was perfect.. It was exactly what I needed to save a disastrous attempt at baking my infamous caramel cake from scratch. Eagerly I walked over to my cake and began to spread the chocolate frosting onto the bare, yellow cakes. The frosting dripped…it slumped…it slid everywhere I didn’t want it to go…it looked terrible. While my grandfather would say that the ugliest cakes on the table were the best tasting ones at the dinner, there was there was no way I was taking that cake to Christmas dinner. In a moment of passionate frustration, I ceremoniously dumped the entire bowl of icing on top of the cake and walked away, resolved that my attempts were met with the finality of disaster.
My patient boyfriend, bless him with his impeccably perfect timing, waited until the storm clouds were cleared and gently invited me to revisit the disaster that sat so ceremoniously before us. Who knew that once the icing dried a bit, I could scrape the excess frosting away and smooth the remaining icing around the cake into a presentable creation?
Literally five minutes later, the cake was ready to go.
The cake was a hit, I learned two valuable lessons with frosting cakes and I now have a knock-out chocolate icing recipe to carry with me for years to come.
Happy baking in 2012, y’all!
____
CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1 stick of margarine or butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
2 heaping tablespoons cocoa
1 shake salt
1/3 cup water
2 cups powdered sugar
1.5 teaspoons vanilla or rum extract
Mix the first five ingredients and bring to boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat. Beat in sugar, then add extract. Quickly ice cake before frosting cools. Recipe doubles with good results.
Mrs John P. Woods, Jr. (Elizabeth) in A Taste of Georgia
Merry Christmas, my friends.
I have a weekend full of baking, card writing and cat snuggling to do for my very first Christmas away from my family in Seattle. I won’t pretend that it’s been a bit hard to think about being away from traditions that I’ve kept for almost 32 years: Christmas Eve candlelight communion at First Methodist, gorging on my mom’s lady finger cookies in the same Tupperware bin she’s had since I was eight and racing my brother down the stairs to the Christmas tree to claim annual bragging rights for the first one down on Christmas morning. I will even admit to listening to Manheimm Steamroller on Pandora for a few nights this past month to simulate being at home with my Mom who plays their music on repeat day in and day out for the entire month of November and December.
I will miss being in Georgia this year.
I chose to go home for a week at Thanksgiving this year due to exorbitant plane tickets in December and scheduling time off at the office. It was half the price and double the days if I went in November — pretty much a no brainer when you’re looking at spending two days of traveling just to hop to the opposite coast and back.
I’m grateful for an invitation from my boyfriend to his family’s dinner on Christmas. And I’m grateful for creating a few traditions of my own: putting up my first Christmas tree and finally splurging on my favorite Christmas candle: Thymes Frasier Fir. It makes the entire room smell like a Christmas tree and there’s nothing like a good smell to ease a homesick heart.
Peace to you and yours this Christmas. I will be offline next week, prepping the blog for a busy new year. Stay tuned for a post in 2012.
Happy Christmas. Best in 2012.
Over the past few months I’ve noticed a trend that I call the “messy cuff” with high heel shoes. I haven’t quite known what to do with it, but as it grew on me (read: J. Crew adopted it in more than one catalogue), I decided to try it out for myself.
I really liked it.
Check out this website with Six Ways to Roll Your Jeans.
Shirt: J.Crew, Spring 2011
Jeans: Joe’s Jeans, Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: BCBG from the closeout sale of a boutique where I used to work
Destination: Jean Friday at the office
It’s been a while since I wrote a link list post. To be honest, I kind of shy away from them because I’m really not one to read them on someone else’s blog. Therefore, I think no one reads them on mine.
Please tell me if you do.
I like pictures of pretty things, of people wearing interesting clothes and of far away places that I can dream of traveling to some day.
Words with hyperlinks don’t do it for me.
Yet being the information guru that I am, I love passing on fun things. So with that, I leave you with a few new things I found on the interwebs over the last few weeks. Enjoy.
- Five lessons learned from living in Paris. I agreed with every single one of them.
- 25 clever ideas to make life easier. Who doesn’t need to know at least one of them?
- I’m waiting for this to go on sale. My co-worker’s daughter works at J.Crew and offered to buy it for me when it goes on the “60 sale” for employees (60% off the current price to date). Now the dilemma…which color.
- Going to order one of these for my desk at the office. So cool.
- Met with a gear company last week that made these for the Museum of Modern Art. Guess who got one in a swag bag from the company?
- Stylish desktop calendars for your computer. The plus side to knowing UX designers? Finding cool stuff for your office.
- Instructions on how to reupholster a chair (or headboard for that matter). Good find, Mom.
One of my most favorite past-times since I was a kid is to send handwritten letters and cards through the mail to my friends and family. I’m fairly certain this love of letters all started with my great-grandmother, Grandma Mae. Every month I could count on a letter, a card, a booklet about Jesus or some kind of message written in her wobbly, cursive penmanship, sent with love. Daily, I would wait by the mailbox, eager to see if she would respond. Days felt like weeks and weeks felt like months to my nine year old self as I would wait eagerly, sometimes the same day I sent the card, to see if she happened to write. There was something so grown up about writing a letter and something so exciting about anticipating a response. From that point on, I was hooked.
As I sit to write this post, I don’t think I can count the number of pen pals I have written over the years.
There was the girl in Kansas I met through a magazine pen pal program who wrote me twice and never again.
Then there’s Louise from Michigan who I met on a a mission trip to West Virginia when I was twelve. I ran across her letters last Christmas in an old box of mementos and looked her up on Facebook. There she was…grown up, single and smiling in her profile. I wonder if she even remembers me.
Anna, my good friend from elementary school, moved away when we were young adolescents. Somehow admist high school graduations and her marriage to the man she loves, we found each other, reconnected and for years sent each other letters and cards when I was in my 20s. I actually think I owe her a return letter.
Then there’s the German girl I randomly met through a friend one weekend in south Georgia. In my attempt to send her a letter written in German, a language I knew nothing about, she responded back: “You write is funny.” Tell me about it.
I think it’s the connection to people that I love and it’s the surprise that occurs when something whimsical, something interesting, or something special comes in the mail. Over the last several weeks I’ve found an assortment of cards that I’ve sent to various people in my life. I thought I’d share them with you.
Happy writing.
Is an article of clothing considered vintage if one pulls it out of the closet 20 years after wearing it for the first time?
Before you curse me for being able to fit into a jacket I wore in the sixth grade, know that my mother had a habit of buying my clothes two sizes too big in 1991 for reasons related to “you’re still growing.”
But yes, it still fits. And please, do not hate me. Middle school was awkward enough for all of us.
English riding jacket: State Line Tack circa 1991
Shirt: J. Crew perfect stretch shirt
Jeans: J. Brand, midrise, super skinny jeans
Boots: Steve Madden
Necklace: J. Crew, Fall 2010 collection
While home for Thanksgiving a couple of weeks ago, I did a little “shopping” at my parent’s house. It was quite the spree, let me tell you. I have some vintage clothes to show later in the month. But for now, let’s go with home furnishings department. There was quite a sale happening the week before Thanksgiving.
Staying in my old bedroom, I noticed a rug on the hardwood floor that my mother bought at an estate sale a couple of years ago. It was a lovely rug, but has always looked really mismatched against the dark salmon pink walls and floral bed skirt my mother used to redecorate my old room a couple of years ago. It’s one of those pieces you absolutely love, but try as you might, it just doesn’t flow with the rest of the room…rest of the house…rest of your style. Last Christmas, my mother offered to give me the rug, to which I turned her down. Why, I have no idea. But this year, my apartment was in a place where the rug would go perfectly on my hardwood floor. Maybe it’s the new sofa, the desk or the final decision to stick with my current color scheme, but I took one look at it and had to have it. So without hesitation, I asked my mother if she still wanted to keep the rug. Graciously, she let me pack it up to bring back with me to Seattle and with that, it was mine. Crossing my fingers through Delta’s weigh in at the ticket counter, I checked my bags and somehow brought it back on the cross country trek.
So with that, I cross off one more item on The List for 2011. Next up: karaoke, a steak at the Met and maybe I can fit that trip to San Fran before the year’s up.
Maybe.
November was a complete blink in my year.
Not a bad view from the conference room table.
Monday date night at The Tin Table with refurbished tableware.
I love a crisp rainy night during the fall in Seattle.
Amazing sunset from the front lawn of a college campus that's blocks from my parent's house.
Cotton blooms in south Georgia.
A long standing pet peeve of mine that started long before J. Crew was a household name in my closet occurs when I have purchased something for myself and someone I am close to goes out and acquires the exact same thing. It’s funny that this would be a pet peeve of mine as one of my favorite pastimes entails reading biographies of fashionable women and then putting into practice their most lauded stylish trademarks.
I steal style from others, but do not dare steal from me.
Three times this year I have copied the outfits or accessories of two people I know and while they were perfectly fine with me doing so, I apologized profusely for doing it before, during or after my purchase. Originality and creativity are important to me and I respect that in others. Especially those who are close to me. But when I see someone sporting a classic, it’s hard to turn my head and walk to the other side of the sale rack. If I can’t shake it, I must have it.
Imitation is the highest form of flattery indeed.
Several women in the office have done a beautiful job of incorporating this year’s trend of flowing blouses into their work wardrobe. Creamy flowy blouses, that is. The kind that look effortless and whimsical, yet professional and versatile. While I purchased my own version of this kind of blouse at GAP last year, I ended up throwing it away after a hard night of dancing ripped an unmendable hole in the arm a few months back. The shirt cost me $10 on sale, purchased with a Groupon and it was the first article of clothing in a long time that genuinely made me sad to purge it from my closet. I loved how it made me feel when I wore it. I felt feminine, carefree and I loved the way it draped on my shoulders and hung on my body. It was the kind of clothing that felt like I was wearing a work of art when I looked in the mirror. The shirt more than paid its dues in my closet, but replacing it was going to be a difficult one, I knew. When you find something that works, you never want to lose it. Certainly not while dancing to Niki Minaj late into the evening hours.
I wrote a while back about the Aritzia blouse, one that a coworker had and that I salivated over for weeks. My sweet mother, one of the few but proud who read my blog, texted me one day after I blogged a short blurb about wanting needing it and said: “Your birthday is coming up, what size in the blouse?”
The color couldn’t be creamier. The silk couldn’t be more luxurious and the cut couldn’t be better tailored.
I’m in love.
I really can’t remember if I’ve share this on my blog yet but I think this was a clever idea for creating a DIY side table. A year and a half ago a friend of mine knew that I was intrigued by the idea of stacking shelves together to create a side table. The architecture firm she worked for was replacing an old drafting table and built into the table were amazing wooden drawers that could easily be taken out of the unit. Elated, I said yes when she called and happily took them home with me before my big move last summer. With some Murphy’s Oil Soap I was able to clean off the old pencil marks in some of the drawers and stack them next to my favorite chair in my new studio.
Viola, a side table.
If you’re looking for a unique way to create storage in small spaces, try stacking a few drawers at side angles. I keep Christmas decorations, linens and crafts in the spare space and it’s perfect for creating a side table while functioning as space to hold my miscellaneous household items.
There is a joke among my co-workers that before someone knew my name at the company, I was called the girl with the sassy tights. So every time I wear them, I smile and laugh. It’s a great story.
I’m really not sure where I originally bought these, but I know they were cheap…and that they sat in my closet for two years before this look actually came in style. Call me a fashion predictor. Call me ahead of my time. But it wasn’t until after a few braver women wore them around town one day that I finally dusted mine off and wore them for the first time in Seattle.
Sometimes the world just need a few more confident fashionistas to pave the way for the rest of us.
You can find your own version of sassy tights at Nordstrom, Kohls, TJ Maxx and Target. I think if they are done just right, you can still keep a classy look while giving your outfit a fresh update. In other words, less is more with sassifying your legs.
I wrote not too long ago that when I’m rocking it at work, dirty dishes runneth over in my sink. When my car is a mechanical disaster, my social life is one that rivals any woman on the red carpet. When my diet is healthy and robust, my dry cleaning sits on Denny Way for weeks.
I haven’t quite figured out how to have it all…yet.
I had a busy couple of days a few weeks back. Stella suffered a UTI and was on antibiotics for seven days. Like her momma, Stella is quite demanding needy whiny pitiful when sick…meowing non-stop and somehow finding an opening to snuggle her way next to me in the bed in the middle of the night. How can I be worried about cat fur all over my new white duvet when she’s crying for her mommy and purring nonstop next to me at 2AM?
While nursing a sick cat, I successfully helped execute my largest event at work (to date) and had a great time doing it. Filling in for a co-worker, I happily stepped up and learned a lot in the process. The event turned out well, thanks to a lot of help from my team, and I was proud watching all of our hard-work and planning come together for a great quarterly meeting with my company.
Since then my schedule has been quite full. I’ve had a busier than normal social life and am trying to manage a continuing education class I’m taking at the University of Washington on project management. In November, I took salsa classes with someone and for the last part of the month I left Seattle to go back home to Georgia for over a week.
I’m happy with most everything in my life, do not get me wrong, but I am frustrated that I’m not able to do everything I want to do. The frustration has me wondering a lot lately about having it all. Is it even possible for a person to “have it all?” A successful job, good friendships, time to work out, a substantial savings account, enough cute clothes, a manageable Google Reader queue, time to read books, time to pack a lunch, time to talk to East Coast friends, time to write a blog post, time to take your car to the mechanic, time to take your cat to the veternary ER, time to complete a DIY project…on and on and on.
Over the last year I spent a lot of time thinking about how I would choose to spend my post-graduate free time. I know, I’ve been out of grad school for a while now but after three years of living my life working off a flexible schedule with large chunks of shifting free time, it has been a bit harder than I originally imagined working out the rhythm of a 9 to 5 schedule again There is only a handful of time left in each day to divide among the countless acitivites that I would love to participate in: cooking homemade dinners, working out, writing blog posts, reading books, dating a boy, watching shows and participating in ballet class, salsa lessons, happy hours and book clubs.
I absolutely can’t do it all. And I wonder, should I even be able to?
My first realization of this epiphany occurred when I admitted to myself that my graduate school relationships could no longer maintain the same level of consistency and intensity that they previously held during my three years in school. Study sessions, reading groups, research projects, clinical practicums and downtime between classes provided a breeding ground for cultivating friendships , yet as soon as we all graduated, those friendships scattered across the city and throughout the country. It became clear, very quickly, that if I wanted to stay in touch with people, I would have to be intentional with contacting them…and picky with those I chose to spend time with. Somewhere between conference calls and commutes, happy hours and work outs, Facebook and dinner parties, I had to make time for friendships that were formerly built into my schedule. I feel haughty saying this but I believe it to be true. At some point, we have to pick who we want to be friends with at the end of the day. There just aren’t enough hours in the day to go around a classroom…a boardroom…a dodgeball team and while there are many lovely people in the world, we must choose the ones who we want to be closest to us.
Who do we want to share our lives with when the day comes to a close? Who do we want to celebrate our greatest moments with when we sit down at our birthday table? And who do we want to go through the trenches in life with when things become too difficult to bear? I can’t have, do or be it all. At the end of the day I have to choose and I have to decide what is most important to me.
It is important the I find meaning in the work I do and that I enjoy doing it. It is important that I am surrounded by people who love and care for me and that whether or not they understand or agree with what I’m doing, they support me just because they accept me unconditionally. And it is important that I cultivate creativity and spirituality throughout my life. Those things I know to be true.
My therapist once said something to me that I will never forgot. Well, to be fair, she’s said many things to me that I will always remember and be grateful for hearing. But I received one of those golden nuggets that comes long in counseling every once in a while and stays with you years after the session has ended. She told me that when I say no to one thing, I’m really making room to say yes to something else. Simple truth, and probably not that hard to think through, but by showing me that my life can be a series of choices, she changed the way I engage my decision making process.
When I say no to one friendship, I am really making time to develop another one. When I turn down one book to read, I give myself space for the one that’s been waiting on my bookshelf for months. And when I say no to one dinner out with a friend, I’m really saying yes to a few more dollars towards achieving my financial goal of being debt free. It’s the ebb and flow of decision making that helped me realize that I have choices admist trying to have it all.
So back to my question, can you really have it all? Yes, and no. My favorite financial blogger says that we can have it all, just not all at once. I can have it all, but I am limited to what I say yes and no to with each choice. Yes, I will take a continuing education class. No, I will not have extra free time on most Sunday afternoons for 9 months. Yes, I will write for my blog. No, I will not cook a homemade dinner tonight. Yes, I will stay out late with someone I care about, no I will not get up early to work out. Yes I will have a child, no I will not go on a long vacation this year. [Note, I am not pregnant. That is for my friends who are mothers.]
In the midst of being overwhelmed with not being able to do everything I want to do, I am learning that I have choices. And for whatever reason knowing I have choices helps me let go of the things I decide to not engage in. As we approach the busiest time of the year, the holidays, I hope you find happiness and choices as you decide when and where you will spend your time, money and energy.
Have a great day. See you in December.
I’m back from a luxurious week off in south Georgia with my family.
No, I’m serious. It was luxurious.
I slept in. I worked remotely for just a little bit from the comforts of my pajamas in my childhood bed and I found the ultimate rocker themed outfit for our company holiday party. I worked on my continuing education class, I read all 15 of the magazines I’ve neglected since August and I ate my mother’s home cooked meals at least once a day.
It was luxurious.
One thing I miss about Georgia while living so far away is taking a drive on a flat, open country road. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving I went to visit my old college roommate at her parent’s house about an hour and a half away. The drive was just what I needed and I loved sailing through the cotton fields in my mom’s car while listening to the radio, contemplating life, love, faith and happiness.
Later that night we sat out on the front porch of her parent’s newly rennovated farm house to watch the sunset while catching up. It was quiet, save for the sweet laughter of her adorable sons and the sound of the wind blowing softly through the pine trees across the field.
I felt like I was in a movie.
My best friend is the second youngest of five grown siblings. Translated, her family needs a minimum of 18 plates, forks, beds, towels, cups, chairs and other miscellaneous sundries whenever they get all together. They are a fun family, but they are a large family. Three of the five live out of state and all of them have active and full lives. To accomodate all of them at once, my friend’s parents came up with the genious idea to take an old antebellum house, relocate it to a secluded part of their property in the county and furnish it for all the children and grandchildren when they came to stay overnight. There were rooms with two double beds each, a large living room stocked full of spare chairs, a grill shed big enough to accommodate everyone under a screened in porch and acres upon acres of woods and fields for the children to get lost in while playing. It was a gorgeous home, decorated with finds from garage sales, Goodwill and rummage bins. I was jealous of every room and marveled at the ingenuity of the idea and clever use of resources. It’s a dream home away from home for grandchildren and I secretly wished that for just a moment, I could go back to being 9 again.
I hope you had a meaningful and relaxing Thanksgiving. I’m thankful everyday for friends near and far and for a full life that I love and cherish. Have a great week as we jump head first into the holidays.
It has been the rage among design communities as of late to make your own fabric headboard. I can’t take much credit for creating this idea on my own, I defer to the talented Grace of Design Sponge for the large stepping stone from which I launched this project off of several months ago. But I’m proud to show my version of how this project was completed.
Over the summer, I decided I wanted to revamp my bedroom. While I loved my Dwell Studio for Target bedspread, I’ve since grown tired of the pattern and was searching for an update. I’ve been drawn to all white beds for some time and felt confirmed with my decision to go sans color when I read that few design choices could be classier than the elegance of an all white bed.
The color of my headboard was an easy one, though I agonized over what shade of blue I wanted to use. This was mostly due to the fact that the shade of turquoise I wanted most was going to cost me an additional $50 a yard. In the end, I settled on a great velvet fabric in robin’s egg blue. I’m more than pleased with all of my decisions
Tools: plywood, foam, batting, fabric, french cleats, drill, spray adhesive, dry wall anchors, staple gun, staples, extra set of hands
Total cost: approximately $175, including new drill
A few things to note before you get started:
- Get an extra set of hands. In my excitement, I stapled the fabric to the back of the board by myself one afternoon and later had to gently pull it off the board when I realized that it wasn’t taut to the headboard. A second set of hands proved invaluable and gave me a much better look.
- Drill with caution. I watched my father use a drill for years, but I never really learned the ins and outs of how to hold a drill, how much pressure to use when drilling and when to change drill bits. It wasn’t that my dad didn’t try to teach me, it’s that I didn’t find it relevant. Boldly I waltzed into Home Depot and bought my first drill with confidence that I could do this project alone. Luckily, I had help the night I decided to mount the headboard to the wall. I learned a lot watching my handyman drill into studs and push drywall anchors into my 1920s building. If you haven’t drilled before, I would advise finding someone who has to watch and learn from in the process.
- Consider shopping from the remnants section of the fabric store first. I saved $50 a yard on a piece of fabric but using the leftovers from someone’s project that they didn’t need. You can’t beat that!
- Unless you plan to create designs with your headboard, like Grace did, you can save a lot by going to Home Depot to have the wood cut into a rectangular shape. I paid $3 for my piece of plywood and they cut it to my measurements for free. Easiest part of my project by far.
Perhaps you will not need as much time as I did with the measurements outlined on your wall, but I spent a considerable amount of time deciding if this was the size headboard I wanted. After two months, I felt I settled on my answer, yes.
Place the batting on the floor with the foam and plywood on top of them. Staple the batting to the plywood. I do not have a picture of the prior step before this. However using a spray adhesive, I attempted to glue the foam to the plywood. It didn’t work for me, but those were the instructions that were given in the tutorial I aimed to follow. After spraying the foam to the board, then attach the batting to the board.
Staple the fabric to the headboard. This part was a bit difficult since the batting created a thick covering over the plywood. There were several places where I couldn’t staple the fabric to the plywood if the batting was already in place. In retrospect, have your batting stapled closer to the edge so that you can pull the fabric over the batting and staple it to the bare board instead of through the thick layer of batting.
I ended up carefully cutting the excess fabric to help with folding it over on the edges. Emphasis on carefully.
I knew that creating a straight baseline on the wall from which to drill the holes would be difficult for me. This is where I was glad to have the help of someone smarter than me to measure and draw the lines. It turned out perfect on the first try.
By using dry wall anchors, the headboard is mounted more securely to the wall. This part was a bit tricky as we had to drill through some of the studs in the wall. If you live in an older building or are worried about the weight of the board pulling away from the wall, then these should help give the board support and ease your fears of a separation in the middle of the night.
French cleats were added to the back of my headboard and the back of the wall. If you plan to hang your headboard to the wall and not prop it against the wall, I was actually advised to use french cleats to secure it to the wall rather than drilling direction into the wall. The first independent hardware store I tried wasn’t familiar with french cleats, but Home Depot was able to help me. When placement is done properly on both the wall and the back of the board, you should be able to connect the board to the wall by gently sliding the board down the wall and into place.
Clearly I need to do much more to the wall behind my bed and add some decorative pillows. And this is not a really great shot of my duvet cover. In time, dear readers. Until then, ignore the upward curving corner on the top right corner. I prefer to think it adds character. I’m more than proud of my project and grateful for the help I received. Good luck to you and feel free to ask questions if you’re thinking about doing it!
Blog poll: If your birthday lands on a Sunday, is it acceptable to celebrate all weekend?
I would say yes and extend it for a week.
November is my birth month and it strategically falls just before the holidays kick off. It’s like my birthday marks the beginning of six weeks of celebration and before I know it, I’m counting down to a new year. Birthdays have always been a big deal for me — I love to celebrate them in a variety of ways.
Each year, I have something specific I want to do. For my 30th, it was the blowout of the decade. For my 31st, I preferred a quite night among girlfriends. And this year, I wanted a night of Mexican food and dancing with a small group of close co-workers and friends.
My wish was granted.
We had a fantastic night.
Later in the weekend I celebrated again at a new restaurtant in Belltown called The Coterie Room. Opened by the founders of Spur Gastropub, this restaurant grilles one of the best Wagyu Beef Briskets I’ve tasted in Seattle. Topped off with the cinnamon fritters in caramel apple sauce and I knew I’d be craving this meal again. In addition to the great food, our waiter was more than gracious in offering us an impromptu wine tasting so that we could choose the glass we wanted most with our meat. By the end of the night we felt like rock stars, and lushes, with all of the wine glasses lining our table. It was quite an evening.
By far my favorite present of the weekend was the perfume I’ve “oo-ed” and “ah-ed” over for months, Gypsy Water by Byredo. The intoxicating smell of vanilla mixed in with notes of lemon, sandalwood and evergreen have haunted me since I first caught a whiff of it on a passerby in downtown Seattle. Of course I asked her what she was wearing. I was beyond thrilled to find that not only did I now own my own bottle to spritz and spray at my leisure but that it smelled as heavenly as I remembered weeks ago.
Hope you’re having a great November. I’m home for the week, in Georgia that is, and enjoying every cup of sugar, butter, and salt that’s baked my way.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Hi, I’m Natalie, and I blog about my happenings, inspirations and favorite things over at Natty Michelle. Like Catherine, I’m a girl from the south, and there are some southern-inspired traditions and habits that are hard to shake, no matter where you live when you grow up. Catherine asked me to explain what I think makes me a uniquely southern gal, and this is my list:
The southern girl in me…
…knows it’s not “acceptable” to wear white after Labor Day, but knows it’s ok to bend the rules sometimes — for the chance to wear this white blazer ensemble, for example.
…will spare the calories if fried green tomatoes are on the menu. Every time.
…lives for tailgating and college football. It’s the chance to catch up with friends, watch the game and have a big tailgate party.
…bakes mini pound cake loaves for new neighbors (it’s a nice way to break the ice and get to know new neighbors, too!)
…loves to send friends and family birthday cards and thank you notes — even notes just because — whenever possible, especially on pretty stationery, like this pretty mermaid notecard by Rifle Paper Co.
…thinks there is no such thing as too many yard sale, estate sale or antique stops on a Saturday morning. The early bird gets the most beautiful treasures!
It is not often that I have the chance to dress up in Seattle. But when I do, I jump at the opportunity to put on a black dress and dust off my fancy jewelry for a night on the town. This past weekend I attended the Boyer Children’s Clinic Annual Auction. Eagerly, I saw this as an excuse to shop for a new dress for the event and of course, J. Crew was the lucky designer selected to clothe me for the night.
What I didn’t realize was that I forgot about a black dress that’s been in the back of my closet for the past seven years.
Yes. Seven.
In an effort to be a bit more frugal, I’ve decided that if Catherine Middleton (Duchess of Cambridge) is confident enough in recycling dresses from her closet, then I can do the same as well. I returned the J. Crew dress I ordred (gasp) and took out the black Ralph Lauren dress I found in 2004 to wear with pride.
Long live the dress.
Dress: Ralph Lauren from TJ Maxx — (Note: Since many of the clothes at TJ Maxx are discards because of various imperfections, take a look at sizes that are smaller and larger than what you typically wear. This dress was marked as two sizes too big, yet it fit perfectly.)
Panty Hose: Leggs Black, (I read that Catherine Middleton created a comeback for panty hose recently by wearing them multiple times before and after the wedding of the century. I’m onboard, but waiting to see if it sticks)
Shoes: Ivanka Trump (My feet still hurt, but at least they look good.)
This weekend I had the honor of attending the Boyer Children’s Clinic Annual Auction at the Seattle Fairmont Olympic hotel in downtown Seattle. The is the second year I was invited to attend by a family that I babysat for when I was in graduate school. My friend Erika first introduced this family to me when she couldn’t babysit for them one Thursday afternoon in the spring of 2008 and from that point on, I was Erika’s “back-up nanny” for the days she couldn’t be there.
Over the years, this family has become a second home to me in Seattle and I am humbled to have them in my life. They’ve offered their guest room to me when it looked as though I might be homeless for a month, hosted my 30th birthday in their living room for 20 girls two years ago and when I was applying for my current job just over a year ago, the father generously offered to write a recommendation email to his contacts when I was interviewing. I still laugh to this day when I remember the casual conversation we had as he wrote my check at the end of a night and discovered that I was applying for a job at a company where he knew the founder. Sometimes the world is just too small.
I have loved watching their children grow up and as we sat around the table after dinner Saturday night, Erika and I laughed as we went back through the years with Dana and all of the memorable stories we had while caring for their two sons. Their oldest son received services at the Boyer Children’s Clinic a few years ago and as a thank you to the people who have been involved in the lives of their children, Dana and Randy purchase a table or two every year at the auction and invite their family and loved ones to sit with them to dine in the beautiful Spanish Ballroom at the Fairmont. Last year was my first year to attend with Erika and we were honored to be invited. Sitting next to Dana this year, I was reminded of how grateful I am to have them in my life.
Each year the event has a local celebrity to host the evening, an auctioneer for the fundraiser and one person who speaks to their experiences of being the parent of a special needs child. Last year I listened intently as a parent shared one of the most honest stories of what it was like to be the father of an exceptional child. I am genuinely intrigued by people and the stories of their lives and I am even more captivated by the ones who are able to honestly and articulately convey both the beauty and heartache of what it is like to walk this earth. So when author Sherman Alexie took the stage for the second year in a row, I put down my fork and turned to listen to what words he would have for us again this year. Over the past year, I have thought often about his story from last November and on Saturday night I was moved, again, by his words on being the father a special needs son: “My wife and I learned to love the child we were given and not the one we had hoped for.” The beauty of his honest admission continues to tighten my throat and will haunt me for a while I am sure.
Boyer is a clinic filled with story after story of parents who came looking for a place to bring their children when nothing else seemed to be working. Offering services related to speech, occupational and physical therapies, the clinic addresses not only the physical needs of the child, but the emotional health of a family learning to live with an exceptional child. No family is ever turned away because of an inability to pay and it is the camaraderie and community of these people that moves me most. I was honored to attend and wish the clinic well as they continue to meet the needs of families in my community.
Happy Monday, my friends.
In ten short days, I will celebrate my thirty second birthday. Thirty and two. That’s a substantial step into my thirties and I must say, I’m still loving every minute of it.
I came across this picture the other day and it made me smile. It was my 7th birthday and my mom met me at the bus stop with four of my friends rode home with me to attend a small birthday party at my house. I’m not sure when my love of fashion started, but I’d be willing to bet it began with the purple trench coat I received that day.
Clearly the excitement rivals that of the Tory Burch incident.
This weekend I finally experienced my first Tom Douglas meal at a restaurant that I frequently dreamed of dining at when I was in graduate school. I would often pass by it on my way back from Pike Place during lunch breaks and would wish that I had the time, and disposable income, to enjoy a happy hour with friends at what seemed like a happening place down in the market.
Four years is a long time to wait.
Last night I had a fantastic evening using my Groupon for Century Ballroom to take salsa classes, and then dining at Tom Douglas’ Dahlia Lounge in Belltown.
Twice in three days. I’m on culinary cloud nine. I loved the lanterns hanging from the ceiling of the restaurant and my favorite part of the meal was the first of three courses: WSU’s Cougar Gold cheddar, bruleed figs, marcona almonds, watercress. I am continually amazed at how well certain foods taste when paired together: bruleed figs and cheddar cheese. Delicious.
Check out Seattle’s Restaurant Week. It’s worth the $28, for sure.
Let there be no doubt, rainy season hath arrived.
Weekend recap: Went to Lakeside rummage sale and found adorable ornaments for my tree this year. Ate salmon at my first Tom Douglas restaurant with an old friend from undergrad who was in town for a seminar. Took Stells to the emergency vet for a UTI infection and enacted a newly created tradition called “Power Hour.” Basically you manically run through your house and attempt to clean, wash, launder, change and complete every thing that needs to be done in your apartment. But the catch is, you only have an hour. Made doing chores bearable with a definite end time. My results included: clean laundry, newly planted window boxes, collated mail and Stella’s clean litter box.
Try it. You’ll love it.
- Seriously considering getting these pants to wear for a benefit in November and the company holiday party in December. Not sure I’m up for another final sale, no refund purchase. Worked out last time, but it feels a little dicey.
- Heard this song played at the end of SATC episode in Season 6. Forgot how much I love it.
Friday.
It’s here.
Stella’s excited, she just doesn’t know it yet.
If you’re in Seattle this weekend, check out the Lakeside School rummage sale on Saturday and Sunday. I’ve never been but I hear it’s the cat’s pajamas. Some co-workers and I will be stopping by after walking a charity 5K and eating brunch.
I’m sure there will be a post of my finds.
At thirty-one, I feel like I’m about twenty years too old to be wearing Abercrombie and Fitch, but somehow this sweater seems to work year after year since its inception into my wardrobe circa Winter 2009. If you’re my dear, sweet mother, you might call it Abercrombie and Finch. Just like she pronounces DKNY, “dinky.”
I’ve quit correcting her because God knows I invent my own pronunciations as well.
I wore this two weeks ago for Jean Friday in the office. I’m feeling a bit discouraged with my wardrobe lately and suffer from a very acute state of the “I wants” with regard to what all the other girls are wearing these days
Here’s to hoping I find contentment…or a sale.
Striped Sweater: Abercrombie and Fitch, Winter 2009
Tank: J. Crew Summer/Fall 2010
Cami: Nordstrom, Extra-Long
Jeans: J. Brand, not on sale
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell. (These are about to bite the dust any day now and I would love a new pair. Hoping the styles this season are just as cute as last.)
Destination: Jean Friday at work
On Saturday afternoon, I sat and watched a friend play in a flag football game at Memorial Field near downtown Seattle. As I looked up across the field, my eyes glanced upwards as I noticed the Space Needle shooting out from behind the roof of the opposing team’s side. I’ve lived in Seattle for four years this past August and everytime I see the Space Needle, I can’t help but feel a little giddy inside. The base of the landmark is actually in my neighborhood, lower Queen Anne. So not a day goes by that I don’t pass it in traffic and notice its tall stature among the smaller buildings as I weave through the neighborhood and over into downtown just blocks away. I’m not sure that the novelty of living in a city that hosts a popular landmark will ever rub off of me. But I love looking up at it and thinking that this is the icon that most of the world associates with my city. So as I glanced up at the odd, white, space-ship looking disc, I couldn’t help but feel proud that somehow, I’ve made it through four years in a city that couldn’t be any farther, or different, from my hometown back in Georgia. I’m a happy girl.
It was a pretty uneventful weekend save for helping a friend with a home project and attending a co-worker’s birthday party at a new Capitol Hill night spot. Pictures and a write up to come from that. Have a great week — winter hit Seattle last week and it’s jacket and wool pants wearing weather a little earlier than usual. Rainy season hits this week and before you know it, it’ll be Thanksgiving.
Happy Monday.
- Great tips on becoming a stronger, more independent woman.
- Speaking of becoming an independent woman, I plan to dress as a ninja this Halloween. Found this YouTube video on how to make a DIY ninja costume that doesn’t look lame. She has lots of other ideas for DIY costumes. Pretty awesome.
- How to grow your blog by one of my favorite bloggers.
I recently moved my mood board away from my bedroom and over my desk in the living room. I love the change and it keeps my inspiration front and center in the studio. Lately I’ve had a lot of J. Crew on the pins. Not sure what’s going on there, as I love to put other fashion pieces on the board, too. At least I’m consistent, eh?
I showed a tutorial on this a long time ago but creating the mood board was a cinch. Basically, I took an old picture frame that was gutted out of the glass, picture and backing. I used a staple gun to staple strips of ribbon across the back of it and then hung it on a wall. Like me you probably expect it to be a cheap project. The frame was free on the side of the road, but the ribbon cost a whopping $50 at Joann’s Fabrics for all of the strips. I went with multiple colors, fabrics, sizes and styles. Maybe you can find the ribbon cheaper or on sale, but it was a great project.
There are a handful of items I find essential for every woman’s closet and a fantastic pair of jeans should be at the top of the pile. When my favorite pair of skinny jeans ripped in the most awkward of places, I immediately mourned the loss of an inanimate object that had taken me through two very formative years of my life here in Seattle. There were dinner dates, graduation weekends, jean Friday at the new job, broken hearts and an entire summer on Match.com where I quickly learned that the problem of my bruised and broken heart wasn’t the “terrible” men that I “innocently” continued to find but was in fact because I kept choosing them. I had 16 dates to prove it.
My therapist earned her money during that session.
With sadness, I tossed my Joe’s jeans into the garbage, lifted my chin high and began the manhunt for a new skinny jean. I am a firm believer that a good pair of jeans is an investment; you pay for what you get and Old Navy is most certainly not a bargain. And while I have found $40 Citizens on the sale rack of a small town boutique and Joe’s jeans for 50% off at Nordstrom rack, I have always believed that your go to pair of jeans should not have a price limit. I have no problem paying for a pair that makes me feel like a million dollars and last weekend I found them.
Shoes: Vera Wang Lavender flats
Jeans: J. Brand, mid-rise, super skinny leg
Tank: J. Crew cami
Sweater: Splendid at Nordstrom
Scarf: Gap
Wallet: Hobo “Lauren” wallet
Destination: Boys II Men concert
This weekend I marked something off my 2011 bucket list: visit Discovery Park. A dear co-worker friend saw the list on my blog and invited me to do a couple of things I’ve wanted to do this year. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and the views were incredible. It is wild to think that these trails are just 15 minutes away from my apartment, are free to the public and offer some of the quietest retreats from the city. It’s Seattle’s version of Central Park, if I may be so bold to claim. I am grateful to cross off one more thing on my list and have been inspired to work a few more.
Sadly I don’t think I can read enough books to get #1 taken care of, but that’s what 2012 is for, right?
- I love this girl’s blog and dream of having coffee with her in NY one sunny afternoon on a veranda…somewhere.
- Downloaded this song after hearing it on reruns of Friday Night Lights Season 5 this weekend. No need to watch the lyrics. Just put it on in the background and keep reading your morning blogrolls.
- Marshall will be famous one day. I called it first.
I think I will always remember the moment that I heard about the death of Steve Jobs. I gasped aloud so abruptly in the salon that most of the patrons turned and looked at me. My heart sank as I listened to the news anchor confirm what I didn’t want to believe. While there have been many famous deaths over the last 2-3 years, few have touched me quite like that of Steve Jobs. He was a visionary, a creative genius and his determined, eccentric personality captivated me with every story I heard.
I don’t know of a greater inventor to have died in my lifetime and his loss was felt deep inside of me, though I’ve never met him. I have been inspired by his words, his life and his perspective. I encourage you to watch his 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech. It’s phenomenal.
Who doesn’t love a classic trench coat?
Last season I longed for a trench coat to wear on those chilly, rainy Seattle days. They are chic, classy and incredibly useful if you live in an area where you expect to get rain more often that you will see your pedicured toes. After a long endeavor to locate one in my size, I succeeded with triumph somewhere in Oregon. It took only took four states. This weekend I pulled it out of the closet, along with most of my winter items for the next 6 months, and proudly looped the knot across my waist as I had so many times earlier this year.
Rainy season hath arrived.
Trench: Banana Republic (scored on double sale for $76)
Shoes: Tory “I set off security alarms in the federal building because of the metallic discs” Burch
Purse: The Marc Jacobs that never, ever, sits on the floor.
Pants: J. Crew minnie
Glasses: Ottica Seattle
Am I really this behind on the week? Tomorrow is Wednesday and I have yet to post my weekend update. Nor did I give you a “what i wore” post earlier in the week. Where does time go, really? My weekend was a fantastic, to say the least. And, I’m dying to share the pictures.
Is this not a great view? I have about 2 more weeks at this window before I move to a new floor in our building with my team. Nonetheless, I spent Friday afternoon taking glances at Elliott Bay while on a call, amazed at the large ship slowly sailing by my window. Here’s to hoping view #2 is a good one.
On Saturday I went shopping with a dear friend from my hometwon that just moved to Seattle (pictures to come of the new jeans). I’m thrilled that this friend is now in Seattle and absolutely can’t wait to spend more time with her husband, her adorable dogs and newborn son. At any rate, we stopped by Anthropologie just to look and saw this creative display of a gorgeously decorated bed under a tent. I want it.
On Saturday night I went to one of the best concerts I’ve been to in a while: Boys II Men. One of the fun things about living in a big city is the combination of these three things in my inbox every morning: LivingSocial, AmazonLocal and Groupon. I probably buy at least 1 a week and last week, I bought three. I purchased two tickets, took a friend and we sang along to just about every song you would know by the group: I’ll Make Love to You, On Bended Knee, Water Runs Dry, Motown Philly…the list goes on.
I’m not kidding when I say it was one of the best concerts I’ve been to in a while. Imagine thousands of people who are your age, together in one arena, singing along to a group that all of you remember dancing to at your middle school dances. To add to the excitement, the person I took with me had connections to ground level seats and I scored one of the best views in the house. It was a blast.
And finally, I had the opportunity to go to my first NFL game on Sunday, thanks to a vendor of our company that was invited by one of his vendors up to their suite at Century Link. Bottom line: VIP passes to an amazing room where it was all you can eat and drink while sitting in plush seats to watch your new hometown team gets squashed by your old home state’s team (Seattle Seahawks v. Atlanta Falcons).
This will probably be my last eventful weekend until my birthday. Stay tuned.
A few links for your Wednesday.
- DIY children’s gift – home fort. I will replicate this!
- 10 Career Lessons from Julia Child.
- I
wantneed this. - Awesome video of 100 years of style.
September is a complete blur, to be honest. There was some dancing, a presidential sighting, lots of overtime and one amazing company event. I had an absolute blast and hope that this next month proves to be just as great, but a little bit slower.
October is always a funny month to me. It’s the official end to summer, rainy season usually sets in here in Seattle and it’s the last month before the holiday blitz: Halloween, my birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas. While most people are giddy with excitement at the thought of pumpkin spice lattes and crunchy leaves, I have to be honest and admit that fall is not the best month for me historically speaking. I am not a superstitious person by any means (my cat growing up was solid black and I turned 13 on Friday the 13th) but I have to say that October gives me a bit of PTSD when I think about some of the more difficult life events that have happened during this month in years past.
I think I’ll lay low, watch reruns of Modern Family and try not to be too dramatic if something happens.
I will say that I’ve decided to start celebrating the holidays more by decorating my apartment: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe if I focus on that, I’ll survive the start of Seattle’s rainy season in two weeks and slide right into my birthday month unharmed.
Yeah? Yeah.
Pacific Northwest toddler meets Southern Belle babysitter.
Here Pike Place fishy, fishy, fishy.
Four years later, sunsets on 78th and Greenwood still take my breath away.
Waiting for Obama at the Paramount.
Work times three.
Her Royal Highness would like to have a word with you.
November will be two years since I celebrated my 30th birthday. If you’ve been following my blog since the beginning, you know it was a night I planned for months and one that I blogged about for even longer. One of the things I loved most about the night was hiring a friend to take photographs of the party with 20 of my friends and almost family in Seattle. [See her blog post about it here.] My best friend Sara even flew out to be with me that night and I was honored to be surrounded by such wonderful people. Prior to the event, I sent over short list of photos I wanted Charis to take throughout the night but the one picture I looked forward to the most was a candid photo of all of us gathered together at the party.
I couldn’t have asked for a better picture. I’ve waited and waited to have it framed and to be honest, if I do it the way I want, it will be well over $300 to have it custom framed. So, I improvised, enlarged a photo and cut it to fit a standard Ikea frame. The entire process cost about $50 and one day, someday, I’ll do it right to include the full picture of everyone. But until then, this will have to do as I cross of yet another thing on The List 2011 and say cheers to turning thirty and two in a few weeks.
Happy Wednesday, we’re halfway there.
I spent a few minutes this weekend trying to count back the number of years that I’ve had one of J.Crew’s classic button down shirts in my closet. If my math is correct, it’s been 7 years since I purchased my first two in light pink and light blue. Since it’s inception into my closet, I’ve kept one around for every year since then.
It’s a classic look that never goes out of style.
It’s a wardrobe staple for most any need: casual or work.
And it sure as heck beats out any contender for quality, fit and style. Trust me, I’ve tried Gap, Old Navy and Target.
You need one.
Smile: Permanently plastered these days
Boots: Vintage Tony Lamas from Insurrection Boots on Greenwood Ave.
Jeans: Citizen (scored on a sale rack at a boutique for $49!)
Gray sweater: J. Crew Fall 2010
White Shirt: J. Crew perfect stretch shirt
Let’s do a recap of the things I completed this weekend:
- Finished DIY headboard…just need to mount it on the wall. Pictures to come.
- Saw the President.
- Finished SATC Season 5.
- Babysat for one of my favorite kids ever.
- Repotted my window plants. (Pictures for that as well.)
- Ate copious amounts of pizza.
The dishes on my kitchen sink remain unwashed from the week prior. I leave you with this picture, SG and HS, in honor of our quarterly house meetings on Aurora where I ranted about the lack of dishwashing during our tenure as roommates together. Thank God you loved me through my projection.
A few links for your Monday:
- Letterpress calendars for 2012. Yay.
- I’ve used my old J. Crew laptop bag for an entire year now and I’m certain the handles are going to snap in half any day now. It’s time for retirement and I’m salivating over this one, now. Final sale, anyone?
- Do you read this blog? The visual inspiration from other people’s homes (think MTV Cribs sans the tacky nouveau riche rocker look) is amazing and I love to get ideas from the details of other people’s homes.
It’s finally here.
I have one goal for the weekend: to do absolutely nothing I don’t want to [double negative] and everything that I do. Some of those actions that I would like to participate in will include finishing up my headboard (yay!), reading the ever growing stack of magazines next to my couch and finishing up Season 5 of SATC. Somewhere sprinkled in there I get to babysit for one of my favorite kids, have brunch with a friend and see the President at The Paramount on Sunday.
Should be fun.
Last night I went to my favorite chinese restaurant, Uptown China, in Lower Queen Anne. Mongolian beef and Chicken Lo Mein always hit the spot and it was fun to just sit down and enjoy a meal.
Plus, my fortune wasn’t so bad either.
Have a great weekend.
I absolutely cannot wait for this weekend so that I can work on my blog, sleep in until 8 AM and read the ever growing stack of magazines next to my couch I never sit on anymore. Two days and counting…cause you never count the day your already in anyways.
Yes, that is Vogue’s August issue. I’m that far behind.
Have you ever had one of those times when you find yourself in a design rut? Nothing seems to make you happy no matter how many new arrangements you create or how many new accent pieces you seem to find. You finish one project, and you’re off trying to figure out how to complete the next one — never really pausing to soak in the satisfaction of a job well done from your previous endeavors. Out with the old. In with the new.
Enter my entire apartment.
Over the summer I had two projects I wanted to complete: purchasing a new couch and revamping my bedroom. The couch was a cinch and involved one of the best purchasing stories of my decorating life. Until I wrote that last sentence, I completely forgot that I scored such a great deal on something I’ve wanted since the day I left my home in Georgia for the move out west. I am a little disturbed by my lack of enjoyment with that process. It was a great story and yet all I can think about is how my bedroom is still unfinished.
After growing tired of the same look I’ve carried for four years in my bedroom, I decided this summer that I would redo my color scheme to incorporate an all white theme that would be accented by a large blue headboard created by yours truly. However while in the process of redoing my old bed, I ended up in the allergist’s office and suffering through three sets of allergy tests to determine that my nonstop sneezing is due to the fact that I’m allergic to both dust mites and a common type of mold found in many damp, old buildings.
I live in a historic apartment building (dust) in a city where it averages 71 sunny days in downtown Seattle (rain). I’m pretty much done for when you think about it.
Bottom line: The cost of my bed revamping project doubled the original budget predictions. In the world of project management, we call that scope creep. Do you know how much it costs to clean and protect your bed from dust mites? I could have gone to Hawaii for the same price…twice.
All that to say, my headboard project has been on hold for far too long and I’ve grown inconsolably discontent.
Yesterday I drove to the store to pick up the large piece of foam and batting I ordered two months ago to start my project. Today I go to pick up the wood for the headboard and if I’m feeling really brave, I might decide on a fabric at the upholstery store conveniently located across the street from the lumber company. It’s the latter part of those errands that has me most discontent. The fabric I want is a plush, dark, turquoise velvet and it looks as elegant and sophisticated as you could imagine. I simply can’t afford it. With the kind of taste I have, (expensive), I already resigned myself to the fact that I will have to look in the remnants section for something reasonable and much more affordable. To be honest, I know it will turn out just fine and that the alternative fabrics will be just as nice as the one my heart has been set on for months. Even more so, I expect the final product will still turn out fantastic and that I will be thrilled to finally finish my long awaited project.
So why can’t I just be content with what I have? For years, I longed to live in a big city in a historic apartment with hardwood floors, lots of charm and solid red bricks lining the outside walls. I have my dream, window planters and all.
I wanted a real couch to replace my wooden futon. Done and done.
And now that my headboard project is headed towards complete, I’m already staring at my favorite square chair that I scored for free from my favorite coffee shop and wishing that I could afford to reupholster the seats and strip/stain the legs. I’m increasingly discontent with it’s color.
It never ends.
I share this little internal struggle to ask you, dear friends, how do you handle the push and pull of wanting things, desiring to complete new projects and living within your perfectly sufficient means? What do you tell yourself to find contentment with what you have and simultaneously fulfill your desire to create new things?
Happy Monday dear lovelies. This weekend I spent four days on a resort in the middle of the mountains with my company for our annual retreat.
It was fantastic.
I’m pooped and completely drained of any creative or artistic expression, save for sharing a really great photo I took from our dinner on Thursday night. My team helps direct the entire weekend and before the madness starts on Friday afternoon, we sit down for a lovely dinner to celebrate our hard work together. Just one year prior to this weekend, it was my first week with the company and my team was off to execute one of its largest events of the year. While my team is open and accepting of anyone who joins them, I still felt the awkwardness of being with a group of people who had been through the event planning trenches for many years together. I was the newbie and I felt it.
This year I sat with people that I now call friends and whose lives have become such a part of mine each day at the office. We’ve celebrated engagements and pregnancies, moving in to new homes and moving away to New York. As I sat around the table, I looked out and realized how much I love my company’s desire to cultivate a community that celebrates each other. We work hard and we play hard and we’re not afraid to celebrate and reflect on what matters most to us.
It’s how I believe life was meant to be lived.
Have a fantastic week. Will write more later.
- Really cute (and easy!) DIY project for making your own art with written words.
- Cute packaging ideas…love the glitter clothes pins.
- Probably one of my favorite U2 songs.
I’m not sure when the food truck frenzy first hit Seattle but I’m pretty sure it’s been going on for a while now and I’m just behind on the times. There’s just about anything to satisfy everyone’s tastes and I’m sad to say that I just indulged in my first food truck lunch run a few weeks ago. Usually disapointed by BBQ outside of the south, my smacking lips and fingers dripping with sauce enjoyed every bite at my desk when I got back from my errands.
Try it: Maximus Minimus, usually at 2nd and Pike in downtown.
I knew when I purchased my white couch that I was asking for trouble. Owning a long haired cat with a finicky stomach and penchant for hairballs meant that my couch would be the target for many accidents and an excellent testing site for various stain removal products.
Let’s say she’s christened it twice already and that Woolite stain removal is the winner.
After visiting the organic pet food store and pleading with the clerks to please help me figure out a way to get my cat to stop throwing up on my white couch, (their looks were priceless), I was given probiotics for Stella to try for the next week.
Magic.
I also decided that if I’m going to let my cat and a white couch coexist in an 800 sq foot apartment, I will have to let some things slide. Namely, her presence on it.
Fortunately, she prefers her cat beds to the couch. But if it’s a Sex and the City night, you better believe the girls are all about sharing some Ben and Jerry’s and cuddling up to watch Carrie make the biggest mistake of her life by letting Aidan go.
When I was growing up, my father had his own mailbox in town were he received various communications related to his business transactions. I always thought it was the bees knees to ride with him across town, be handed the key for box # 3436 and walk in by myself to gather his mail for the week.
It was there that I fell in love with the concept of sending and receiving mail.
For several months now I’ve had a few pictures of my apartment that I’ve wanted to share with you so I decided to start with them one by one over the next few weeks. It’s no surprise that I love where I live, a vintage 1920s building in lower Queen Anne. It’s the dream apartment I always wanted as a single woman living in the city. I love the small, quirky details that make this place so uinique to me and am constantly grateful that I get to live here: leaky kitchen sink and all. One of the things that I love so much are the vintage mailboxes just outside of my apartment door in the foyer. I love the labels with our last names stuck to the glass fronts and the squeaky noises each one makes before snapping shut every time someone closes them. When I come home from work each afternoon, I head straight for the mailboxes to see if I happened to receive anything fun. I pause, open the mailbox and then quietly listen as I hear Stella meowing at the door for her afternoon snack.
She knows my footsteps well.
For the past two weeks my life has been in utter disarray. It seems that when work goes well, my apartment projects slide to the side. When my social life picks up, the dry cleaning stays in the backseat of the car and eventually becomes a mobile closet. When I finally start exercising, my meal choices become Stouffer’s microwave lasagna.
For two weeks now my dry cleaning has piled up to the point that I literally did not know what I could wear when I woke up every morning. I rely on several staples to make it through the week and when all but one or two of them are too wrinkled or soiled to make it through one more conference call, I panic but improvise.
Behold, my latest creation scraped from clothing found two seasons ago. I was proud.
Pink button down: J. Crew, thrifted
Gray sweater: Banana Republic sale rack (I think I paid $9 for it.)
Pants: J. Crew City Fit trouser, tailored to fit
Shoes: Black patent Ivanka Trump (They look great on my feet but they are by far the worst heels I’ve ever worn.)
Necklace: J. Crew Fall 2010
Happy Monday to you.
This week is a week of all sorts of busyness for me. This weekend is our annual company retreat. It’s a no work, all play, eat – drink -be merry weekend where we celebrate working hard and playing hard together. Two of my teammates run the entire weekend so it’s all hands on for the rest of us– it will be a blast. Even more exciting is that on Tuesday, I celebrate my 1 year anniversary with my company. That won’t really contribute anything on the list of to dos that I need to accomplish this week, but it’s worth noting in the mix somewhere. An old college roommate and I used to say to each other “A year ago today…” and then we’d pause and try to remember where we were that day just one year prior. It was a fun game and one that I keep doing every so often to check in with myself: where have I come from and where do I want to go. Often, if I can’t remember what I was doing on that day just one year prior, I can at least tell you what I was doing or where I was going at some point during that week. It keeps things into perspective quite easily.
A year ago this week I was settling into my new apartment, still coming off of my high from spending a week in Maui alone and nervously anticipating the start of my first full time job in three years. My company was my first choice out of all of the ones that I interviewed with and as I settled into my first week of work, I quickly realized that the learning curve before me was a bit steeper than originally anticipated. I love a good challenge in life and this job has certainly fulfilled that desire. Even more exciting for me is that I work with really amazing people and am grateful to be with a company that places an equal amount of importance on the bottom line as they do cultivating an amazing company culture.
In a nutshell, happy anniversary to me in a job I like.
Over the weekend a friend helped me cross off a major “to do” on my Seattle bucket list: swim in Seattle. We are surrounded by water in this city and until Saturday, I have not had the opportunity to even dip my sweet little toes into anything liquid outside of my bathtub since moving here in 2007. Bravely, I held onto an inflatable noodle, slid into Lake Washington and immersed myself into some of the coldest water I’ve ever encountered in my life, save for the Itchetucknee River in Florida.
I even dunked my head underwater once.
Have a great week.
Before the plunge
A few links for your Monday.
- Cool storage ideas. Thanks, Mom.
- Recently purchased this dress for the company retreat. Last week it was 30% off and they honored the price post-sale to give me a refund. Yet another reason why I love this company.
- I have always wanted to look this effortless at the beach. After many failed tries, I have yet to nail it. For some reason, the sweat, the humidity and an overall desire for plunging myself head first into the waves prevent me from keeping this look but somehow, there are women on this earth who can do it. One day, I will join them.
- As expensive as my taste is, I have little desire to live in a large, spacious home, though I appreciate them and am fascinated by what people do with such large spaces. Give me something manageable to maintain on my own and I’ll take the rest of the savings and put it towards investing in my closet.
It would be redundant to start another post in this series with the sentence: Where did last month go?
But really, is it time for Fall already? I’ve pretty much resigned my soul to the fact that summer will never happen this year. And alas, even as I type this, Seattle is experiencing 70 degree weather and sunny days.
Finally.
Last month was full of surprises for me…it was a nice change to a rather slow summer.
Drinks with one of my favorite teams at work -- and, with my good friend Dan
Ice cream Saturday nights
Crowded elevator
Creepy basement at work
I love the view of the Federal Building's windows and the pattern it makes on the sides.
I am a terrible lover. The anniversary of my move to Seattle came and left without so much as a peep from me last week and I am mortified. How can I ever make it up to my city that I love so much?
Four years ago my father and I began a seven day journey from my small hometown in Georgia to Seattle so that I could start graduate school one week later. It was a decision I made just four months prior and while it made no sense at all, I knew it was the right thing to do. I talked earlier last month about my desire to take more road-trips years ago and this one was quite the bucket list accomplishment. I’ve share enough about my move to Seattle over the course of my blog so I feel a bit foolish repeating myself yet again. But it was an unforgettable trip. As we drove into Seattle and promptly met my new roommate at my new apartment on Greenwood Avenue, I had no idea that the next four years would be enough twists and turns, ups and downs, to make me more than happy to say goodbye to my twenties and eagerly embrace the next decade.
I absolutely can’t believe I am now entering my fifth year in this city.
Seattle and I, like most relationships, have had a lot to work out. It was love at first sight for me. I was attracted to its beauty, its openness (of the mountain passes and the perspectives) and of the possibility of a new experience that might be amazing if I would just rid myself of most of what I owned and moved 2,902 miles across the continent. Not once have I regretted this decision. I have, however, struggled with Seattle’s flagrant disregard for wearing white before Easter and its inability to RSVP properly for any given event.
Maybe one day we will see eye to eye on these details.
I love Seattle and the things I have experienced. While an Iced Venti 7 pump Classic Black Tea from Starbucks will never, ever be a real sweet tea, I have come to appreciate that this city has wooed me with its charm. I love that each neighborhood has its own library, farmer’s market, favorite breakfast spot and corner grocer. I love that though this town is far larger than my hometown in Georgia, it never fails that it is possible to run into someone you know or to be networked in with someone you need to meet. I love that the summer sunsets are still dwindling at 9 PM and that happy hours have some of the best ingredients for a theological discussion with friends. I love that while I might not agree with everyone I meet, there is tolerance for those opinions to exist and a chance that I might need to hear what the other person is saying.
I love the fresh salmon, the bouquets of flowers at Pike Place Market and my favorite pizza parlor on Alki Beach that overlooks Elliot Bay sunsets over the Olympic Mountains. I love that I’ve never been out on the water in Seattle, that my body has never worn a bathing suit in this state and that these two things combined only fuels my desire to one day cross that off my Seattle list of things to do and then write about it on this blog. I love this city and am blessed to be here at this time in my life.
Happy Thursday.
This past weekend I went with my girlfriend Talitha to Sway and Cake next to Nordstrom downtown to see if I could spend my Groupon on something fun for our company retreat in two weeks.
As I went through the gorgeous, but very pricey selections, I decided to wait to use my Groupon on something for later in the fall and finished getting ready in the dressing room before heading over to J. Crew to order my trusty final sale back up.
Pictures to come. I’m praying it fits.
As I went to put on my pants, I was both mortified and filled with hysterical laughter to find a huge rip in an unflattering part of the jeans. Just that morning I took these pants, my favorite skinny jeans, out of the trunk of my car in a bag for Goodwill and decided to give them another shot. Between shrinkage from the wash and the couple of pounds I’ve gained over the year, I knew, just knew, that these jeans were begging to rip soon. Hence the decision to send them away from my closet and out of sight for future tempting wears. They were not a safe choice anymore, but Lord knows I love to take some risks now and then.
I absolutely must start listening to that little voice in my gut better.
So I did what any confident fashion lover would do. I asked my girlfriend if it was obvious that I had a massive rip in my jeans. And after be assured it was, in fact, not obvious at all, I proudly walked out of Sway and Cake onto 5th Avenue and off to Barney’s, Nordstrom Rack and J. Crew to finish my searches.
I had more shopping to do, of course, and a little rip in my pants wasn’t going to keep me from it. After all, they were my favorite jeans and we deserved one last go of it together.
So here’s my last picture of the pair of jeans that took me through a fantastic 2.5 years of memories. They were worth every $200 from the gift card I used to buy them. Best thing an ex-boyfriend ever gave me.
I had a fabulous weekend. Fabulous. I don’t know if I’ve had this much fun in a long, long time. I hung out late, slept in and ate great food — it was a much needed break in my busy schedule.
Bruch with girlfriends with one of the best lattes in Seattle at B & O Espresso.
Ray LaMontagne at the Key Arena for Bumbershoot 2011 with a friend.
Playing tourist at Pike Place Market with a friend from a wedding years ago.
Grabbing the last summer flowers while out on a sunny Labor Day.
Taking a walk around the block with the twins I used to nanny.
House sitting for the most adorable dog ever
Anything fun for you this weekend? Until then, a couple links for your morning coffee…juice…Coca-Cola.
- Gorgeous headboad ideas that keep me inspired to finish my bedroom.
- Proof that my expensive taste is by nature and not by nurture: I smelled the most wonderful perfume on a girl Saturday and immediately asked her what she was wearing. Of course it’s from Barney’s and obviously it’s $250 a bottle. Why can’t I just like things from Walgreen’s?
- Great tips on living in small spaces by one of my favorite bloggers.
Recently I was going through an old folder of random papers in my file basket when I came across a partially completed list titled “100 Things I want to do.” Written sometime around 2003 or 2004, I almost threw it in the pile to be recycled when I decided to glance over the list one last time. While I only wrote down 28 things, I was amazed as I read over what my hand had written almost 7 years ago. Over the years, I forgot 80% of what was written on that list yet I had completed 6 of them in the last 4 years. It’s funny how life works that way. When I wrote the list, I was desperately looking for a new job and it was a very difficult time in my life. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing and life certainly wasn’t going the way I had imagined it would at that age.
I was astounded to be looking at what I wrote.
Some of my favorites:
- Move away from my hometown
- Own a gray, fluffy kitty
- Learn to be happy/content/settled
- Go to Lake Ohrid, Macedonia again
- Own a small, “homey” brick home
- Take road-trips a lot.
- Buy a Jeep Wrangler
While I haven’t forgotten that I wanted to move away from my hometown or my dream of owning a red brick home with a white porch to sit on in the summers (front, back, wrap-around — doesn’t matter), I did forget that that at one point in my life, road trips were merely a dream for me. And I laugh to think that when I found Stella at the Bellevue Humane Society, I had wished for a gray kitten years before as a broke college graduate trying to make her rent of $265 a month.
Yes. You read that correctly, $265 a month. My landlord was a Godsend.
Since I was in high school, I have read thousands of pages on how to live life and live it well. Some call them self-help books, I prefer to call them by their titles. When reading those books wasn’t enough for me, I found someone that I could pay to tell me how to do it. And when I got desperate, I got a degree that studied other people’s ideas of what a good life looks like. Changing, evolving, creating and being are things I have spent my entire life learning how to do.
Life is really difficult. Really difficult. And for my own personal reasons I choose to leave much of those parts of my life off the internet for now. But I will acknowledge that beyond the cute couches and new J. Crew outfits and fun little posts about my Seattle happy hour adventures, I have things that hurt, that ache and that don’t go the way I planned for them. Perhaps one day I will engage them online and use it for something greater than myself. Yet while life is hard, I do believe that beauty can come from those difficult places. When I go through a difficult time, almost always there is something good that grows from that place and I have finally learned to be grateful for what I am taught, though I do not believe it means the bad things were supposed to happen to me. In the midst of death, lost friendships, break-ups, moving and sadness, I have learned that even in my loss and pain, there is hope that something redemptive will come from it. So sitting on my bed on Alden Avenue in a small town in south Georgia, I had no idea where my life was headed. I had a college degree, six months abroad as a missionary and no prospects for a job except for part-time work as a babysitter and front desk receptionist at a fitness facility. While I knew I was created to do more that those two things, I had little direction or conviction for what was next. So I wrote a list to help me dream.
I am grateful beyond grateful to be where I am today: mostly happy, very healthy and feeling the most comfortable I’ve ever felt in my own skin. I still have difficult times, unfulfilled hopes and dreams that feel like they will never come true. But I am mostly content and grateful to have experienced the things that have happened to me in my 20s.
Psychologists, executive coaches, financial advisers, artists and wild dreamers all agree on one thing: There is something that happens when we write down our goals, dreams and ambitions. Whether you are writing down a debt repayment plan, your career goals, your broad life ambitions, places you’d like to travel or things you’d like to own — there is something that happens when we take it out of our thoughts and into the concrete pen and paper. Something changes in our psyche and we are suddenly aware of how those things are already happening in our life. So you write down a random desire to travel to Africa. Next week a random friend hands you a travel book on Kenya. Reading the book at a coffee shop leads to a conversation about another patron’s recent trip to South Africa. Exchanged email addresses with that person lead to a new friendship. And that friendship leads to a travel partner two years later for an African safari to stay at their aunt’s place for free. Things happen when we write them down. And I believe it because I’ve seen it happen in my own life.
Tell me, what is it you wish to do with your one wild and precious life? Mary Oliver
It’s been a while for this series and I must admit, though it’s one of my favorites, it does take the most thought when crafting my my next post. I love this blog regular mainly because I get the chance to interview people who intrigue me, inspire me and challenge me. Whether it’s their zest for knowledge, love of etiquette, a natural penchant for hosting great barbeques or effortlessly lighting up a room when they walk in, I am drawn to the people I interview and want to share with you what I see in them. They choose to eat well, dress well, decorate well, read well, listen well…they live with intention, with creativity and with zeal for life. I love being inspired and in turn, inspiring others with what I am moved by in life. When I get to do this, it gives me a kind of meaning and purpose for why I am on this earth. I find joy in connecting our souls with the beauty this world has to offer.
So to kick my series back off, I thought I would start with Katie. Katie was in high school when I was the middle school youth director at my home church. There’s a bit of an age difference between us but it continues to amaze me that she’s really an adult now. Her infectious smile, gorgeous blond curls and vivacious laugh from her high school days have always stayed with her and it’s a joy to see her every Christmas Eve at Candlelight Communion. She currently lives in New York City, is an assistant buyer for a large department store (sigh) and has a gorgeous apartment that would make any SATC fan jealous. With that, I’ll pass it off to Katharine to give you a taste of what it’s like to be fantastic, young and living in NYC.
I will never forget the day you told me you were applying to NYU. A ping of jealousy (the good kind) pricked my little heart as I longed for the opportunity to study at such a prestigious university…and in such an amazing city. What was it like coming from south Georgia to New York City? What were your favorite parts about studying there?
I remember move-in day Freshman year at NYU. I felt like a science project. Everyone kept staring at me and all the young guys were in awe. On the elevator up to see my dorm room for the first time, I had a group of people who asked me to stay with them for a while, because they just wanted to hear me talk. They just wanted to hear me speak, of anything, about anything, for any duration. My sweet southern accent was something of amazement for them. I just thought everyone was out of their minds.
My first day of work that September, I used the expression “Yes Maam” to my boss and referred to her as Miss Annette. “Do not ever say that to me,” she instructed. She was disgusted. Apparently I just added thirty years to her age without realizing it. New Yorkers are appalled at the phrases “Yes, Maam”, “No Sir”, and the added “Mr.” or “Miss” to their first name, whereas back home, my parents would be appalled if I didn’t use those phrases in their presence. Actually, I would probably be shut out of town in south Georgia if I didn’t use those terms of cordiality. In Georgia, smiling, waving and saying hello to strangers is expected. In NY, people do not accept this gesture, instead they clutch their handbags and hold their children close out of fear, possibly thinking “Is this woman crazy?”
Needless to say, the transitions were never smooth nor quick. However, the endurance and perseverance proved golden when I soaked up my new NYC opportunities-studying in Central Park on Saturdays listening to men earning coins in their top hats from playing ancient New Orleans Jazz songs on their saxaphone, having class in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and having late night study sessions in Greenwich Village with the most eccentric group of 18-22 year olds you could possibly find in America. Being odd was the norm. Looking outrageous was never outlandish. And the Devil Wears Prada was not a movie, it was your everyday existence as every college girl in NYC had the most sought after fashion internships. Bazaar, Vogue, Donna Karan, this was not your normal college experience. This was a dream.
Like me, you live in a part of the country that is vastly different from where you grew up. What do you miss most about the South?
The people. I recently went down south on vacation and was reminded of the sweet voices, the polite nods, the gentlemanly hands that held open the door, and oh, that southern drawl. In the south, respect never goes out of style. And, the food. You simply cannot resist the sweet taints of the perfect peach pie on a summer’s afternoon, the best fried chicken you can get your greasy hands on, and the staple of hospitality. Southern hospitality means being polite, but hospitality is a word that is equivalent with food. Everyone is always baking and cookin’ up something good for their friends, family and neighbors.
I once saw a picture of your apartment pop up on my Facebook page and my jaw literally dropped. How on earth do you finance such a gorgeous place? I must know your tricks.
First, having a good apartment takes time and patience. I refuse to allow something in my apartment unless I fall madly in love with it. I will have an empty corner in my living room until I find something fabulous to put in the space. I don’t believe in “Oh, that’ll do until we get something better.”
Second, it takes good vision and never deterring from that vision. My current apartment evolved from a beautiful teal color etched in a tea set I found in London during my time there. I thought it was the perfect pop of color when I found it and from there had everything revolved around that color.
Third, get creative and be bold! I painted one wall of my living room that perfect pop of teal and created a coffee table by cutting glass and laying it over a zebra trunk. In addition, knowing your own style, and your own personality, is key. Your home should reflect who you are as a person. I personally love decorating my place with little things I pick up from my travels abroad. It always provides a backdrop for great stories and reflects a bit of my eccentric personality.
Lastly, don’t be a décor snob. I will pick up a fabulous piece because I love it, no matter the store it comes from –Target, Pier One, and yes even Ikea.
I would die to do a studio swap with you…me to NYC for a weekend and you to Seattle. I would certainly leave you a long list of places to visit. Since it would basically be my first real trip to NYC, where would you tell me to eat, visit and play?
First, I would tell you to come to NY in October. Autumn in New York is magical. I would tell you to eat, play, and visit places that tourists have never heard of. The worst thing you can do when you visit NY is follow the Frommer’s guide to NY and most importantly, never find yourself in the middle of Times Square.
My favorite thing to do in NY is to wander throughout the various neighborhoods. Watch the locals. Buy a good book from one of the last locally owned bookstores in the West Village, head to Washington Square Park and read by the fountain watching the NYU students intermingle. Take a shopping detour through SoHo, walking its cobblestone streets. Take a vast long run around Central Park’s reservoir, watching the sun set as the famous West Side luxury apartment towers cast their lofty shadows over the park. Eat at the MOMA’s Modern restaurant, as you peer out the windows to the famous sculpture garden. Sit on the steps of the Met and cross over to Lincoln Center for the legendary Swan Lake (my favorite!). Enjoy brunch al fresco in the Village at Extra Virgin or the many other lovely cafes on West Fourth Street. Put on your favorite heels and LBD for the Lower East Side or Meatpacking, order a dirty martini, and let the city that never sleeps fill your night with surprises, because every day in New York brings on a new unexpected companion and unforeseen adventure.
How do you choose something to wear? Are you influenced by color, trends, labels, cut or something else?
I refuse to live by labels. I believe that finding clothes that flatter your figure is essential. Choose colors, shades and styles that accentuate your best features and also add flare to your personal style. Are you a skinny or flare jeans girl? Are you a scoop neck or v-neck? Do you like dresses that pinch at the waste or ones that make your hips dissolve like the uber 60s shift? Do you look dashing in pink? Or, is a blue hue your best friend? You should be able to answer these questions wholeheartedly. Choosing your clothes should all be dependent on your own personal style. Figure out what that is for you!
My own style would be described as very romantic, ladylike and feminine. This works for me because I hues of plum, lavender, Bordeaux (reflective of ladylike luxury!) all work well with my skin tone and hair color. I love to accentuate my hips and waste (think of 1950’s party dresses) because those are the cuts that work best with my body. Anything with lace, ribbons, bows, ruffles, or floral has my name written all over it. However, I pull it off by trying to pair something modern with my ultra feminine pieces. I can always be found in heels (no matter the walking distance) and I LIVE by color. NY is a dark cloud of noir, so I try to stand out with my colorful pieces. I hardly own any black at all! It’s just too depressing. If I had a label that fit me, it would be Christian Dior! It shows off a historic opulence and freedom of expression all while befitting the most ladylike woman.
What is it like working as an assistant buyer for a large…and very popular…department store?
In my day to day job, I wear many hats in many different roles. An Assistant Buyer will attend market, visiting various showrooms in the Garment District to choose and select the upcoming season’s merchandise. We have to pay very close attention to trends- watching what people wear on the streets and studying what was on the runways, so we can ultimately give men & women the luxury they desire. We place trends in the market to give consumers that little bit of happiness when they stand before the mirror feeling like a new person, all because of a dress, bracelet or shoes. That is the fun part, but there is much that goes on behind the scenes: we decide what price the merchandise will be sold for, we decide when the merchandise will go on sale and get marked down, we play a significant role in marketing and advertising the products, and most importantly, we analyze the business to see what styles are selling. We have to decide what colors and styles will sell in certain areas of the country. What sells in Atlanta, GA is very different than what sells in Santa Monica, California, so we take that into consideration when we choose which styles (and how many of each style) get allocated to each store.
For my own division, we design and create a lot of the merchandise ourselves, because it is private label. We choose styles, cuts, and colors, and like a puzzle piece, put all sorts of inspired ideas together to create a line that our customer wants. This involves lots and lots of samples going back and forth! We also pair very closely to the sales associates in the stores. I love to help put merchandise on the floors and interact with customers when I have a free moment in a busy day. It is very fast paced and sometimes stressful, but it is very rewarding when you see girls on the streets of NY wearing the clothes you are putting into the stores.
You can take a girl out of the South but you can’t take the South out of the girl. What pieces of “southernness” have you held onto after moving to NYC and why?
I refuse to lose my soft spokeness (no matter how many times it goes against the grain of aggressive NY) and I refuse to let go of my manners even if it makes me appear naïve. Most importantly, I have to remind myself each day of the “Steel Magnolia” I have inside of me. Because in NY, you have to fight to survive. And all southern women know when to whip out their steel magnolia when its needed!
If you could visit any three cities in the United States, where would you go and why?
- Cape Cod- It’s the quintessential New England beach town.
- San Francisco-perfect blend of west coast art, food and culture.
- Santa Barbara- It’s the polar opposite of New York City.
What’s your signature scent, if you have one?
Ah, a woman always needs a signature scent. My first experience with my favorite scent was in the Piazza Duomo in Florence in Fall of 2006. Viktor & Rolf had just launched their new perfume Flowerbomb. And these Italian girls were dressed up as massive flowers luring everyone into the perfume shop. I smelled it and I’ve been hooked ever since on its feminine sophistication. It’s dramatically alluring for evening and has drawn a magical sweep for many romantic nights in Florence, London and NY.
Top three underrated NY Restaurants. What would you order?
- Red Rooster in Harlem – the fried chicken with gravy.
- Degustation in the East Village – enjoy their tasting menu!
- Po- They have an excellent pasta con guanciale!
Tell us a couple of your favorite quotes.
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the live you have imagined.” –Thoreau
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” -Maya Angelou
“Every man’s life is a fairy tale written by God’s fingers.” Hans Christian Anderson
And finally, the question I leave everyone with, how do you think one creates a fabulous life?
A fabulous is not created from rich clothes or expensive parties. A fabulous life is created from releasing yourself to life’s best adventures. Have a free spirit and see where life takes you. My best memories and adventures have all been from sudden whims and having deep conversations with strangers have created lifelong friendships.
Looking back 40 years from now, you will remember that random vespa ride through the Italian countryside and the excitement it brought. You will remember New Year’s countdown shouting with a million strangers in a random NYC bar. And the time you began conversation at a café with the old lady that led to an invitation at her gallery party. You never know what’s around the corner, if you just unleash yourself out of your comfort zone. It’s the unplanned and unforeseen that you will remember. Take a chance and roll the dice. Don’t worry about your clothes or the food you will eat. Because tomorrow you will forget what you ate and you will forget last season’s fashions…oh, and always bring along a good book.
Hello lovelies,
Welcome to the new My Sundry Musings take two…or is it three now? I’m working to get somethings changed up. My very good work friend Dan helped me get some new things up and running last night but I’ll have the finalized blog up ready by Sunday. Until then, bear with me as the website changes things a bit.
Hi Everyone,
Last week my dear coworker / friend, Dan, helped me do some fancy stuff to my blog. (By the way, if you follow me in Google Reader, be sure to grab my new RSS). He said it would make it better, and so far, the good definitely outweighs the bad. The only hang-up is that I will have to manually transfer each picture from my old blog to my current blog: evidently there isn’t a way to batch transfer it as we had hoped. There are 300 pictures and my goal is to have it all completed by next Sunday.
Wish me luck.
My weekend was relaxing, again: a friend’s birthday party, a wedding, sleeping in. For some reason, this week was a long one and I was happy to have a couple of days to recharge again. Remember my friend Chris? He and Lindsey tied the knot this weekend just one hour south of Canada on a farm. Though I grew up in the south, I’ve never been to a wedding on a farm.
It was everything the blogs make it out to be: a gorgeous red barn with long white curtains to hide the bride before she walked out, boutonnieres with peacock feathers, bouquets of wildflowers, mason jars galore, buffets of BBQ, hay on the floor and guests who were brave enough to wear cowboy boots. It was gorgeous, lovely and happy.
Yay for friends who find a soulmate and little boys who say “Thank you for dancing with me tonight” before you drive away. As my friend Talitha said: some grown men can’t even say that.
Some links for your Monday.
- Kind and respectful ideas for hosting parties without children.
- Very sweet video to Snow Patrol.
- Adorable dog cries after owner returns from one year deployment.
- I kind of sort of might be starting to like them.
Growing up, my parent’s linen closet was a disaster.
Come to think of it, most closets in my house growing up were a disaster save for a few areas that the cleaner family members held sole control. Competing against each other were two sets of people: the mad hatter mess makers (Mom and my brother Kevin) and the OCD police (yours truly and her father). For some reason, my father abdicated most of the house to my mother.
Did he have a choice, really?
The dining room table, the tupperware cabinet and most of the closets in the house (save for my room, my father’s office and his side of the closet) were left to the herds and when things got bad enough, justice prevailed. Once every three or four months, my mother would ask me to organize our linen closet. Filled with towels and sheets and pillows and blankets, this thing was easily 10 feet high and required nimble climbing along the shelves in addition to folding, refolding, stacking and collating of every article in it. I never understood why people just couldn’t fold the towels in half and then in thirds, lines in, edges facing back with no more than three in a stack and 1″ spacing between groupings.
Is it really that hard?
Years have passed and though my mother tells me that no one can organize the shelves like you can, I have long given up the idea that I can change them: the closets or the mad hatters. These days I close my eyes, open the closet, grab a towel and shut the door, never to open it for the rest of my stay.
Thank God I live in Seattle.
I wish I had a before picture of this shelving area in my bed nook but imagine it with long chocolate curtains hanging from the ceiling to just above the dresser. Behind them were my towels, sheets and any random storage boxes that I couldn’t find a place for elsewhere. Because space is limited and there are only so many areas of your house you can focus on at once during your first year in a new place, I often shoved things behind the curtains and only prayed they wouldn’t fall behind the dresser. Even though the curtains hid the mess, I knew what was there. And that can only hold off the OCD for so long.
Behold, my creation. Now excuse me while I go refold that gray hand towel. The lines are on the outside.
I am asked often if I will ever move back to Georgia.
I talk about home, about being southern, about how we do it different were I come from to the point that someone told me at the wedding last weekend that he was really surprised that I didn’t move back to the east coast after graduation last year. The truth is, I do miss it a lot sometimes. And I often wonder why I have those feelings so strongly because I have found it to be just as true that after a week in the South, I am ready to board my plane and head back Seattle, the place I now call home.
I was driving home from a walk around Greenlake on Saturday and couldn’t stop thinking about how much I wish I could have gone home for a week this summer. There is something about being in hot, humid heat in the summer and I miss it so much here in Washington. Seattle’s staunch summer standoff at a average of 60 degrees with little sunlight for two years in a row has really gotten to me. My first two years in graduate school I went down south for a week…or two…each summer and after my third year, I took a trip to Maui — which wasn’t home, but certainly gave me my dose of hot sun, gorgeous sand and endless water. The psychologist in me can’t help but analyze why I think and feel the way I do right now. And the conclusion I finally came to reminded me of what one of my favorite professors used to tell us in graduate school: that not matter how difficult our childhoods may have been, we will always long for home, the innocence of childhood and the moments in our life where we experienced peace or contentment.
For me, those times were during the summer where I remember the smells of Coppertone sunscreen, the feeling of sticky popsicles from the Schwann man melting faster than I could eat them and the sound of cicadas so loud that they drowned out the noise of any midnight creaks in the house. I miss the summers of my adolescence when my church youth group spent a hot Sunday afternoon at the lake and feeling like the ultimate cool kid while taking my friend Carrie down Ashley Street to the DQ drive-through for a tart, purple Mr. Misty slushy. Most especially I miss the summers of my 20s where we had the energy to drive the three hours to St. Simons Island and back all in one day for the 4th of July, the feeling of warm tanned skin after a day of laying on the beach in Destin with my boyfriend and long drives on country roads with the windows rolled down on a hot night — AC blasting — and music turned up loud. While I miss those things of the past, I know that I am where I am supposed to be right now and really do love the place I now call home. But sometimes, I just wish I could go home for a Sunday afternoon to sit by a pool and dip my toes in the cold, blue water.
So in honor of the summer I didn’t get to have, I thought I would round up links to my favorite country songs from the past few months and list my favorite lines from each. Turn up your speakers, or plug in your headphones, and enjoy a little background music as you sip your morning coffees and tackle your Outlook inboxes.
Happy Monday.
- Caught up in a southern summer barefoot blue jean night.
- A little tan leg Georgia dream.
- Sing to me babe I’ll be your dashboard drummer.
Oh, and since most of you just want pretty pictures anyways, here’s a few from my Friday night at a concert that Holly, Talitha and Naomi played at Street Bean in Belltown.
I was telling some co-workers this week that Thursdays are my favorite day of the week. I remember very clearly the night I realized it in undergrad as I sat down to watch ER one Thursday night in my apartment.
I sighed and thought “The week is over. I made it.”
If you can make it to Thursday night, you can make it to Friday. And since Friday is pretty much the weekend already, you might as well start it the night before on Thursday.
That’s my reasoning.
Last night I went to a quick happy hour with some co-workers and got to know some new people. I think what I have loved most about my first year out of graduate school is the feeling of falling in love with this city all over again. I see a new side of it now that I’m not cramming in papers between babysitting jobs and trying to keep my head above water managing classes, studies, internships and a small, very humble social life.
I almost don’t know what to do with myself.
It was a gorgeous afternoon and the ambiance was really fun. We sat on the Hard Rock Cafe rooftop at Pike Place and watched the sun set as we debated the age of a hot lawyerly looking guy standing in the corner. In a wild moment, I nearly abandoned my southern roots to walk over and hand him my number.
Then someone said he looked like he was 24. Not happening.
Happy Friday.
Shirt: fLuxus (purchased at Covet in Portland)
Pants: White linen, J. Crew
Shoes: Tory Burch (thrifted)
Channeling: J.Lo circa Jenny From the Block or, a Miami housewife. Whichever is classier.
Hair: Pre-Chi
It’s official: Lame post week.
I have been in such a design rut lately that I haven’t been able to come up with any posts to talk about for my blog. I’m mostly discouraged at how over budget I am with my headboard and feel like I can’t do anything else until my bed is complete. It was supposed to easily cost no more than $200 for the entire project. At $78 a yard for my number one fabric choice, a teal velvet, I have come to a standstill. Hopefully I can remedy this soon.
Until then.
Isn’t it funny, though, that I just bought a new couch and now I’m already on to the next thing? It’s like I can’t enjoy one project without moving on to the newest project. Maybe I should work on that…
Until I find some new projects, I’ll leave you with a Stella update. Stellars has been unusually vocal lately, but seems quite taken with her new summer hairdo at the groomers and is looking great with her new weight-loss regime. I took some pictures with her this week and thought I’d share.
Stella absolutely hates to be held and was taken back to the Humane Society twice for “aggressive outbursts” with previous owners.
She behaved for the first picture.
Not so much for the second. She swatted at my face shortly after this.
I’ll stick to patting her head and feeding her three small meals a day.
Have a great Wednesday.
About a year and a half ago someone gave me the infamous Keep Calm Carry On poster that Great Britain designed as a morale booster during the days leading up to WWII. I’ve loved it for years and watched as it gained popularity among many interior designers a couple of years ago. The day I heard a blogger claim that it was one of the most overused posters in the design world, I was indignant. Clearly she didn’t know a classic when she saw one.
Whatever her reason, it wasn’t until this summer that I finally framed it. Part of the reason for the long wait was that I couldn’t find a frame that fit the European size poster. The person who got it for me bought it from the source, of course. Where else would you get my Keep Calm poster? Certainly not in the States.
I searched high. I searched low. I went to Ikea. I went to local framers. I could not find a frame, unless I had one custom made for a fortune.
Then I got the brilliant idea…why not put it in the frame I already had for it and buy a mat?
Yeah, it took me this long to figure it out. I have a coupon I’ll use next weekend and make it a Labor Day project.
Happy Thursday. It’s the best day, you know.
Happy Monday! Ever have one of those really fun weekends where you need another weekend to recover from it all? I haven’t had one of those in a long time. I spent time out with co-workers and friends on Friday night and then danced my little fanny off until very, very late Saturday night. My sunny Sunday afternoon was spent recouping on the open patio of a mexican restaurant — it was a great weekend.
Have a great Monday and get ready for the long weekend! Five days and counting…
It’s a short list today:
- J.Crew uses Russian ballerinas to model their new catalogue. Could they market themselves to me any better?
- Coca-cola cupcake recipe sent to me from Rebecca. Must. Make. Them.
- I’m on an inspiration kick lately. Great post on creative evolution by one of my favorite photographers.
