Breast Cancer Awarness Month

It's October, which means it's Breast Cancer Awareness month. This subject is near and dear to me as two very influential women in my life had and beat breast cancer, in large part to their outstanding attitudes. Positivity people, it makes a tremendous difference! I was thrilled to learn that Chloe + Isabel, the jewelry company I merchandize for, would be doing their part and supporting the cause, with your help! They put together a great little collection from which all net proceeds will go to the Young Survivor Coalition.

This really inspired me to do my part too! In honor of the foundation, I will be doing a giveaway of ANY piece of Chloe + Isabel jewelry with a value of $25 or less to whichever one of my customers purchases the most from my Positively Pink collection!  So you buy gorgeous jewels while supporting the cause, and in turn I reward you with a little gift :) The sale runs through October 31st at 9pm EST and I will notify the winner on November 1st!

You can shop by following this link: Chloe + Isabel  and purchasing pieces from the Positively Pink collection which is the third collection from the left in my boutique.

Thank you in advance for supporting such a great cause and good luck!

Dorm Kitchen Fun

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So I'm back in the dorms... a blessing and a curse! It's awesome because I am literally a one minute walk from all my classes, but it's a bummer because it means I am in Boston, far, far away from San Francisco and my favorite person in the world. So while my space is quite nice and I don't have to share it with anyone, it is rather vanilla. I'm only here for three months so I needed a cheap, quick, non-permanent fix! Enter the Dollar Tree, the BEST dollar store around! They sell sticky paper for $1 a roll in some pretty fetching patterns ;) Well, I found one that wasn't too offensive, grabbed a few rolls and.....
TADA!!!

Boring kitchen cabinets no more! Since this paper is cheap, it isn't too sticky. It totally stays up, but it also comes down soooo easily and leaves absolutely NO residue behind. I can attest to that since I had this stuff up in my last place for four months and had no issues whatsoever removing it at the end of my stay.

Since the cabinets have raised trim and an inset, it made it very easy to stick the paper into the center and xacto knife off the excess.

The little baby oven (that can scarcely fit a cookie sheet) looks way more adorable with some black and white floral! I think so anyway... I mean a little tacky, sure, but it beats boring dorm decor in my opinion and only cost two bucks.

So once this kitchen was looking pretty cute, the rest of the room looked even more sad and lonely. I always think a headboard makes a room about one thousand times more cozy, so this paper came to the rescue again by cutting out a cute shape and slapping it up on the wall. I love how it turned out and think it makes my bed the focal point of the room like it should be.

Again, slightly tacky, but dorm appropriate. I'm trying my best to enjoy what could possibly be the last time I ever have a space all to myself. :) Happy weekend!

Pop-Up Success

So I officially have my first Chloe + Isabel pop-up shop under my belt, thanks to my excellent host, Alyssa. Do I have pictures? Umm...no. Sorry! I was just so busy meeting really sweet girls, talking jewelry, design and everyone's favorite city, SF! It was honestly such a blast, I completely forgot I was technically "working." Alyssa was truly the hostess with the mostess. She was all over wine and cheese duty and was like an old pro showing off the C + I necklace she chose to wear that night. Next time though, I promise there will be pics to share. Which brings me to next time...

This Sunday I will be participating in C + I's first ever National Pop-Up Party. I am lucky enough to be partnering with Trish from Mimi's on Union. Before we talk jewelry and clothes though, let's talk Trish. I met her and her girls when I first moved here last year and began babysitting for them. Devin and Chelsea (funny name coincidence!) are so well behaved, sweet and really care about one another. I love them to pieces and it's no wonder considering they were raised by Trish. She is one of those people who is always just genuinely happy no matter what is tossed her way. She knows how to roll with the punches and keep moving forward while inspiring others to always put their best foot forward. Genuine, sweet and insightful, what more could you want?! Her clothing boutique on Union Street in San Francisco is beautifully curated with some amazing and unique pieces that customers just gush over. While I still babysit, I now also work at the store part time and am actually working with Trish on a re-brand that will include a web site! All very exciting. So this Sunday please join us at 2133 Union Street to shop clothes as well as Chloe + Isabel jewelry! It will be an event to remember, I can promise you that. Hope to see you there!

Happy Summer!

Oh hello there, is it seriously nearly August?! Holy cow, how the time goes... oh jeez now I sound like my Nana....

But ya, this summer is flying. You know how so many times you think, oh when this ends I'll have so much more time on my hands and I'll tackle lots of stuff that has been on the back burner, and then in reality you are just as busy, only with different things? Well, that's how this summer has been. But, I do still have some news to share. I recently became a merchandiser for a super sweet company called Chloe + Isabel. They make some gorgeous jewelry, all designed and manufactured in the one and only NYC. I am having my launch party this Wednesday and am super excited, but also totally nervous. I decided to do a black and white theme for this party to keep it simple and whipped up this little mood board to get me started. My friend Alyssa agreed to be my guinea pig and is acting as host for this little shindig. Of course she will be getting plenty of compensation, i.e free Chloe + Isabel jewels!

Wish you could be a part of the fun? No problem, just virtually shop the pop-up shop at Alyssa's this Wednesday starting at 6:30pm PCT (9:30 EST) by following this link! Simple, ya? Enjoy your week!

Catalog

Though this was an assigned project, it became very personal pretty quickly.  The goal was to catalog different collections and passions that were personal to us and reasons why we had become designers in the first place.  I hardly realized how many things influenced my designs until I began the project.  The catalog is an origami folded accordion that is double sided.  It is really enjoyable to look at and unfolds in an organic manner, much like each event, artist, or interest links organically to one another.

Lovely Sunday

Jaho goodies

Fresh nails

Finals are breathing down my neck, so my Sunday was filled with little treats like a delish grand mocha orange latte from the neighborhood coffee shop Jaho for me and a black eye for the roomie.  How cute are those coffee sleeves?  I then decided to take a break from working on projects to paint my nails.  I did a base coat of Secret Admirer from Orly's Love Collection.  It's a nice peachy nude perfect for spring.  Then I went back with Goldeneye by OPI.  It's from their metallic collection and is my favorite glitter polish.  It goes on smooth and gives you solid coverage within a coat or two.  I took some inspiration from Pinterst (of course) and did a fun angled french manicure.  I don't know about you, but freshly painted nails always helps me feel super put together, which is exactly what I need being so swamped with work this week!  Wish me luck.

Something pretty

The hope that spring is just around the corner...  Talk about a blah Monday, I desperately needed this pick-me-up.  This photo belongs to gracefullady so be sure to check out her flickr for some more gorgeous spring photos.

Featured Designer

I recently had to feature a graphic designer that inspires me for a class project, and in an instant I knew I would choose Breanna.  She is a full time freelance graphic designer at the young age of 24, has a killer aesthetic and has already accomplished so much in her career.  I put together the following layout to tell her story, feature three of her projects, and to explain how she inspires my own work.   Check out her blog here, or check out the rest of her portfolio here!

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder...

Image source: Young House Love

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  Being bi-coastal from the love of your life on this day is like salt in the wound to a long distance relationship.  But luckily spring break is just around the corner!  In the meantime I've found other things to crush on... why wear your heart on your sleeve when it could be on your lobes in mint? Or around your finger crown style... or slung around your neck for a casual vibe...

Mint green heart studs by Dariami

Queen of Hearts band ring from debblazer 

 Sideways Heart necklace via MinimalVS

All of these jewels were found through Etsy, one of my favorite sites for adorable, personalized dainty jewelery.  Tons of great gifts for friends, family and of course yourself.  Enjoy your day and spread the love.

Branding and Buttons

Since school is dominating my life as of late, designing for leisure has fallen by the wayside.  So instead I thought I'd share what I am working on in one of my classes right now.  I'm in the process of creating a website to relay information about concussions to coaches and parents of players involved in youth sports, as well as to the young players themselves.  Besides working out the logistics of informational hierarchy, I got started developing the look and feel of the site.  The voice is meant to be a friendly and informative neighbor with a medical background.  The colors are cool and casual with a little pop, and the graphic style is simple and clean with a human touch.  The top three buttons will live as a top toggle style navigation, while the rectangular tabs will exist on the left side and fill with color when engaged.  I'm excited to be working on an interactive project and can't wait to see how it all comes together!  As a side note, go 49ers!!  Really missing SF this weekend.

 

Sound to the Bay: A logo

I recently completed this logo for blogger Lauren Ann of sound to the bay, a gorgeous lifestyle blog filled with inspiration for days.  Her taste is impeccable and her personality is exactly what you'd want in a friend.  I would know since I'm lucky enough to know her in real life!  Our lives have over lapped through sports, siblings and her various family members being my teachers over the years.  We finally met through our significant others a few years ago who happen to be best friends.   Small world, eh?  LA was beyond easy to work with since she's a girl who knows what she likes and has no problem articulating it.  A girl after my own heart :)  Check out her blog here, and stay warm!

2013, Off and Running

Happy Happy New Year!  A bit delayed, I know.  I was down in Key Largo with the boyf and a crazy assortment of his family.  This Key Lime Colada was heaven while I lounged in a hammock and caught some sun!

We had a blast at the Full Moon party when we first arrived, an awesome celebration that included fire dancers, fireworks, and the infamous mason jugs of Pier's Punch.  They were equally as delicious as they were deadly!  But before this wonderful trip I had to say goodbye to my favorite city and my home for the past seven months... cue the tears...

We made sure to squeeze in a trip to House of Air before we left.  House of Air is basically a giant building filled with trampolines where you can go crazy! (see above pics for proof ;)  I am so going to miss this city, but to ease the pain of departure, I had the wonderful holidays to enjoy with my family when I arrived back on the East Coast.  Plus I heard the wonderful news that my big sis will be relocating from Tampa to NYC!  Yipeee!!! We took a stroll in the freezing cold to celebrate, naturally. (yes we all seemed to have brought our wine glass with us on said walk hehe)

I enjoyed some gingerbread house decorating with my sis, her boyf, my mom, bill and my Nana.... I guess you could say my sister and I got a little carried away....

My family thoroughly enjoyed me declaring that mine was absolutely gorgeous and perfect while we all decorated... haha.  So then my sister and I joined forces and made that stunner on the right, complete with a dormer window and smokin' chimney!  What a collaboration if I do say so myself!  And then I went from visions of sugar plums to sites of colorful fish, and awesome seashells and coral in the Keys.  We stopped in a garden shop where I saw some pottery with such inspired patterns I just had to whip up a little montage.

And there you have my insane last few weeks in a nut shell.  To add to the madness, I'll be "shipping up to Boston" this weekend and starting classes on Monday... so I'll take this moment to apologize in advance for the silence on the blog!  How crazy were your holidays?