The Resounding 2013

Posted on January 6th, 2013

Of course I say this every year but seriously, where did 2012 go? It feels like just yesterday I was writing an exhaustive list of resolutions for the long year ahead and here we are. In a couple blinks of my eyes, the year 2012 has come and gone. In all honesty, last year’s goals were lofty and most received little to no attention. I am proud to say a few persevered (a new job, discovered a great church, lots of travel, made it to Coachella (queen of American music festivals), nurtured friendships and such) and I am content with the fruits of that labor. Still at the risk of sounding cliché yet again, I’ll shout at the mountaintop, “This is my year!” It is at least markedly different than the last handful in a major way.

In 2013, I’ll focus on actionable goals to steer myself along a more deliberate and purposeful path in life.

If you follow me on Instagram and on Twitter you’ll see that there is no shortage of unforgettable moments. I lead a life full to the brim with laughter, love, a few shenanigans and serious wanderlust. I am passionate about people. I value my close friendships and family and I adore entertaining. In another life I’m pretty sure I was a Southern housewife and hostess whose front door was always open. I am also obsessed with travel; as curious about the local scene in Portland as I am about the wonders of the world, landmarks from D.C. to Paris. Here’s to taking risks and pushing the ol’ comfort zone more this year. The plan is to focus my efforts and seek out opportunities that excite me and pay off my interests in real ways. Just as much dreaming but a lot more doing.

The most exciting part is that I’ll spend a greater amount of time addressing what was the foundation and purpose of starting this blog — uncovering beautiful things, translating life’s richness and lessons to all yes everything. That means remaining faithful and confident about life, my decisions and abilities, my style and point of view and being a tried and true explorer. I will savor opportunity and experiences, that’s where the real art of living is. I’ll use this space as an outlet to document the pursuit of happiness mostly for myself and also for whoever’s paying attention

Expect to read about my journey towards career clarity, my love of food, baking and cleaner, healthier eating. I’m also defining my personal style: plotting a wardrobe intervention, preparing to decorate a new apartment and immersing myself in artsy things (jewelry-making, a little graphic design and floristry on the side). Let’s go back to entertaining. My fascination is likely my mother’s fault because when she invites anyone into her home, everything has to be perfect. So much love, thought and care goes into the experience of “the guest”. Composing magical moments for others, full of authenticity and heartfelt detail is the kind of thing that makes me melt like butter. I have a good feeling about 2013. Yes, yes, y’all. Here we go.

 

 

Image above found here.

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GG-Georgina

Lucite Love

Posted on October 16th, 2012

I’ve been in love with lucite for so long. There are very few trends I’ve been so head over heels for to date but it is a surprisingly timeless pairing and just works in so many ways. Acrylic is the generic term used to describe the clear hard material we all know as lucite or perspex and the material has been around for decades. It’s basically plastic and while that doesn’t sound the least bit chic, I’ve seen so many beautiful examples and classy uses of it that I’m convinced I’d like to try it in my own way.

I’ve spotted handbags and footwear, both high end and low, as well as furniture and other home furnishings. There is something about lucite that is sleek and modern. The transparency allows for combinations with just about any hue and lucite furniture makes spaces look bigger and less crowded. Who hasn’t seen and loved the “Ghost Chair’ by Philippe Stark? It’s been remade and reinterpreted so many times; I almost can’t stand it. However, it took until now for me to be most fascinated by the idea of lucite in statement jewelry pieces. I was utterly spellbound by the sight of a bold lucite bib necklace Georgina wore during Gossip Girl last night (seen above). It was a stark yet eclectic contrast to the gorgeous gown she was wearing. My very first instinct was to check Ebay and Etsy for dirt cheap vintage finds but that proved less fruitful than I had anticipated. There were plenty of interesting goodies but no match. Motivated by way too much time spent gawking at jewels, I decided to check my favorite new go-to, Bauble Bar and it was there I found the object of my affection waiting. The Galactic Gem Bib, a collaboration with Adia Kibur’s Nadia Lee isn’t exactly the same but closer than I could have ever imagined. Could I really be this lucky?

 

 

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There’s No Place Like Zara Home

Posted on October 8th, 2012

As if I didn’t already have a bordering-on-excessive love for all things ZARA, they’ve invaded yet another space in my life. The ZARA HOME line launched in the US and I am smitten; trendy home products with the same standout style we’ve come to expect and love from the  Spanish retail chain. I pulled a few screenshots from the site and put together a quick selection of my favorite picks.

 

  1. Glossy Pillow $35.90, Earth Pillow $79.90
  2. Walton Mirror $79.90
  3. Yeti Throw $189
  4. Marta Rug $189
  5. Fito Dish Towel (pack of 2) $9.90
  6. Miranda Pitcher $79.90
  7. Leire Table $99.90

 

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Thoughts for an Entrepreneur

Posted on October 7th, 2012

Note this is titled ‘Thoughts for…” not by. I am not an entrepreneur. I’m an ad exec. So let’s just say I have no expertise in the matter. I have never worked at a start up or early stage company and I have not yet  taken on a role that has allowed me significant influence on the future of any company. Still, my roles at their core have meant placing all of my bets on my team’s idea and selling our value at every opportunity, organizing teams and resources to get the job done and retaining the trust and support (both emotionally and financially) of deeply invested clients.

 

I believe there is some very formidable overlap between the  account manager and the entrepreneur; the most compelling one, being  the catalyst, activating greatness of  the people around you. However, the risk-taking, experimentation and resilience of the bold entrepreneur whose perceived livelihood depends on the course of her actions and decision-making is oft uncelebrated, undervalued and at times, discouraged by clients. Someday, definitely. I hope to join a start up or established company in a capacity where much of what I had personally done would be to credit for its success but that is still many years away I’m sure. Until then, I am honing my instincts and always looking for an opportunity to express my passions, allow my strategic and creative point-of-view to have some amount of driving force in the business and provide an environment where my competitive spirit, curiosity, emotional intelligence and drive can truly sing. It is literally an everyday search and both an internal and external journey.

 

I happen to be very close to someone who is starting a business after helping to take one from barely more than an idea to a successful, well-known company. That fact alone is humbling because this person is just a year older than I am. They are braving the journey again – from the driver’s seat this time with an idea all their own – and I get the pleasure of watching and hopefully supporting in some tangible way. It can be difficult to know what the right thing to say is or whether to say anything at all. I’ve had to navigate my own insecurities about my accomplishments to date and work through feelings that I had no worthwhile advice to give.  I confronted my own goals and became pretty hard on myself when I realized I’d wandered away from long-held dreams. Hello existential quarter-life crisis, thanks for stopping by! The self doubt rendered me tongue-tied and inarticulate and so I chose to reserve all opinions, never addressing that the journey would absolutely affect them in ways that I would notice and therefore affect me. Shouldering any collateral confusion, excitement or disappointment is part of deeply committing to another human experience. Truthfully, it’s been a pretty inspiring and motivating thing to witness. I’m applying a lot of the learnings to my own life; I can’t help but have some musings that are a direct result. Actually, this may be a thinly veiled ‘Note to Self’ such to disguise the fact that I have written a post that’s mostly meant to make sense of the things I’ve grown to believe in just a few short months. Still, here are my hopes for entrepreneurs, him, me.

Build A Company Around The Lifestyle (Not The Other Way Around)

Start by envisioning a world you were less annoyed with, target some specific problem or unusual satisfaction that has touched you or those you’ve cared about in a way you genuinely want to change or share with others. It may be a significant change, one that disrupts an industry or it can be seemingly superficial. Create something that leads you to the lifestyle that would make you happiest, ideate on the things that you couldn’t stop talking about or thinking about if you tried. That thing that you are the most passionate about right now is the only thing so stop avoiding it.  Be aware of yourself in that way and don’t be scared to act on it no matter the obstacles. Like Sister Mary Clarence once said, “If you wake up in the morning, and you can’t think anything but singing, then you should be a singer, girl.”

Have a Story and Point of View (Tell It)

This is partially because I’m a marketing gal but mostly because I’m a normal person and not an engineering wunderkind. I believe the company should have an interesting story worth telling. Sure, that pitch that’s going to get you venture capital is cool and all but you’re still going to need all the results and tech jargon translated into everyone else’s vocabulary. Your story should complement the basic human experience, align with the target market’s personal narrative and create infinite value. Whatever the mission of each product, a lot of average people should feel personally inspired, empowered and moved by it. Know that story from the very beginning. Stay inspired and inspire others.

You Can Never Stop Learning

It’s become clear to me that much of starting a business is time spent learning – it is constant self development – brushing up on old skills and learning completely new ones, navigating business basics, picking a lot of other smarter people’s brains (I abhor that expression but you know what I mean), reading up on what has passed and what is present, keeping abreast of the competition, knowing the most about your partners ahead of time to ensure meaningful conversations turn into valuable connections… the list goes on. It is okay to trust your instincts even when they aren’t backed up by years of specific experience or education but you can never stop learning. Put in the extra work to truly understand your craft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Septembergrams

Posted on October 4th, 2012

Yes it’s that time again. The monthly Instagram haul recapping some moments from the last month. Goodbye September. Hello October.

(Left to Right)

  1. Saw Elle Varner perform at Mezzanine. She was such a darling.
  2. Yep, enamored.
  3. Snapped these at Urban Outfitters. Great trendy Fall boot. There are some gems this season.
  4. I’m into quinoa these days. This is quinoa with yogurt, banana, berries, and walnuts at Chow.
  5. Birthday girl Charlae and her sis.
  6. Andre Ward knocked Chad Dawson out at Oracle in the twelfth round.
  7. Girls Night Out
  8. After watching the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, we followed with dinner at Warakubune.
  9. An adorable little puppy jacket I found at Upper Playground.

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Saturday: Brunch Warmer

Posted on October 1st, 2012

One of my favorite things to do is have a meal with good friends. This is probably why brunch is pretty much a holiday for me. I brunch hard and often. This weekend I proposed a visit to one of my favorite couples’ new place. I hosted Matt and Lauren and a few others for dinner at my boyfriend’s some weeks ago so this time we were going to be treated to Matt’s morning specialty, chilaquiles! I snapped a quick pic and tweeted before I dug in just to capture the moment. I hate sounding so surprised that one of my male friends could actually cook something so good but I was literally speechless. Everything was incredible! Matt also invited his sister and another one of our mutual friends, Rajiv, to join us. We enjoyed the company of an adorable dog named Lola they were pet-sitting. She pretty much stole the show. I can’t ever get enough of good face-to-face conversation and was so grateful for the warm weather as we sat around the table in their beautiful garden courtyard. I really do think they just snagged the best apartment I’ve seen in this city so far.

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Pardon My French: Jenna Lyons

Posted on September 26th, 2012

I assure you this won’t be the last time I mention Garance Dore or Jenna Lyons. Let’s talk about Garance first. Garance Dore’s eponymous blog made the cut when I attacked my Google Reader like a slasher movie a few months ago. Her streetstyle shots rose to the top of my list of favorites because her voice and point of view is so unique and personable, I’m drawn to every subject she chooses. She has this uncanny way of giving every feature it’s own personalized touch. She has recently taken to producing video interviews, conversations with her friends who are often well known fashion industry professionals. I absolutely love this one she launched today with J.Crew’s Jenna Lyons.

 

Jenna’s career is pretty much an example of what my own dreams are made of. She has been with J.Crew for almost 25 years; setting her eyes on the fashion titan straight out of school at Parsons when it was just a tiny company. She has never worked anywhere else. As Creative Director at J.Crew since 2010, she has helped refine the brand’s image exponentially, drawing many woman to her mix-and-match sensibilities and growing the appeal of J.Crew across many demographics with it.  I first learned of J.Crew when attending a private boarding school ten years ago in Connecticut. The catalogs spilled out of the students’ mailboxes every month and a lot of the girls dressed from it, head-to-toe. Though the bland, New England privileged  prep look of the time never quite rubbed off on me, the aspiration of a confident [well] put-together young woman definitely did. A noticeable shift happened when Mickey Drexler became CEO in the mid 2000′s but it truly wasn’t until Jenna’s ascension to her highest profile at the company that I became a diehard fan.

Jenna Lyons’s  taste is expertly tuned. These days J.Crew associates unexpected textures, colors and elegant details with the same clean, timeless pieces, giving them a human and more modern, easy lived-in touch that’s applicable to the lives and style of so much more of us. Sure J.Crew is still out of my budget but the inspiration and the sale rack provides a lot of value to me. I could go on but take a listen to the video below and let me know if you can control yourself from Googling her for hours after.

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Monday Inspiration: Life is an Adventure

Posted on September 24th, 2012

 Image: Tumblr

 

Life is an adventure, a journey through many valleys with many mountains to climb.

You’re going to get tired, you’re going to be hungry, you’re going to feel lost. Some nights will be cold and filled with scary things.

Some days will be long, hot and without comfort.

 

Take the time, even when it’s hard,

especially when you don’t feel like it,

to stop and look back

to see how far you have come.

Betsey Chasse for Inspire Me Today

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Sun Soaked

Posted on September 20th, 2012

Really reminiscing on the beauty of CA Hwy 1 today. Taking a drive down the winding road through Marin Country to your destination of Big Sur, is an absolutely stunning contrast to SF city living and while the beaches are cold, the lush stretch of coastline provides an alluring ‘staycation’ spot. Having driven in the passenger seat from San Francisco, there were countless breathtaking vistas and at one point, I excitedly opened the car door before we’d even stopped moving. Never be the designated driver on this journey if you can avoid it. The views are so worth your full attention. The last picture I took was something like a postcard. It was impossible to take a bad shot. The sights and sounds were marvelous and a great reminder of the beauty found in our natural environment and how much it inspires me!

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Good Old Fashioned

Posted on September 14th, 2012

Lately I have been on a semi-serious initiative for smarter, healthier eating. I started with one simple and very important move: cooking and eating meals at home. The Bay Area has totally changed my relationship with food. Outstanding food is always at hand, good restaurants are always just around any block. This is not an exception in a trendy neighborhood, it is the rule in most of them and I’ve found real happiness for the last three years of living here, eating out for just about every meal. Especially on the weekends: brunch and dinner at a new hot spot, organic ice cream shops, specialty pie eateries, quick food truck runs. Yummy food choices are easily accessible and mostly unpretentious. I became quickly swept up and spending a third of my paychecks in it. Noticing a perfectly controllable liquidation happening in my bank account, I’ve decided to take a stab at the problem at it’s root by bringing my food consumption and costs in and making food more personal. I do weekly grocery shopping trips to the Whole Foods two blocks away. I tell ya, I am blessed. I even try planning my meals by selecting recipes on the weekends and choosing which days I’ll make what. Sure, I fail. Often. But this tiny bit of structure has helped a lot. I’ve been whittling my portions down, slowly but surely, with hopes to readjust my appetite and limits when it comes to feeling full. And, documenting my eats has helped. I’ve always gotten a lot of likes when I post quick snaps at my favorite restaurants to Instagram but I’ve also been getting support from my friends when I post dishes I’ve made myself and that really does make a difference.

Thursdays are salad nights and there are a lot of great recipes out there for interesting mixes of ingredients that don’t skimp on the protein. I still really need to try the Grilled Sesame Chicken and Eggplant Salad recipe I found on NY Times. That incredible combo sounded divine when I found it a few days ago but it didn’t yesterday. I was deeply craving the comfort of pasta, which I haven’t had in weeks! With limited ingredients at home, I decided on good old fashioned spaghetti and meatballs. It’s just so rich and hearty and so easy to make. I just love it. Period. Someone must have taught me how at some point, but I can’t imagine any need. It makes sense, mixing the meat and forming the round shapes in hands and pretty therapeutic.

You can use whatever ground meat you’d like. I’ve been on a non-beef shtick for a little while so this is turkey. I’d even go for ground chicken or you can try pork. Really, anything goes. The only thing I sorely missed was fresh basil and parsley. Normally I’d load both the meat and the sauce up with those two herbs. I love the flavor they give.  I really should just get seeds and start growing both by my kitchen window. What you see here is the eggs, meat, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and some garlic. Of course, there is also black pepper and a little salt. I am my mother’s child so I sprinkled a whole bunch of other unnecessary seasonings I have in my cupboard in there too. Mixed it all with a wooden spoon and rolled them up into neat little balls.

Heated up some olive oil in the skillet, added the meatballs in once it got hot. Usually, I’d add a bit of browning sauce for effect because turkey doesn’t really get dark like beef does. Cooked them for a couple of minutes, turning them to cook lightly and brown on all sides before I took them out and put them to the side. I used the same pot over medium heat, threw in onions and garlic, stirred while they cooked for a minute. The most laborious part was making a sauce from scratch since I had none of the usual Bertolli. I did have a small can of crushed tomatoes and three small tomatoes I chopped up and added to the mix with a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of sugar. (That parsley and basil I was talking about before would’ve also been a good touch here.)  Cooked the sauce for about 15 minutes before I placed the meatball back in, stirring them into the sauce. From there, I just let the concoction simmer for another 20-30 minutes. That’s it.

Oh, and there was some spaghetti that got cooked in the meantime. Piled a good helping on a plate, topped with the sauce when it was done and some  freshly grated parmesan for good measure. Garlic bread would have been a nice companion but I was already at carb overload. Love.

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