TINY BITS OF TRUTH

Chris Piascik, the illustrator and graphic designer of the inspirations above, has been drawing something, anything every single day, Monday-Friday for over the past four years.  I love the idea of having something that you've done and committed to every single day as part of your routine, and even more so that it is a way for him to creatively express himself five days a week.  Chris says that in doing these drawings every night, he gained the confidence to move away from graphic design and towards illustration professionally.  Not to mention, he started to get tons of new projects as a result of his daily drawings, now that's awesome! I know we all have so many mundane routines we get into every single day, walk the dog, make the bed, clean the kitchen, do laundry, drop off drycleaning, the list goes on and on.  It is nice to think about adding something fun and creative into your daily routine as well.  See below for a few more examples of Chris Piascik's work.

EMERSON FRY DESIGNER CRUSH

Skirt//Nude Heels

I had NO idea that the brand formally known as EmersonMade has changed the name to Emerson Fry New York City.  The new spring line is gorgeous and I love EVERYTHING about this new line.  She and her husband have recreated the brand to capture everything I would want in a clothing line, flattering cuts, gorgeous femininity, and a casual look.  Below are a few of my favorite pieces from the spring collection.  

Coat//Tunic (sold out until June)//Orange Dress//Maxi Dress

What do ya'll think?  Isn't the entire line just perfection? 

GRAPEFRUIT MARGARITAS

Ever since I returned home from Mexico I've been craving a good margarita, and sadly, they just don't seem to taste like the real deal I had on vacation (possibly because I'm not sitting on the beach while drinking the margaritas!).  I came across this recipe here the other day and it is DELICIOUS.  A perfect, fresh spring drink for a warm day! Now only if it would get back to the beautiful weather we had here in New York last week, then I would be good to go! In the meantime, I can sip these while imagining it is springtime outside:) .  Let me know what you think of them!

JUST A LITTLE REMINDER

Love this quote from none other than OPRAH! One of my favorite reminders and something I wanted to share with ya'll on this Tuesday morning.  We definitely choose who we surround ourselves with and how we spend our time and with whom, and seems common sense that it should be with people who lift us up rather than bringing us down, right? Wish it was always that easy, but I know for me, I certainly have found many instances in which this is not the case.  Hopefully if you recognize these kinds of people in your life, this quote will serve as a reminder that you have the power to spend your time with different people who bring out the best in you and  as Oprah says, "lift you higher!"

NEON BRIGHTS!

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 I am loving all of the neon pink, yellow and green that I'm seeing for spring and summer.  I'm in the process of setting up my desk/office area, and while I don't have the kind of space that I did in Austin, I certainly have plenty to work with and sure hope to find a spot for the neon Ampersand prints. I am in LOVE with those.  Also loving the Rag & Bone yellow cut offs, but a bit unsure what those will look like when my tan from Mexico fades, still debatable.  However you choose to add a little touch of neon into your spring and summer wardrobe, all are guaranteed to brighten up your day! If you have a favorite neon must-have that I missed let me know! I would love to check it out!

CASE CRUSH

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Happy Friday!! Hope ya'll are having a wonderful end to the week and have fun plans for the weekend to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather! I couldn't keep this site all to myself and wanted to share with you a new site I recently discovered that has FABULOUS iphone cases, as well as art prints, cards, t-shirts, you name it they might have it (not really, but it seems like it!).  The iphone cases are a great price and there are literally thousands of unique and fun options.  Be careful when browsing this site, before long you'll have just spent the past hour looking at all the different iphone case options on Society 6. Now just if I could decide which one to get, so many options! Have a fabulous weekend!

TINY BITS OF TRUTH

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ZARA SPRING SHOES.

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I recently stopped in to Zara on 5th Avenue and was pleasantly surprised at the number of pretty fabulous cute spring sandals that I saw.   They have a ton more than the three cute ones shown above, so I recommend checking out your local Zara store to scope out the rest of their fabulous spring shoe collection, or you can shop online.  I think I am going to have to purchase the two tone wedge shown above.  A perfect addition to the simple spring outfit!

HAPPY SPRING!

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And I had to share with ya'll probably one of my all time favorite videos EVER (which says a whole lot considering I've got quite a few I tend to watch over and over and over).  This is the CUTEST proposal video I've ever seen and if you are wanting to take 8 minutes of your day to SMILE then I highly suggest you click the play button below.  You'll thank me later, trust me!

In case you have any trouble getting the youtube version to play you can also click on the following link to see this ADORABLE proposal video.

GUANTANAMERA, TEQUILA, AND LOTS OF SUN!

My mom, sister-in-law Julia, and I returned home from 5 days in MEXICO last week and it was pretty wonderful. Anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE Mexico, everything single thing about it is pretty FABULOUS.  My love of Mexico stems from growing up visiting this country for as long as I can remember (Hello, Texas and Mexico are literally next door neighbors!). We stayed at the Villa Rolandi and it was absolutely fabulous.  I would highly recommend anyone vacationing in Isla Mujeres to look into staying at Villa Rolandi.  Everything from the rooms to the service was wonderful and we would definitely go back to this quaint little island.   

I have to admit, for the past 20 plus years I have heard the song "Guantanamera" in all of its' many forms, the good, the bad and the ugly.  Somehow until  searching for a link to the song for this blog post, I had NO idea that the song was not called "wonton tomato" or some play on those words, yes I'm very serious! Wow, all these years and I finally figured out the real name of the song... learn something new everyday, right?  You can check out the song "Guantanamera" here.  

SPRING FEVER

Here in New York the warmer weather has got me itching for spring to be here (which as a side note happens to officially begin TOMORROW!).  I love all of the bright colors seen during the spring months and below is one of my very favorite tablescapes for a spring celebration.  I think it would be perfect for everything from a bridal or baby shower to getting the family together for Easter or a graduation party even.  Just love the chevron pattern in the yellow and the pops of pink with the mixed pink and yellow in the flower arrangements.  Think it is all lovely!

TINY BITS OF TRUTH

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INSPIRE OTHERS

This list has been in my apartment for several years now, and I always look at it briefly, but I'm not sure I really have thought about what it is saying until recently and wanted to share this incredible reminder with ya'll.  I know I certainly want and strife to live a life that inspires others, but often times it can be a whole lot easier said than done.  I think making an effort daily to think about how you interact with those around you is something we often don't find the time for in our hectic lives these days.  But when you take five minutes out of your day to think wow, how can I inspire others if I myself am not inspired, then for me at least, it has changed my way of thinking and how I treat others around me.  Hope this is a quick reminder to all of ya'll to inspire people in your own lives.

BLOGGING YOUR WAY WORKSHOP

WOW, it's been a pretty fabulous week and I am so excited to share with ya'll about the AMAZING workshop I attended last Saturday led by the incredible Holly Becker, Founder/Executive Editor at decor8, LLC and Leslie Shewring of A Creative Mint.  It was the first time this class was held in person rather than online and I would certainly recommend the workshop to anyone if it is offered in this setting in the future.  

It's a two day class with the first day focusing on the creative business of blogging, and the second Leslie Shewring shared her knowledge of photography, specifically how to place and style items for photo shoots.  I was only able to attend the first day, but would have loved the chance to go both days, and hope they offer this workshop again so I can learn some of Leslie's tips on color, photography, and styling.  

Everything in the class was beautifully presented and articulated. The room was transformed into a beautiful studio with bright neon strips of crepe paper, gorgeous flowers, striped paper straws, fabulous journal from Chronicle Books on each desk with a pink and white striped paper bag containing both Holly and Leslie's business cards (fabulous of course!) and a gorgeous postcard. Every single thing about the room was wonderful and simple at the same time. 

Holly led day one of the class and focused on what she refers to as "using your blog as a catalyst to live your best life."  She reiterated and really drove home the message that your blog should serve as a tool to launch you forward in all areas of your life, and that is something that resonated with me.  In the next few weeks there will be some changes to my blog, both in style and content of posts, so bear with me please while I take the information learned from this class and apply it to my blog:)  One of my favorite suggestions from Holly was to keep a journal, and below you can see pictures of her personal journal.

Overall, one of the things I most enjoyed about the day was the opportunity to hear about and speak to an entire room full of creative, passionate and interesting women.  Holly and Leslie are both very passionate, beautiful and incredibly inspirational women.  I felt extremely honored to have the chance to learn from them in an intimate setting and can not thank them enough for the amazing workshop.  

MEXICO!

TINY BITS OF TRUTH!