February 2013 ~ MAD DREAM DESIGN

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Mr. The Kid

Today I am featuring my Maid of Honor and a best friend, who just happens to be my sister.

About the blog.
My little sister, Lily, lives in LA and I luckily get to see her almost weekly. She has an amazing heart and a gorgeous blog, Mr. The Kid, running over at Tumblr. Her blog is very visual and a great source for fashion, design and anything white or pure.

What's different?
Lily has a had a few other in blogs in the past and they all have been visual, photo blogs, that have all been very well curated. As you scroll through Mr. The Kid, the subtle themes of color, feel and mood change ever so slightly. Even though the photography is presented in a cache style, you can clearly find the muse of the day in each grouping of photos. The thought behind each group totally comes through as a cohesive collection - that is what I love most about her blog. Yes there is a certain style to her blog and to the photography, but it isn't limited to a theme. I also love that fact that it inspires the idea that each day we are inspired by something different, it is not the same thing from day to day, but a revolving image.

Enjoy!

52 Lists Project // Week 8

For more info on the 52 Lists Project, head over to Moorea Seal.

Prompt: List your favorite albums.

I love classic rock and a good album is simply the best. There is nothing like the original idea of having a compilation of songs that are all meant for each other, that are actually enhanced as a group. It is hard to come by in popular music now, not like in the classic rock days, in my opinion. There is such a big focus on hit songs now in music. I find myself not liking many of the other songs on the album or the hit single is more catchy than anything. So for that reason I am really excited about this prompt...I am excited to see what albums others enjoy. I love finding new (to me) music.

This topic was also kind of hard. What constitutes a favorite album? Because, I have a lot of favorites, so I originally listed all of those. But, then Jimi asked me, do you really like every single song on the album? This is how Jimi justifies a favorite album to himself, he also says this might be a bit snobbish of him, but I can respect that. When I asked myself this, I did edit the list a bit, but there were some albums that I just couldn't leave off...so now I have this list...

*Note: That is not to say that every album on this list is pure gold, some are just fun, or spoke to me at one time, or another.

I needed a bigger notebook for this list!

Week 8
favorite albums.

The Beatles // Let it Be.
The Black Keys // El Camino.
The Who // Who's Next.
Smashing Pumpkins // Siamese Dream.
Eddie Vedder // Ukulele Songs.
Sublime // Sublime.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience // Are You Experienced.
Sara Evans // Stronger.
Neil Young // Harvest Moon.
The Cars // The Cars Complete Greatest Hits.
Jack Johnson // In Between Dreams.
Alabama Shakes // Boys & Girls.
Matt Costa // The Songs We Song.
Saves The Day // Stay What You Are.
The Doors // The Best of The Doors.
Sting // Fields of Gold.
Something Corporate // Leaving Through the Window.
Pink Floyd // The Dark Side of the Moon.
Slightly Stoopid // Closer to the Sun.
Taylor Swift // Red.
George Harrison // The Best of George Harrison.
Natasha Bedingfield // Strip Me.
Led Zeppelin // Led Zeppelin III.
The Beatles // Rubber Soul.
Enya // A Day Without Rain.
The Band Perry // The Band Perry.
Phantom Planet // The Guest.
The Black Keys // Brothers.
Rad Bones // What It Is.
Slightly Stoopid // Acoustic Roots.
Jet // Get Born.
The Beautiful Girls // We're Already Gone.
The Beatles // Abbey Road.
Imogen Heap // Speak For Yourself.
Cold Mountain Soundtrack.
Step Into Liquid Soundtrack.

Happy Listening!

Falling For Friday // 2-22-13

Every Friday I will be posting my finds for the week here, along with other blogs. We will all be linking up, so come check it out for some of the latest finds and trends happening...from style, to crafts, to kids, to our favorite things...it will all be there! This is where we are all linking up:

Kelly Westover // Westover Manor
Dawnelle // Just Dawnelle
Casey // A Little Artsy

February 22nd, 2013

What I found myself channeling most this week was great women who have small businesses or are just simply inspiring. I am about to start up my Etsy shop in mid March, so I have been looking for the best of the best in the handmade business and in blogging for inspiration, motivation and adventure/risk taking. This is what I found:

Images c/o Moorea Seal (click for more info)

1. Moorea Seal // A few weeks ago I found Moorea Seal. Moorea blogs about inspirations, her jewelry, and is the creator of the 52 lists project, which I started to participate in a few weeks ago. You can see my lists here and here. She has an Etsy shop with amazing finds and her Pinterest is one of the most sought after, especially for jewelry...if you love Pinterest check her out!

Images c/o Design*Sponge (click for more info)

2. Design*Sponge // This post on Design*Sponge (who doesn't love this blog?), as a part of their Biz Ladies section (a great section to look through, btw), features Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co. I am a huge fan of her work and merchandise, so I was excited to see her featured there! Check it out for a great design overload.

Image c/o Maiedae (click image for more info)

3. Maiedae // This design studio is run by Savannah and Jenny, and boy are they the cutest business partners ever! Just this week, Savannah had her last day at her day job. She got to quit her day job, people! Talk about a dream come true! :) Congratulations Savannah, read more on that here!

Image c/o Between Dreams (click image for more info)

4. Between Dreams // this blog is so fun to wonder around on, so yeah, it has the perfect name. Allie has great photography and imagery, along with fun, inspirational posts that we all love to soak up. This post features Jenni from The Story of My Life (another blog I love). This is a great read for following your dreams!

Images c/o of Influence Network and Anne Bogel (click image for more info)

5. Influence Network // This group of women are so inspirational, and they just launched their latest project, The Influence Network. You can join for a small fee to partake in their (from what I hear) amazing classes and forums, or like me, you can just follow along on their blog. This post by Anne Bogel on planning for inspiration is great! Anne talks about planning ahead and how that can spur inspiration, and I could not agree more. Some of the concepts she talks about here, I have started to implement into my own blog, just this year, and I love the results!

Enjoy and Happy Friday!

The Wardrobe Code - The Closet

So this is a review of the third and final part to my journey with Nicole of the Wardrobe Code in her Becoming You Style Camp. Click image below for more details!

Part 1 - My Style Muse Board
Part 2 - The Outfits
Part 3 - Closet Organization

I love to be organized and have a place for everything so this part of the journey got me pretty excited. I knew my closet was unorganized, not at its most functional or did my clothes that much justice, but I was not really worried about it. Now, after having my closet organized in this fashion for a couple of months it just makes like so much easier and it makes so much sense!

Nicole's strategy and ideas for your closet are easy, realistic, logic and make your life so much easier! She will work with you and your individual situation with in her guidelines and help brainstorm with you great ideas that work for you and your closet.

My situation prior to The Wardrobe Code "Becoming You" style camp:

A dresser - sorted by tops, shorts, pants, etc. (i.e. most of my closet and a total mess) and 2/3 of our hanging closet - jackets, sweaters, nice tops (totally under utilized). That is about it.

This photo was taken before I got rid of anything and organized it, but after I had moved things around in between my dresser and hanging closet...this was my wardrobe before.

My situation now:

Dresser - casual clothes (pjs, workout clothes, sweatshirts), bigger accessories (like bags and hats)

After some rearranging this dresser was working out much better for me

2/3 of our hanging closet - my main wardrobe, hanging accessories (belts and scarves), my shoes

After - organized and installed rods to display belts, tights and scarves

Accessories Drawer - jewelry, headbands, sunglasses (these were kind of everywhere before)
***I don't know why I didn't think of this one before, my mom had a jewelry drawer when I was younger and I loved it...so much fun to try it all on...now I get to do the same thing, but I am dressing up for work instead.

This drawer was kinda a knick knack drawer before...love it now for my jewelry!

Follow along at Nicole's blog for more wardrobe and closet tips - really great stuff always happening over there.

Enjoy!

52 Lists Project // Week 7

Check out Moorea Seal for more information on the 52 Lists Project.

Week 7
the things that make you feel healthy.
mind, body and soul.
good workouts. sweat.
family. love.
reading. learning.
creative meetings. creating.
water. fruit.
getting outside. nature.
sleep. vitamin D.
walks with Ozzie.
singing. dancing.
paddling. races.

Brickyard Buffalo // #buffstuff

Have you heard of Brickyard Buffalo, yet?

If not, I say get over there and check out the deals they have flying this month.

Brickyard Buffalo

They feature all of our favorite artists in the handmade biz with deals on the most "to die for" items. Lots of savings...but the deals only last so long! They have a countdown and only a limited run of each product, so get them while you can.

Each month they have an editor of the month that has picked out some of their favorite deals to feature on Brickyard. This month the lovely, Casey Wiegand is their guest editor. What a fun gig!

Casey Wiegand

I have decorated my office with some of my favorite Buff Stuffs. My latest purchase is this Love Tree print by Plum Street Prints. It is the perfect gift for someone you love too. Other Buff Stuff you will find in my office are the Dream Big print by Small Fry, the Remember print by River and Bridge, and the Navajo Pillow, in black, by Little Boston Print Shoppe. The Little Boston Print Shoppe's latest deal sold out in less than half a day! Not that it surprises me...I love her hand printed pillows!

Love Tree print

Dream Big print, Remember print, and Navajo pillow

I heart my new office!

If you like what you see here...definitely check out Brickyard Buffalo! A current deal that I am crushing on is this brass locket necklace by Brooklyn Rehab. Lots of fun designs to choose from like Abe, Lucky Horseshoe and my personal favorite, Aztec.

Aztec locket deal happening now!

Enjoy!

Thin Mint S'more

Yes, you read that correctly.

Last night in our "what to do next?" phase we decided on s'mores. And right then it hit me...girl scout cookies are everywhere right now and a thin mint would make a perfect addition to the beloved s'more!

Here it is, so simple, yet so good.

We had a few variations going last night. Our friend ditched the graham cracker all together and just did a marshmellow sandwich in between two thin mints. And then, Jimi, had the more traditional style - with everything in the s'more, and just adding the thin mint in on top of it all. Below you will find mine, I substituted the chocolate for the thin mint. No matter which way you put it...it is all good!

Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Goodness

Hello Loves,

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope it is filled with lots of love from your family, your loved one, or your cat! ;)

Paco getting some love!

Exciting News

I am so happy to announce that Jimi and I have booked our venue and have a lovely day set for our wedding. We are getting married one year from today, on Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2014 (02.14.2014 -or- 2.14.14)! I am beyond excited and cannot wait to share our special day with all of our closest friends and family.

Valentine's Day Ideas for Everyone

I got this idea from Pinterest, and made it my own - all of our important dates in one pretty package. I think it is perfect for Valentine's Day, framed for a special someone. My Pinterest find was designed by Cindy of Inkstomp - check out her shop for some more great love prints!

Check out Sad Shop on Etsy for more!

With another Pinterest find, I started to think about Valentine's Day early this year and ordered my cards from Sad Shop on Etsy!! Katie's cards have great humor and are light hearted...but they still say I love you...which is what Valentine's Day is all about. I got one for all of my special someones, to send them a little note today.

Valentine's Day is not complete without Conversation Hearts, in my opinion! I love them, they are probably my favorite candy and thank goodness they are only around once a year (or else I would have a serious problem). I usually spend the first couple of days handing the ones I like to Jimi...to say I love you...I usually do this on Valentine's Day too. And then, of course, there is always chocolate...

I feel so lucky, because our garden is blooming roses...year round...so I always get to make a fun bouquet of roses (or two) at this time of year and place them around the house. They smell amazing and they are so gorgeous with all of their different colors. Plus, they always remind me to love.

What are the fun things you are doing for Valentine's Day to say I love you? How do you celebrate?

xo,

Moorea Seal // 52 Lists Project // Weeks 1-6

A jewelry designer and inspirational blogger that I love to follow is, Moorea Seal. She has great ideas for making 2013 the best year, yet, and a fun jewelry shop on Etsy...full of amethyst rings and chevron necklaces! Swoon. Moorea is such a great inspiration, so I am excited to share her latest project with you all.

Her latest project is The 52 List Project. A list per week for the entire year with prompts like your current and future goals and dreams, the ways you can show love to others and things you are proud of. A fun, free printable with the prompt is available each week, along with her list for the week and a place to link up your own list to share. Oh, I do love a good list!

We are now on week 6 and I have finally caught up on the prompts, so instead of sharing all of my lists in this one post, I will give the you the best from each week and the full list for this week at the end. Enjoy!

52 Lists Project

Weeks 1 - 3

Week 1
Words that touch your soul.
(side note: I absolutely loved this prompt and I think it is still my favorite.)
family
home
light
depth
adventure
play
create

Week 2
Your greatest comforts.
traveling to a favorite place.
coming home.
my pillow.
the sound of waves.
the warmth of the sun on my skin.
being embraced in a huge Jimi bear hug.

Week 3
Things you should be proud of.
myself.
the people closest to me.
my business progress.
the adventures I have had.
the time I have taken to learn.

Weeks 4 - 6

Week 4
Current and future goals and dreams.
start my own business, quit my day job.
find a creative community that I can be apart of.
grow old with Jimi, but first marry my best friend. :)
travel when I get the opportunity - more adventures.
create and learn new things everyday.
run another half marathon...I think I am crazy...

Week 5
What you are grateful for.
my family and childhood.
my passion for art, design, and history - knowledge.
the people closest to me.
the taste of rootbeer.
the ocean.
my adventures.
my pets.
paddling.

Week 6
The ways I can show love to others.
say I love you.
send them a note.
listen. care. be there.
be responsive.
smile. laugh. reward.
be grateful.
give praise and affection.
acceptance and understanding.
be kind. be thankful, grateful.
open my mind and my heart.
accept love from others.
spend quality time.
compliment. take interest.
communicate. connect.
be authentic.
thoughtful gestures.
practice patience.
pray. hug. kiss.

I love my lists in a notebook, so this is my 52 lists project book!

If you love lists (who doesn't?) and would like to participate head on over to Moorea Seal!
Happy listing!

The Wardrobe Code - 30 Days of Outfits

Remember My Style Muse Board in this post?

Well this is what came of it...my wardrobe transformed into something I love, a work of art and something that channels the things I want to say about myself. Authentic, casual, stylish, with a little bit of edge, and a feminine touch.

I spent all of January working with Nicole, of The Wardrobe Code, on my wardrobe (part 1) and closet (part 2 - coming soon!). If you are looking for some virtual coaching on your wardrobe...check out The Wardrobe Code's Becoming You: Personal Style Camp for more details! It is well worth the investment, because investing in your wardrobe is investing in you.

Part 1 - The Wardrobe - One of my homework assignments was to create outfits for 30 days (a whole month of outfits!). Here are a few of my favorite outfits I have come up with through my journey with The Wardrobe Code!

Red Cords: Mossimo, Target. Black Wedge Sneakers: Xhilaration, Target. Gray Sweater: Conversation Pieces.

Jeans: Jolt Jeggings, Nordstrom Rack. Flannel Top: Urban Outfitters. Scarf: Conversation Pieces.

Pink Cargo Jacket: Urban Outfitters. Grey Feather Top and Jewelry: Forever 21.

Black Leggings: Lululemon. White Top: Delia's. Cargo Jacket: Hurley.

Jeans: Mossimo, Target. Sweater: Urban Oufitters. Leather Jacket: ASOS.

Black Booties: Rebel, Delia's. Flannel Dress: Patagonia. Sweater: TNA.

Learn more about Conversation Pieces in my post here!

Stay tuned for the second segment of my Wardrobe Code journey - The Closet!

Enjoy,

I finished my first half marathon!

Yep, I did it.

Not that I didn't think I couldn't do it, but I didn't think I would actually have that much fun doing it. So am I crazy that I will be continuing my training to do another half marathon in May? I don't know yet, but I do know that I can do it now.

I never doubted myself, but I have to say the 13.1 miles was a little daunting and I had no idea what to expect. We were standing at the start line and my friend Kelly gave us some encouragement that came from our friend Bobbie. "Are you kidding me? Of course, you can do it! If you can paddle 42 miles for 8 hours, you can do 13 miles!" Yeah Bobbie, thank you! :)

We had a good group of girls..all different levels and all good friends. We go by team #nac4life! We did group workouts, and we have a great workout schedule created by the fabulous Eden, our supportive leader! I tried to keep up with the schedule as much as possible, but through Christmas, New Years and getting sick, I fell off quite a bit. I made sure to reach 6 miles of running at one point in my training which is the suggested minimum you need to be able to run to be prepared for a half marathon. I felt super under prepared but I was still going to do it. And I am glad I did.

Doing it with a group definitely helped...I had support, workout buddies and even though we didn't all run together the day of the race we were still all there in it together, cheering each other on along the way. Not only did we have a great group, but we had a beautiful day and gorgeous scenery! We participated in the Surf City Half Marathon that goes out of Huntington Beach, Ca. It runs mostly along PCH with the sun soaking through, the sound of the waves, the smell of sunscreen and salt, and stretches of beach to look at while running. We couldn't have asked for a better day.

It took me 17 minutes longer than the goal that I had put in when I registered months ago...but I wasn't totally attached to that number because, one, I did not train as much as I had anticipated and, two, this was my first race...I just needed to do it and get through it. Now that I have done it I see what all the hype is about. Holy cow, were there a million people down there. That alone was probably the biggest eye opener of the day. We took over PCH, and instead of lanes of cars, we were a sea of people weaving in and out of PCH like we owned the place. It was kinda cool being in the middle of a highway I have driven on most of my life, but running it, with not a car in site.

What? Like it's hard?

In January, I joined an online running group started by Raechel Myers, who writes at her blog, Finding My Feet, which I follow. The online running team consists of about 50 or 60 people from all over the US training for half marathons, or just needing help staying accountable. #TeamFMF really helped me keep up miles through the last month of training and even helped me get in some of my longest runs. Really supportive group there as well.

You wont see me doing a full marathon, probably ever, but I am going to tackle another half or two this year. The next one coming up in the San Diego Wild Safari Park Half Marathon which takes place in the park so you get to run and see all the animals.

I know what you are thinking - Maddie support a place full of "captive" animals? I know but, this park is far different from any zoo you have ever been to, and it is the only animal park I have supported in the past 5 years. What makes it different? According to a San Diego Travel website they are "a conservation facility. This establishment is designed for the study and preservation of wild animals and endangered species. The main goal of this facility is to provide a wildlife sanctuary where animals can live in a protected environment." They home a lot of endangered animals that are close to extinction...they are setup to re-populate these species, and have separate facilities for this. They have acres of land and most of the animals have a ton of room to roam...they are not in a normal cage you would see at a zoo. The animals are partnered up, they try to have two or more of each species for companionship. Although I still disagree with captivity, this park is set up for the right reasons, ones that I can support.