october extravaganza

Hello. Hi. Yes, it's been a while.  Post-grad life isn't as blogging-tastic as I had hoped. I'll try to remedy that though.  It's been a BUSY MONTH, Y'ALL. Let me break it down for ya.

October 8th, four year anniversary.

FOUR YEARS. Ted and I must really like each other or something. To celebrate, we went to brunch at Country Cat before I went to work, and reminisced a bit. I tried my first shrub, which was tasty. Thankfully just the day before NPR informed me of what this soda drink was, so my interest was peaked. My only intake of news is pretty much NPR driving to and from work--I'm glad they don't leave out important things like potential brunch beverages.

October 9th, Ted's 23rd birthday.

After I got off of work, we went to a friend's house for a BBQ, and then we went out for drinks at Kachka with the group. Before they got there, Ted and I had a nice view of a group of Russian men enjoying the vodka and Russian fare that Kachka had to offer. It was pretty great. We had Moscow Mules (on tap!) and everyone had some form of vodka or a Russian beer. And the food.  The food was good, and also sometimes very interesting. The pierogies were deliecious and buttery, but the fish jerky was a little TOO fishy--I mean, it came with a fish head. Hah!

October 10th-13th, HOMEEEEEEE.

Before heading to NYC, we made the very necessary stop in Phoenix. It was so, so, soooooo lovely to be home with my family, hanging out, going to my godmother's baby girl's baptism festivities, watching movies, eating good food, cuddling Izzy, and enjoying each other's company. I'm a lucky lady. Also, I got to celebrate Thanksgiving over a month early because my family loves me that much. Like, seriously, wow! Whatta family.

October 14th-18th, NYC.

Whew! This trip was jammed packed with SO MUCH. To sum it up, we ate and walked more than I thought humanly possible, we visited two museums (Met + MoMA), we toured two law schools (Columbia and NYU), we walked for hours in Central Park, we saw a Broadway show (Something Rotten), we spotted two Advanced Style Documentary ladies, we collectively ate two pizzas, we walked the Brooklyn Bridge at night, we went on two Tenement Museum tours, we met up with Ted's two cousins and their significant others (Mexican food and Hungarian pastries), we met up with his aunt and her boyfriend (Italian food), we met up with two blogger family members (Vegan food, Lower East Side walking food tour), we met up with LC friends (Shake Shack, Katz's, UCB improv show, Velselka). Yes, a lot of food was involved, people.

I'm tired and full just remembering all of it. It was a blast. I'm still recovering. Today is my first day off since getting home, and boy, have I needed it! My little introverted heart isn't used to having so much fun in just four days! New York was a magical place, and it's slightly terrifying (but mostly exciting) that it may become a home for me and Ted down the road if he ends up going to law school there. Throughout the city, I found little pockets that felt like home to me--like the museums, the quirky old Italian cafe near NYU, and the warm brick buildings in the Village. And even the overwhelmingly wealthy bits like the Upper East Side or the Financial District--those even felt familiar too, because London was all about those swanky bits. Also, I watched Gossip Girl, duh. In conclusion, any city where Roberta's pizza is only a subway ride away is a-okay with me (even if it means swimming through a mass of hipsters to get there).

See photos on my instagram!

Which leads me to NOW. 

What have I been up to lately?

Well....

I've been thinking about Christmas mostly. It's pretty much all I think about.

I finished a dress I started forever ago and kept putting off. Yay!

I've been working on Christmas gifts and planning Thanksgiving.

I've been working, a lot.

That pretty much sums it up.

Today: Chillllll, sew, scrapbook, sleep.

sunday coffee dates // september

B Street Coffee House // 2190 W Burnside St

This little cafe is smacked onto the side of bustling Burnside. It's super tiny, and more of a grab-n-go kind of place, since there's only a couple of tables inside and one outside. We took the outside table because it was a lovely day. The gluten-free waffles (seen above) were quite tasty.

Seastar Bakery // 1603 NE Killingsworth Street 

My mom, who lives in Arizona, told me about this place, of all people! A middle school boyfriend's wife posted it on Facebook, because it's her sister who owns it. Or something. Ted and I went, and it stole my heart immediately. The decor, the baked-goods, the FANCY TOAST. I had never seen such fancy, rustic toast! Delicious, and full of unexpected flavor. I also loved the quirky, rustic vibe. That's my favorite kind of vibe, people! We will DEFINITELY be back for the food and the ambiance. It doesn't hurt that it's only a one minute drive/five minute walk from the sewing shop I just started working at (yes, I'm workin' two jobs now, like a big kid). YAY.

So okay, we didn't make #tinysundaycoffeedate one week, and the other week we had our first PSLs of the year at Starbucks, which doesn't really warrant a review. Stay tuned for an October roundup! We are having a blast finding new spots to get drinks and breakfast.

role models

Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman of A Beautiful Mess 
I started reading A Beautiful Mess years and years ago.  A family friend mentioned Elsie (pictured right) to my mom and me and showed us her blog. I didn't have to look much past her vintage dresses and craft-themed tattoos to know that I was looking at a kindred spirit. Throughout the years, I've seen Elsie's blog, style, and business grow and evolve so much. One of the most important changes over the years was having her older sister Emma become her business partner. Together, they're pretty much the dream team. I admire them both so incredibly much.  I always think about how if I ever met them, it'd be like a normal person meeting a huge celebrity--I'd freak out, probably faint, and then humbly ask them to be my BFFs... They're my #1 idols when it comes to small business.

Required reading: On Changing Dreams, Emma's 5 Secrets to Success, Adapt, Quit, or Evolve, Five Tips for Evaluating a Business Idea, The Story of Our Local Boutique, State of the Biz / Autumn 2015

Jen Gotch of Ban.do

I discovered Ban.do in middle school. It was a happy day when I did.  Since then, it has evolved into a much larger online business, selling much more than just cute hair accessories. Even more than their products, I love the business culture of hard work and FUN that Jen Gotch has created over the years. It truly seems (from an outsider, at least) that she gathered up all the talented ladies she had girl crushes on and hired them to join her #bandogirlgang.  I hope to one day do the same. ;)

Required reading: Everything on her hilarious Instagram

Bri Emery of DesignLoveFest

Let's face it. Bri is hands-down a cool girl.  When I first found her blog DesignLoveFest, I was struck by how stylish, modern, and original every aspect of it was. Because yeah, she's stylish, she's creative, she travels a lot--she's got it goin' on! But the great thing is that she also seems incredibly humble, down-to-earth, and sensitive (at least that's what Instagram tells me), which makes her not only relatable, but also someone who has obviously worked hard to create the opportunities splattered across her blog and Instagram feed.

Required reading: Her Instagram, which will give you a glipse into her current projects and travels!

watch this: elizabeth gilbert & marie forleo

It's extremely likely this is precisely what you need to hear right now.

5 ways to keep the dream alive

found

Do you have a dream you've been chasing after a while? One that you can't help but think about daily? Hourly? All.The.Time? Well, I do, and while at times it can be super exciting and give me life and purpose, sometimes it's just downright intimidating. Here are just a few ways I keep focused and determined about achieving my goals.

1) Find out first hand if what you want is actually what you want before you go all-in.  For me, it was when I was studying abroad in London when I finally felt everything click. I took a chance and found a craft-related internship instead of the costume/theatre one expected of me to see if my little crafty fantasy might actually be something real I wanted to pursue. I worked with a woman who founded her own craft market in South London that catered to a younger, hipper crowd than your typical craft market. She curates the designer-maker vendors, has her friend DJ, and drinks and cake were available to purchase. Crafty heaven, in my opinion. Being around this woman, her friends, and the community she created made me realize that the craft community is where I feel the most happy/genuine/excited.

When I got back to Portland, I looked at everything within a new lens of my dream of owning my own creative business one day.  I sought out crafty things, and decided that I should probably get a retail job to find out if owning a store might actually be my calling (also I needed the money!). Lil' introvert me quickly realized that YES, I do love retail.  I started to daydream about my own store, and make mental notes.  My imaginary craft store that only existed in a mostly-joking Pinterest board became my #1 professional goal.

2) When people ask you what you want to do with your life, know what to say. I struggled with voicing my dream for years, and when I finally told it to the people I loved and respected the most in my personal life and finally my academic/professional life, all I got was an overwhelming wave of encouragement. It makes me want to tear up just thinking about it! Knowing you have a support system is crucial in chasing any way-bigger-than-you dream, and will make you feel more confident in your dream.

3) Do your research. It's hard to get out of the daydreaming phase.  I remembered the moment it hit me that MAN, THIS IS GOING TO BE A WHOLE LOT OF WORK. It was Christmastime, and I was catching up with an old high school friend who is an Econ major.  When I mentioned my dream craft shop/workshop space/cafe, she mentioned something about needing a sink.  To use a pun openly, that's when it really sunk in.  Starting a business isn't all ideas, pretty branding, and imaginary events. There are sinks, people! Spreadsheets, budgeting, paying bills...the whole scary enchilada.

But yes. Research. The one thing I kept reading about over and over again in my research about starting a small business was FIND A MENTOR. I took that to heart after reading it about 39472948 times. I started emailing local craft stores that might identify with my dream. I was lucky and only had to email two people before ending my search. One didn't reply, but the other did almost immediately. I knew I had made the right move. I set up weekly meetings with this small business owner all summer. It started out as doing odd jobs around the shop in exchange for 15-30 minutes interviewing her, to helping out with classes, feeling like part of the family, and eventually being offered a part-time job! Ya just gotta go for it! Surprise yourself.

4) Picture it. I'm a very visual person, so being able to see ideas in front of me is crucial. I have a Pinterest board of resources that I might need as a small business owner. Some are serious, like "Tips for Self-Promoting" and some are literally cake recipes.  It's all about the balance, y'all. You have to think about the fun little details too! It's not all sinks and bills. There are fun things too!

Another thing that I did recently was use a free Squarespace trial to create a mock-up for my dream business. It sounds frivolous and completely silly, but honestly, it was a great way to force myself to fill a page with content that I identified with. It also helped me notice new things, like colors that I think might be best for branding, or words I might want to avoid as to not turn certain demographics off. Pretty crazy, right?

5) Observe others (or businesses) that you admire. I admire so many businesswomen out there doing their thang (I'll share a few in a later post). It's inspiring, and sometimes intimidating.  But just remember that they were where you are once upon a time.  You'll get there (my current mantra).

Personally, I find a lot of inspiration and food for thought when I'm browsing storefronts--particularly ones that do more than one thing (for instance, a tea shop that has a vintage shop downstairs or a warehouse that's a restaurant/bar/soda fountain/recreational center/retail space--like WHAT! So inspiring!).

Well, that's it for now.  Let me know if you have any other pieces of advice! WE CAN DO IT!