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Fashion 411 {you guys really like to send emails}

May 2, 2012 By 12 Comments

First of all THANK YOU so much for all of the sweet comments and emails about my leg.

It is has really come a long ways these past 10 days!

Crazy, crazy accident but so thankful that the Dr was able to get the infection under control.

I also think the Lord had a little bit to do with it too:-)

Week three of our e-course is underway and I am packing up to head to California.

I am getting all the kits ready for the art event I am teaching at.

Don’t worry…I will keep my leg elevated and comfy as much as possible.

(I am actually under Dr’s orders on that one)

I also turn 40 this weekend.

I have been so busy and bloated from antibiotics that I have barely given it a thought.

I received quite a few emails this week about my outfit from the last post.

I thought I would just answer everyone all at once right here.

Here are the details.

Boots are from Anthropologie

Dress is from J Crew

Cuff is from the Alameda Flea Market

Sweater is from Target

Necklace is from Noonday

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You guys are really nice with all your comments because I didn’t shower, my boots were hiding the horror that was my leg (and cankles) and I was in soooo much pain!

If you want to follow my photos when I am in California you can follow me on Twitter or my Facebook page.

Maybe you will just see me sitting….a lot.

Hope not.

Filed Under: Me Myself and I, Style Page, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Positive Gossip

April 9, 2012 By 22 Comments

This past January I went to Alt with Kimberly, Mel and Estelle.

I wrote about the weekend HERE.

The last night of the conference we were all relaxing, talking and having a few drinks before we all went our separate ways the next morning.

Around the table with me was Kim, Mel, Estelle, Beefy, Melissa, Courtney and Melissa (I wonder what the popular name was 30 something years ago..hmmmm).

Towards the end of the night Kim suggested that we play “positive gossip”.

We all know what typical gossip is.

There usually isn’t much good that comes from plain ol’ gossip.

With positive gossip we went around the group and told positive things about each person.

I am so thankful that Kim did this.

Not only did it end our conference on such a beautiful note but I felt like we were giving each person a gift.

How often do we stop and tell people the most beautiful parts of who they are?

We didn’t have a chance to do this on our weekend in San Francisco so I thought I would take the chance here.

Kimberly.

Some of you might not know Kim personally.

You might see photos of her little farm, beautiful meals that she prepares and her face on publications she is associated with.

These are all lovely parts of her life.

What you don’t see in the photos is the kindness that exudes out of Kim.

She is one of the most genuinely kind people that I know.

She talks with the waitress, cab driver, bus driver…everyone.

She genuinely engages with each person.

She loves people and cares more about others than she does herself.

She is the most knowledgable person I know about cooking, baking, gardening, animals but she plays all her gifts down because she doesn’t even see them as the extraordinary gifts that they are.

They all come so easily to her that she thinks nothing of them.

When you are in her home you feel lavished and comfortable.

When do those two words come together?

Kimberly makes that possible.

Being in her home and talking with her while she has cooked a meal is one of my favorite memories with her.

Talking with coffee in hand next to her roaring fire is my second favorite.

The words out of her mouth are lovely about everyone.

She loves her family deeply and makes unspoken sacrifices daily.  Of course she does…she is a mom.

She is beautiful and graceful.

She is wickedly funny and then she can also be deep and serious.

I love you friend.

Lissa.

If you don’t know Lissa personally maybe you have seen her blog and her gorgeous photos of her gluten free meals, lovely home and her obsession with organization.

These are lovely parts of her life but barely scratch the surface of who she is.

Lissa loves the Lord.

Deeply and honestly and with a bold love.

Lissa doesn’t realize that she makes people want to love the Lord more too.

She recently talked about a women that she spent an afternoon with.

She told about how lovely this woman was and that everything about her reflected her love of the Lord.

She talked about wanting to be like her.

Lissa, you are!

Lissa is pee your pants funny.

Every time I am with her I am laughing my butt off.

I don’t know what it is about the two of us but when we get together we act like we are five.

Really, really cool five year olds:-)

She loves her family and it is in her love of them that she wants to create a special home, good meals, sweet surroundings.

When I first came to Lissa’s home I was going from room to room taking photos.

It is so beautiful but it is so warm.

I didn’t expect that in an almost all white home.

From the moment you step into her home you feel comfortable and loved.

That is a gift.

Lissa also has deep joy.

When she is joyful about something her voice gets louder and you can’t help but smile too.

I hope that never changes about her.

There isn’t enough true joy around.

I love you friend.

What I cherish about both of these women is their love of family,  home, faith is first.

These above loves are what inspires them to plant gardens, make their homes lovely, spend all day on a meal, place flowers around their homes, play in the backyard, love on their husbands, worry about their children, entertain….

They love being homemakers and I love that about both of them.

When was the last time you shared some positive gossip?:-)

{All of the photos were taken by me in the markets of San Francisco}

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I also wanted to give you one last notice that there is still time to enter for one of the 10 spaces I am giving away to our new business e-course!

We are so excited.

It is only one week away from starting.

We will announce the winners on THIS Wednesday.

Also remember that EACH person that REGISTERS for the course will be entered to win the Beginning Business Kit…you can read about it HERE.

The kit will go to one lucky winner and it is valued at over $1,200!!!

Filed Under: Inspired, Photography, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

San Fran {a little recap}

April 6, 2012 By 27 Comments

A week ago today I was up at 4 am to get ready for my girl’s weekend in San Francisco.

I don’t do mornings which shows how much I love these girls and San Fran!

I am usually so focused on the kids, family and the business that I need a getaway like this or I am bad about getting together with people.

I love people but I just love being home, reading with the kids,taking walks and creating in my studio.

You can’t really back out of a plane ticket and a prepaid hotel room.

Once I am on the plane and it is real…then I get really excited.

I was so giddy when I saw Kimberly and Lissa that I pretty much hung up on Kelly mid sentence.

We took a cab to our hotel.

We stayed at the Sir Francis Drake and I couldn’t recommend it more.

Good price, nice location, very pretty and amazing staff.

We never made it to the top floor bar….we kept on forgetting about it.

The first day we walked and walked and walked.

We went to the Ferry Building and had the most incredible lunch and then proceeded to walk it off.

The whole time we are walking I am pretty much smelling Lissa and wanting her perfume.

It may have become a little awkward at one moment.

I love cities that you see one incredible, original, creative idea after another.

This city loves food….and it shows.

Cool alleys with coffee shops, vans with meat shops set up, ice cream shops that make your ice cream on the spot and candy stores that are as delicious to look at as their candy is to eat.

One of the highlights of the first day was going to March.

Lissa had seen it mentioned on the Kinfolk blog and I am so glad we made the 65 mile hike to the shop:-)

Not only is the store stunning and original but the owner makes you want to not only love March, buy from it…but to promote it and watch it grow.

They have been featured in some of the biggest magazines but she was gracious and lovely in every way.

It is the biggest reminder that the face of your business truly is you and how you treat others.

You can have the most incredible gifts, creations etc. but if you are not kind you fail.

Dinner the first night was the perfect ending to our first day.

It was off an alley and Lissa said that it reminded her of Italy and the little cafes scattered throughout the alleys and walkways.

It was quaint, relaxing, amazing food and perfect company.

Enjoying a good meal, bottle of wine and great conversation is one of the best parts of life.

When there is no where to go and you stop long enough just to be.

The next day was raining and we decided to run into Saks so I could smell just like Lissa!

The Jo Malone staff was amazing and generous and we had the best time and probably stunk up the whole store with all our spraying of perfumes.

We all went away with some goodies and by the time we came out of the store the sun was shining and we headed to the markets.

The Ferry Building has an outdoor market on Saturday mornings and we enjoyed the street performers, fresh produce everywhere, sun and good food.

Our feet were so sore from all the walking the day before we decided to walk a little more and head to Chinatown for reflexology.

I would like to say at this point that I did not know what reflexology was.

I pushed everyone to go for the 70 minute “massage” because I was really excited to get a 70 minute rub down for $45.

I would like to say that the next 70 minutes were not as expected.

Kimberly was a little more educated and knew what was about to “go down”.

Lissa and myself….well….let me just tell you.

Kimberly was happy as can be sleeping in her chair.

I was trying to relax while a women was pushing with all her might against my bones.

Lissa was doing some deep breathing exercise and laughing…and not because she was getting tickled.

At one point Lissa thought she would give the women a little “hint” to lighten up and said, “Wow, you are really strong”.

Later Kim said, “You might want to be a little more direct when you are speaking to someone that doesn’t speak your language”.

Good tip Kim.  Where were you when we needed you?

I swear I was internally bruised for THREE days!

After the “massage” I was so hungry that I ate standing against a wall in Chinatown looking like a savage animal…and I didn’t care.

Kim and Lissa may have but I paid no attention to them.

We walked a little more and oohed and aahed over historic buildings, the details and dreamed out loud.

We ended our night eating some pizza and then coming back to our room to get into pajamas and watch a movie (with lots of snacks of course).

The next morning we woke up early to get our rental car and head to the Alameda Flea Market.

Kim was our fearless leader and driver.

I was her backseat navigator.

It was sooo cold and windy.

We were not prepared but lucky for us our suitcases wouldn’t hold much anyways.

We hit a few booths and stocked up on some goodies and then did what we are good at….we headed into Berkeley to eat.

We ended up heading towards the airport but stopping to enjoy some coffee in the beautiful sunshine.

The whole weekend I was bragging about all my Colorado sunshine and I came home to an overcast sky and then snow.

Don’t brag…it is soooo unattractive:-)

The recap is that we ate a lot, laughed sooo much, walked so much we thought we wanted a foot massage and I can’t wait to do it again.

It was hard to say goodby to these girls but I know I will see them again soon.

I don’t know how I ever got so blessed with sweet friendships like this.

I am surrounded by sincere, deep, caring women with amazing gifts and character.

Kind women.

Lucky me.

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On a side note you still have time to enter to win a spot into my new business e-course starting April 16th.

Leave a comment on THIS post to be entered.

You can Facebook, Twitter, blog and even pin it on Pinterest for more chances to win.

Each person that is registered for the course will be entered to win an AMAZING beginning business kit!

Read all about it HERE.

Have an amazing Easter.

What a gift we have all been given.

Filed Under: Inspired, Style Page, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

If You Were Not Able To Make It To Alt {Let Me Help You Out}

January 31, 2012 By

Today was the first day that I had the time to look at the notes I took while I was at the Altitude Design Summit (or Alt).

Each day was filled with amazing panels with successful panelist talking about social media and how to grow your business.

This was my second year at Alt and I didn’t take as many notes as last year but I did socialize more:-)

If you were not able to make it to Alt I wanted to give you the cliff notes from the panels I attended.

Here we go…

Successful Collaborations

What I took away from this panel is that it is always a smart move to collaborate with other successful women.

When you take the time to collaborate you are able to cut the work AND grow your business.  Look for women in a different area than your own but someone that compliments your look/feel/business.

If you have a blog start monthly posts that bring other bloggers into your posts.  Be creative and be authentic.

If you are doing a large collaboration make sure that you use a social calendar like “Google Calendar” so everyone can make changes in real time.

Life Work Balance

I think this is a subject that most entrepreneurs struggle with.

Especially when you work from home it is hard to separate when it is work time and when it is family time.

Here are some of tips that I heard:

Hire help for the things that others can do.

Create a huge schedule that includes the extra things that you want to make time for like creating and working out.

Say “no” more often.  We can’t say “yes” to everything even when we are growing our businesses.

Many entrepreneurs can become addicted to the go, go, go of growing your business and they need to break this addiction.

It is also essential to maintain your mental and physical strength.  You have to make time for renewal.

I know all of these things sound like commonsense but it is always good to be reminded.

Runway + Streetstyle: Fashion Blogging 101

Obviously, I am not a fashion blogger but I do make fashions so I thought this might be interesting.

This panel was really helpful for someone wanting to get their start in fashion blogging but I took away that it is time to get an intern.

There are so many people that want the experience that a fashion business can provide and that they can get credit for it in school too.

Food for thought.

{at this point there should have been more panel notes for day one but obviously I was living on coffee at this point and have nothing for you}

Day two brought more great panels.

Let’s go.

Using Facebook as an Effective Tool to Connect

This was a roundtable discussion group and I really like these smaller groups.  Hint, hint Alt….more of these would be awesome!

I use Facebook a lot but there were a few things that I thought would be fun and helpful.

The first one was to purchase the app Picframe because you can create collages with the photos you take from your phone.

This is really helpful if you post photos to Facebook and Twitter.  You can also add text which is fun.

I have apps that make collages but I didn’t have one that can add text.

If you are on Facebook and you have a business page you might want to invest in creating a “landing page”.

This is just a page that new visitors will see before they “like” your business page.

You can give a brief summary of your business, showcase product and even give coupons for people becoming a fan of your business page.

From Blog to Shop

When you have a blog and an online shop don’t forget to make local connections.

It is easy to spend so much time making online connections that we need to remember to grow local connections because those connections are invaluable.

Those connections will help you with word of mouth and also local newspapers etc.

It was also suggested to read the book The E-Myth Revisited.

Make sure that you are paying yourself and following a formula for wholesale and retail pricing.

On a closing note that when people sign up for your newsletter….they actually WANT your newsletter so make sure you are sending them out a few times a month.

Building a Personal Brand

Make sure you have a brand statement.

Know what your assets are!

Personalize your brand by showcasing who you ARE not what you DO.

I know I have heard this a million times but it takes time to really fine tune it…have an elevator pitch.

Have that 10 second pitch that tells exactly what you sell…who you are!

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OK, that is it.

I just saved you a ton of money:-)

Sorry I didn’t take more notes but I was having so much fun listening and participating that I forgot:-)

Come back on Wednesday for a peek into where I am going to celebrate turning 40!!!!

Filed Under: Inspired, Shop Talk, Travel Tagged With: , , , ,

Old Roads {and making room for the new ones}

October 20, 2011 By

Dinner was on the table at the farm and my children were nowhere to be found.

My brother obligingly set off to find them.

I also went out to check on their progress of pulling themselves away from the freedom and wonder of the farm….to obey.

All three of them were running down the country lane.

I rushed back into the house to grab my camera and quickly capture them, the setting sun, the light on the golden cornstalks.

It is just a plain ‘ol country road…but with the right light it appeared magical.

We are now home  from our two week trip to see my mom and then some.

We are tired, there is a lot of laundry to do and even more work that needs to be tackled.

This morning I woke up early (body still on the eastern time zone).

The house was quiet, dark, coffee in hand and talking to my husband.

I have really missed this routine that we do each morning when he works from home.

On my trip home I caught myself down roads I haven’t traveled in a long time.

Some literal and some figuratively.

I was trying to be more intentional this trip home….not knowing really when the next time I will be in the area.

I saw friends from junior high and high school, drove past old schools, photographed the houses I grew up in…

One of the old roads I drove down was a long lane to the house of an old boyfriend’s parent.

The father of this boyfriend had lost his wife last year.

I wanted to tell him personally how sorry I was and just hug him.

As I was driving down that long lane a flood of memories that I honestly hadn’t thought about for over 18 years came rushing back.

Funny how those memories are always there…just waiting…wondering if you will choose to remember.

I had loved that boy so many years ago.

I don’t even remember now how long we had dated.

I think it was almost two years.

We drove each other nuts, fought all of the time…and I was crazy for him.

Truly.

Even though I now know true, real love…those early loves were the most I had known and so they were real too.

I knocked on the old farmhouse door.

A voice from inside called out, “Come on in”.

Only in a small town would a person say that.

I cracked open the door and said, “Mr. ….., I don’t know if you remember me but I am….

He interrupted…..”Blue eyes”!

I hadn’t seen him for 18 years.

“Remember that is what we used to call you”?

With a smile on my face, “Yes, I remember”.

I sat in his kitchen for the next 45 minutes talking about his wife that is now gone, his family and all his grandchildren.

We talked briefly about the boy I had loved such a long time ago.

You don’t always get the chance to know that someone that you cared about is good.  Happy.  Loved.

That alone made me smile.

As I  headed back down that long lane I knew I would never be back.

I was thankful for that road.

That family.

That boy.

That chance to tell the father how sorry I was and hug him.

I appreciate all of those old roads from my past more and more these days.

With the old roads in my rear view mirror I am driving on….but I will never forget them.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Family First, Inspired, Me Myself and I, Photography, Travel Tagged With: , , , , ,
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