Happy Holiday Weekend!

Hello Lovelies!

Happy Memorial Day weekend (or bank holiday if you are across the pond). It’s been rainy and cold here in New York for the past few days, but the sun is looking promising this morning and hopefully we’ll squeeze some nice weather in before the holiday is over. I couldn’t help but have my mind in a sunny, vacation-ready spot this morning and thought I’d share a secret I learned last summer with you all…

I have always been in search of the perfect beach blanket. In Oregon however, that means it needs to work on sand, allow your dog to run all over it, deal with lumpy grass/rocks and clean up easily. In New York, it also needs to be lightweight and packable. Well, I think I’ve found it – the steven alan beach blanket.

Good news is they have it listed again for the year on their site just in time for Memorial day to kick off (it’s a seasonal item each summer). You can grab it in most locations, but if there isn’t a shop near you, they are selling them online this year. Only downside is that you can’t choose your color (although it says you can call if you want a certain color to arrange it).

Made of a super lightweight woven, these blankets are so easy to throw into a tote bag and carry around for the day without feeling like you are a pack-mule. For only $48, I’m definitely heading down to the shop in our neighborhood to get another one for this summer. I bought one in Venice last year and had planned on tossing it after leaving California so I wouldn’t carry the bulk of it, but couldn’t bring myself to do it because I was so attached.

Central Park NYC – August 2012

Venice Beach, California – July 2012

If you are looking for that perfect summer addition that can ride along to the park or throw into a suitcase for a beach vacation, I recommend checking this bad boy out. I couldn’t be more impressed with my newest summer essential. It’s really large (60″ x 84″) so it fits multiple people, or folds in half nicely for a spacious area for one. Did I mention it’s only $48?!

I hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend, and I am over the moon that this Sunday is really more of a Saturday this week. Cheers to the beginning of summer (no matter how grey or sunny it may be where you are)!

xoxo
E

What’s Next: Trendspotting Feedback Friday with Quirky

Happy Friday lovelies!

If you follow me on Twitter, then you definitely know by now that today I am a guest speaker over at Quirky. As part of their weekly Feedback Friday series, this week they have assembled a panel of Trendspotting experts. Needless to say, I was so excited when they reached out to me to come get in on the fun!

They did a great post over at the Quirky blog, so make sure to check it out.

[Image via Quirky.com]

There are many ways to do this, but the best way to think like a trendspotter is to learn directly from trendspotters themselves. Thus, we decided to go straight to the source, and assemble a stellar group of trendspotting experts for this week’s live Feedback Friday broadcast (Friday, 3pm ET). After a panel discussion on trendspotting in product design, we’ll open the conversation to questions in the chat.

If you want to log in and see what all of the fuss is about and meet the other ladies I’ll be chatting with, sign up for a free account over at Quirky.com and use the invention code: Trends

What: Trendspotting Feedback Friday

When: This Friday at 3pm ET

Who: A panel of trendspotting experts, and you!

Where: Only on Quirky.com/Live

Ugly Dollies + Shiny Ponies

I have expressed my love of Jenna Lyons and her creative eye numerous times here. I find that anytime they turn the camera on her the passion she has and love for what she does just radiates. Yet another fantastic example of this is in the new video J Crew released this morning called “Shiny Ponies.”

Between leopard being a “neutral” and proclaiming that when she throws on a silver, 5-inch pump and all of a sudden she feels prettier; I love her honest passion about not only shoes, but the ones they make as a brand.

What do you think? Do you have certain shoes that make you feel empowered or put an extra spring in your step? I sure do. Maybe even my fully golden glitter mary-jane pumps I picked up on sale at their store to celebrate finally selling my car…

“There’s a sense of sparkle in a shoe… and I don’t mean sequins.” – Jenna Lyons

Hey Stranger! (I missed you.)

Wow. What a whirlwind.

A lot has happened since June 30th. I took the first step in this new adventure and what a crazy ride it has been! I apologize for the absence here on the blog, but I didn’t have a computer for awhile, and no internet for awhile after that. I’m now back in business however and excited to be back!

A quick roundup of everything you missed:

I moved to Chinatown.

I moved to the Upper East Side.

My shoes moved everywhere with me (and somehow each time I unpacked there were a few more pairs).

I had some awesome visitors.

Including the birthday girl (Miss Morgan).

And the boy (who found a job on his trip!).

I flew home for two amazing weddings.

I moved yet again to Brooklyn.

The boy moved to New York!

I voted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found our apartment.

Then there was a  hurricane and a snowstorm all within roughly a week of that.

Finally the pup moved to New York!

And next thing I knew, it was the Holidays.

Whew. What a whirlwind, yeah? It seems so crazy that I’ve been gone from Portland since July. I now live in one of the greatest cities in the world and am shocked every day when I remember that I am not flying back to home at the end of the week.. It’s been a bit of a gypsy life up until now, but it feels so great to finally have a place to call my own and a real routine again (and be reunited with my sewing machine!).

Above all, it feels good to finally be a New Yorker.

xoxo
E

The Sunshine State

As soon as I got to New York I was back on a plane headed to LA for the month of July. For a month I shacked up in a little loft in Venice beach and worked from our LA office. It was incredible weather and lots of fun times with some new pals. I even got to pop down to Long Beach and see a good friend and his pups that I haven’t seen since they lived in Portland! I made new doggy friends along the way including the amazing little Kate Moss, and am excited for my next trip back there now that I have some fun people to visit.

There’s nothing like moving an Oregon girl by the beach for month to break her into a new gig!

Radio Silence

Friends!

First of all, let’s start this with: I’m alive I promise. If you happen to follow me over on twitter or instagram you are probably too aware of this. I have been in the whirlwind that is my new life trying to get settled and put my head back on straight. After spending a month in LA, then stopping off in Salt Lake City on my way back, I’m finally back in New York. I couldn’t be more excited to be here and am finally getting a little settled in.

I’ll catch up on here over the next few days, but until then… here are a few highlights. So glad to be back and ready to get back into the groove of things.

Fireworks to Kickoff a New Adventure!

Good Morning lovelies, Happy Fourth of July!

Sorry I have been absent for a bit, things have been crazy! Since we last spoke, I made a huge move… to New York! I’m offcially an employed and working girl in Manhattan and the adventures have just begun. I’m out in New York right now to start work, then start the hunt for my new home. Talk about a lot at once! On Saturday I will head back to a more familiar time-zone and be living in LA for the month to work out of the office there with one of y new teammates. Come August, I’ll be back in New York and ready to go… I can’t wait!

The hardest part of course, has been leaving behind all of the amazing people I have in my life back home. Not only all of my fantastic friends and my amazing family, but my beloved boy and dog are still there. Alas, I must get the work going out here to get things settled and nailed down in order to have the perfect landing pad for those two to come join (and I hope soon because I miss them terribly!).

One thing I will express my extreme thankfulness for however, is that these days you can connect back with your loved ones so easily! Skype, FaceTime, and even following everyone on Instagram helps a ton, and luckily planes are so easy to track down I have faith I won’t ever have to feel too far… and even better, everyone can come visit!

With that, I must say, what better week can you kick off an amazing new adventure to restart your life? Happy Independence Day everyone! I’m thrilled to be in New York City this year on such a perfect day. I’m planning on eating hotdogs, watching fireworks, and even having a few festive cocktails to celebrate a new chapter and our country. I hope you all have amazing plans ahead for the day because the sun is out and this city is buzzing!

Have an amazing holiday!

xoxo,
E

[Illustration above by the talented Katie Rodgers of PAPERFASHION] 

Gold Leaf Everything. But, Really.

Do you ever have a pair of shoes (/bag/necklace/whatever) that you just adore, and they get damaged beyond being able to actually wear them again? I mean, you could wear them… but it may not be the look you are really going for if you know what I mean.

That, lovelies, happened to my brand new black glitter slip-ons. I wore them maaaaaybe three times and the glitter started falling off in masses. The worst is that the base material is this awful dull grey, which just made it look even worse (why couldn’t they have used black?!). But alas, after I got back from NYFW I was really inspired by the shoes that  Eleven Objects used in their presentation, as well as the creative use of Gold Leaf in their Fall 12 collection overall.

Enter my stash of gold leaf I had from an old project. I figured, “What’s the worst that could happen?” and started my Saturday project. To be honest, it was super easy and relatively quick, I highly recommend gold leafing everything you own… I’m about to.

You can find this standard Gold Leaf (it also comes in silver and copper) at any craft store.  Mine had 25 sheets in the one pack, so be ready to see more gold in my future. DOn’t forget the spray adhesive, it’s the best!

Shoes pre-leafing.

Partially through the process. I used a large makeup brush to dust off extra gold, and tweezers for any gentle touch-ups. It’s very brittle, but can be laid on in tiny sheets if needed. I was also going for texture, so I didn’t mind multiple small pieces.

Finsihed product!  I hadn’t sealed it yet at this point (don’t forget to buy sealer, I did!) so it actually ended up looking a tad smoother and shinier than pictured here. After wearing them a few times, they are pretty durable and the bonus is that the sealer is now keeping the glitter on the remainder of the shoe.

I have a feeling this won’t be the last thing I take my gold leaf supplies to, so stay tuned. As always, I post a lot of my home projects on my instagram (@hot_on_a_dime) as I’m working, so pop over there to see things a little quicker than they show up here!

xoxo,
E

That Time I Went To Nashville…

This past weekend I had the amazing experience of joining one of my oldest friends for her Bachelorette party out in Nashville, TN. It was by far, one of the best decisions I have ever made. We had a blast dancing the night away in the evenings at the honky-tonks and explored the city/nearby areas during the day. Everyone was so nice and helpful, and always willing to share some history/stories about whatever you were looking at (even the Men’s restroom!).

I hope to go back someday, and I recommend it to anyone who gets the chance. It was also great to get a little bit of Grants Pass love in there when I met up with the lovely Brianne in between her deadlines! If you haven’t seen her fantastic music blog, check it out here.

1. Tootsies was fantastic, even the one in the airport had live music!
2. Six green hats and one Pink one for the Bride-to-Be.
3. Little Jimmy DIckens opening the show at The Grand Ole Opry.
4. The beautiful Carnton Plantation (there was a wedding happening when we were there!).
5.  The incredible Art Deco Men’s room at the Oak Bar (thanks to Dale for making sure the coast was clear and giving us a tour with all of the history!).
6. Neon in Nashville is one of my favorite things. SOmething about neon cowgirls is so classic.
7. Coyote Ugly. 
8. Bloody Mary’s at the Hard Rock. 

The best kind of beautiful.

I’ve always been more of an Audrey Hepburn girl myself, but in the past year or so I have been watching a lot of old movies, including some Marilyn films. If there is one thing that girl could do, it was nail the “having fun while being undeniably gorgeous and flirty” thing. I came across this photo set through a friend’s pinterest post and couldn’t resist posting. Between the pattern, the lighting, and her incredible way of working the camera… they are truly amazing.

Enjoy!

See more here.

xoxo,
E