Category Archives: Inspiration

Pendant Lights for the Dining Room

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You guys, our dining room needs a new light situation bad. There is a chandelier fixture spot ready to have something wired in to it and I’ve been looking around for the perfect addition to the room. I found it. However, there is a slight budget conflict. A girl can dream about $350 light fixtures right?

Sigh. It’s from Ballard Designs and it looks awesome.

Inspired by this via Young House Love:

I also found these options that a little more budget friendly. What do you guys think?

Here is a photo of our dining room.

What do you think? Have you seen any other cool fixtures that you think would look good?

xx

-h

Things I learned in my early 20s

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What is it about spring that makes you feel nostalgic for the good ol’ days. Feeling a little inspired by Sarah’s post about her pre-graduation bucket list, and this Top 25 list, I thought I would reflect on what I’ve learned since entering my 20’s nearly 5 years ago. Unlike a lot of my friends, my college graduation was a little anti-climatic. I had worked nearly full-time the last 2 years of my time spent at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, and I still had to finish one class before I would receive my diploma (drawing 101 didn’t transfer, much to my dismay).  Regardless, I was relieved to be done with homework, and to move on into the bigger and better future. Since then a lot has changed, so here goes – my list of top lessons learned in my early 20s, take note S.

1. Champagne is always appropriate and delicious.

2. People are fucking weird. They make choices that make zero sense, they say mean things, they are backstabbing, they’re goofy, they are disrespectful to people they should be respectful to, they do nice things when you least expect it, they are full of surprises, and everyone gets weirder as they get older.

3. You’re job doesn’t make you. I saw something on Pinterest recently that said, “Never be ashamed of your job. If you flip burgers, flip some fucking dope burgers.” Seriously, do your best at your job and you will be rewarded. Be creative, speak up, introduce the company to new ideas, and for goodness sake, if the website needs to be redone, redo it.

4. Get outside, go to beer festivals, art festivals, wine tastings, campgrounds, river trips, remote areas, see the things you want to see.

5. Friendships can survive any distance. Just pick up the phone, login to gchat, text, or email, but don’t be the only person putting an effort in.

6. Live with no regrets, but know that there will be things that resurface that you wish wouldn’t and didn’t.

7. If you break a bone, wear the cast as long as the doctor says, do the physical therapy, and take a calcium supplement otherwise you will pay later in life.

8. Your hangovers WILL get worse.

9. Exercise for stress release and then hit happy hour, otherwise you might end up in a glass case of emotion.

10.  You will start to feel old, but don’t say, “I’m so old” because you aren’t.

11. Untag unflattering, incriminating, or embarrassing photos on Facebook.

12. If you find someone that you love and loves you, do everything in your power to fight for that relationship, if it is meant to be it will work, if it is not, it won’t. Don’t let them disrespect you.

13. You aren’t as funny as you think you are when you drunk tweet.

14. Communication is the key to any relationship.

15. Don’t invite your boss to your bachelorette party.

16. If you hate your body, you will portray negativity, either change it or embrace it.

17. Buy furniture off Craigslist, it is cheap, and the green option.

18. Don’t complain about how busy you are, it makes it look like you are compensating for something.

19. Travel, because in 10 years when you have 3 kids and a mortgage, you won’t be able to justify going to Costa Rica for 10 days, or spending $1000 in Vegas, or taking three weeks for a road trip. Even if it’s for a weekend, go visit your friends that live in other cities, sleep on couches, experience music festivals. Just go!

20. You will think you got your dream job, that dream will change in a couple of years.

xx

-h

Tuesday Shoesday: Hunter Rain Boots

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This 5-day blurb in the weather has got us Washingtonians remembering where we are from.  Same as the population quadruples when the sun comes out, people skulk back into their homes at the first sight of rain.  I for one, have not forgotten my roots.  This morning I slipped on my Hunter Rainboots and wore them out of the house like I was walking the runway.  Although Hunter makes a variety of styles, my favorite is the Original Tall, which comes in a variety of colors, both matte and glossy.  I have the glossy black, which are perfect with almost any rainy day outfit.  I’ve seen them worn many ways, and a bright color with a dress for the summer’s warm rain is adorable.  They even sell Welly socks to go inside to keep your feet extra warm on cold days.  Fall, Winter, Spring or Summer these designer rain boots are a must for anyone living in the Northwest!  The Original Tall can be found at Nordstrom for $125, and the Welly sock inserts can also be found at Nordstrom for $30.

Hunter Original Tall Rain Boots

xoxo

-s

Bucket List

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This past weekend was “Back 2 Bellingham” or alumni weekend at Western.  With the sun shining and activities going on all over campus I started feeling pretty sentimental about graduating.  Okay…I’ve been feeling sentimental all quarter, but having the count to graduation slowly shift from months to weeks to days has really given me a shake.  The anxiety and concern that I didn’t do everything I should have before leaving college is increasing, so I have decided to create a bucket list to be completed before June 9th graduation.  So far it is rather short, but I’m looking for help.

1. Swim in the Red Square fountain

2. Climb Oyster Dome

3. Run Lake Padden

4. Watch the sunrise

I am asking Western or Non-Western students and graduates: What should I do before leaving?  What did you wish you would have done before leaving?

xoxo

-S

Color Run Seattle 2012

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On Sunday, S and I ran the Color Run 5k in Seattle. It was a total blast, every kilometer there is a color bomb area where they throw powdered chalk type color onto you. Everyone wears white, and ends up covered in a rainbow. Check out this video from the finish area.

Color Run Seattle 2012

Looking for a fun way to get your first, second, or millionth 5k under your belt? I would totally recommend The Color Run.

xx
-h

Someone needs to buy this…

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OMG, OMG, OMG. I so wish I could justify buying a new couch right now, because this baby was posted to Craigslist yesterday.

to buy: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/fuo/2951325538.html

I immediately emailed the lady even though I knew full well I wouldn’t be able to buy it. I just had to know more. It is gorgeous midnight blue velvet. $1000 for the sofa and ottoman.

Here is the link to the posting: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/fuo/2951325538.html

I can’t get it out of my head.

xx

-h

Wowed by Score + Solder Terrariums

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It’s no secret that bringing a little green into your environment increases the positive vibes. These terrariums from Score & Solder are breathtaking, the style is fresh – I’m already picturing one on the entrance table at our new house.

photo: Score + Solder

photo: Score + Solder

photo: Score + Solder

Bring on the succulents, tiny cacti, and miniature ceramic animals.

-h

February….

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February has been a rough month, yesterday I learned that I lost a friend, inspiration, and important contributor to the ski industry in the avalanche at Stevens Pass. While I did not know Chris Rudolph as well as some people, I feel especially heart broken because Chris was so welcoming to me from the moment I made the decision to move to the Pacific Northwest. He consistently sent me job postings that he thought I might be interested in and suggested often that I come up to Stevens Pass to take some turns with him.

When we finally met in person this fall, he introduced me to his whole team and told me about some of the marketing strategies that he had been working on throughout the summer at the resort including the huge success of the introductory bike park. When funding was pulled for the downhill mountain bike park at Stevens Pass, Chris used his creativity and innovation to raise enough money to keep the bike park idea alive and in about 36 hours at that. Keep in mind, this was still an idea at this point, dirt hadn’t even been pushed yet. By this point, it was already late in the summer season, and when the park did finally open it was only for one weekend. However, Chris pushed forward, receiving major kudos from mountain bikers both locally and throughout the bike community. This story speaks to the passion that Chris showed for the ski resort industry as a whole, he understood already that Stevens Pass would have skiers and riders flocking to their slopes during the winter, but that bringing those crowds for the summer time was possible as well.

I learned about Chris first, and when the news of Jim and Johnnie followed, I found myself feeling like a disaster. Three ambassadors to our sport that I am sure were mentors, leaders, and inspirations in their own right each. My heart goes out to their families.

photo: hh

This blog is dedicated to finding the positivity in each day, and as very sad as I feel, what I can say is that I am glad that I had the opportunity to meet Chris at all. I will continue to be inspired by his passion, his welcoming and kind personality, and the power that the tight knit ski industry has to support each other.

Before we know it, March will be here.

-h