My passport + I want to go on an across-the-pond vacation so badly; somewhere between Europe and the South Pacific chunk of countries. I’ve considered throwing my top destinations in a hat and choosing one. For now [while logistics work themselves out] I’m daydreaming of white sandy beaches + listening to The Shins: AUSTRALIA + reading about a non-conformist blogger’s quest to visit every country in the world. He’s almost there! 
[VIA + MY INSTAGRAM]
[VIA]
When I am working at my desk for long periods of time, which is not all that often, I’m usually bopping around to some sort of background noise to help me stay on task. I like to listen to songs that I don’t know the words to. It’s less distracting this way.
I recently discovered Designers.MX, a site that shares playlists created by real life creative designers. Not just any yahoo walking down the street can throw their list of faves onto the site. The selection process establishes an expectation that all the playlists featured will have good music so I don’t have to spend my productivity hours clicking around to skip songs. See the screen shot up there? Those ten squares are the “album covers” each mixer gets to create.
Simple playlist by a Czech UI designer is a personal favorite. See, friends? Inspiration is everywhere.
I stood up from watching Masters replays to take this photograph. I’m glad I did! It’s another gorgeous night here in Austin. So very thankful.
accomplishments are important regardless of how small they are.
i want to start making a concentrated effort to celebrate my smaller achievements. do you know the ones i’m referring to? these are the ones that come along and yearn to be recognized, but sometimes i’m too tough on myself to stop and pat myself on the back. i am the type of person who is programmed to wait to celebrate the big wins — thus inadvertently refusing to acknowledge the little guys. truth be told, all achievements need recognition; these are the mini [+ many] milestones that my subconscious mind relies on for the confidence to keep up the good work.
[thanks for the inspiration: 1| inslee the fantastic fashion illustrator 2| as well as the kelly wearstler we all know and love either for her "entertaining" past and her colorful present interiors empire.]
What’s better than getting your nails painted blue? Getting your nails painted blue for a charitable cause. For every blue mani/pedi clients receive from milk + honey’s 2nd Street District location in April, m+h will donate $5 to Autism Speaks’ Light it Up campaign. Don’t forget to download the milk + honey app for iPhone & iPad. Each week exclusive offers are released to clients; this week you can book a complimentary brow wax with that mani/pedi!
aaaaaand:
blo austin [1611 W.5th St Ste 145] wants you to help celebrate their first birthday on Monday, April 16 from 5-8 pm. Complimentary blowouts, sweet treats, and bevs will all be enjoyed to a limited number of peeps so get your RSVPs in to bloaustin@blomedry.com. Hopefully you’re already following blo on Pinterest!
Faced with Distraction, We Need Willpower
Lately I’ve been really overwhelmed.
Typical work stress aside, I’m overwhelmed in a good way: a very, very fortunate problem to have. I feel that the world is at my fingertips [!!] and there are so many things that I want to accomplish before I’m taken from it. In the present moment I’m grappling with a plethora of self-declared goals and just like when I was back in college with a multitude of papers waiting to be written, I’m struggling to come up with a good place to start.
I know the reality: if I don’t start chipping away, nothing will become of itself. My goals will stay neatly written down on my inspiration board and blah-blah-blah here I am six months later with hardly anything accomplished but one helluva collection of Pinterest boards. I tell you what – after two weeks of hectic/tiring/I-need-to-do-my-laundry-because-I’m-running-out-of-socks-nonstop travel, I have GOT to sit down and reevaluate my plans. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. This is important. This is urgent. This is my life. No one else is going to do it for me.
It’s a great thing that I ran into that HBR article [go back to the top and click if you haven't yet] this morning. It spoke to my heart and my thick head. I’ll be ordering the book, too. Let me know what you think of the article & it’d be nice to hear from you guys to see if you ever feel this way. I’m not the only one, am I??
Dutch designers Lernert & Sander are a fantastic duo that create artwork and videos for short films, commercials, and forward-thinking retail environments such as [personal fave] Selfridges. Watch the demise of three chocolate bunnies stuck in a piping hot, Pantone world.
[VIA]
I wish all of you the very best this Valentine’s Day. Whatever you do, make the best of it!
My friends + I celebrated on Sunday with a fantastic little brunch. We made heart shaped pancakes + bacon + chocolate covered strawberries + breakfast sausage + pink mimosas [POM juice does the trick]. My house still smells like we just finished cooking! Today I’ll be traveling [for work] but at least I will be lucky enough to surprise my grandmother with a hand delivered Valentine, meet my mom’s new black lab puppy named Luke, and share a meal with a very special old girlfriend.
I leave you with this simple thought…
It worked for them.
If your heart is afraid to suffer, take heed from the lessons in Paolo Coelho’s The Alchemist…
Enjoy this beautiful day.
[MGTmadethis1, VIA2, VIA3]
