The Week In Pictures: 5.17.13

The Week In Pictures


This desktop clutter is fairly representative of my life lately — I’ve been gathering up a lot of fun print materials here, there and well, everywhere as I work through a few big editorial projects. What does your desktop clutter say about you? Haha. Really though, this week has been about tough love of the best possible kind. I’ve become a better listener over time and instead of getting defensive about feedback on business endeavors and projects, I can step back and ask myself what I can do better. There’s always room to do better. Maybe that’s something that’s easier learned with age.

The Week In Pictures

As I was strolling through the West Hills over the weekend, I spotted what appeared to be spiderweb windows from a block away. How had I never seen this house before?! As I got closer, there were many webbed windows on one of the most oddly beautiful houses I’d ever seen. I couldn’t get the house out of my mind and after doing a little research, realized it’s the famed JO Frye House, by the very very eccentric architect of the same name who also built the Canterbury Castle right down the road (now sadly demolished). I have a soft spot for eccentric old houses…probably because my house is one of them. It has some major quirks as well and sat vacant for a full year before we bought it.

The Week In Pictures

I am still totally head over heels (ha) for this duo of vases which now welcome visitors in our living room window. Inviting, huh?

The Week In Pictures

A little while back, Joey put in our new front lawn and it’s so lush and thick now it’s bordering on carpet-like. Rocky would lay in it all day if he could. And as you know, I am all for eccentric shoes. Sometimes you need that extra kick in your step. That extra boost of confidence. I remember the time I found these, lonely and hanging out on the sale rack at 70% off and thought, “ahhh, why not?” They’ve served me well since.

The Week In Pictures

Another peek at the stunning JO Frye house….I imagine someone like Gala being right at home here with that intriguing mix of beauty and spookiness.

The Week In Pictures

I hope you have a weekend full of exploration and relaxation — we’re still in full home repair mode over here (does it ever end???) and in between that, I’ll be knocking out those previously mentioned editorial projects and booking some plane tickets. Have a great one!

Link Love: 5.16.13

link love


Source: Chen Man


• If you’re self-employed and accounting scares you to death, you MUST read this post. By the time you get to the end, it won’t seem so bad at all! Promise.

• How do you explain to your children that experiences can be more valuable than job titles or money?

• Are you a fan of obscure words? Check out Lexican….and then impress and annoy your friends!

• Learn how to say yes to the unknown.

• Why does one bad review stick with us and overpower all the great ones people leave?

• Author Maureen Johnson kept hearing from male readers asking for less “girly” covers on her books, so that they could read them in public. She issued a challenge on Twitter and asked people to submit new versions and here are some of the results.

• Kandee Johnson has 3 reasons to not be so hard on yourself.

• I love this umbrella customization DIY. So much fun!

• 23 signs you’ve lived in New York City too long.

• The Zen Habits guide to practical compassion is beautifully written.

• What exactly does it mean to be part of the so-called privileged poor?

• I love these cookie cutters by Printmeer. They’re all made with a 3D printing machine!

• Anna just saw Peter Murphy perform last week and has some great concert-going tips.

• Learn how to make your own coffee shop oatmeal. Yum!

• I’m totally blown away by these New York and London double exposures.

• When singing a lease, here’s what to consider.

Tools of the Trade #4: The Noun Project

Tools of the Trade

Up until The Noun Project came along, finding high quality icons more often than not felt like searching for a needle in a haystack. I know that when I was on the hunt, I’d inevitably find myself on spam-filled sites or in a jumble of low quality stock images.

The Noun Project is an open-source project dedicated to building a global visual language we can all understand regardless of cultural and language barriers. The site welcomes icon contributions from around the world and a large portion of them are available for use under the Creative Commons license.

Search for those random icons that pop into your head. The library is massive and chances are, they have it. Need an alarm clock? A flower? A croissant? How about sunglasses? Yep, they’re covered.

Tools of the Trade


Top Photo: Made U Look

The Turquoise Tornado Hits The Road: Two New Dates!

The Blogcademy World Tour

I’ve got that nervously excited feeling in the pit of my stomach this morning because we’re announcing two new workshop dates for The Blogcademy!


New Additions

First off, you crazy cats in Melbourne completely blew us away — our workshop there isn’t until November, yet you snapped up tickets in a record amount of time. Countless emails later, we realized a second date needed to happen and have booked the same event space, Lightdrop Studios over November 14th and 15th.

Next up, many of you requested a southern date and we didn’t want to leave you out! I am so beyond excited that we’ll be visiting Austin over August 17th and 18th and hosting our workshop at the stunning Vuka. The last time I was in Austin was all the way back in 2007 and I have such fond memories of that trip. There’s such a warm, inviting sense of community and a sense of hospitality in a way that only the south can offer up.

Both cities have an earlybird special if you book before midnight Wednesday, May 15th.


Tour Dates

Hosting workshops is a huge dream come true for me and I want to say thank you to everyone that’s made it possible. If you’d like to join us for either date, please head on over to the registration page. And if you’re thinking about joining us at another stop on our tour, here’s an update of the cities we’re visiting in 2013:

New York (limited spaces remaining)
Pantina, June 22nd & 23rd

Minneapolis (limited spaces remaining)
Public Functionary, June 29th & 30th

Austin (just launched!)
Vuka, August 17th & 18th

London
Curtain Road Studios, September 7th & 8th

Brisbane
Proudly presented by Tourism & Events Queensland
Bleeding Heart Gallery, November 2nd & 3rd

Melbourne (sold out!)
Lightdrop Studios, November 6th & 7th

Auckland
Generator, November 9th & 10th

Melbourne (just launched!)
Lightdrop Studios, November 14th & 15th


The Blogcademy World Tour

As always, one scholarship spot is offered per class. Please make sure to submit your entries at least once month before the workshop date. I’m looking forward to seeing ya on the road! It’s gonna be a blast. And we promise to keep you entertained!


Photos: Made U Look

What I Wore: 5.12.13 | Spring

What I Wore: Spring

For Mother’s Day, I took some time away with Joey and Rocky and we headed up high into the West Hills for a long Sunday walk. Everything is so beautiful right now, in bloom with the most intense colors.

What I Wore: Spring

What I Wore: Spring

I wished my mom a long distance Happy Mother’s Day (she lives in Phoenix) and then instagrammed one of my all-time favorite photos of us. She’s put up with a lot from me over the last three decades and I wasn’t the easiest kid to deal with, that’s for sure. I was very stubborn and particular and I demanded that all my outfits had to be color coordinated! Haha. So I’m glad (and thankful) we’ve always shared a tight bond.

What I Wore: Spring

I Wore:
Asos Floral Skater Dress
Dries Van Noten Boots
Gold Door Woven Plastic Bracelets


I love wearing dresses like this in the warmer weather where you don’t have to think too hard — throw ‘em on, grab some shoes and you’re dressed and ready to go!

What I Wore: Spring

When I get outside, the stress just dissipates. Once again, I didn’t want to head home. I don’t think Rocky did, either. ;) I hope your week is off to a great start!

The Week in Pictures: 5.10.13

The Week In Pictures


The big news this week is that our backyard bar is getting a lot closer to being finished. I’ve been pretty antsy to get it together and that can mostly be attributed to the fact that once we get it done (and the rest of the backyard landscaped), we’re finally going to have a legit party. The housewarming party we never had.

In the summer of 2009 when my brother and I bought our house, we were faced with barren rooms (we had no money to quickly “furnish” the place) and more repairs than we knew what to do with. When Joey moved in during the spring of 2010, it quickly became apparent that he not only knew how to do construction but also electrical and plumbing. Joey’s handiwork around the house including transforming a poorly framed gazebo into a soon-to-be bar has blown us away. I really wish I had proper “before” photos. There was literally a cement slab, 4 posts and the roof. More details shots soon — he’s made a lot more progress since this photo!

The Week In Pictures

I always like to pick up a nice bunch of flowers for the dining room since it’s one of the first rooms you see when you walk in our house. I’ve become completely enamored with Gladiolus over the last few weeks because they’re massive and live for quite long. I like this bunch even better than our last.

The Week In Pictures

After a mini break, we’ve been hitting The Blogcademy to-do list hard again just in time for a big announcement next week. I spent some time adding in a spread to our media kit featuring our Portland class by Made U Look.

The Week In Pictures

I’ve been on a huge kick of drinking coffee at home. Joey is a pro with our new espresso maker and it’s true, I like his coffee better than most places in town now. More on this topic next week — working on a full post!

The Week In Pictures

I wish I had a chance to visit Washington Park more often. I was just there on Sunday and it takes a little work to get there, driving down tiny, windy roads that feel like they’ll never end but then, you park and this is the view as you enter the park. Best way to start your day!

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone! It’s beautiful out today and the Dalai Lama is visiting S.E. Portland. I’m looking forward to balancing business and pleasure a little better this weekend —hitting the freelance but also taking lots of long walks and enjoying our improved back yard.


Any fun plans you’re looking forward to this weekend?

Link Love: 5.9.13

link love


Source: Arseniy Semyonov


• Could you quit the internet for an entire year? Paul Miller did just that and the results weren’t what he expected.

• Travel writers encounter some pretty gnarly cuisine. One opens up to share their worst of the worst food encounters. Don’t read if you have a weak stomach!

• 7 tips to help busy folks carve out time to blog.

• Design Sponge has a great recap of the history of Crayola Crayons!

• When a tragedy happens, there’s an uncomfortable navigation of what’s appropriate online. When is it okay to go back to “normal” when so many others are suffering?

• Using Instagram to present your life story? Such a cool idea!

• Legends Never Die is a beautifully written piece about what happened to the cast of Kids after the movie unexpectedly made them celebrities.

• As a small business owner, focusing on your strengths can help you find balance and happiness.

• I’ve been begging Kat and Gala to visit Tulum with me and seeing Kathleen’s photo diary makes me want to go even more.

• Emma carved her own rubber stamp and it is oh so cool.

• I love these DIY tree stump side tables! They’d be perfect for my (in-progress) backyard bar…

• If you’re wondering how historical figures would have looked today, here’s a whole gallery!

• How David Olgilvy wrote and designed advertising.

• If my kitchen suddenly looked like this, I might actually take up cooking!

The Blogcademy LA: We Came, We Taught & We Soaked Up The Sun!

Blogcademy Los Angeles


Every time I visit LA, the city grows on me even more. It’s definitely a combination of the weather, access to fresh food and laid-back west coast vibe that makes me love it so much. I’ve been to LA half a dozen times for vacation but this time was a little different: there was a whole lot of business mixed with a dash of pleasure.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

The Blogcademy #5 was held at McCadden Space Studio in Hollywood and we couldn’t have asked for a more unique space (or a nicer studio manager). The owner, Ron went above and beyond helping us not only set up but filming our event — we were blown away by his generosity.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

It was quite a shift from just a month earlier. In early March, I felt like I’d been sucker punched when I received an email that the space we’d secured much, much earlier in the year had been double-booked and we were flat out of luck. Full-on panic ensued over the next day and I had anxiety-filled visions of us hosting our workshop in someone’s garage deep in the valley. Kat and Gala were much more zen about the whole debacle, that’s for sure!

Blogcademy Los Angeles

In hindsight, it was the best thing that could have happened to us; McCadden was a MUCH better fit, with its quirky retro-modern decor and a gaggle of vintage neon signs.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

Kat felt right at home in the studio and honestly, I don’t think she minded working on her birthday, especially after we surprised her with a cake AND an oversized bottle of gin!

Blogcademy Los Angeles

If you couldn’t tell from the photos, the B balloons we have at every event are at least 3 times the size of normal balloons. Gigantor. The morning of the event, we knew there was no way we were squeezing those babies into our cab. Luckily, Joey and Rocky were willing to walk the mile from our loft to the studio, delivering them just in time. Nobody walks in LA so imagine how many honks Joey got, strolling along with three oversized balloons and a little white dog!

Blogcademy Los Angeles

The interesting part about The Blogcademy is that each class is so different. Part of that can be attributed to the unique venues and photographers but beyond that, the personalities are different, too. Some classes are spontaneous, others are loud and outspoken, and still others are super laid back.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

LA was immediately ready to get down to business. This group wasted no time asking about income, business structure and the best social strategies. These women hailed from not just LA but Mexico City, San Francisco and Minnesota and they shared a collective razor-sharp focus that was so inspiring.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

With everyone from a tarot card reader to a doctor to a life coach to a published author in the audience, I knew this was going to be a fascinating class. As I got to know each woman on an individual basis over the next two days, I realized that although we were in different fields and walked varying paths to get to where we were, we all shared a common connection through wanting our blogs and businesses to be the best they could be.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

This group gave it all the had and we were so inspired and fed off that energy, wanting to give everything we had in return. This is the first class where I literally could not walk afterwards. When we arrived back at the loft after that second day of class, I sat on the bed, socks still on and couldn’t move after that. We sat there, replaying all the best moments, talking about what we could improve and focusing on what was next.

That’s what I love about The Blogcademy — it inspires our students to take their blogs and businesses to the next level and watching them get inspired in return energizes us to keep improving.

Blogcademy Los Angeles


Student Recaps

I adored our LA class so much. Here’s what they had to say about the experience in their own words:

1. Packed with fashion, fun, intelligence, humor, design and honesty…. 2. I am super pumped up and inspired 3. You’re in a garden 4. A blogging conference that blew my mind 5. Learnin’ biz from girl power turquoise sparks! 6. I walked away inspired, completely blown away and so happy to learn from such fabulous women 7. What happens when three very individual, self-actualized women stand in front of the room… 8. I started a list of changes I wanted to make and things I wanted to try…


Class Photo

Blogcademy Los Angeles

Big smiles! We’d just eaten cupcakes…


Sponsors

Thanks to the following fantastic companies for making our event possible:

Blogcademy Los Angeles

• The LA students scored with a custom crochet Twinkie Chan coffee cozie. Even better, they doubled as armbands in class!

Blogcademy Los Angeles

• Our goodie bags are always overflowing with major sparkle! MARGAVINE x Sewmaryann sent these multi-purpose bows for each of our students to enjoy.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

Head Full of Feathers made sure our shoes were decorated with these fancy clips.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

Classic Hardware provided an assortment of super cute prizes. Made in the U.S. by Karyn Cantor, we loved the quirky designs.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

• How cute are these custom Saturday Sequins earrings?

Blogcademy Los Angeles

• Gotta love Basik 855 pouches — so practical and just the right size for business cards!

Blogcademy Los Angeles

• Crown and Glory made sure we were decked out in glittery ears.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

• The IF Ladies provided nail wraps, purses and tons of other fun goodies.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

• I loved the simplicity of these great LOVE cards by Mr. Yen.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

• We went crazy for all the wonderful Moorea Seal goodies. I was especially a fan of these simple gold earrings.

Blogcademy Los Angeles

• LA photo booth rental Snapden went above and beyond, with piles of hilarious props (including a Batman mask!) that we used and abused over lunch. Their staff was incredibly gracious as we kept a constant rotation, often changing out props for every. single. frame. Haha!

• Also, special thanks to Zevia for quenching our thirst with their zero calorie soda.


Blogcademy Los Angeles

Five workshops in, we’re still flooded with new ideas as each class wraps. It’s true that we’re always cramming late into the night before class, trying to make the curriculum even better. As I say in the branding section of our lecture, “good enough isn’t good enough.” We believe in holding ourselves to those standards and our amazing students inspire us to keep reaching higher. The excited emails I’ve gotten post-workshop have made my day many times over. Thank you.


Upcoming Workshops

This Summer, we’re off to New York and Minneapolis. Limited spaces are available in both classes — we’d love to see you there! And as always, if you have any questions reach us at headmistresses @ theblogcademy.com.


Photographer: Caroline of Milou & Olin
Event Space: McCadden Space Studio
Additional Write-Ups: Spending My Birthday at the Los Angeles Blogcademy