I normally don’t post about interviews I’ve done on the front page of my blog (instead, the links go here) but I wanted to make a special exception for this interview that Kat of Rock n Roll Bride just shared. It’s probably the most thorough, in-depth interview I’ve done to date and touches upon how my business name transpired, my attitude towards handling criticism and how I first got started with blogging. I love Kat’s energy and unique questions — please take a look!

I spent the first day of 2012 freshening up and organizing my surroundings. I stocked up on new cleaning supplies, shredded a stack of junk mail, vacuumed my office, pulled all the receipts out of my wallet, recycled a massive stack of print-outs that were collecting dust in my flat files, cleaned out my closets and flipped through and recycled a stack of old magazines.

I also spent some time changing up my beauty routine. I was on vacation all week in Phoenix and took some time to get my hair trimmed and picked up some new makeup at the MAC counter. I loathe foundation (and hadn’t worn it in about 5 years) but remembered how well my skin photographed last year after a MAC makeover so I picked up Studio Sculpt and Skinfinish powder. Then, I painted my nails nude for the first time ever with Face Stockholm Unclear and applied one of my favorite eyeshadow combos, Double Feature 1 by MAC. Finally, I used a new (to me) scent: Chanel N° 5.

A clean, organized environment, a beauty routine change-up and some time to think. Not a bad way to spend the first day of the new year.

As I take one last look back at 2011, these are my favorite posts from this year’s archives. Enjoy!

Design

• 8 Design Books That I Love: A List of Personal Favorites.
• Tips And Tricks For Developing A Print Portfolio.
• Rock N Roll Bride Magazine: Issue 01.
• Debossed: Luke Copping 2011 Business Cards.

Travels

• Hello From Iceland.
• Hello From Hollywood.
• Hello From Paris.
• A Beginner’s Guide To Paris.

Fashion

• Dangerous.
• An Adventure In Paris: The White Dress.
• What I Wore: 9.13.11 // The Bowery.
• What I Wore: 4.9.11 // Big Stripes.

Organization

• Organization Tips And Tricks From A Virgo.
• How I Stay Organized On A Daily Basis.

Advice

• Do What You Love.
• Do What You Are Meant To Do Now.

Blogging

• How Do I Get My Blog Noticed?

Home

• Bavarian Modern.

Personal

• Elf Girl: My Journey To Ending Up On A Book Cover.

Have a safe New Year’s Eve and I’ll see you back here in 2012!

Looking back, 2011 has undoubtedly been one of the best years of my life. I got to pursue my passions full-on (graphic design and traveling), spent quality time with great friends and family, made a ton of progress revamping Wolfgang Manor and managed to cross quite a few items off my business to-do list. I’ve always found year in review posts to be refreshing because they remind you of all the great moments sandwiched between the struggles. These are some of my favorite events and memories of 2011.

The Magic of Paris: Winter 2011

Ever since I was a child flipping through my parent’s photo albums of Paris in the 80s, I felt a connection to the city. I wanted to visit Europe before I turned 30 and Gala was my perfect travel partner. Paris was everything I’d imagined it would be and more. We stayed in the Le Marais neighborhood and soaked up every moment of the grandeur that surrounded us.

In part because of the neighborhood and the boutique hotel we chose, I felt like I was in a fairytale (yes, that sounds cliché…but it’s true). Magic was around every corner, from the cafés to the shop window displays to the beautiful florists. Contrary to the general American consensus, everyone was polite and helpful (even to non-French speaking me). I can’t wait to go back.

Hotel du Petit Moulin: Winter 2011

A Christian Lacroix designed boutique hotel in the heart of the Marais? Yes, please! Each room in the Hotel du Petit Moulin is completely different but I knew which one I wanted to stay in. Gala repeatedly called poor Olivier who worked at the front desk, making sure we secured the perfect room. Complete with a wall-sized Lacroix illustration and a blood red bathroom with a heart mirror, it was love at first sight!

Shooting With Juliane Berry in Paris: Winter 2011

When you’re taking the trip of a lifetime with one of your best friends who also happens to be a blogger, it only makes sense to get some professional photographs to remember the occasion! Wedding photographer Juliane Berry was so gracious and since she’s originally form LA, there were no language barriers. Some of my favorite photos were captured in between bouts of bed jumping!

The Blue Lagoon: Winter 2011

As if visiting Paris wasn’t enough, Gala and I stopped in Iceland for a few day stay on our way back to New York. Neither of us could quite come down from the high that was Paris but on our last day, that all shifted when we boarded a Mercedes tour bus to the famous Blue Lagoon in a snow storm! As we ran towards the lagoon in our bikinis, getting pelted with icy snowflakes, the whole scene seemed slightly crazy but I’m glad we got to experience floating through the glowing blue waters (while wearing sequined mouse ears).

New York: Winter 2011

Planning a European vacation with Gala meant that I had to book a ticket from Portland to New York first. Conveniently enough, New York is my home away from home and I got to live it up with Bianca for a few action-packed days of clubbing, dance parties and one extra memorable champagne-filled brunch.

Nigel The Llama: Spring 2011

I’d fallen in love with Nigel the second I met him in downtown Portland one fateful night in 2008 and again in Eastern Oregon in 2009. When I heard that he’d be visiting Portland early 2011, I hung out with him on two separate nights. What a handsome fella.

Seattle: Spring 2011

Since Seattle is so close to Portland, I make a point to visit at least once a year. It’s even more fun now because Joey lived there for 10 years and always gives me the best tours. Just like any tourist, my favorite stop is always Pike Place Market.

Wallpapering Wolfgang Manor: Spring 2011

Joey and I had never wallpapered before but three hours later, The Woods had creeped across our dining room wall. Next up: the living room.

Rocky, The Perfect Pet: Summer 2011

Before Rocky came along, I’d never had a pet. In my entire life. At all. When I met Joey two years ago, he made it clear that him and Rocky were a package deal and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with this snow white, temperamental little creature known in the dog world as a Chinese Crested. I love this photo taken over the summer with his ‘bed head.’

There’s a First Time For Everything: Summer 2011

I never imagined that I’d ever try golfing but when I got an invite over the summer, it was way too entertaining to pass up. Truthfully, I sucked. But when I was finished, I was glad I’d tried something outside of my comfort zone.

Girl’s Trip to LA: Summer 2011

Gala and I always have the best time in LA due in part to staying at The Palihouse. Oh, and the unparalleled vintage shopping. And the palm trees. And the fresh, veggie-friendly food around every corner (gotta break up those In-N-Out visits). And Disneyland. And Jazzi and Mary Bee. And Amy and Kevin hauling us down Melrose for even more shopping.

Letterpress Business Cards: Summer 2011

I’d always admired letterpress cards from afar but let’s face it, they’re very expensive to produce! 2011 was the year that I decided to step it up and invest in the visuals of my business. I love the cards soooo much.

Elf Girl: Fall 2011

My elf shoe covered feet ended up on a book when my friend Anna, a designer for Simon & Schuster needed some original art for a cover she was designing. The outcome was beyond awesome.

iPhone Leads To Instagram: Fall 2011

The little details in life were amplified once I got ahold of an iPhone and joined Instagram. Being on Instagram made me notice everything around me with a newfound excitement and gave me an excuse to share things that made me smile but weren’t necessarily meaty enough to make a blog post out of. Needless to say, I’m smitten! If you’d like to add me, my username is nubbytwiglet (surprise)!

Print Portfolio Revamp: Fall 2011

Between running my own business and freelancing for a number of agencies, I never seemed to have the time to gather up the work I’d completed. The longer I waited, the more overwhelming it became. Finally, inspired by the custom covers I had made, I finished my print portfolio by early Fall. And it felt so good!

The Big 3-0: Fall 2011

Turning 30 is not something that should be taken lightly! I knew that I wanted to celebrate it surrounded by friends in New York and since my birthday is just one day after Gala’s, we combined our parties into a low-key gathering at Bedlam. Joey flew in just in time for my party and joined our eclectic mix of hyper-creative friends for a party we’ll never forget.

The Wondertwins: Fall 2011

For years, Bianca and I have jokingly referred to ourselves as The Wondertwins and we decided it was time to do a joint shoot (in matching dresses) in her living room. At midnight. Can you tell that we were having the time of our lives?!

Shooting With Lydia Hudgens: Fall 2011

I’d only known Lydia from brief online encounters but the second we met in person, we clicked (it doesn’t hurt that she’s also a Virgo!) She has a fantastic editorial sense and three shoots later, I’ve not only found a great photographer, I’ve also made a great friend.

Web Portfolio Revamp: Winter 2011

Perhaps even more daunting than completing my print portfolio was the web version I had in mind. Designed to be a sort of retrospective with projects ordered from the beginning of my career to the present time, it took a solid week to complete but getting that personal to-do item crossed off my list was a small victory.

My Cross To Bear: Winter 2011

After a three year hiatus from art, I wanted to get back to my roots and launched My Cross To Bear, a solo show at Sequential Art Gallery featuring a collection of 14 new pieces.

For 2012, I have a fairly clear vision (or list) of what I want to achieve. Remember, 2012 can be as big and as bright as you want it to be. Here’s to new dreams, resolutions and goals! Thanks for joining me on this journey.

This will be my third Christmas in Wolfgang Manor and I decided that this would be the year that I would decorate for the first time ever in my adulthood. Over the weekend, Joey and I scoured Target for an all-white Christmas tree but came up empty-handed. So we worked with what we could find — this mini silver tree — and decorated it with silver tinsel, mini silver ball ornaments and a tiny silver glitter encrusted tree topper. It’s small, simple and perfect for the center of our dining room table. It’s not much but when it comes to traditions, you’ve got to start somewhere. Next year, we’re planning on stepping it up with a larger tree for the living room and many more decorations. Just like everything in our house, our holiday decor is a work in progress!

We didn’t want to leave Rocky out of the festivities so we also picked him up a Santa suit at Target. It’s already been a big hit with the neighbor ladies!

I’ve been working around the clock on an ad campaign that won’t wind down until right before Christmas so I’m looking forward to sneaking off to my grandparents’ cabin with Joey and Rocky to celebrate Christmas with family in less than two weeks. That’s what matters most this year — family time.

I Wore:
Vintage Wool Dress, Ebay (circa 2003)
Santa Hat, Target
Belt, Forever 21
Tights, H&M
Heels, Divina (circa 2005)

Happy Holidays,

This Halloween, I figured that there could be nothing more ironic than wearing a potato sack. But, this isn’t any old potato sack because it’s emblazoned with big, bold red and black type!

I hadn’t planned on dressing up this year but that quickly changed as I was wandering through the never-ending maze of booths at an antique show over the weekend with my brother. I spotted this amazing 60s era costume resting on a rack and with a little bartering, I walked away with it for 20 dollars (which might be pricy for a standard-issue potato sack but this one was very, very special!)

In full, the ‘dress’ reads:

Be beautiful in a POTATO SACK
Looks like a sack
Feels like a sack
IS A SACK
Fill with 100 lbs. or more of charm, and save money on new French inspired creations
Guaranteed to loose [sic] shape without ironing
For evening wear, add Mink trimmings

So, there you go. This Halloween, I went all out…wearing a glorious vintage potato sack with DKNY nude fishnets and All Caps Dahlias. I won’t lie…I wanted to belt it and accessorize so badly but I realized that would defeat the purpose! Have a fun and safe Halloween!

For the last few years, Gala and I have been combining our birthday parties into one big celebration since they’re just a day apart. In the past, we’ve done everything from open-invite picnics in Central Park to private garden parties outfitted with a disco ball and skull goblets. This year though, we wanted to try something different. Gala wouldn’t be arriving home from New Zealand until September 12th and I know how un-fun it is to plan a party and gather favors when you’re jetlagged! So, I asked around and a bar called Bedlam kept coming up. And upon further research it became clear that this place was beyond perfect…because it very much resembled my living room. What better venue to have your party in than a place that feels like a home away from home? The taxidermy and patterned wallpaper both evoke a Portland-esque feel and it seemed low-key enough that we could focus on what mattered most: spending time with our friends.

I’d picked out a special dress for the festivities (it was my 30th birthday, after all) and the vintage op-art Marimekko number was found on Etsy. It arrived just in time but unfortunately, it was a little big. Since I didn’t have time to get it altered, I cinched the waist with a thin black patent belt. Gala on the other hand found the most gorgeous burgundy strapless dress at Betsey Johnson that fit her perfectly. I liked that it was outside of her normal style and everyone I knew was raving about how great she looked all night. Sadly, all the joint photos we took in front of the moose head turned out too blurry to share but we made up for that by having a photo shoot with Lydia a few days later.

We each had a great showing and spent the night catching up with friends from all over. When we were introducing our friends and their accompanying professions, we realized that most of them were pros in more than one area and started simply labeling them geniuses. It’s true, we are surrounded by a pretty creative group that collectively inspires us from coast to coast.

Once the party began to wind down, we agreed that this was our favorite version yet: it was simple, inexpensive, allowed our friends to mingle and there wasn’t the pressure of planning (or cleaning up afterwards) that we normally feel.

Thanks to everyone who came out to Bedlam, sent birthday wishes and joined Gala and in ringing in another year!

The Arrival.

I left for New York last Friday night and arrived Saturday morning, just in time for Bianca’s birthday party. But right away, I knew that things wouldn’t be the same this year. After all, it was September 10th, the eve of the ten year anniversary of September 11th. I’m used to visiting New York at this time every year but security was at an all-time high. As I made my way to Bianca’s apartment on Wall Street, barricades were everywhere. My Supershuttle van was even pulled over and searched. Even though it was inconvenient, I was secretly relieved, knowing that the city was doing everything it could to keep us safe.

Once I was settled in, I wandered around the Financial District and discovered my new favorite coffee shop, Financier Patisserie. Great coffee and pastries with a French theme and immaculate branding immediately won me over.

Onward we marched to designer discount mecca Century 21 where I tried on everything avant garde and bizarre that I could dig up (just for fun). WTF are these, Rick Owens?!!

The Jungle Juice Saga.

When I’d heard that Bianca had invited a grand total of 50 people to her apartment birthday party and was concocting a special jungle juice elixir complete with whipped cream flavored vodka, I knew it was going to be unparalleled. Friends flowed in, beverages were poured into red plastic cups, a full-on dance party ensued and speakers were blown. This party did not disappoint.

When the clock struck midnight, it was time to go dancing. Of course, midnight also meant that it was officially 9/11 and the city streets were barricaded everywhere our cab turned. We zigzagged down different paths until we got through and made our way into a club full of people. Nobody wanted to give into fear and I admired that.

Birthday Aftermath And An Anniversary.

The next morning, on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I woke up to faint sounds of the National Anthem drifting in from St. Paul’s Chapel, just down the street from the site of the World Trade Center. As we walked towards Stone Street for breakfast, layers of security had the area covered but we finally got through the crowd of various uniforms. It was a somber day.

Monday in Midtown.

As soon as Monday morning hit, I headed towards Midtown for meetings and stopped to admire Grand Central Station and the Empire State Building in the process.

Hello, Soho.

With some free time on Monday afternoon, I strolled through Soho and stopped at a few of my favorite places including Dean & Deluca and Le Pain Quotidien. I love Le Pain so much that I visited it three separate times during my stay, including an awesome lunch with Anna of D16 (where we discussed graphic design and Michael Jackson in great detail).

Oh, Amelia!

It had been two years since I’d seen Amelia Arsenic but she happened to be visiting from London. On Tuesday, we commemorated the occasion than with a photo shoot with Lydia Hudgens around the edges of Soho.

On Top At Le Bain.

Once the clock struck 11, Bianca and I were on our way out the door towards On Top at Le Bain, a party that takes place every Tuesday on the rooftop of The Standard. I wore my sequined mouse ears a dress with peaked shoulders and red patent wedges while Bianca wore a white wig and matching dress.

Club kids reminiscent of those from 90s ruled the floor. Perhaps best of all, the center of the club featured not only a disco ball but also a jacuzzi and swing (!!!) We moved through the capacity crowd on the grass-covered rooftop, eating crepes and looking out over the Manhattan skyline.

Turning 30 Isn’t Scary When You’re Surrounded By Friends.

On Wednesday, Joey arrived just in time for my 30th birthday. Every year, Gala and I throw a joint party since our birthdays are just a day apart (hers is the 13th and mine is the 14th). We wanted to keep the party simple and low-key and chose to have it at a great bar called Bedlam. Friends from Los Angeles, London and more showed up and we shared a shopping bag full of cupcakes. Gala looked beautiful in a Betsey Johnson dress (of course) and I wore a vintage Marimekko number. Out of all the parties we’ve thrown together, we agreed hands-down that this was our favorite. But trust me, there are too many photos and details to do it justice here! So, I’m saving it all for another post. Stay tuned!

Say Goodbye With A Dance Party!

On my last night in New York, I was tired. Well, that’s an understatement. Exhausted is more like it. Everyone hit the bars and clubs but me but I was determined to not be a total downer.

When Bianca and her husband Yaniv arrived home at 2 am, we turned the living room into a dance floor and shimmied the night away. It started out innocently enough when I realized that the Absolut Citron bottle matched my new neon sweater and quickly escalated into sliding around in a Viking helmet and sequin dress. Bianca and Yaniv stuck with the sombreros (no, I didn’t ask where their hat collection came from!)

Best living room dance party EVER. The only downside was that it ended at 3:30 and I had a 6:30 am wake-up call for a shoot with Gala. Oops.

One Last Collaboration.

On Friday morning, I pulled myself together, grabbed my bag of outfits and caught a cab to Gala’s place bright and early. We had a joint shoot booked with Lydia and I wanted to make the most of it. We hit the East Village streets dressed in mouse ears and sequins to the delight of churchgoers and school children. What a morning! After the shoot, I arrived back on Wall Street, packed my bags and headed home with Joey once again. The week of nonstop fun and magical encounters had come to an end. This New York trip was everything I could have hoped for…and then some. Until next time!

Today is our one year anniversary. Thanks to Joey for making this year absolutely magical. When we met for a quick drink a few days before Christmas in 2009, I had no idea that this was in the cards. Even through the ups and downs of a very broken leg, house renovations, me taking off on long trips to different continents and, well, working ridiculously long hours, this thing called life that we share together is pretty amazing. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 2010 till forevs. Cheers!

When you’re a teenager, 30 seems like a lifetime away. But then you soon realize that after a few years of college, a handful jobs and a lot of traveling thrown in the mix, time really does seem to fly by.

At 30, I finally feel like I’m where I set out to be but I’m also itching for that next big challenge. Luckily, age aint nothing but a number. I woke up yesterday morning and felt exactly the same. Birthdays and anniversaries are all arbitrary in the grand scheme of life. Yes, it feels good to hit specific goals but it’s also important to have fun in the moment and to embrace and enjoy the process while it’s actually happening.

These days, I am feeling very inspired to take things to the next level. Thanks to everyone who’s been reading along all these years and here’s to many more birthdays, blog posts and celebrations!