Four of my favorite quotes from Altitude Design Summit:

{image credits: Justin Hackworth, Brooke Ashley Dennis, Justin Hackworth, Brooke Ashley Dennis}

Today, I stumbled upon BareEscentuals’s Be a Force of Beauty campaign. I was going to save one of the videos for my weekend Spark, but I couldn’t wait — I was so inspired and so excited. Take the time to watch all the videos. It’ll change your whole attitude this week.

It’s been a good week working on projects and seeing friends, but I’m still busy applying to jobs and focusing on some ideas, trying to figure out all of the details.

While I was at the Alexander McQueen Exhibit, I thought a lot about inspiration, about those flashes of insight that drive us forward.

McQueen once said, “I get my ideas out of my dreams… if you’re lucky enough to use something you see in a dream, it is purely original. It’s not in the world — it’s in your head. I think that is amazing.”

I think I need to start paying more attention to my dreams. But I’ve also noticed that I have some of my best ideas when I’m having conversations with people. Live conversations are the best, but I have them even when I’m commenting on friends’ blogs or sending an email. I’ve also noticed when I don’t have ideas when watching television or reading fiction books. So those will be fewer and farther in between in my life.

Where do you find your best inspiration?

Have a fantastic first weekend in August, friends!

{image from Met Museum of Art website}

I’ve been known to choose function over fun too often in the past, or at least, this was what I thought to myself recently when eating ice cream with a friend. While I’m adventurous enough to try different flavors, I always dutifully request my ice cream be scooped into a cup. to minimize dripping onto me. Because when I was young that ice cream managed to get everywhere: on my dress, down my arm, in my hair. I was a little girl who hated messes.

I created rules for myself: Ice cream always in a cup. Gloves when gardening. Apron when cooking — especially things that have been known to splatter. Carefully wash up before leaving the beach — if I ever go to the beach.

And so on.

But I find myself wondering more how much fun things would be if I let myself make a little mess now and then, if I ate ice cream from a cone and laughed as I tried to keep it from melting onto me, if I just let go and did something because it was fun or different.

Do you find you’re this way about some things?

Doctor’s orders for the week: do something wild and messy and ignore all thoughts of what the consequences might be. Don’t make your bed. Try making marshmallows (which I’ve always avoided doing because I hear it’s so messy). Dig in the garden without wearing gloves.  Fingerpaint. Whatever it is, do it, and do it with gusto.

Me? I’m getting that waffle cone.

{photograph by Terry Richardson}

As my road trip drew to an end on Friday, I was hit with a realization about how I felt about my life in this moment. In some ways, deciding to leave the program I was in with a Masters instead of completing the PhD makes me feel like a failure. Revise that. Maybe it should be Failure, the type with a capital F. For years, I’ve prided myself on my perseverance, which I’ve sometimes affectionately called “stubbornness.” I like to finish what I start, I like succeeding. I’m an overachiever, highly competitive, and to walk away feels like defeat.

In reality, this decision was a combination of “wow, this really isn’t right for me” and “I don’t want to spend years of my life on something just because I’m afraid to end it.” I discovered the path wasn’t the right one for me, and rather than continue on it, I decided it was best to change course. That doesn’t make it easier though. I still feel that knot in the bottom of my stomach.

I’ve pushed myself down too many paths in my life, paths I thought would be right for me, ones that didn’t work out for one reason or another. Maybe I just need to start blazing my own and accept that my way will be a little unconventional.

{photograph by Steve McCurry}

So here I find myself at an in-between moment. My quarter at school is officially over and while one part of me is relieved, another is nervous. Summer is a week away and on that day I start my cross-country road trip. That will be an even greater in-between. In-between here and there, West Coast and East Coast, what I have known and all that is in store for me.

I hoped I would be driving towards an incredible job (I probably shouldn’t have fallen in love with it until I got it, alas) but instead there is a lot of uncertainty in my future. I’ll need to find a job and a home and a way to move forward passionately into all of that. In the meantime, I’ll return to my childhood bedroom, to the town I grew up in. That place hasn’t felt the same in years but so much has changed since I last laid eyes on it.

I have one week left here in San Diego, and you better believe I’m going to drink in every moment. I will savor this in-between and its rarity. There are projects I’m working on and so very much to do. I’m going to give of myself wherever I can and not ask for a thing in return because I’ve always believed that the universe generously bestows blessings on those who are charitable.

Funny thing about change: you don’t always see it coming but sooner or later, nothing is the way it was. I think it means to teach us to treasure those moments and get drunk on them.

And you, my dear friends, how have you been? Have changes been sweeping into your life lately too?

{first image here, other images by Daniel Cas}

I am so thrilled to report that the bake sale Kim and I organized to benefit the pablove foundation on Saturday was a complete success. Thanks to some generous bakers and some very generous customers, we were able to raise $480 for this incredible organization!

If you weren’t able to make it out on Saturday, but still would like to donate and help fight pediatric cancer as well as bring music and arts programs to children in hospitals, you can head over to their site and donate now.

Kim and I would specifically like to thank our bakers: Alexis, Kendall, Erin (and friends), Amanda, Dawn, Lynn, Joyce, Maryann, Sonjelle, Nicole, Dannon, Jennifer, and Marit. They made some really incredible goodies that people couldn’t pass by.

We also need to give a big shout out to Pete of Vacation Vinyl who let us set up in front of his store and help us advertise. If you’re anywhere near the Los Angeles area, you need to check out his incredible store (I only wish I had a record player).

Kim and I had an absolute blast meeting so many incredible local residents and people who came from afar, including one who educated us about the benefits of coconut water. The hardest part of the day? Standing there for five hours and not eating everything.

In this last photo: Amanda, Kim, me, and Erin. A special thank you to the two of them for helping us set up!

A few tips if you decide to throw your own bake sale for charity:

1. even if you think you have enough bakers, sign up more — things will inevitably pop up for some people and you’ll lose a few
2. choose a local charity if you can — people can really connect with an organization that’s working in their area
3. make sure to have visual appeal — several people stopped by just because our display was so pretty
4. when people stop, let them know the proceeds are going to charity — some people just ended up donating to donate
5. smile a lot and remember to have fun!

Hope your Monday is off to an incredible start!

{a special thanks to Erin who took most of these photos, as well as Amanda’s mom who snapped the last one}

I’ve debating this quote a lot this week. I worry a bit I’ve been living too much in the past and in the future and not nearly enough in the present. At least when I’m alone. This is one of the reasons I love being with friends so much — when I’m with them, I’m entirely in the present, laughing and having a wonderful time. To some extent, it’s important to reflect on our past and learn from it, and to dream and plan for the future, but here were are, right now. And this moment is something so beautiful. I’m choosing to make it all new.

This weekend I’ve got a big stack of papers to comment on. Ah, the pleasures of being a teaching assistant. Please tell me you’re doing something fantastically exciting and I can live vicariously through you, yes? Or even relaxing! I’ll take relaxing too.

Moments of gratitude:

• Dinner with some good friends on Wednesday night — those three have restored faith to me that I nearly had lost
• A photo shoot with Taryn and Shelby of Joielala Photographie
• Silk screening a wonderful phrase onto some tote bags — I’ve got some gifts to send out this weekend!
• Discovering new music that just makes my soul sing

 
Me, but in other places:

• I wrote a little guest post for Trina of La La Lovely Things about gratitude
• Amy of Old Sweet Song interviewed me for her Blogger Crush series — I’m still blushing
• I sent Ana of Live and Enliven a wee Parisian daydream earlier this week and she decided to share it

 
Ways to warm your heart:

• Join other women and shape what’s to come
• Help Maddie and Schools 4 All build some schools
• HardtHaven has raised $1,200 so far, but they’re still a long way from their goal of sending all four children to school

 
New fantastic discoveries:

• Gilt Taste launched this week. One word: Swoon.
• Could Kate Spade make a cuter dress? And it’s in blue and white too!
• I’m looking forward to this book arriving on June 1st. I’ll be trying every hairstyle this summer.
• This home design from Studio Surface is stunning. Check out the drum stick art piece above the bed!
• I really appreciated this reminder to start dressing up — just for myself.

 
Here’s to that shimmer that is this moment!

{image by me, quote by unknown}