CAPTURED: NEW YORK CITY .03

Friday was our free-day. Jenny and I tried to make the most of our day and hit all of the big areas. There's too much to do and see in New York to cover everything in only one day! We went to the World Trade memorial, saw the Statue of Liberty, decided to be hard-core tourists and take a bus tour, ended up in Times Square popping in and out of shops, being overwhelmed with the craziness, eating dinner, and catching a last minute broadway show, Cinderella (Which was SO good)! :) We are such little girls.

The only scary part of our trip happened at the very end when we decided to grab a cab back to our apartment. Excuse me while I tell our semi-scary story...we got an offer from a "first class" cab driver, in one of those fancy black cars to take us to our apartment and he said the fare was $20, which was pretty good considering we were staying quite a ways away. We realized after about 10 minutes that he was taking us North instead of East like we asked, and due to a misunderstanding, he angrily and quickly turned around and started driving in the right direction. That's when his anger and cussing started rearing its gnarly head. If someone was going a little too slow, he would lay on the horn. At one point, he angered a local enough to get out of his car and start yelling. This took place in a dark side-street, which was already creepy...but our cab driver decided to participate and get out of the car to continue a yelling fest at the other driver. Yikes! He finally got us home, but then said last minute that he only accepts cash and we were only prepared to pay with a card. He was angry and scary. He drove us to an ATM at 11:00PM and I had the pleasure of walking through what seemed to be an intense meeting by a large group of also possibly angry men to get cash out of the ATM while Jenny was told to stay in the cab. Cash in hand, I ran back to the cab, paid the driver and we got the heck out of there. ;)

PHOTOS FROM FRIDAY:

I forgot my camera for half of the day at our apartment, so I didn't capture as many photos as I would have liked. Overall, we had a fantastic time. We were SO thankful to be able to attend this event. It makes us really excited about our next conference in August! We're planning to attend the Texas Style Council in Austin! Please let me know if you have plans to go, too! Have a wonderful week, friends!

CAPTURED: NEW YORK CITY .02

Thursday was a LONG day. We started the day early getting ready for the conference. We took the subway to the Martha Stewart Omnimedia Center and were greeting by handfuls of swag, an incredibly beautiful space, and breakfast! We started mingling, doing crafts right away, and getting our minds prepped for a day of speakers, learning, and fun. Everyone was seriously dressed so cute. I'm not usually a fan of people who run into my photos, but this day was an exception. Everyone looked adorable and so vibrant. You could tell all of the ladies were thrilled to be there. :)

The lovely Grace of Design*Sponge kicked off the conference with a keynote presentation. There were several panel discussions, eye opening ideas, AND an appearance from Martha Stewart herself! I should have recorded the reaction of the audience. It was incredible. At the end of the conference, we celebrated with a cocktail/candy bar party on the rooftop. The view was amazing! We met so many new friends and had SO much fun. Jenny and I headed out shortly after that to grab dinner near our apartment. I also had my first taxi experience! Whooo! We got burgers, gelato, and coffee. We also managed to snap a few outfit photos. New York has the best backdrops.

PHOTOS FROM THURSDAY:

See part one of my NYC photos here. :)

WEAR: WHEN CAN WE GO TO HAWAII?

This dress is a little out of my comfort zone. I don't usually lean towards showing off my legs AND wearing small straps. I felt a little naked. I'm a very cold natured person, so even in the heat of summer, I'll wear something warmer since the AC is usually jacked up super high in buildings around the ALT and let's be real, Jon likes to keep our home chilly, so I'm used to the extra layering. ;) BUT I really love the fun print on this dress and the satin feel of it. It's unlike most colors and prints I would normally go for, so it was fun wearing something different and new. And it was 40% off its sale price, sooo...

This print so makes me want to go to Hawaii. My parents actually met in Hawaii, and I've always wanted to go. Jon and I have been itching for a trip. We're hoping to maybe squeeze in something this fall if possible, most likely not Hawaii, though...We are maybe thinking about visiting the Grand Canyon! :)

Wearing: 1// Floral Blue Dress - American Eagle 2// Spotted Flats - Urban Outfitters 3// Chain Bracelet - Forever21 4// Teal Ring - Urban Outfitters 5// Yellow Sparkle Ring - Anthropologie

CAPTURED: NEW YORK CITY .01

Jenny and I had such an amazing time in New York. Looking back, it was such a whirlwind. We arrived on Wednesday and got to our beautiful apartment. Janee, Maddie, Jenny, and I decided to go with a vacation rental in East Village and loved it. Everything was white and bright and it was a darling space. We had so much fun rooming with our new friends. :) After grabbing some much needed pizza from around the corner, we started getting ready for our sponsored dinner. Jenny and I went to a dinner sponsored by Bing and catered by Sunday Supers. It was located in a somewhat suspicious building, but as soon as we hiked several floors of stairs and walked through a long hallway, we were taken to an absolutely stunning space worthy of a spread in Kinfolk magazine. It was gorgeous, I couldn't get enough of the lighting and spent the first 15 minutes shooting photos.

PHOTOS FROM WEDNESDAY:

I have a lot more photos from our ALT Conference day on Thursday and our exploring on Friday! I'm planning to share the rest throughout the week. :)

ANNOUNCING: THE BRAND MARKET!

Hey friends! Guess what?! For the past couple months, we have been collaborating with the beautiful Anna of In Honor of Design and working on an awesome new project together! Today, we are stoked to officially announce The Brand Market!! What is The Brand Market? It's a one-day workshop dedicated to helping creative entrepreneurs grow their business and nail down their unique brand. In Honor of Design and Maiedae will be working together to host and teach this workshop! Check out more details on our site here: brandmarketworkshop.com, also be sure to mark your calendar for August 9th. We will be launching our full site AND registration!

Workshop Details
To break it down a little more, this workshop will cover three important sections:

1. Photography - Our goal is to help you create beautiful photos that really stand out on your site! This session will include the following:

* How to use your DSLR
* Benefits of having great photos
* Lighting
* Styling photos
* Backdrops - how to find them and make the most of what you have
* Putting together great shoots for outfits, products, and lifestyle photos
* Photo editing, sizing, and saving
* Photoshop tutorials on using type, photo collages, and working with overlays
* You'll receive a professional headshot for your site
* And tons of hand-ons exercises and visual examples!

2. Branding - You'll be getting tons of information and resources to help you create or polish a successful brand identity. Check out Jenny's announcement for more details on the Branding aspect of our workshop! 

3. Marketing - We will help direct you with the next steps of implementing your band into all areas of your business, and resources and ideas to help promote and grow your site. Check out Anna's announcement for more details on the Marketing aspect of our workshop!

On top of these three sessions, you will also receive a one-on-one session offering customized and personal advice on how you can improve your site and grow your business. There will also be a Q&A session time to answer all of your burning questions at the end of the workshop! This class will be packed with SO MUCH good information and provide you with the tools you need to be awesome and grow!

Dates n' Such 
If you're a blogger, small business owner, or creative entrepreneur then this workshop if for you! We will be kicking off with two workshops in 2013. The first will be October 12th in Atlanta, Georgia, and the second will be November 9th in Greenville, South Carolina.

In order to maintain an intimate class setting, we are keeping our class size to 15 people. The cost will be $325 per person and will include breakfast, lunch, snacks, printed materials, swag bags, a professional head-shot, and an entire day of learning goodness to grow your brand and business! Registration opens August 9th on our Brand Market site!!

We are SO excited to bring this workshop to you and we can't wait for the first one in October. It's been so awesome getting to know Anna and working with her on this project. We couldn't be more stoked about this collaboration. It's been a huge passion of ours to equip others to go do and make things happen, so seeing this dream become a reality is thrilling. If you have any questions about the workshop or want to see us in your city in 2014, please email us at hello@brandmarketworkshop.com. 

Site: brandmarketworkshop.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brandmarketworkshop
Instagram: @brandmarketworkshop
Twitter: #brandmarketworkshop
Contact: hello@brandmarketworkshop.com 

BEAUTY: WHAT'S IN MY BEAUTY TRAVEL BAG?

Is it maybe a little weird that I really enjoy packing for trips? I love organizing out my purse, stowing all of my travel essentials in a neat manner and taking my time to pick out outfits for each day. While prepping for my trip to New York, I made sure to put together all of the beauty products I would need. I picked up this very roomy travel bag from Target and was able to fit all of my beauty products and make-up items in it perfectly. :) Below are my beauty and make-up travel essentials:

BEAUTY PRODUCTS (listed from left to right, all products are travel size)
* John Frieda Frizz-Ease Curl Mousse - Target
* St. Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter Body Wash - Target
* Batiste Cherry Dry Shampoo - Ulta
* St. Ives Apricot Scrub - Target
* Tatcha Make-Up Blotter Sheets - In my Popsugar Box
* Lush Skindrink Moisturizer - LUSH
* Quench Wintergreen Mints - In my Popsugar Box
* Pacifica Island Vanilla Body Butter - Ulta
* Maybelline Clean Express Makeup Remover - Target
* TRESemme Shampoo - Target
* TRESemme Conditioner - Target
* Germ-X Sanitizer - Target
* Dove Ultimate Fresh Deodorant - Target
* Angels on Bare Skin Face Cleanser (sample size) - LUSH
* Origins Modern Friction Cleanser & Scrub - Origins
* TRESemme Hair Spray - Target

MAKEUP (listed from left to right)
* RealTechniques Brushes - Brow, Base Shadow, Lash-Brow Groomer, Deluxe Crease, Blush, Powder, Accent, Pixel-Point Eyeliner & Setting Brush
* Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss - Ulta
* Elf Eyebrow Kit - Target
* Kate Lipsticks in 01, 11 & 17 - Target
* Color Tattoo Cream Shadows in Barely Branded & Bad to the Bronze - Ulta
* Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Sin - Ulta
* Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen - Target
* NYX Lipliner in Red - Ulta
* Anastasia Brow Gel - In my Ipsy Bag
* NYX Blush in Angel - In my Ipsy Bag
* Urban Decay Space Cowboy Sparkle Shadow - In my Ispy Bag
* Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Ivory - Walgreens
* Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express Mascara - Target
* Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - Walgreens
* Aqualillies for Target Palette (includes 6 shadows, 1 blush, 1 bronzer & 1 highlighter) - Ulta
* Beauty Blender for Foundation - Gifted (can be purchased on Amazon)
* Benefit The Pore Fessional Primer - Ulta
* NYX Photogenic Concealer - Ulta
* Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray - Ulta
* Bare Essentials Concealer Brush - Ulta

What are your travel beauty essentials?? Be on the lookout for New York photos soon!

HELLO NEW YORK!

Photo Via

Currently on a plane flying to the beautiful city of New York! One of my favorite things about working for Maiedae is our travel time and getting the chance to go to new places and meet new people. Tonight we are going to a fun dinner, Thursday we will be attending the ALT Summit conference all day, Friday we will be exploring New York, and Saturday we will be flying back home. We seriously have way too much to do and NOT enough time.

Jenny and I are rooming with two other amazing/inspirational blogging friends, Maddie and Janee. Instead of spending an insane amount of money on a hotel room, we decided to split an apartment/loft and stay in it together. We found an incredible space in a great location and saved so much more than we would have getting hotel rooms. I love being able to feel like I'm temporarily living somewhere. Can't wait to share photos with you! I'll also be taking plenty of photos via Instagram so be sure to follow me there, too! @maiedae 

WHY GO TO CREATIVE CONFERENCES?

Since being in business together, Jenny and I have been able to travel and attend four different creative conferences. These have ranged from massive conferences like HOW Design to smaller, more intimate settings like The Makers Summit or Blogshop Video. I use the word "conference" loosely, because I'm also counting more intimate settings like workshops. We also have plans to attend three additional conferences this year, including the one we are flying to tomorrow, ALT Summit. :)

When starting our business, we realized that we didn't have a lot of overhead costs. We didn't need to rent out a studio, we had the equipment we needed and being graphic designers and bloggers doesn't incur very many costs, so we needed to develop a good game plan for our business budget that would be a good investment. The first conference we attended together was when Maiedae was VERY young and we were still working full-time with separate jobs. We got an opportunity to attend HOW in Chicago and went for it. HOW is a huge conference. There are thousands of people there and tons of vendors. It was a little overwhelming, but we loved the travel time and loved the experience. Since going full time, we've put more of our business finances towards attending "conferences" and have already been to a couple this year. The more we go, the more we realize the benefits of attending creative events. Now we make it a point to plan conferences throughout the year to attend and purposefully budget for them. Here are a couple of my favorite benefits for attending creative events:

Photo Via

1// Travel Time - I've never been the type of person to like a job that keeps me traveling every week. I LOVE being home and being with my husband. BUT I do love me some travel time! At this time, Maiedae hasn't really required us to travel, most of what we do currently can be done from anywhere with good Wifi. Being able to make travel plans with Jenny a couple times a year is the best. We have loved getting to see new places and being travel buddies together. We've made it a point to have an annual retreat for Maiedae and attend 2-4 conferences each year. This is just enough travel time that it isn't too crazy and thoroughly enjoyable. I also LOVE staying in hotels or rentals...like a lot!

2// People - Probably one of the biggest reasons we decided to regularly attend events throughout the year was to meet people. Through just the small amount of events we've attended, we've been able to meet people to collaborate on huge projects with, work for us on our team, make lifelong friends, develop creative connections, find clients, and be incredibly inspired by individuals who are making things happen in their lives. The caliber of people you meet at these types of events is incredible. Jenny and I always walk away overwhelmed and thrilled by the people we meet. I dare say that developing a successful business and brand has networking at its backbone. And with all of the social media we have, it's easy to stay connected to the new people you meet.

3// Learning - So not only do you get to travel and meet AMAZING people, but you also get to learn and be inspired! Conferences and workshops are the perfect place for amping up your "ideation" and soaking in lots of learning. I always leave with a notebook full of ideas and a fire under my behind in the creative department.

4// Growth - Through the combination of networking and learning, we've found that it has greatly helped our business grow. Many of the people who helped with and attended The Maiedae Mixer were people we met networking at events. A lot of new faces have later become clients of ours. Finding people to collaborate on projects with and make connections with has really enabled us to take things even further in our business and grow. This community of creatives is so supportive, encouraging and excited to be part of something. Putting yourself out there is a major step toward growing yourself as a brand and business.

So, the next obvious question is what conferences should you decide to attend? To be honest, we often hear about amazing conferences AFTER they've already happened. But we are sure to make note of them and keep an eye on registration for the following year. We also take a look at what conferences other creative women in our field are attending. There are so many amazing things out there that you're sure to find some that apply to you and fit your budget. Here is a list of a couple of our favorites, some we've attended, and some we hope to attend soon!

* ALT Summit (SLC, NY & SF)
* Texas Style Council
* The Makers Summit
* Blogshop & Blogshop Video - Workshops
* Influence Conference
* Circles Conference
* Camp Mighty

What are your thoughts on attending conferences and workshops? What are some of your favorites?

WEEKLY WRAP-UP

I am SO excited about this week, because Jenny and I are hopping on a plane to attend ALT Summit in New York! This will be my first time in NY and I'm SO stoked. I can't wait to see everything, meet new friends and attend ALT. Ahhh! We are leaving this Wednesday and rooming with blogger friends Maddie and Janee. It's going to be way too much fun. We are planning a full day of play on Friday so if you have any "must eat at" or "must see" places let me know!

After a full week of work/travel I'll be going into my summer vacation time. :) Jon and I usually plan to take the first week of July off every year to celebrate birthday and take a mid-year break from work. It's one of my favorite times of the year (besides Christmas) AND I'll be turning 25 on the 7th of July, so that's awesome! I'm hoping to get some YouTube vlogging time in and home decorating time in during that week off. Lots to do!

Snapshot(s) of the Week: 1// Yay Popsugar! Love getting this box every month. The best! 2// Giant Kyo face!! 3// Love all the flowers blooming around our home. 4// Me and my daddy! Had a great Sunday celebrating Father's Day with my dad and father-in-law. Love them so much!

5 Favorite Posts:
* Watermelon Aqua Fresca by The Dainty Squid
* Dealing with Blogger Negativity by The Wonder Forest
* Work & Travel by Breanna Rose
* Best of Studio Apartments by Design*Sponge
* So You're Not a Personal Style Blogger...Now What? by IFB

Inspiring Me this Week:
Vacation! Does that count?!

3 Things About Yours Truly:
* Be on the lookout for a super exciting business announcement next week-ish. Whoohoo!
* LOVING bagels lately. Have I already mentioned that? Just want to make sure you know. ;)
* Can't stop listening to Lana Del Ray.

FAVORITE THINGS: BENEFIT COSMETICS GIVEAWAY! (CLOSED)

Today I am excited to bring you another "Favorite Things" giveaway! This month I am giving away two Benefit Cosmetics packages! I've recently started using Benefit and not only love their clever packaging but the quality of their products. I've got a couple of their items on my birthday wish-list. ;) This prize package includes their "World Famous Neutrals" palette with four beautiful shadow colors and two cream shadow colors. And their "Gettin' Cheeky" blush stains. See below on how to win!

Giveaway Time!
This giveaway is run via rafflecopter, with up to 12 chances to enter! After one week, one winner will be selected at random and announced! Giveaway is open internationally. Winner will receive a "World Famous Neutrals" eye palette and the "Gettin' Cheeky" blush stain kit. This giveaway is sponsored by the following amazing ladies: Amanda of Amanda Kay by the Bay, Gina of Acute Designs, Danica of Good Heart, Courtney of Run 2 the Wild, Kitty of Kitty and Buck, Ruth of Isn't that Sew, Kaitlyn of Light a Candle, Mariana of Behind My Desk and Stephanie of Newly Mynted.    

Enter below using rafflecopter, there is one required entry and several ways you can enter for bonus entries! If you would like to sponsor a future Favorite Things giveaway on my blog, check out my new advertisement options! Yay! Happy weekend, friends! You are the best!! :)

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

LIVING WELL: EATING INTUITIVELY

One topic of conversation that seems to come up again and again with my friends is food! We are definitely a group who enjoys the pleasures of eating. Oftentimes our get-togethers and double-dates are surrounded by the question, "Where should we go out to eat?" and "What kind of snacks should I buy?" Since most of my friends and family are working on making better habits of their food choices, we've often talked about when you should stop eating and what to do about those cravings.

After a great conversation with my friend Leah about eating intuitively, I began thinking more consciously about my food and desires. Now, what IS intuitive eating? Intuitive eating is a way to eat and really listen to your body while doing it. Are you hungry? Eat! Are you satisfied, but not stuffed? Stop! Are you craving something sweet? Grab some fruit or make a smoothie. Do you want something salty? Try some pistachios! Or maybe you want to really treat yourself and have been thinking about homemade custard. Go for it! Intuitive eating is asking yourself questions and following the signals your body is already giving you. It's also a great way to really enjoy the food you have rather than just passively eating out of convenience or boredom. Sound interesting? Here are a couple tips on eating intuitively:

Photo Source

1// Hungry, eat. Full, stop. - This is a very simple concept, but many childhood meals of being told to completely clear our full plates have made us often feel like we need to finish everything and not waste our food. While I'm definitely a fan of not wasting things, the more important factor in this picture is listening to your body. If you start to feel the slight pangs of hunger, go grab a snack or make yourself a meal. Don't push it off and get yourself to the point where you're starved. If you need to eat small meals throughout the day to keep your hunger at bay, do so! Carry snacks with you in your bag for on-the-go hunger needs! On the flip side, if you are starting to feel full, stop eating! It is NOT comfortable to be stuffed and your body doesn't like it either! 

2// Pace Yourself - I've known many people who can throw down food very fast. Before they know it they're stuffed and moaning in the corner of the room. In order for your body to give you the "I'm full" sign at the proper time, be sure to pace your eating. Enjoy your food. Eat slowly. One bite at a time, chew, swallow. Enjoy! It's good! 

3// Portion Control - I like to apply this tactic to snackage time. It is really easy to turn snacking into an activity out of boredom or quickly become passive in your eating. For example, if you are watching a show and decide that you would like a snack and you grab a giant fresh bag of chips. You open the chips and just start chowing down. You don't know if you'll finish the bag, but you're open to it if it happens. After a while, the taste of the chips are no longer that good, sores from all the salt start forming in your mouth. You're not really enjoying it anymore, but you keep on going because it's there and you've formed a habit. So instead...my tip for you would be to go into the kitchen, grab a small bowl, fill your bowl with chips, leave the bag in the kitchen and take that bowl with you to your show watching time. Keep in mind that this is your portion, this is all you can have of your snack and you should enjoy it! Eating snacks this way has made me enjoy my snack foods SO much more and really appreciate my portion. I don't feel passive in my eating, but I feel like I'm actively enjoying its yumminess. 

4// Treat Time - I am not a believer in withholding things from your life that you love. I think being a healthy eater shouldn't make you also feel like your suffering on a daily basis. Eating healthy is GOOD. Making good decisions for your snacks and meals is also good! Also, and hear me out here....giving into a special treat craving is SO GOOD. I'm not saying that you should have chocolate cake everyday. But what I am saying is that every now and then you might be reminded of your all-time favorite milk-shake from your favorite ice cream parlor and you might REALLY want that shake. My suggestion? Get it! Treating yourself here and there to treats you really enjoy is ok. It's not a sin and it won't make you "less healthy", so stop feeling guilty about it. What's important is keeping a lifestyle of healthy eating, not never, ever eating anything that might be considered junk food. As well, one of my favorite saying is, "If I'm going to have cheesecake, I'm going to have cheesecake!" Don't skimp! If you want some yummy cheesecake go for it, don't buy that fat free icky crap that won't even come close to satisfying your craving. Not worth it. ;) 

5// Convenience Eating - When I first started working towards eating healthier, that's when I really noticed how much I ate out of convenience. If there was a plate of cookies in front of me, even if I didn't really want a cookie, I would take one and eat it. If you don't want that treat, drop it! If you're not hungry, ignore all those left-over party foods at work. Don't just eat because it's there. Eat because you are hungry. 

I can't tell you how much this way of thinking has helped me make better choices for myself and really learn to enjoy the food I eat. It's very empowering learning to listen to your body. Keeping in touch with yourself is so important for your overall health, so get to practicing! :)

Have any intuitive eating stories or tips?? Please share in the comments below!

PROJECT CONDO: PERSONAL PHOTOS

Let's be real. It took me nearly three years to finally print and frame a wedding photo. Matter of fact, we have a grand total of two framed personal photos in our home right now. I do however, have a few personal photos on my fridge, so that makes me feel  a little better. ;)

It's always been difficult for me to get my booty into gear when it comes to printing personal photos. It's not that I don't like them, because I truly do and I take lots of photos each week, so there are certainly plenty to print. When it comes to my home in general, I've quickly discovered that it takes me awhile to make progress. I tend to take my time with home decisions and make sure everything is budgeted before making any type of purchases.

Just as I got super excited about the release of Stickygram, I was stoked when Printic came out with an easy to use photo printing app. The age of Instagram has certainly turned our phones into an album of our lives and can hold some of our most treasured memories. I was so excited to receive my mini package in the mail with some of my favorite phone prints. I also loved that they have a Polaroid look to them. It makes them cute to hang up without framing.

Now I just need to find a great place in our home to collage them! Here are a couple inspiring photos for what to do with your mini phone prints:

Collage Ideas Here: 1// At Home in Love 2// Gardenista 3// Oh, Hello Friend 4// Pinterest 5// More Design Please

Happy Wednesday! I'm SO thankful it's date night. It's been a long week!

WEAR: LIQUID LEGGINGS

When I first pulled out these leggings I was a little iffy on if they were "pull-off-able", but to my surprise, they were quite comfortable and flattering. I also love the finish of the leggings and how they make my legs look way longer than they actually are. It also helps wearing platform heels. ;)

My hair is getting bigger! Not sure what's going on here but it's massive. Thank you, Georgia humidity. ;) I think I might be due for a cut sometime very soon!

Wearing: 1// Fringe Necklace - Free People 2// Tribal Print Top - Forever21 3// Liquid Leggings - c/o Style Lately 4// Camel Wedges - Target 5// Patterned Clutch - c/o Tukula