Hey Stranger! (I missed you.)

Wow. What a whirlwind.

A lot has happened since June 30th. I took the first step in this new adventure and what a crazy ride it has been! I apologize for the absence here on the blog, but I didn’t have a computer for awhile, and no internet for awhile after that. I’m now back in business however and excited to be back!

A quick roundup of everything you missed:

I moved to Chinatown.

I moved to the Upper East Side.

My shoes moved everywhere with me (and somehow each time I unpacked there were a few more pairs).

I had some awesome visitors.

Including the birthday girl (Miss Morgan).

And the boy (who found a job on his trip!).

I flew home for two amazing weddings.

I moved yet again to Brooklyn.

The boy moved to New York!

I voted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found our apartment.

Then there was a  hurricane and a snowstorm all within roughly a week of that.

Finally the pup moved to New York!

And next thing I knew, it was the Holidays.

Whew. What a whirlwind, yeah? It seems so crazy that I’ve been gone from Portland since July. I now live in one of the greatest cities in the world and am shocked every day when I remember that I am not flying back to home at the end of the week.. It’s been a bit of a gypsy life up until now, but it feels so great to finally have a place to call my own and a real routine again (and be reunited with my sewing machine!).

Above all, it feels good to finally be a New Yorker.

xoxo
E

Fireworks to Kickoff a New Adventure!

Good Morning lovelies, Happy Fourth of July!

Sorry I have been absent for a bit, things have been crazy! Since we last spoke, I made a huge move… to New York! I’m offcially an employed and working girl in Manhattan and the adventures have just begun. I’m out in New York right now to start work, then start the hunt for my new home. Talk about a lot at once! On Saturday I will head back to a more familiar time-zone and be living in LA for the month to work out of the office there with one of y new teammates. Come August, I’ll be back in New York and ready to go… I can’t wait!

The hardest part of course, has been leaving behind all of the amazing people I have in my life back home. Not only all of my fantastic friends and my amazing family, but my beloved boy and dog are still there. Alas, I must get the work going out here to get things settled and nailed down in order to have the perfect landing pad for those two to come join (and I hope soon because I miss them terribly!).

One thing I will express my extreme thankfulness for however, is that these days you can connect back with your loved ones so easily! Skype, FaceTime, and even following everyone on Instagram helps a ton, and luckily planes are so easy to track down I have faith I won’t ever have to feel too far… and even better, everyone can come visit!

With that, I must say, what better week can you kick off an amazing new adventure to restart your life? Happy Independence Day everyone! I’m thrilled to be in New York City this year on such a perfect day. I’m planning on eating hotdogs, watching fireworks, and even having a few festive cocktails to celebrate a new chapter and our country. I hope you all have amazing plans ahead for the day because the sun is out and this city is buzzing!

Have an amazing holiday!

xoxo,
E

[Illustration above by the talented Katie Rodgers of PAPERFASHION] 

That Time I Went To Nashville…

This past weekend I had the amazing experience of joining one of my oldest friends for her Bachelorette party out in Nashville, TN. It was by far, one of the best decisions I have ever made. We had a blast dancing the night away in the evenings at the honky-tonks and explored the city/nearby areas during the day. Everyone was so nice and helpful, and always willing to share some history/stories about whatever you were looking at (even the Men’s restroom!).

I hope to go back someday, and I recommend it to anyone who gets the chance. It was also great to get a little bit of Grants Pass love in there when I met up with the lovely Brianne in between her deadlines! If you haven’t seen her fantastic music blog, check it out here.

1. Tootsies was fantastic, even the one in the airport had live music!
2. Six green hats and one Pink one for the Bride-to-Be.
3. Little Jimmy DIckens opening the show at The Grand Ole Opry.
4. The beautiful Carnton Plantation (there was a wedding happening when we were there!).
5.  The incredible Art Deco Men’s room at the Oak Bar (thanks to Dale for making sure the coast was clear and giving us a tour with all of the history!).
6. Neon in Nashville is one of my favorite things. SOmething about neon cowgirls is so classic.
7. Coyote Ugly. 
8. Bloody Mary’s at the Hard Rock. 

Thursday Words…

As we continue our house hunting, I keep thinking about the type of space I want us to have. A big part of that includes finally having some studio space in the house. Every time I post Thursday words on here I think about how amazing it would be to have a space where I could start to arrange my selections as inspiration as I work on my own projects. Hopefully soon it’ll be a reality!

More and more I am learning the importance of not only doing my own projects outside of work, but in creating a fantastic environment to do it in.  There’s something about that mini sanctuary you create for yourself so that you have somewhere to escape. I can’t wait to build mine… I’ve  been collecting the perfect pieces to fill it with!

xoxo,
E

Thursday Words

Possibly the most re-pinned image I have ever seen on Pinterest… and such sage advice.

The past few weeks I have been taking every opportunity in front of me to learn new skills. A class on the Anatomy of the Foot, Moccasin Making, etc. It has been so wonderful just to be using my hands again! It sounds weird coming from a designer, but I feel like I rarely get my hands dirty anymore, and this has been such a great reminder to keep this trend going.

What new skill would you learn if you could take a class about anything?

I hope you’re all having a fantastic week!
xoxo,
E

Thursday words.

Happy Thursday lovelies. What a roller coaster of a week this has been. The good news is that it’s champagne Thursday and the weekend is oh-so-close. Soak it up and enjoy it.

xoxo,
E

[Image via Soul Hunting] 

Girl’s Night!

Do you ever get to a point where you feel like you have been so crazy busy in your life you can’t even remember the last time you sat down with your girl (or guy) friends and just hung out? Well I got there, and apparently so did my girlfriends. I am lucky enough to have some amazing girls I went to college with that all keep in touch, even though things get so hectic with the day-to-day.

So what, might you ask, did we decide to do? An old-timey slumber party of course!  Only this one had wine. We painted our nails, watched chick flicks and gossiped/caught up (what’s the difference anymore?) until the wee hours of the morning. It was so much fun, and the best idea ever.

We even woke up (all sardined onto our air mattresses) to a little dusting of snow. Thanks again Alisa for having us out to your house, and to her hubby for disappearing for a night so we could take over!

P.S. Did I mention we hit Elmer’s the next morning for pancakes? Oh yes we did…

Snow Day

Last week we had an amazing night when it legitimately snowed (in Portland terms). Here we get really really excited for anything resembling snowflakes, so when it started to stick, and when it really started to thicken up, the whole city got giddy. The best part was that Pickles had never been in real snow before (read: again, we live in Portland). She couldn’t even handle herself, and with no traffic on Mississippi Ave she went crazy.

Pickles also decided that she wants to take up a part time job as snow plow. She kept stopping to eat the snow and was leaving a little trail behind her.

There was something so fun about all of these strangers showing up out in the street super late at night to play like kids in the snow… it was beautiful. In  the busy lives we all lead it felt so good to just stop and be silly (and to realize you weren’t the only ones doing it).

Happy Holidays!

I know I’m a little late as I have been spending a majority of my break either on the road (went back down to Southern Oregon for a few days!) or on my couch (it’s been so long!) and am not sorry at all about it.

So just to catch you up, here are a few photos since we’ve chatted last. Also, if you haven’t seen yet I caved and joined Instagram. Completely addicted and never going back. You can find me at @hot_on_a_dime !

I hope you’ve all been having a great Holiday season as well, and are ready for the new year… it’s comin’ in hot!

xoxo,
E

i live here.

Happy Friday!

A while back I had the chance to meet up with the adorable ladies of iliveherepdx.com out in my neighborhood. They started a really great site around showcasing some of the great, interesting folks that call Portland home. I love what they’re doing, and it is a great way to see all of the amazing talents nestled into your own neighborhood!

Today my post showed up on their blog, so check it out (even Pickles has her own cameo!). I hope you all are having a great Friday and are ready for the weekend!

xoxo,
E