Thursday, February 28, 2013

Exciting news for Battle of the Dresses, and Battle No. 3 results...




weekly dress battle to cure workplace attire monotony & incite creative spirit by means of friendly competition


                                                                                                                                                                       

Sorry for keeping you all waiting -- we're putting the Battle of the Dresses on hold for a bit, and working on revising the structure and schedule. Which is EXCITING! We're opening the battle to more  friends, and if you'd like to battle it up in a future BOTD, leave a comment, send a message, tweet at one of us and we'll talk.



Battle No. 3 results....




What you were saying about No.3:

Emily:

"Texture. Yeah. The sweater, and boots and skirt are fantastic constrast of texture. And the greys aren't quite gray, they're actually a little warm in color and so the blue pop in the skirt seems to balance it admirably well."
"Love the sweater. Love the color of the skirt. Love them paired together w/ the boots. Love the boots. Yeah, much love. Full of win. "
"Emily's boots are everything that should ever happen to feet. "

Laura:

"Red+birds = win.
Also, bonus points for the Built to Spill accessory poster?"
"Love the red and the bird pattern, cute winged mascara, and LOVE the necklace! 413 represent!"
"I love the pop of color, use of a skinny belt, and that she sourced Etsy for her jewelry. I WILL say that I really like Emily's Fergalicious boots too though. "



Read more about the Battle of the Dresses.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Resolution Check-in #1

It's been a few weeks...ok, it's halfway through February now...  and traditionally this is the time of year that most resolutions are actually kept, before the bulk of the population loses steam and retreats to their comfortable habits.

I, however, am taking it a little bit at a time... I think so far it's an okay start, but there's definitely room for improvement. I'm hoping that some of the small things being repeated just become good NEW habits so I can move on to bigger and better things. I've skipped some of the items that I haven't really started with anything on yet... so here we are! The colors are for the different sorts of categories I split my resolutions in to ...





Sheet1
.
GoalStatus Summary so far...
.
Through Feb. 18, 2013
.
dance at least 1x/wkTotal failsauce - not danced once yet this year! Ugh. Soon. I swear.
.
cook 3+ dinners/weekPretty decent at this so far, though not exactly 100% -- the last week or two has been lacking on the mealplanning bit, I pretty much lost some steam leading up to/right after the ATE dinner
.
better bedtimes/sleep (11p on worknights, flexible on wknds—oh hey, there’s an app for that!)Kind of ok, but not even 50%. I've noticed significant improvement on this since starting my NoBo 5k training though, here's to that!
.
be ready the night before (work lunches and outfits set before bed)Not exactly, but thinking a little bit ahead.
.
run semi-regularlyGame on. I signed up for a 5k training through a local running store, I'm in my second week of that now, and it's going well. This whole having a schedule and working out as a group is pretty great for actually getting off my butt.
.
run a 5kSigned up for the Flower City Challenge Wegmans Family 5k at the end of April, which is what this training is leading up to!
.
Walk 500 miles5k training comes with walking, so this helps. Puppy also comes with walking, though I've somehow lost track of the miles for the walking. Let's say it's over 15 miles but under 50 so far. I've got work to do.
.
lose about 15 more poundsGood grief this is going poorly -- I'm at about 156 right now, having been about 152 at New Years. Not a huge jump, but still that's an increase rather than decrease or even constant. Bad Laur.
.
play some basketball — find a league or something casualDiscussed the possibility on two separate occasions with two separate people/groups, but nothing yet to come of it. Might be hard to fit in another athletic endeavor now that I'm at 4 days a week of running/training anyway.
.
2 hits at most of the snooze button allowed dailyProbably 1/3- 1/2 of the time, hard one to keep exact stats of.
.
Wear more dresses (1x/week?)Yes! Usually on Thursdays, and to top it off, I've started also started a weekly Battle of the Dresses with my friend Emily P! Wearing our dresses in the eye of the public definitely helps remind me to keep to the once per week. Oh, and sweater tights. Those are the best.
.
get less distractedHuge fail.
.
stuart email rule - 10 mins on the hourWORKS GREAT when I don't make any exceptions. Need to work on this more.
.
wear my nightguard so i don’t grind my teeth down to nothingDid great the first two weeks of the year, and haven't really since. Let's shoot for that to be better by the next check-in.
.
Get my birdie tattoos finishedNope, not yet. Megan is out of state and I haven't exactly decided on the location for the last few birds yet...
.
get my rowhouse tattooLinework done as of 2/11/13! Color to be completed in a couple weeks.
.
get a new OB/GYN in my health systemLooked up a practice that's in my health system and not scary, just have to actually call for an appointment now. GETTING ON THAT BY THE NEXT CHECK-IN!
.
stay more hydratedDefinitely improved! Seltzer, green tea, and the wonderful citrus infuser waterbottle I got in late January is a total win. I drink SO MUCH more water if citrus is involved.
.
paint my nails and maintain (not a week of chipped)Did good for a few weeks in January, but have been bare since then. Hard to set aside time to do these and hide in the bathroom, because the birdies can't be around the fumes while I'm paining them. I do have good colors picked out for next time though!
.
get a manicure (suggestions for where to in/near Roc?!)Bought a groupon on 2/17 for a mani/pedi! Now, to actually go use it.
.
get a pedicure (omg never have. suggestions where to in/near Roc, & someone to join?)Bought a groupon on 2/17 for a mani/pedi! Now, to actually go use it.
.
Gauge my ears bigger (0?)Gauged up to a 4g as of beginning of February. Can't get the double-flared plugs in yet though.
.
bake bread & thingsI've baked brownies. Once.
.
Open a ‘hidden’ emergency account that I really do not touchDone it! Account open.
.
Have two months of funds in said account by end of the yearAuto-depositing a bit each check, magically.
.
make a budget and stick to it COLD TURKEYTHIS. Working on it, but the cold turkey part is hard. Goal for next update, only using my cash allowance for non-needs.
.
be AWESOME at my jobAdded this after the inital list. Not that I'm bad at my job, but can't we all be better at most things? I'd really like to impress and hold on to this one, as my last job became pretty painful for me until I was able to accept this current gig. Here's to betterness!
.
write a song journal (playlist already set)I've got a playlist, and the stories running through my head. Maybe I need to sit down twice a month and put a song to paper each time.
.
read 1 book/monthFinished reading: Happier at Home; and I've started Designing for Emotion. On track so far, just need to finish the second book within this month!
.
take more photos on purpose (try a 365 again? maybe.)Yes! Been taking outfit/dress photos, and also did a photo-an-hour in January which I'd like to keep up each month. Just work days are kinda boring for that, note to self. Oh, and always photos of the pup.
.
go to more shows (1x/month?)Yes! So far: Miracle of 86 reunion show in January, Staten Island; and the Acoustic Basement tour in Syracuse for February
.
See Lord of the Rings (1st one) ALL THE WAY THROUGH, NO NAPPINGIan picked up the DVDs of all three of these, just a matter of having a movie night now!
.
See Lord of the Rings (2nd one) ALL THE WAY THROUGH, NO NAPPING"
.
See Lord of the Rings (3rd one) ALL THE WAY THROUGH, NO NAPPING"
.
Listen to more podcasts (1/work day)Sure. Off and on, not going to list what podcasts I listened to each week though.
.
explore! try new stores, new routes, etc.Took Amtrak to NYC, took LIRR to JFK. Took some new roads randomly, been trying to mix up paths for walks with Remi as well!
.
install CS6 (what have I been waiting for? :I )INSTALLED, after mess-up/scare in early February.
.
take calligraphy classCan't find one! Been looking online for classes in ROC.
.
get a laptop ($$$$$$$$$$$)Visited the Apple store, found out that regular MacBooks no longer exist, there's only the Air or a Pro... base model 13" Pro's are ~$1199. Maybe near the end of the year...
.
expand my etsy shop & build on the success ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/lauriebreaker )Added a new stamp design in January (the Elliot), joined some teams, working on SEO, Titles, images, treasuries. Brainstormed new designs/products, and just recently made a monthly schedule of new designs and products to add, as well as advertising opportunities and blog features.
.
learn more about letters (general)Always an observer.
.
schedule out etsy promotion (blog features, giveaways etc.)Had reviews, features, giveaways from: SometimesSweet, Short Girl, Long Island, Erica D House, SRSLYLIZ, and more to come!
.
get my etsy sales to average 6 per day, up from the current of 2 per daySales have been very down since post-holiday, but I think that's how that goes. Got plans in order for adding new items moving forward, and promotion.
.
reply to messages & emails right awaySometimes yes, sometimes no. Definitely need to get on this more.
.
Scour pinterest weekly (inspiration, organization, recipes)Usually take a look once a week or so, would love to have time set aside for it.
.
Do my postcard projectnope
.
Inbox: zeroNewly added: I'm really not an inbox-zero person, but I think I can go through and get rid of a lot of the message that I do have. Sersiously.
.
be more social (at least 1 purely social encounter per week, whether over beer/coffee, or phone/skype/hangouts)Roc Nerd Night, SPARK mentorship meetings, Brunch with friends in NYC, Hummus Tasting at Reagan's, Hosting an ATE, went to BOYS vs GIRLS opening, so far, not bad!
.
get ATEs rolling (http://ate-rochester.tumblr.com/)Had one! Scheduling #2 right now. Weather was a bit menacing with storm #Nemo, but we still got 6 out of 8 there regardless!
.
send nice things in the mailParticipated in a Cara Box, sent my sister a housewarming & birthday package, and another Cara Box coming up SOON!
.
spend more time in coffee shopsSPARK with Kim is a few hours in a Starbucks, so that counts a bit!
.
purge “stuff” (at least 1 trash bag/month of things that can go—trash, donated, traded, whatever).I've got one small box of donatables!
.
paint my dining roomIn progress as we speak, should be done soon.
.
organize & maintain: kitchenGot a pot/pan lid organizer rack from IKEA, and also got different garbage can & recycle bins for the kitchen, which have been keeping that much more organized.
.
organize & maintain: dining roomBig clean-up initiated, much things displaced because of ATE and painting. Also, coatrack acquired!
.
organize & maintain: book nookOrdered a desk from Zulily, it's the wrong one, and currently in process of resolving this with the vendor.
.
organize & maintain: living roomGot a small storage ottoman for Remi's toys and chews, works fantastically!
.
go through all my mail & keep up on itThis needs to happen by the next update, especially because of taxes!
.
SAVE things less -- use as soon as makes sense to, and replenish when neededYES! I think about this everytime I think to 'save' something and just go for it.
.
get a chore/household duty system in place Got the system in place, working on getting it going--some big things disrupt a system.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Battle of the Dresses No.3



weekly dress battle to cure workplace attire monotony & incite creative spirit by means of friendly competition


                                                                                                                                                                        



A little backstory from Emily about her outfit:

Sweater: Forever 21; Skirt: Target Clearance; Sweater Tights: Vera Wang from Kohl's; Boots: Fergalicious brand (I know) from Boscov's.

It's funny how you don't realize just how much of your wardrobe comes from the Target clearance rack until you start keeping track of your outfits! I love long sweaters, they're super comfortable and warm. I especially love them because I work in a place that is essentially a farm, so it can get cold! This skirt is a fun blue tweed type fabric too. The boots, are not something I'm super proud of. I never thought I would own anything designed (in theory) by Fergie, but these are super funky and fun and I get compliments on them all the time, so eff it.

And from me (Laura):

Dress: Old Navy on a whim, Necklace: Truche Etsy shop, Boots & Leggings: same as last week, way too comfy to go with other ones!So this was my Valentines Day outfit, but I think it works well for a President's Day post too! Check out our Red, White & Blue! So, I really like birds, and red is a color that I enjoy wearing as well, that's how this happened. The Original United States of Love necklace is from Truche on Etsy, it's of my home state Massachusetts, with a heart cut out over my hometown! Love the idea, and a cute small necklace that can go with most anything!


And now...  please cast your vote. I think criteria for choosing can be anywhere from fashion/style only, to who rocked the look best, to best styling/accessorizing. Yes, skirts are legal (you'll be seeing plenty skirt combos to come!)  What's most likely to sway your vote? Tell us in the comments!



Battle No. 2 results....




What you were saying about No.2:

Emily:

"10 points for pockets!"
"Emily resides in the perfect space between funk and class.  A little place I like to call... flass."
"I love the contrast of Emily's dress and the pockets are always a favorite feature of mine!"
"I have the same dress and I luuuuv it! You've inspired me to wear it to work. Plus the necklace is super pretty. Nice work, Emily. "

Laura:

"Lines on Laura's are smashing. The neckline of the shirt just screams to be with the higher waist of the skirt. From the pictures it also seems like the texture of the shirt is light where as the skirt seems stiffer and those two are great compliments. I feel like the combination is stronger."
"Very flattering silhouette and the color combo is somehow both classic and unexpected."


Read more about the Battle of the Dresses.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Battle of the Dresses No.2


weekly dress battle to cure workplace attire monotony & incite creative spirit by means of friendly competition

                                                                                                                                                                             



A little backstory from Emily about her outfit:

Dress: Target clearance; Sweater: Ross (a few years back); Boots: Footprints (one of those random pop-up shoe stores); Necklace: I got it as a gift but it's from NoHo-Life Jewels  shop on Etsy. 

This dress is one of my favorites. It's spaghetti straps, so it makes a great "dress up" dress with some sandals in the warm weather. But I can also pair it with a cardigan and tights and boots in winter and it looks great! It's got a cool geometric pattern along the bottom and cool details in the top with little chain links and weird olive looking things. Oh and pockets! I love dresses with pockets.

And from me (Laura):

Um... theme being oldies but goodies? I've had this shirt for way too long, let's say definitely 5+ years. I like that  it covers and stays on my shoulders but also has a fun neckline, and I've definitely worn it to lindy hop dances many times. The skirt is from American Apparel, and is super comfy and versatile enough to dress up or down easily. Boots are a Target favorite, though my second pair as one of them went missing from the coat closet of a dance and never to be seen again, thankfully found the same/similar enough boots a year or so later to replace as they're probably my favorites. Spoiler alert: If it's Winter, I'm probably wearing boots. Sweater leggings from Forever 21, SUPER comfy. 
Last but certainly not least, my Rochester Flower necklace. I wish I could link this up, but the woman who made these (from what I've been told) received a Cease & Desist, so no longer can sell them. Really glad I got mine before then!



And now...  please cast your vote. I think criteria for choosing can be anywhere from fashion/style only, to who rocked the look best, to best styling/accessorizing. Yes, skirts are legal (you'll be seeing plenty skirt combos to come!)  What's most likely to sway your vote? Tell us in the comments!




Battle No. 1 results....






Read more about the Battle of the Dresses.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Photo an hour #1 - January 31

First time for me trying one of these photo-an-hours, and since I'm trying to do this monthly, January snuck past me and left me with its last day. A Thursday. A workday. A day of a lot of sitting in my office. Please bear with me.


7AM - Sick recovering puppy hanging out for a little bit in bed with me after spending
the night in her crate, before  I was able to peel myself out of bed for the day

8AM - Decided the 30degree drop in temperature
meant I could treat myself to a coffee from Equal Grounds
rather than getting one from the work coffeepot

9AM - Oatmeal and morning emails

10AM - Snapped a quick shot of my Cara Box gifts for the CaraBox reveal posts

11AM - A bit of an office tour is in store with these photos as an attempt to do something interesting. This wall is to my left while seated at my desk. Calendars, posters, corkboard, random table and so on. 

12PM - A bit of lemon or lime will definitely make me drink significantly more water. Yum.

1PM - Took a walk across the street to get a wrap. Felt strange snapping photos here so tried a couple different less-obvious strategies. This one is slightly more interesting than the shot of my feet waiting in line at the cafe.





2PM - I got a wrap to-go. It comes with a side, so I picked applesauce, over the
chips and similar options. Apparently they didn't find it necessary to have some
sort of actually containing container for the applesauce. Were it chips, no big deal,
chips can go everywhere and still be chips. Applesauce everywhere, and I've got
a soggy appley wrap.

3PM - I'm a cluttery person, not going to lie. I realize I could use a little re-alignment here and some other stuff. but, this is it. Yay letterpress posters, and yay for a yellow wall.



4PM - Desk view from the desk. Burt's Bees is key.



5PM - Getting ready to head out the door

6PM - Attempted to go to a work-ish celebration at MacGregors, but there was no parking to be found.

7PM - Puppy decided to sit on me. I was tired enough to let her.

8PM - Yup, still sitting on me. Snuggletime. 


...and this is it. I guess I was really tired and may have napped on the couch, and when I woke back up I forgot all about taking photos. But hey, I tried--it's my first attempt at one of these, and hopefully for the February one I'll pick a more interesting sort of day. But, now you know what my weekdays are sometimes like. The end!


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Mentoring Notes

Industry, creativity, inspiration, and interesting stuff...from your favorite AIGA UPSTNY SPARK Co-Coordinator & Mentor

Audio


Visual


Video

  • Beautiful film/video about being alone, not lonely
  • 1975 Gallery owner Erich Lehman's TEDxRochester talk : Defining Moments
  • Especially love the end of this talk where Kate Bingaman Burt  is asking you to define the five things that really 'do it' for you at present, the 5 things that are why you work how you work. Something nice to strive for, define what these 5 things are for you at any given time. Also, where she's talking about her set of parameters/rule structure that yields creation.
    Be thoughtfully looking, and thoughtfully making. Rather than lazy looking, accidentally making boring work.
    From Weapons of Mass Creation Fest III in Cleveland, OH

Reads

  • Blog post about keeping/getting your digital photo files organized and accessible from a former boss of mine
  • Pinterest & Retail fail

Interactive


Other



What notable stuff have you found lately?

Monday, February 4, 2013

Battle of the Dresses No.1

weekly dress battle to cure workplace attire monotony & incite creative spirit by means of friendly competition

                                                                                                                                                                        



A little backstory from Emily about her outfit:
Dress: Old Navy clearance; Purple Belt and sparkle shoes: Target. The necklace is a very favorite of mine from my Mom this past Christmas. It's from Peru originally, but came my way via Ten Thousand Villages. If you don't know about this amazing organization and their very cool stores, you should check them out! Ten Thousand Villages is one of the world's largest fair trade organizations and features tons of amazing stuff (jewelry, textiles, home goods, art etc.) from tens of thousands of disadvantaged artisans in 38 countries. Yep, totally rad.

And from me (Laura):
Shift Dress (yes, not just a long shirt): Target, super-clearance; Sweater: Target; Belt: Pac Sun (years ago); Boots: Zulily.
The necklace, for me as well, is a very favorite, from Interstellar Love Craft. I'd been crushing on Marisa's jewelry for a few years and finally caved this holiday season when I saw this gorgeous necklace--look at the angle it makes where the chain connects to the further out ties. Love it. 
Make-up: Most is just my basic stuff, BUT the light green eyeshadow is the color Liberty from Beneficial Mineral Co. on Etsy; and the darker mauve (eyelids, lips) is Unearth from SMASH Cosmetics, also on Etsy. 

And now...  please cast your vote. I think criteria for choosing can be anywhere from fashion/style only, to who rocked the look best, to best styling/accessorizing. What's most likely to sway your vote? Tell us in the comments!





Read more about the Battle of the Dresses.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Introducing: Battle of the Dresses

You heard it first! Going along with one of my 2013 goals/resolutions (#dresolutions as I've been tagging), my dear friend Emily decided to adopt the #dresolution as well. We figured it'd be fun to take our weekly dress and battle it out online.

We'll be posting a Battle of the Dresses on Mondays going forward to include a photo of each of us from the previous week, of course wearing a dress. Or skirt. We're going to try to mix it up--no repeating dresses within a month, and when dresses are repeated, the rest of the outfit must be different.

Here's where you come in. When you see the Battle of the Dresses post, cast your vote! Voting will be up through the following Sunday, and the winner of the week will be revealed when the new week's Battle is posted.

We don't know how long this will go on for, and we don't have a prize or goal in sight. But maybe you do? Let us know if you have any ideas.
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