We had the time of our lives. Highlights…
…Lula’s vegan ice cream shop near our apartment in the lower east side
…Drinking on the roof
…Meeting Gala Darling and her sweet husband
…Shareen Vintage off 5th Avenue
…Roaming with my husband
…Brunch at Bad Burger (I got cornflake-crusted french toast)
…Long nights spent up talking
…”Wine Product” that I bought at the corner mart. Sorry again about that, guys.
…Meeting up with author Chris Guillebeau in Central Park
…Running to the gym
…MCA memorials everywhere
…Loud pigeon roosted outside our window, and sparrows living in the wall somehow?

We brought home sunglasses with apple-shaped frames and mint green slip-on tennies for Alice.

Today I ironed these bad girls out and added them to the collection. I got them from Shareen Vintage in NYC, a diamond of a store that Gala Darling took Kat and I to a few weeks ago when we were in town. The price was right, but the amazing employees made it unforgettable. I can’t wait to take my partner Sarah there when we go for market this Fall!

1: Striped cotton dress with pockets and button back. I love the neckline and red lining on this, and the length is perfect.

2: Yellow cotton tennis romper with pockets. It looks like a shift dress, but there are shorts under there! I love the buttons down the front, too.

xx
meg

My friend Kat Williams of Rock N Roll Bride is the one who initially urged me to go as she’ll be in town for some work as well, so this’ll be our time to reconnect, share stories, and hit the town! I’m going to take her to gothic dance clubs.

So I tend to travel light on a plane–compared to how I normally travel, anyway. I hate carry-ons on planes and I hate it when everyone’s clogging up the line trying to fit their three enormous bags into the overheads and bonking everyone in the process. My mentor and German professor Sybille Bartels always said being polite was taking up little room with your person and little room with your voice, especially in crowded areas. Anyway, I feel like I went on about that quirk for way too long.

So here’s what I’m bringing on the plane. A bag that slides easily under the seat, a stylish but fold-able cape/jacket, an iPad with a keyboard to do some work, and a few personal essentials. My favorite is the striped Slim Sonic toothbrush from Violight–they’ve got tons of cute patterns and I’m sort of obsessed with their whole range right now (I keep one at work too).

Clockwise from top: Cape jacket; Lolita Lempicka travel-sized perfume, Maybelline lip balm, Lancome Hypnose mascara; Reusable bags (these are great for when you just need a sack to carry some stuff in temporarily); Violight Slim Sonic toothbrush; Bumble and Bumble Straight travel pack; iPad and keyboard; Solar iPhone charger; Touchscreen-friendly gloves; Leather and Canvas bag.

You can check out more details about this set on Polyvore. Bon Voyage and I’ll be blogging from the big apple!

xo
meg

A Delicious Breakfast at Jelly Cafe

homemade donuts and challah french toast

A Bunch of Shopping

…and then getting all gussied up

On the Edge of our Seats

and the winner is…

Recovery at City O City

pizza and cupcakes

The Fastest 24 Hours Ever

xo
meg

We hope to go back to Phoenix next year and check out the vintage shops that I heard so much about. It was a beautiful trip and we loved the city.
See all photos on Daily Alice.

xo
meg

1: Mama’s outfit and Alice’s outfits from our plane ride today. 2: On our way to the airport. Alice wears those glasses everywhere. Now we have two pairs. 3: Fancy shoes and Dave’s indie video games. 4: Nap. 5: Playing her new iPad game, Animal Alphabet. (She said “Yak” today!) 6: Notes passed back and forth between me and Dave on the plane. 7: Napping across our laps. She slept for over an hour this way.

Top: Left of Center; Jeans: Joe’s Jeans; Boots: Henry Ferrera; Bag: Kinies; Lipstick: Hazardous by The Elixery; Alice’s Bag: Skip Hop; Pullover: American Apparel; Polo: Circo; Pants: Carters; Shoes: Pediped

See more details about today’s outfit on my Polyvore page.

xo
meg

1: Pets Sticker Book (I have a “Getting Dressed” one for our return flight) 2: Pipe cleaners 3: “At the Zoo” wipe-off book 4: Noise-reducing headphones for toddlers 5: Crayons 6: Bee Backpack from Skip Hop 7: Ugly Doll bat keychain 8: Gallop! by Rufus Butler Seder 9: Silly Putty 10: Applesauce in a squeeze packet 11: Lemur stuffed animal 12: Cool wooden puzzle 13: Hello Kitty Band-Aids 14: Travel Kleenex

Not pictured: Empty sippy cup (to fill up after security), peanut butter granola bar, Annie’s fruit snacks to help her popping ears

When my brother and I were younger, our family traveled a lot. On each trip, my mom took care to pack a special airplane bag for each of us full of new treats and distractions to keep us content on a long trip. Sitting with a nearly two-year-old on my lap for the duration of a packed flight was my idea of hell, but the backpack helped a lot.

The biggest hits with Alice were the pipe cleaners, snacks (of course), and band-aids. We’ll save the rest of the stuff for the ride home on Sunday!

What do you take on long trips to keep your kids happy? Is there anything I should grab for next time?
xo
meg

Yes! It’s our  first family vacation ever. I even stopped at work on our way to the airport and (in a devious twist of fate) left empty-handed. No thread has been packed, no scissors have been hidden in away in a carry-on, and no frayed scraps of fabric will litter our bedroom floor. It’s  really a big step for me.  This is the first time I’ve EVER been out of town without work.

We’re staying in a beautiful three-bedroom home where my grandpa and his wife live during one month each year. They are there, and Dave and I will be there with Alice until Sunday night. If I said I did not plan to work, that wouldn’t entirely be true–I will probably work on my book each day, but I left the heavy labor at home.

This week I plan to post a few great weddings we did recently as well as some newer work that we have just completed and mailed out, as well as instagrams and photos from our trip.

Thanks for reading, stop SOPA, eat a clementine every day, and never complain.
xo
meg

Have you ever taken a trip that changed your outlook on something, inspired you to consider a new worldview, or helped you fulfill an important goal?

Put yourself in the mindset of being on a journey–what is essential to keep with you, and what can you leave behind? What souvenirs do you pick up along the way? What gifts do you acquire that can be shared with others? Even those of us who aren’t well-traveled have been on plenty of adventures. What is the biggest risk you took to travel outside of your comfort zone?

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Three travel memories

Vejle, Denmark

In Vejle I spoke to a group of students about U.S. customs and our cultural similarities and differences, in pop culture, politics, lifestyle, education…everything. We talked for so long and it make me realize how much our geography, our circumstances, our Geworfenheit influences our beliefs. Everyone around the world basically wants the same things, but our cultural values influence the way we think things “are” and make us think things are so black-and-white. The political conversations I had in Denmark in 2007 were pretty intense, as you might imagine! I had traveled in other countries and cultures before, but never gotten the chance to have such a personal, in-depth conversation with people from the place I was visiting. Since that trip to Vejle, I have made meeting local people the biggest priority of my travels. Going to museums, historical sites, shopping, and restaurants are an important part of my “studies abroad,” but making meaningful connections with other humans who come from a totally different frame of reference has taught me the most.

Berlin

Berlin is my favorite place in the world, where I experienced my most inspiring and peaceful moments of solitude. In fact, when my birth coach asked me to construct a “happy place” for meditation, the room I stayed in for three weeks at Hotel Bogota immediately–automatically–reconstructed itself in my mind. Two long twin platform beds pushed together, a single crisp white sheet with a fluffy down comforter that was the exact size of the mattress, one pillow on each bed–all white linens. Soft threadbare cotton curtains that hung in the window, which I kept open over the corner of Bleibtreustrasse and Kurfurstendamm. I saw the #2 bus come and go every seven minutes. I watched international news on an old tv set far across the room. I was lucky to have a simple shower in the room–many visitors took a short walk down the hall to a shared bathroom. A standing birch wardrobe that held my two pairs of jeans, three sweaters, and dress that I brought for the trip in my small bag. Other than that, the room couldn’t have been plainer. It felt like luxury to me, more than any suite I have stayed in at a “nice” hotel chain. It felt like a place where I was really getting away, a completely new environment, not constructed to conjure memories of a home I was used to. The luxury was the freedom of being alone, unobliged, and unfamiliar. When left to rely on myself, I am so happy.

Moscow

My uncle is a businessman in Moscow, where he lives with his Russian wife and kids. My aunt is so beautiful, educated, and intelligent. Hearing her stories about growing up in Soviet Russia and the tales about their scandalous courtship in the USSR always fascinated me, and spending a week with them in Moscow was like being in another world, even in 2008, 19 years after the fall of the iron curtain. One of the most memorable nights was spent bouncing between night clubs and being chauffeured around the main streets of Moscow, peppered with beautiful people, bottles of champagne, blackjack and quick translations. The ride home at 4:30am was into the early Russian sunrise, and I slumped in the back of the Mercedes calculating how many hours of sleep I would be able to get before I had to rise with the rest of the family and drive back into the city for our next excursion. I wrote a postcard to my husband that night–we hadn’t yet met, but we had become friends online and I couldn’t get him off my mind.

Other impactful experiences

My dad flying us to Chicago to see two of our favorite bands. Learning  letterpress from Jordan Ferney in San Francisco. Watching a clown perform in an amphitheater in Puerto Vallarta while eating–what else?–crepes. Seeing homelessness for the first time in Washington D.C. Taking a train out into the country in Berlin and sharing a lakeside dinner. Walking as far as we could in Paris with my friend Matthias and doing a photoshoot at the Musee de Picasso. Standing up in the crown of the Statue of Liberty.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

If you are writing your own Radvent responses, share the link below! Browse around! Leave comments!

xo
meg

I visualize arriving at the hotel with my suitcases and walking through the lobby, seeing groups of women gathered all over laughing, talking, trading calling cards and comparing class schedules. Or fiddling with their handbags, looking around shyly. Or sitting in the lounge sipping cocktails with friends after being on the together road for days, on the road to St. Paul. (I’m always one of the nervous, shy ones.)

The Creative Connection Event is different from other creative workshop conventions in a few ways. First, you can register for classes, keynotes, panels, and breakout sessions à la carte and only pay for the sessions you really want. The topics and classes also aren’t limited to one focus. TCC brings in experts to teach and speak about everything from new media topics like blogging, and self-publishing, to business topics like copyrighting, branding, and making money while doing what you love, to awesome FOOD classes and sessions from MaryJanesFarm. And of course there are so many amazing handmade classes taught by industry experts from all over the world in knitting, book binding, jewelry making, sewing, and everything in between.

❤ I’m excited to for the long trip to St. Paul with my two employees Emma and Shannon, my mom and dad, and baby Alice. ❤ I’m excited to see Holly Becker from Decor8′s keynote talk. ❤ I’m excited for Jo to meet Alice for the first time. ❤ I’m excited to stay in a nice hotel room. ❤ I’m excited to teach my first class to a room full of people. ❤ I’m excited to see what the attendees create in my classes, and how they put their own unique spins on my tried-and-true techniques. ❤ I’m excited to sell dresses from my new collection at our booth in the Marketplace. ❤ I’m excited to see what everyone’s going to wear. ❤ I’m excited to connect with some old friends from Silver Bella ❤ I’m excited for my parents to see me in my element ❤ I’m excited to network with some awesome new businessowners ❤ I’m excited for my mom to take some classes that she is genuinely interested in ❤ I’m excited to meet you ❤

If you want to learn more about attending The Creative Connection Event, here is where you should start:

…Page through the list of classes offered in the TCC Handmade sessions (and be sure to check out my prize ribbon and headband classes).
…Read about the cool special events happening at the TCC Marketplace (BurdaStyle make & takes! Where Women Cook book launch!) and look through the list of vendors who will be selling their wares. (Maybe you could even sign up to join us!)
…Learn more about the organizers of TCCE, publisher Jo Packham and Nancy Soriano.
…The list of panels you can attend will inspire you to learn more about a topic you’ve always wanted to delve more into. Self publishing? Community building? Planning an event? Working with an agent or a publicist? Sooooo much to learn…
…and begin your registration! You can register for everything or you can select the à la carte option and only sign up for the classes and keynotes you really want.

So you think about that, and I’ll think about what to pack!!

Day 1: Sept 14 – in the car:

Scarf: Target; Jacket: ModCloth; Pens: Stabilo; Shoes: Vintage; Sunglasses: ModCloth; Shirt: ModCloth; Watch: Vintage; Shorts: ModCloth; Planner: MMMG; Tote bag: Shinzi Katoh; iPod

Day 2: Sept. 15 – Arriving. Figuring it all out. BlogHer Handmade, Pitch Slams, and listening to Holly Becker from Decor8, Cristina Ferrare, and Nora Abousteit of BudaStyle!

Necklace: Erickson Beamon for Target; Top: ModCloth: Sweater: ModCloth; Watch: Michael Kors; Shoes: Betsey Johnson; Tote: Kate Spade; Bracelet: Vintage; Skirt: Anthropologie

Day 3: Sept. 16 – Teaching my first two classes, working the TCC Handmade booth, taking measurements for custom dresses.

Cardigan: ModCloth; Necklace: Erickson Beamon for Target; Scarf: Target; Watch: ModCloth; Shoes: Kate Spade; Sunglasses: Fred Flare; Dress: ModCloth; Tote: Shinzi Katoh

Day 4: Sept. 27 – A busy day teaching our last two classes, and the cupcake farewell party.

Planner: MMMG; Jacket: ModCloth; Top: ModCloth; Watch: ModCloth; Bracelet: Vintage; Pens: Stabilo; Burt’s Bees rhubarb lip shimmer; Revlon coral lipstick; Jeans: J Brand; Sunglasses: Fred Flare; Shoes: Betsey Johnson; Necklace: Cupcakes and Mace; Tote: Kate Spade; Wallet: Deena and Ozzie

Planning outfits is the best part of traveling. There are going to be thousands of BEST PARTS at TCC. I am so excited.

xo
meg