Yoga for the mind.

Some days my mind will move faster than I ever could physically. Thoughts distracting thoughts in every direction. I have a hard time focusing, and nothing gets accomplished. It's times like these that I need to stop, breathe for a second, and just create. Take the energy and put it somewhere else. Pull out a sketchbook and take it all out on the paper, or on a blank canvas...mixing the paints and letting colors get muddy if they want to. I forget how relaxing and unwinding the process of creating can be for my mind. Thoughts get stretched out, my anxiety melts away. I need to do it more often. 

Justice

Some things I'd worked on while designing in Cut-N-Sew at Justice from the past couple seasons. It's fun to see my work online and in catalogs. It's even more amazing when I see someone wearing my work in person. 

 

 

 

XOXO, 

Your Friend Nicole

Wine and Blossom

Over the weekend my good friend Laura and I took a road trip to Cleveland, Ohio for the Lady Antebellum show at Blossom Music Center. The weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor concert. People were dressed in high-waist shorts and cowboy boots everywhere you looked. It was such a good time! 

Prior to the show we stopped at Sarah's Vineyard for some wine tasting. I remember my favorites being Golden Solstice (a fragrant sweet Ohio white wine made from Niagara grapes grown in Ohio near Lake Erie) and Sweet Elisa (a “not-too-sweet” blend of Ohio Concord and Niagara that is fragrant and refreshing).

We sat out on the back patio facing the vineyard. The winery was a perfect little spot to relax and enjoy the sunshine. 

The vineyard was to good to not run through. Instant happiness!

 

 

 

Definitely a perfect weekend to start the summer!

XOXO, 

Your Friend Nicole

June!!!

I know I'm a few days late on this, but happy June! It's my birthday month, and favorite month for all the summer activities. I plan to be at the pool with friends at least once a week this month. This weekend if you're in Columbus, Ohio be sure to check out the Columbus Art Festival and later this month Comfest!

A friend of mine noticed I still had a May calender as my desktop background here at work, so I changed it right away. Thought I'd share two of my faves: 

You can get the downloadable version from Geninne's Art Blog here.

For those who know me personally know I am obsessed with Free People, so I had to include their calender! Find it here.

XOXO, 

Your Friend Nicole

Currently in love with...

Each season I go through these phases where I become fixated on a specific item or trend. At the moment I'm falling in love with the natural waist culotte shorts I'm seeing everywhere! It's mixing two elements I go for in summer outfits: femmy + comfort. Absolutely perfect right? 

culotte style bottoms for a petite hourglass

ASOS High Waist Culotte Shorts

I'm loving the variety of ways I'm seeing culottes worn, too. Flowy crop tops, mixed prints, matching prints, oversized boxy tops, etc. 

Short skirt . 1980s cotton ikat skirt

Natural Waist Culotte Shorts

Hollister High Rise Culotte Shorts

It's such a simple silhouette, I've been itching to pull out my sewing machine lately. I think this will become a weekend craft day project soon! A blog I follow ever so splendid did a post on some cute summer pattern projects, I just might need to get my hands on this vintage pattern!

 1950's Vogue Bathing Suit Pattern from Redcurlzs  /  Navy & White Whale Cotton Poplin from Fabricmade

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

XOXO, 

Your Friend Nicole

Truth.

Moving Forward