YOLLO- You Only Live in Lewiston Once

Because I have been so sporadic about blogging lately, I thought I would paint a picture of what it is that I have been up to. Here is a snap-shot of my life outside of fashion blogging and photographing daily outfits.

Two weekends ago could have quite possibly been the best weekend that I have had in a long while. Me and a few of my girls from college went to visit one of our closest friends, Whitney Hise, who studied broadcasting while we were at WSU.  Typically, within the broadcasting world you have to start your career in tim-buck-two, so last fall Whit packed her bags and made the move to little ol' Lewiston, Idaho.  Since I had just finished my Teaching certification class a few weekends ago and had my first open weekend for quite some time, the timing could not have been better for a visit.

Friday, after working a double shift, Jenna, Amanda and I packed the car and made the drive back towards Pullman where we all went to college.  If we hadn't made that 5 hour drive before, I think we would have totally lost our marbles. We had the best drive and caught each other up on our lives.  We could barely squeeze everything into 5 hours! ;)

For those of you who aren't familiar with Lewiston, Idaho, it's a little town 45 mins South East of Pullman.  Everyone there knows everyone for the most part and especially Whitney because she is the lead Meteorologist for the KLEW news station.  It was fun to hang with a Lewiston celebrity. ;)

Here's a shot of Lewiston

And here is Whit at work for KLEW. You can read her bio here

After making cranberry vanilla french toast and drinking mimosas for breakfast Saturday morning, we went to the beach to soak up some sun and relax.  Once we stepped foot onto the sand, the entire beach got silent as they watched two blonde and two brunette bombshells pack a cooler from one side to another. City girls really stick out in the country. We spent the day soaking in some vitamin D and went boating with a baseball player and his friends who we met on the beach. All made for a perfect first day.

Our delicious breakfast

Me and Whit on the boat :)

That night, we downed iced quad venti americanos to keep ourselves alive and went for a little retail therapy. Theres not much in terms of shopping in Lewiston but we made due with the TJ Maxx and Ross that they had in town.  These stores were goldmines there!! Jenna found a pair of Prada sunglasses at Ross for a whopping $65! I told her that she wasn't aloud to leave without them.  Best purchase of the trip! Amanda and I bought a few pairs of shoes and some fun costume jewelry.

Later that night, we went to Barley Hopper's which is the happening spot in town and danced our little tooshies off. We seriously had the time of our lives, singing, dancing and flirting with all the cowboys in town.  The second we got there, I saw the man of my dreams (which I never would have thought would happen in Lewiston).  He was in town from Utah for work and told Amanda and I that people thought he looked like Ryan Gosling and Prince William.  Funny thing is people tell me that I remind them of Kate Middleton. Ironic huh ;). He told me that Florence, Italy was one of his favorite cities.  Brownie points.  We talked, danced and laughed the night away and that was that.

Me, Amanda and Whitney

Amanda and I at Barley Hoppers

After waking up slowly on Sunday, Whit took us out in the pasture to show us her horse. That was one of my favorite parts of the weekend because we got to see a part of Whitney's life that means so much to her. She has had Angel, her mare, for 10 years! Whitney is the perfect mix of a city girl with adorable clothes and sass, with the twist of a sweet country girl who loves to ride horses and sing.  Its amazing to have such talented and diverse friends.

A little glimpse at who Whitney is. I love her "If the tiara fits" signage ;)

I felt like a little girl going through moms jewelry.  Her vintage Chanel clip on earrings in the left hand corner were passed down from her mom and are my favorite!

Once we pulled ourselves together, it was back to the beach we went to enjoy our last day together.  Soaking in some sun before heading to dinner and then hopping back on the road back to Seattle. It was the most enjoyable weekend I had in a while and made me realize just how amazing the girls in my life are. I hadn't laughed, cried, sang and danced that much in a long time. Totally cheesy but totally true! I love the people in my life! :)

Amanda, Me, Jenna and Whitney

My gorgeous friends, Whitney and Jenna after a day at the beach

Theme of the weekend was YOLLO: You Only Live in Lewiston Once. ;)  We literally applied that to each and every situation. Too much fun!

xoxox Ashiee B

Listening: Foster the People Pandora Radio... AMAZINGGGG, give it a listen
Anticipating: Another weekend get-away to my friends cabin over in Gig Harbor, WA
Feeling: Sleepy from a long day at work yesterday and many late nights recently... having too much fun :)

All in the name of change...

Lets rewind to May 31st, 2011:

Exactly one year ago, I left for the trip of a lifetime. I decided to spend my summer in Italy. All in the name of change. 


Italy was a place that I wanted to travel to since I was 16. I don't know where my obsession with the country came from at the ripe old age of 16, but I talked about going there a lot with my first love, making him promise me that we would go there together some day. I fell in love with the phrase "la vita é bella" meaning "life is beautiful" in Italian and wrote it all over my notebooks, myspace and facebook, once I got one.  When I got my first tattoo (the little heart on my left foot) I wanted to get "la vita é bella" but knew it wasn't relevant to my life at that point. I told myself that once I traveled to Italy or maybe even lived there, I would get it as a tattoo.

So this past year I decided to go to Italy. All in the name of change. 

At the end of my senior year of college, I decided to fulfill my dream. After spending 4 years of college with friends from the greek system, dancing on the collegiate dance team and dating a guy that I had fallen in and out of love with, I felt like I had really done it all.  I needed to create change for myself, for my life post college. I went to Italy to find what really made me tick and to fulfill my dreams of traveling to an amazing place far, far away.

I flew out of Seattle on May 31st and really did have the summer of my life. I met friends from all over the world and really began to love myself and life again. Each day that I was there, I learned about myself, others and lived a life that really made sense to me. I never really got home sick and knew that what I was doing for myself was a lot more riveting than anything that I could have been doing at home. When it came time for me to leave Italy, I cried the whole way from Florence to Rome, where I was catching my flight home. I didn't want to leave.

I know you're probably wondering where all of this is going....

Well yesterday, May 31st, 2012... exactly one year from when I flew to Italy...

I had my last day at Nordstrom as a Personal Stylist. I have made the decision to quit my potential career in Seattle and return to Italy.  All in the name of change.

After returning home from an amazing experience abroad, I knew that I wanted to go back and thought about teaching English as a means to get there but felt compelled to settle down a little, get a job and "pursuit growing up".  I moved back in with my parents and began job searching. I interviewed for a Women's Active and swim wear position at the Northgate Nordstrom, with hopes of moving my way up on the sales floor to a Personal Styling position. During the interview, I really hit it off with the HR director and he suggested I work in the t.b.d/Savvy departments instead. I interviewed with that manager (a girl 3 yrs older than me from my sorority) and was given the job on the spot. As soon as I left the store, the HR director called me and said that they wanted to interview me for a Personal Styling position. I was beyond ecstatic! After interviewing again, I was given the position.  Being hired as a Personal Stylist from outside the company was something that Nordstrom seldom does so I knew I was privileged to have my position.

I had amazing managers and made amazing friends. Girls that I spent a lot of time with at work and outside of work because we got to know each other as more than just coworkers.  I think I may have had the most enjoyable work atmosphere ever. I had become friends with people all over the store. And when I told them I was leaving, there was a sense of sadness because of the relationships and bonds we had built over my past nine months there. But I knew something wasn't right for me...

Working day in and day out as a Personal Stylist at Nordstrom wasn't answering my dreams and calling at this point in my life. No matter the title I had, I still thought of Italy. I talked about it with all of my customers and friends at work.  Many of them thinking that I was just a dreamer for saying that I was going to live there again.  I needed to make a change.

I began researching teaching English abroad and attended an informational meeting about it in the Seattle area.  From there on, I was convinced. It's what I need to do right now for myself in my life.  I began talking about it with people at work and started to get so much support and positive feedback. Women who were in their 30's and 40's began telling me "Honey,  if I could go back to 23 and do anything, it would be travel. Do it before you meet your husband, settle into your career and have children."  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that they were right.  Now is the time for me to pursuit this dream in my life. So I put in my notice at Nordstrom and I made a plan to return to one of my favorite places in the world. Italy. All in the name of change.


Now, I know that quitting your job and moving across the world may not be the right step for everyone and that you are going to have your opinions about my choice. But to be honest, this doesn't have to make sense to you. Because it makes sense to me. And no I'm not running away from anything. I know that moving across the world won't solve my problems, but if I had problems to solve, I'd start to work on them right here at home. I'm simply running back to a place that I loved and felt like I wasn't done exploring. And its something that I couldn't be more excited about.
All in the name of change.

 Photo with some of my managers (left to right): Store Manager- Trevor Cobb. Regional Personal Styling Manager- Melissa Merrit. *ME*. Customer Relationship Manager- Jessica Stewart and Personal Styling Manager- Emily Auza

One of my Personal Styling coworkers and buddies, Britta Satterlund.

Me and my friend Lacey Marek, who worked with me in t.b.d and Savvy

Me, Allie Gotz and Lacey Marek. Some of the girls of t.b.d and Savvy.

Personal Stylists of Northgate. (Left to right) Amy Foss, Britta Satterlund, Me and Samantha Horvath. 

On to the next thing...
All in the name of change  ;)

xoxox Ashiee B

Launching Into Seattle Fashion

I have been a little "radio-silent" (as my sister would say) with my blogging over the past week... and its not because of a lack of content. Actually, its quite the opposite.  Im not trying to say that my life is so exciting but as a matter of fact, over the last week, it has been very eventful and very exciting.

Last Thursday night, I went to the launch party for the first Indie Style magazine for the iPad and iPhone called JeNeSeQua.  The party was hosted at Makers, a gutted building located in Belltown. It was a somewhat private event requiring check-in to the guest list upon entrance. I had been previously invited by the Creative Director and Editor in Chief, Melissa Middleton who I had the pleasure of meeting in a coffee shop last month in Seattle. I couldn't wait for the event and invited one of my best friends from college, Jenna, to attend with me.  The first 150 guests received "swag bags" with Butter London Nail Polish and other various goodies so Jenna and I made sure to arrive just in time! :)

Once we were in the party, Jenna and I snagged a cocktail from the bar and began to mingle around meeting people. The theme of the night was Black and White, and because it was a fashion event, the attendees were lavishly dressed and checking everyone else out from head to toe.  We met this amazing, very down-to-earth gentleman from London named Louis-Xavier Le Bron, wearing a fur collar over a suit with a jewel encrusted brooch at the neck.  He was very posh and seemed to be important. He had an astonishingly impressive resume within the fashion industry that fully supported his appearance.  He was the creative director for the Viktor & Rolf Spring/Summer 2012 fashion show, and a Stylist for Thandie Newton, Lana Del Ray, Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger to name a few.  His resume blew me out of the water and was someone that I admired for his work-- a resume I aspire to have someday. :) He recently moved to Seattle so we exchanged phone numbers and made plans to snag coffee together sometime.

After talking to him, we continued to mingle. There were actually more people I knew than I had anticipated, one of which who was my best friend from high school, Lindey. I had no idea that she was going to be there and it was definitely a pleasant surprise! The three of us girls spent most of the night together and met a few guys. They weren't your typical men who attend fashion events. They actually knew nothing about fashion but were guests of a friend who knew Melissa, the host.  We chatted with them for a while and later danced once the social space turned into a dance floor. They had taken swing dancing classes before so they taught us a few moves. It put a fun spin on the evening!

Knowing she was busy but before the night was over, I made sure to say a quick hello to Melissa (the editor in chief and creator of the magazine).  I wanted to thank her for the invite and let her know that I truly had a great time! Hopefully, in the near future I'll be able to grab coffee with her as well to network and gain perspective.

All in all, I had an amazing time with friends and it was great to meet some more people within my industry!

Xoxo Ashiee B

Right place at the right time

Everyone at one point or another has heard the expression, "Timing is everything." Timing affects when we meet people and where, when we can go on a trip and often many of our purchases. But so much of the time we are unaware of the opportunity because we're busy, lazy, thinking about other things, the list can go on and on.  I feel like recently I have been more open and aware of opportunities and the people around me.  

A couple of weeks ago when I was at one of my favorite coffee shops on Capital Hill, I noticed two ladies studying some fashion photos so I decided to be somewhat nosey and asked "Do you write a fashion blog?!"  Thats when the blonde, Melissa, turned to me and told me that her and the other gal, Heather, were the creative directors and editor in chief of the very first Indie Fashion magazine for the iPad called JeNeSeQua.  We started talking about fashion, blogging and JeNeSeQua.  I told them that I was a newbie to fashion blogging but am trying to meet more people in the Seattle area who are passionate about it.  Melissa then told me about the launch party for the mag taking place in a few weeks and that I should come and network. I was ecstatic! I just received my personal invite last night and cant wait for the event! Below is a photo of the flyer for the launch party. The theme is White and Black cocktail attire so now I just have to figure out what I'm going to wear! I cant wait!!

The other timing anecdote I have is in regards to my outfit.  If you're a fashionista, fashion blog reader or just a lover of the fine things then you probably know what an Equipment blouse is (read the history of the blouse here). But if you don't, its not the end of the world but you'll probably want one at some point.  They are notorious at Nordstrom as being something you want to sell everyone and something you want to own. Probably in every color. Its the most comfortable silk blouse ever but it comes at a price of $208+. 

The other night after work, I decided to stop by the Nordstrom Rack and thats when I found the blouse that I'm wearing in this post. A beautiful vibrant coral Equipment blouse for only $79.97.  Talk about the right place at the right time! I found another in a beautiful blue and snagged that one as well. In terms of fashion, you don't always have to fork over the big bucks to wear something fabulous. You just have to know what you're looking for and be somewhat savvy about how you shop. If you know anything about my style, its that I'm always aiming to look good at a good price and its always, always possible!

Blouse: Equipment. Pants: Random boutique in Vancouver, Canada. Shoes: Bata- Florence, Italy. Necklace: Borrowed from my mom :). Watch: Michael Kors. Sunnies: Marc by Marc Jacobs. 

Lipstick: MAC Viva Glam Nicki.

Feeling: A little sleepy. Time for a strong coffee after my lunch break.

Anticipating: JeNeSeQua Launch Party! 

Loving: The fact that one of my best friends, Whitney, is in town this weekend! :)

Color Me Beautiful

For some of us, slipping into that kelly green dress, or those sexy red crops can make our heart sing and feel like the most beautiful thing.  I personally think that kind of confidence should be displayed everyday.  If a way of getting there is by dressing in a way that makes you feel gorgeous, then getting to know yourself a little better just might be the key. One of the ways to do so, is to know what colors work for you and others that you might want to leave on the rack.

Ever wondered, "What colors can I wear?" "What colors should I stick away from?"

Well my sweetie, this is just the info you've been waiting for!  The theme of this post is color.  This season it's EVERYWHERE.  I personally love color and wear just about every color imaginable, of course within certain perimeters. A few weeks ago, I was talking about my job as a Personal Stylist with my Dad and how knowing someones season of color can style them in ways that would flatter and get them out of their comfort zone (yes, I have a lot of the "I only wear black" customers).  So I did the research and I'm sharing it here because I believe that good knowledge should be shared.

Your complexion and coloring determines what colors work best on you.  Take careful analysis of your skin tone, natural hair and eye color.  One of the easiest ways to know your undertones in your skin is to look at the inside of your arm in natural light.  Below is a breakdown of the coloring along with some vision boards I threw together on Polyvore. Different coloring is broken down into the four seasons- Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. 

Winter

Winter is a cool tone.  People with winter complexions have blue or pink/rosy undertones.  Skin coloring can be pale and porcelain white, yellowish-olive, or dark.  That seems like that whole spectrum but theres more to it. Winters are generally brunettes with deep colored eyes.  Asians and African Americans fall into this category but natural white blondes can also be winters. People with winter coloring have a lot of depth and contrast to their complexion, hair and eye color. They should wear colors that are sharp, stark and clear. 

What to wear: Black, navy blue, red and hot pink.  For lighter colors, bright white or icy pastels such as cool blues, pinks and yellows.

What to avoid: Earthy tones and subdued colors like beige and orange.

Spring

Spring is a warm tone. People of this complexion have subtle golden undertones and are usually creamy white or peach.  Springs have extremely light, ivory skin color. People of this coloring are usually natural golden blondes, auburn or strawberry blonde redheads.  Springs have clear, light blue or green colored eyes.  Freckles and rosy cheeks are also characteristics of springs. Cutesy! :) 

What to wear: Pale soft colors. Peach, camel, golden yellow, golden brown, aqua, ivory, bright greens, true reds, clear blues and coral. 

What to avoid: Black, white and dark, dull colors. 

Summer

Summer complexions are also considered to be cool toned.  Just as the Winters, Summers have blue or pink undertones in their skin coloring. Summer coloring usually occurs in natural blondes and even pale skinned brunettes with pale eyes. If your wondering what the main difference is between a winter and a summer, Winters are generally brunettes and Summers are mostly natural blondes. Summers have a low contrast between hair, eye and skin color tone, whereas Winters coloring differ drastically. 

What to wear: Powder blue, dusty pink, mauve, lavender, plum, and pale yellow.

What to avoid: Vivid intense hues, earthy tones, black and orange especially.

Autumn

Autumn is a warm tone and people with this complexion have golden undertones such as pale peach, golden beige, or golden brown.  Many redheads and brunettes with golden eyes fall into the Autumn category. Golden blondes and people with black hair can also fall into this range. There tends to be a lot of depth to this color pallet.  Rich golden, spicy or earthy colors will accent complexion. 

What to wear: Camel, beige, olive, orange, gold, dark brown, and rich warm grey 

What to avoid: clear bright colors, black and white, clear pastels and blue tones 

I hope that each and every one of you reading this post can take something away from it and learn to pop some color into that wardrobe if its not already there! Of course the vision boards are matchy-matchy and oh so Ashley but they're just my take on the information I found.  Take this info and make it yours! :)

Xoxox 

Ashiee B

Currently Feeling: Oh so satisfied from my ballet class tonight... getting back into the swing of dancing again! 

Currently Anticipating: The Tyrone Wells concert this Saturday with my friend Dana!

Currently Listening to: Ray LaMontagne via Spotify

Follow me here on Pinterest for fun fashion ideas and other goodies :)

I DID fall in love in Italy

Before I left for Italy, friends and family kept saying “what if you fall in love in Italy and never come back?!”  I always just kind of laughed and said that if it happened, I’d be really happy but I wasn’t going to hold my breathe.  I wanted to go to Italy without any expectations so I had no chance of being disappointed. And more importantly this was a trip for me and about finding something that I felt like I have been missing… a time to do a little soul searching and be able to be completely happy with myself and my life, just how I wanted it to be. I made my trip so unexpected that I didn’t even know what I wanted to see while I was there. My sister asked me “what are you most excited about and wanting to see?” At first this question made me nervous because to be honest, I didn’t really have an answer (and I’ll always look up to my sister and the thought of telling her “I don’t know” about anything kind of scares me).  I wanted to see anything and everything I could in the 9 short weeks I was going to be abroad. When I first got to Europe I thought I wanted to see as much as possible including France, Spain and any other great place.  What changed my mind?  Well the first week we were there my roommates Amy, Jennifer, Kim and I were all huddled in a restaurant escaping the rain trying to plan our travels for each of the free weekends we had.  Jennifer and I were talking about trying to go to Barcelona or Paris.  That’s when Kim chimed in and said “You know, I think its my goal to see as much of Italy as I can while we’re here.” My initial thought was “Pshh, how could you not want to see Barcelona or Paris?!” But the more I thought about it, the more I agreed.  Why wouldn’t I want to know Italy on a more intimate level? And since that moment, that became my traveling abroad goal. While I was in Italy, I traveled to Rome, Verona, Lake Garda, Venice including Murano and Burano (twice), cinque terre, Pompeii, Capri, Positano, Sorrento, Viareggio, Lucca, Vinci, Milan and Lake Como.  I can say that there was something special that I enjoyed about each of those places, all differing in so many ways while maintaining the same culture and general flavor of Italy. And then there was Florence…

One of my first days in Italy

Burano- My all time favorite gem of the country

Vernazza in Cinque Terre

Positano

Us girls in Pompeii

Me atop the Duomo in Milan

When I first arrived to Florence, I didn’t quite understand what all the buzz was about. It seemed great but exactly what made it so great wasn’t all that apparent to me. Starting with my travel photography class, I stated capturing Florence through my camera lens.  Slowly becoming more and more acquainted with the city from a perspective that was a lot more creative and intriguing than that of a tourist.  Moving to Florence was somewhat similar to dating a new boyfriend. I began to find all the small beautiful things about the city. Fun architectural details, cute little leather shops and beautiful people that were simply living their daily lives in their natural habitat. 

Most beautiful sunset I've ever seen.

My photography class

One of my photos for my final. Its a self portrait. Can you find me? :)

            

Then I took art history, which was one of the best decisions I could have ever made.  I learned all the little details about Florence and its history, knowing where it came from, what it was famous for and why.  Two and a half hours of art history lecturing can be so boring but I was like a sponge in that class. I just could not get enough.  Learning about the Renaissance period, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and the Medici family was so fascinating and now I completely understand why Italians are so prideful- I even support it! I loved all the museums each holding something special to the city whether it was a painting, sculpture, political, scientific or a fashion related piece.  I would boast about all that ish too if I were Italian. 

Sneaky sneaky... captured the David!

Me at the Picasso, Miro and Dali exhibit

            

Moving into my last three weeks, I unexpectedly took a Mediterranean Diet cooking class.  I was trained under the strict instruction of a Florentine woman named Vittoria who believed that “we should always eat food that makes our body happy.” She taught us how to make pasta and pizza from scratch along with many other dishes from the Mediterranean area, like Greece. Before coming to Italy, I wasn’t particularly the biggest fan of pizza and pasta but I have to say that living here and eating the freshest pizza and pasta you can imagine would change anyone’s mind! 

            

My final test: Spaghetti all arrabiata made from scratch

My professor Vittoria and her granddaughter Irene :)

Where I did my grocery shopping

Outside of class I got to know the places and people around me. Of course already being a fan of gelato, I made it my mission to find the best gelato place in town (I had more than one favorite of course).  I made friends with the owner and frequented it maybe more than I should have.  I learned to open up again to people I don’t know and to trust people knowing they are worthy of being trusted. I made some of the best friends in Florence.  One of the most amazing things about the people I met is that we could have absolutely nothing in common and everything in common at the same time. So many of the people I met there have touched my life forever and I would thank them everyday if I could.

Last day in Florence outside one of my fave gelato shops... had to get my final fix! :)

the beautiful Baptistery and Duomo

BEST pizza everrrr at Gusta Pizza

Although the language was something I didn’t pick up as much as I hoped, I tried and I loved listening to Italians speak. I'll never forget laying on the beach and listening to the people around me talking and thinking that it sounded more like music than racket. Their language is so much prettier than ours.  Even my professors abroad tried to make English sound better… “After you cook-ed the vegetable-za…” I loved it!

I could go on forever about all the things that I loved about Florence and Italy but I won’t…

With all this being said, if your question is the same… “Did you fall in love in Italy?”  Then my answer is simple. YES. I may not have fallen in love with any one Italian but I fell in love with a culture so rich of life, love and beauty.  My roommate Jennifer and I always said, “My heart is happy” because of all the great things that Italy made us feel.  This past year was one of the hardest that I have experienced and I have to thank this experience for reawakening my soul to rediscover how much I loved life just as before.  I’d fallen in love with life again in Italy and leaving was one of the hardest things for me to do.  I promised I’d be back again someday. Hopefully sooner rather than later, and if not, than most definitely to marry the second love of my life, my future husband… whoever he may be (and he better love Italy too). ;)

             

Me outside the front door of my apartment. 44 Via San Gallo

I miss you everyday.

Florence, Italy

Photoshop my face to hers and a question mark to his :)

Xoxoxo

Ashiee B