Schedules…

Well hello there,

I know it’s been a while. Between my school internship, midterms, finals, and end of the semester shenanigans I couldn’t find a minute to sit down, and write. Anyways, I’m here now, so lets get to it!

I started this summer of 2016 in a determined mood. Elizabusiness is ready to take on the world!!! As you all know I’m a hopeful twenty-something with a business background eager to become an interior designer. I had reached out to a designer in my town, and thankfully, she offered to let me help her out this summer with her business. Though I won’t be getting paid, I am gaining experience, and truly indulging in my passions.

My tasks do vary, but one this is constant; online shopping… let that sink in. Online shopping is a wonderful thing, but online shopping with someone else’s money is certainly a treat. I mean I couldn’t afford a $1,000 side table, but a client can! A girl can dream right? Anyways, I do a lot of shopping and idea hunting, then discuss with her and see her ideas and then ultimately we bring them to the client to see their opinions. I am lucky that her clients don’t mind me tagging a long to the home visits and consultations.

What I hope to get out of this experience is learning about the entire process of being a designer. From getting the client, seeing the space, understanding their style, staying within a budget, creating space plans, purchasing furniture, placing the pieces, and styling it! I know this is what I love, and working these past few weeks with her has only further proved that.

I hope it only gets better from here…

 

xo,

Case of the Mondays

Hello pretties,

Happy Monday…and happy first day of spring! Sadly, here in Connecticut, this morning birds weren’t chirping, and flowers weren’t blooming, it was actually the opposite; cold, snowing, and gloomy. Talk about a great start to the week!

I had a nice relaxing spring break, sadly, I wasn’t lying on a beach in Mexico, or sipping mimosas by a pool, I was in my cozy home, back in Massachusetts alongside my mom, dad, sister, and two puppies. Lucky for me, I needed the rest, so I wasn’t too sad I was stuck at home. But, all that downtime made getting up early, and commuting to my internship that much more difficult this morning. And with the added ‘unseasonal’ weather it was truly the icing on the cake!

Today at my internship I created excel spreadsheets for pricing of the signature furniture line we are developing. I didn’t consider myself an excel expert, but I pulled it off. It was such a tedious task, and with all the commotion of construction mixed with my frozen fingers and body sitting in this cold, cold, factory, it was a looooong day! It’s so tough getting back into your schedule after having a week without responsibilities.

As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about the rest of my semester, and the tasks I have from now until May. It’s crazy how fast it is going by, and I know these last seven weeks are going to come and go in the blink of an eye….

That’s all for now!

With love,

Who Run The World {Girls}

So, I hate to admit this, but yes, I am a low-key feminist. Feminism has such a negative connotation to it, and being a female within the business world; to be more specific, the entrepreneurial world, being a woman may cause difficulties along the way. For most feminists, they address this by using fighting words, complaining, and to put it simply, passively. But, for me, I feel empowered being an aspiring female entrepreneur. I feel that the possibilities are endless for me. There are so many roads to go down, so much opportunity, and I personally feel that being a female entrepreneurial driven person, is respectable among many. 

That being said, I recently heard that march is Women’s History month. Being what I consider a “low-key” feminist, I feel honored that there is such a thing as women’s history month, and I think it is important to note that we have come so far as a whole in the sense of equality, and opportunity. 

I’ve been doing research and have come across endless conventions, and female run and driven entrepreneurial sites to act as a mentorship, inspirational, network for those gals who are like me. Happy Women’s History month! Enjoy reading this post on some of the many sites I love geared for female entrepreneurs! 

The Nectar Collective

This site is an strictly blog focused, and she provides you with worksheets, and spreadsheets to build your online presence and improve your online persona. I’ve had a blast reading some of her posts, and I can’t wait to read more from this site! 

Create Cultivate 

This business I heard about months ago while scrolling through the entrepreneurship hashtag on Instagram. Create & Cultivate is a phenomenal platform for female entrepreneurs to share with and learn from each other. They hold conferences every few months complete with workshops, break out sessions, speakers, cocktail hour, dinner, blowouts… you name it, they got it covered. I have sadly not been able to attend one yet, but I will be sure to in the future, as they seem so glam and fun! Anyway, this site has it’s own blog, and the writers address issues that I find to be either important or interesting, and I look forward to these posts! Be sure to check them out 🙂 

Julie Harris Design

I found this site while scrolling through pinterest… gotta love pinterest! Her services include brand design and development, and website design. I’ve looked at her work, and I feel it is very well done! There are a lot of businesses like this that you can find online if you look hard enough 🙂 I commend these individuals for their hard work, as it’s inspiring to see what ideas I like and what I see to be fit for my future endeavors. 

by Regina

This site, like the Nectar Collective, features blog posts, advice, videos, and work sheets. Gotta love worksheets! Simply put in your email, and you’ll be given access to the plethora of sheets to boost your entrepreneurial abilities 🙂 

Please note that all images are simply screenshots from each site. I do not own the rights to these images. Please also note, I am not sponsored by any of these organizations; I’m simply commending them for what they do! 

Thanks for reading!

XO

Organization is the Answer

Hello!

For anyone who knows me personally, they know that I’m an OCD, Type A, paranoid, freak. I make my bed every morning, making sure the duvet is even placed on either side of the bed, throw pillows in place, blanket folded etc. etc. I also deal with anxiety, so being organized helps me feel in control of at least something in my life; which gives my mind comfort. Along the way, I have found different methods that relieve my stress, and help me maintain an organized life, and I’m all about sharing, so here are a few of my tactics/rules on de-cluttering!

Rule Number 1:

Invest in a planner. I live off of my Lilly Pulitzer planner! I not only keep track of my homework assignments, but also my sorority events, my internship hours and responsibilities, holidays, birthdays, and due dates for tests, papers, and projects. I also really love the brand Sugar Paper which you can find at Target. They have everything from folders, planners, paper, notebooks, calendars….and they’re all super cute! Pick up one of these to keep you organized, they’re so pretty you’ll want to use them all the time.

 

Rule Number 2:

Purchase Rule Number 1… 🙂 But in all seriousness, do purchase a planner, mine is like a personal assistant to me, because it has every detail of my life I need to know, and its all at my fingertips! Okay, now onto the real rule number 2: use the Reminders app on your iPhone. Now people, this one is a total lifesaver. How many times have you scheduled an appointment or made lunch plans and COMPLETELY forgot about it?? If you’re anything like me, my memory is pretty darn good, but when life gets hectic I forget about these things…thats where this app comes in. I put reminders in for the day before an appointment to remind me about it, and then I put a reminder for an hour before so I yet again and told “nail appointment at 3” so that my little crazy brain doesn’t forget! Trust me, this app works wonders. 

Rule Number 3:

Make your bed!!! I’m sure growing up you heard this daily from your mom and then it seemed tedious and unnecessary. BUT as a 20-something living in a dorm room, my bed acts as more than just a bed. It’s my sanctuary; my couch, my homework spot, its my everything. And living in close quarters, it makes me cringe when me or my roommates bed isn’t made because it makes our room feel cluttered and unorganized. If you’re a college girl, you’ll understand. The littlest thing can make your day a whole lot better. Pictured below is my bed; how could I not make this everyday…it’s just so pretty 🙂

Rule Number 4:

Organize your closet. Whether it be arranging clothes by color, style etc. My closet is organized by dresses/ skirts, blazers, cardigans, sweaters, long sleeves, short sleeves, and tanks. Do this. You’ll thank me later when you wake up late for that 8 AM or for the commute to work, and you can’t seem to find that blazer, or cardigan you had planned to wear that day. Oh, and that brings up another thing…lay out your outfit the night before. You can afford to play dress-up at night before going to bed (or maybe not). We all know we snooze our alarms, so make your wake-up easier. Plan out an outfit you can slip into within seconds. 

I hope these few tips help make your days a little easier, and a lot less stress free!

Till next time,

XO

Sister Room

So after knocking down a wall, rewiring electrical wires, repainting, and furniture purchases the project is finally starting to come to a close. I posted a photo of the design board I created for her, and I’m happy to say that most of those elements have been incorporated in this bedroom so far.

Here’s a photo of her closet hallway, and her bed that was delivered a couple of hours ago. We still have to finish constructing her closet built ins, and refinish side tables, but it’s getting there!

 

Wall colors are Benjamin Moore’s Coral Gables and Little Falls.

More postings to come!

 

XO,

 

Tuesday Thankful

Hello beautiful people,

Lately I’ve been taking moments out of my day to almost pinch myself; to see if I’m dreaming or if this truly is my life! I really feel like this is the year of opportunity for me. I am so overjoyed going to my internship everyday. I feel like I’m an actual person there. I am where I’m supposed to be for now. My boss already has future plans for me, and they involve being apart of the company for years to come. I am excited that my passions of interior design have brought me here.

I also am so content with where my life is heading. I know what I want to do with my life, I know where I wanna go, who I want to be with, and know that I am capable of attaining all of these things. That to me is the most reassuring part. Knowing I can achieve my dreams.

I am happy at school because I’m around wonderful people. People who I can laugh with, and people who I can cry to. People I know will always be there. And for that I’m thankful. Being conscious of these things makes my days a little brighter, and my smiles more frequent. It’s nice to be aware of your blessings, for that is the beauty of life. 
Xo 

Planner5D

I recently stumbled upon a site called Planner 5D, and I fell in love! After watching endless amounts of interior design television shows I’ve seen the digital programs they use to display their ideas to present to their clients, and haven’t found any that are free…till now!

Planner5D has a few different tabs to play along with. There is one section that is strictly for 3D and 2D room planning; which is what I plan to use this for. And then there is another section that is used for finding interior inspiration. This section is split up into categories by room (kitchen, living room, bedroom, office, dining, etc.). It shows the latest trends, and different styles that are being used today.

Visit here to learn more! 

Love Always,

Opportunity

For some, opportunity knocks all the time. But for me, I feel like I’ve suddenly been flooded with opportunity and I can’t say I hate it. I went into my junior year of college knowing I love my major, and had a feel for what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. As you readers know, that is interior design. Whether I’m watching television shows, reading magazines, scrolling through Instagram, this world of design follows me everywhere.

With this little space of mine on the internet, I wanted to make this spot yet another place for my passions to come alive. As I sit here, at my internship on this beautiful Saturday, February 20, I am perfectly content with where my life is headed. I have this internship, which while it can be draining, is great for my experience. I am learning a lot about business and design, and I think in the long run, this is going to be a resume builder.

While speaking with the owner this morning, we discussed the future, and he said that the door here is always open for me. This made me feel good. It made me feel like I have already shown him, by my two weeks of being here and knowing him, that I am capable to grow and prosper within his company. He has the entrepreneurial spirit that I aspire to have; he has big dreams, and an even bigger determination to pursue them. He’s going to do great things, and I hope that I can be apart of it someday, and that I can be as successful as this man.

 

Thanks for reading,

Much Love,

For The Love of Coral

My sweet sister is halfway through her freshman year of high school, and I can’t believe how much she has matured over this past year. She’s going to be 16 in July, and with all this maturation she has totally outgrown her room. Right now it’s decorated in a rich purple, with a velvet & faux purple animal skin comforter and throw pillows with teen heart throbs taped all over the walls…and yes, that includes Justin Bieber, even from his earliest days…she’s totally a belieber (but who isn’t?!?). So, while I’m away at school, she’s getting her closet bumped out and doing a complete reno of her bedroom; and lucky for her, she has my retreat to sleep in while I’m slumming in my dorm room!

We had gone through different color options while I was home on break, and while perusing the shelves of our Home Goods store, we saw a pattern which had coral and navy coloring, and we fell in love. It was decided, that the theme of the room would be coral, grey, and navy. I personally think the color coral is SO underrated. It can be young and fun, while it can be mature and sophisticated depending on how you dress it.

So, leave it to me, once her room renovation started yesterday, I hopped on the internet, and sent her about five different bedding options. After much consideration she chose one, and I think it’s a good choice for her. Naturally, I surfed the internet more, and decided I’m going to make a design board for her while I’m at it, because theres no half-assing as a designer!!!

The color of the walls we like is Coral Gables from Benjamin Moore. We haven’t seen it on walls yet, but hey, in pictures it looks fabulous!

The bedding believe it or not, is from target, and is a steal!

Some of the items on here are just inspiration pieces, and help give my sister an idea of what’s possible for her space. I’m excited to get home for spring break and take on this decorating project…and yes, while doing so I’ll pretend I’m in cancun with all the other spring breakers this year!!

Hope you enjoyed! I’ll be posting updates on the progress!

Love Always,

Intern Things…

Well hello everyone!

I know I haven’t blogged in what seems like forever, but between moving back to school, starting classes, and getting an internship I’ve been one busy gal. It was looking like I was going to be internshipless and the process was SO frustrating because every listing out there was filled upon me applying. But, one lazy Monday I was looking up internships and found one in the industry I am interested in. I am pleased to announce that I am an Administrative Assistant Intern at a recent startup called Oak & Velvet. Oak & Velvet is an upscale upholstery and custom furniture business here in Connecticut. Basically, I do it all. I have done filing, I’ve done excel sheets, reached out to magazines, the list is endless. But though it’s busy work, its giving me the first hand experience of running a business and getting it off the ground. While I want to get into the Real Estate and Interior Design field, working here has given me the opportunity to see interior design from the other perspective, the furniture world.

Part of my duties include helping to plan a grand opening party they are having in April. The party will showcase their new showroom and factory where their custom pieces are made from start to finish. It’s pretty cool to be part of this whole process, and to give them my input on what pieces to include in their “signature collection”. I feel like I can leave a permanent mark on something, and that to me is pretty cool. This week is my second week on the job, and though it’s draining between the commute and balancing school work, its totally worth it; I can boost my resume, build a reputation, and make connections that can only further my future career.

I saw an angel reader before going back to school, and she said to me that this is gonna be my year. Yes, some of you reading may laugh to yourselves and call me a fool saying I believe this stranger and the things she told me. But I truly believe it. This year has been the year of opportunity and I pray that it doesn’t stop here. (For anyone wondering what an angel reader is, she is a person who is a medium and psychic and can communicate with those who have crossed over. For any skeptics you must see this angel, she was spot on with specific details of my life that I did not bring up. It was amazing!) Anyways, I’ll keep you updated on my internship, and what I’m learning and what I’m up to.

Love Always,