For that One Person: A "SORRY" D.I.Y. card

We all say things in the heat of the moment that we wish we could take back. But we can't. A moment whether amazing or terrible is a moment in time imprinted in the universe and minds of those we affected. I admit I'm not perfect, and to blame my short temper on anything but myself is wrong. But I do admit when I have done wrong. So when words have hurt from the mouth, say it with your hands. This is for a very special person that deserves better from me. So for YOU I am deeply sorry and would have rather seen you smile then fire angry words back at each other. 

It killed me to cut up beautiful editorials and magazines but I feel like they were used for a good purpose. I can only hope I am forgiven. For it is one thing to say sorry and another to show it in this way from the heart.  This is also a good idea for Valentine's Day.

Materials:

1. Card stock/ envelopes

2. glue

3. makers

4. scissors

5. adhesive felt

6. magazines

7. twine/rope/string

Half and Half

Self portraits seem so much intriguing when you just crop half of your face and as always you can never go wrong with black and white. 

When the Weather Outside is Frightful, Make it Delightful

It's snowing AGAIN in Philly. I admittedly am not a winter loving person but I will admit it is a beautiful sight for the most part. As I am not one to have "fun" in the snow I will make the best out of it indoors. Something I always did as a little kid which I think everyone has done and will never outgrow is writing on cold frosted windows. A frosted window screams to be touched with sarcasm, hearts, and our autographs on random surfaces. Another fun activity to do is make a cold treat. My sister and I are making all the Jell-O we have and flash freezing it outside by burying a tray of it in the snow.

So make use of the cold and the weather it brings!

First Book of the New Year

Who can ever NOT notice Grace Coddington? The former model and now the creative director of American Vogue magazine's signature fiery auburn mane is seen often next to Anna Wintour on runway shows, probably and almost always with a pen and book sketching away at runway looks and inspiration. I've heard a lot of buzz around Grace's memoir and I am excited to run into my nearest Barnes and Noble to get the first book of this new year.

Perhaps why her memoir intrigues me are the quotes and insights. Particular one's that had my interest :

"They could be pretty bitchy, those fashion-mad French girls. I would never dare talk back to them. For me, the French were always so superior in matters of style. England was cool but never chic."

"I was considered avant-garde and fashionable rather than pretty. "

"I undressed, put on my nightie, pulled down the top sheet, and there, neatly laid out on the pillow like one of those little chocolate mints you find in boutique hotels nowadays, was a condom. "What is this?" I wondered. I really hadn't a clue. Moments later, to my surprise, I was joined by Tinker carrying a steaming cup of cocoa and looking adorable in his stripy cotton pajamas. But his air was not that of someone about to read me a bedtime story."

Keep Calm and Look at Cats

Yes. I am a cat lover. I love my cats. I love their independence, their curiosity, their quirks, their cuteness, I am that cat instagramer. Bentley, my precious little Bengal, loves bird watching or dinner watching, whosever perspective you want to look at. Here I caught him holding his tale to clean it, and then spooning with Flash my newest adopted kitten.

Collect Something! Find Your Hidden Gem in Your Life.

"The home should be the treasure chest of the living." 

- L.E. Corbusier 

Since I can remember I have been collecting something. First stamps, then stickers (you know the Spice Girl Chuppa chupps pops!), and anything else that caught my eye and interest. Now I've collected something with more depth and value - rings. Even if you think you don't have anything to start a collection look around your space. You may find patterns or frequencies of objects, books and trinkets that reoccur in your home or space. 
Collecting does not have any material bias and as always you should collect something because you love that something and it brings you not only material joy but aesthetic bliss as well.

I started collecting rings after my grandmother brought me a jade gold ring back from Cambodia for my sixteenth birthday. It is one of my most prized possessions. After that, my ten digits had to have something on them. Not all my rings are of monetary worth. Some are gold, some are vintage and some are even street vendor finds from NYC many fairs and markets. I go for unique pieces and eclectic adornment.

Collecting rings gives me temporary order in my life. 
I recommend collecting for those who sometime feels that their lives may be hectic due to career, relationships, etc. because if you find something you love to collect, it is like having your own personal treasure chest of YOU and what it is to be YOU.
So start collecting! Recently I have found myself collecting headpieces and headbands as well. What do you collect?

Healthy To The Tea

I recommend taking a closer look at your tea the next time you go to brew your favorite cup. Even if it's in a tea bag, cut the bag and look at it. You'll see nature's beautiful and flawless "sugars and spices" ingredients. Looking through my tea which is a oolong mate chai tea, I found flower blossoms, candied ginger, seeds and fragrant pods. It brings your tea to perspective if you not only imagine all the natural and organic materials in it but look also. You'll find yourself drawn back and will never think of your delicious tea as just leaves but a collective of the flora we take for granted. 

I have a jar of star anise stored next to my bed and sometimes it helps when I have a migraine to just open the jar and take a whiff of the spice. Not to mention it naturally is in a beautiful star shape, it also holds a lot of culinary and medicinal uses. On my mom's side in Cambodia, they use the spice in beef broths and in Vietnam in pho. Did you know star anise is also used in the compound of Tamiflu? So keep a jar handy if you love chai, feeling like you're in Southeast Asia or to prevent from catching the flu this season.

Scenes from the Free People Blogger Retreat

Here are some pictures from the Free People Blogger retreat I attended with Kaitlin on Friday! It was hard to act calm and collected since I had been anticipating this event since November. Needless to say it was more than I imagined it would be and above all such a great learning experience. This was my second time at URBN headquarters. I had visited before for a networking event and I also work for Urban Outfitters. I absolutely love coming to the Naval Yard in Philly. 

The retreat taught me so much! As a public relations and communications graduate I came in knowing what I was already taught for 4 years and left with even more new knowledge. It is always great to hear from those in the field and even better from a company you admire. The presenters brought an informative and reali life view on topics and answered all our questions. 

Needless to say I went back to work the next morning and was bombarded with questions about the event. I don't think my words were enough to explain my experience from the Free People folks. I simply had a fantastic time and left feeling more sure of myself and my future dreams and passion for writing. If I were to leave with only one thing in mind from the retreat it would be simply this from the editor Shani Silver:

"Blog for yourself don't lose yourself in blogging. If it's something you wouldn't say yourself don't write it and most of all if blogging ever seems like it's becoming a dread, take a break form it and reevaluate why you were blogging in the first place."

Some doodles and notes taken.

Beautiful seasonal display when you enter Free People offices.

Good grub is good.

For some reason the overcast of the day seemed perfect with the ships.

Kaitlin and I - prints on prints on prints on textures on textures

Wall of vases

Lounge time although it was too pretty to be wrinkled by my tired bum!

Strangers in the Night

Have you ever felt as though the person you thought you knew is no longer that same person?

Though it may be disheartening, we must all remember that we all start as strangers. The saying of "nobody knows you better than yourself" holds insurmountable truth. The thing to remember is we must not be afraid of change but rather embrace it. The universe is subject to change and we are part of it. This is an unwritten rule that we cannot change but only adapt to.

So if we cannot help but change, then change to help and welcome it. :)

Fire Breathing

So for Christmas my lovely brother Jon got me a Teavana limited edition " 6 Dragon Symphony Tea Tumbler".

What am I drinking? Well, Samurai Chai Matte Oolong tea of course!

The tea tumbler comes with a collector's silk lined gift box but it is double layered glass and I'm afraid to bring it to travel with or work.

But oh...isn't it grand?

I shamelessly admit to feeling like a warrior child when I drink out of this.

Loneliness as a situation can be

 corrected, but as a state of mind it is

an incurable illness.”

—	Vladimir Nabokov

Springfield Road

Guess what just became my new desktop background?

Favorite Photos From New York

I bet NYC misses me because I surely miss it.

Cuz' We're All Just Portions For Foxes

Currently bobbing my head back and forth and tapping my hand on a pillow jamming out.

Inspiration of the Day

Haircut Before and After

Before the hair cut. Only lost about 2 inches

I wanted a change but not a drastic one to my already medium length hair. I had bangs already and didn't want to deal with the hassle of an awkward stage of uneven length hair I'd have to commit to.

My style hair inspiration was a "lob" aka a bob cut that is a little longer and less structured. One of my style icons Nicole Richie effortlessly donned this look:

If I don't write my resolutions down

I’ll forget:

1. Concerts

2. Actually go to my doctor appointments

3. Love anew but not necessarily ” a new” :)

4. NYC MoMA and food tour and planetarium with someone special

5. New job in my respective field

6. Stop cutting my hair

7. Stop sleeping with my contacts in

8. Actually eat breakfast, lunch THEN dinner.

9. Finish White Collar seasons 3 and 4, AHS season 2

10. Get my ride vrooooooooom!

11. Start a tattoo fund jar for myself.

12. Limit my search frequency of Ryan Gosling. 

13. Never give up on what my heart tells me and who it tells me makes me smile most genuinely.

Not really resolutions, just really really really attainable goals.

Response to Jalopnik article " What's The Most Annoying Driver Habit Where You Live?"

Jess_L0pezz  13 days ago

Here in Philadelphia you can see where the care for road infrastructure and sensibility teeter off the city management's and residents' "to do" list in the City of Brotherly love. Lowered cars to create sleek streamline profiles only do so in vain as countless and shameless so-called "gear heads" only meet a sleek and nearly flawless profile with the undercarriage of their car as they smash into the potholes and uneven streets of Philly. All the while cursing out a very avoidable and common sense mindset of "how low can you go?" can you get down low?" Obviously for the city I live in, you can't get down low without kissing the street and kissing your car's lip, kit and bumper bye bye.

Here is the original Jalopnik post. 

”Don’t tell your daughters to not

go out. Tell your sons to behave

and respect properly”.

Powerful sign from India’s rape tragedy. This even applies to just a woman walking down the street I’m tired of how some fucking “men” act on a regular basis! I hope India’s movement to stop how female sex crime victims get treated moves forward with the utmost regard for future women’s rights.

If you want to weigh out harmless catcalling, inappropriate remarks, gestures and harassing as nothing or not as equal to rape then you should go take a crash course in how to be a decent human being.

Tolerance of these perceived “less threatening” acts needs to stop now. We have a zero-tolerance policy for things such as bullying and violence that are shown to cause detrimental emotional and behavioral effects YET when a girl walks down the street and is harassed from a car full of rowdy young men it’s nothing. 

This is unacceptable. The rhetoric and culture around women, rape, and just simply respect needs to be addressed.

I’m sorry but India’s rape tragedy has been bothering me so much lately, I hear and track the updates on the story and just get disgusted. What’s worse is that it takes a public outrage to finally address something that needs to be addressed everywhere.

I pray for the victims, the women everyday who are subjected to this useless nonsense and I pray for the future of not only women’s rights in India but around the world.

One of my favorite photos of my favorite people. You always feel like time flies when you were surrounded by amazing friends.

I wish for this to remain the same.

There is a certain feeling of solace and uneasy peace that comes from not going out, staying in, being an introvert.

The uneasy part is knowing what would make it comfortable is the company of another fellow introvert.

To be different and away from this world is one thing, to be all of these together with someone is another.

:)

“You are terrifying, difficult and

 strange

 and

 beautiful. 

Something not everyone

 knows

 how to love.”

Hello.

Picking out an outfit for Friday, sometimes it's fun, other times stressful over the amount of clothes I have.

"You will always be too much of something for someone: too big, too loud, too soft, too edgy. If you round out your edges, you lose your edge."

Would it be too much to ask for to simply see "The Hobbit" again?

But wait, I forgot:

"One does not simply", see The Hobbit again without being labeled a LOTR or Tolkien fan girl

I love You With All My Heart

Sometimes when people have been left so hurt, alone and deserted all they have left is love. Pure, unconditional, truthful, never ending love.

Problem Child Problem Kitty

Twin Tuesday was in full effect yesterday as my glorious Bengal Bentley and I had to pose for the irony of my Workshop "Problem Child" t-shirt.

Facebook ‘Likes’ are Worth a Thousand Words, Literally

Have you ever ‘liked’ something on Facebook? Whether its a picture, status, product or service, ‘liking’ is a simple way to show an interest in something. As a generation saturated in social networking, we may take a lot of small things like Facebook’s ‘like’ application for granted, not thinking of its true potential, especially in creating awareness. Recently, Porsche became the quickest automaker to reach 1,000,000 fans on Facebook. How did they celebrate this social media achievement? Porsche printed the names of 27,000 fans who ‘liked’ their Facebook corporate fan page onto the body of their new hybrid 911 GT3 R racecar as a thank you to their million fans who made their social network success possible. The names were chosen at random from their fans and set to a Facebook-themed design with navy blue and white accents.

I don’t know about you but I can’t think of a better way to show fan appreciation than adorning their names on a car worth well over $250,000. From a public relations standpoint, Porsche’s use of social networking to gain publicity is a great initiative for them and other companies to start adopting. Porsche even created a separate “thank you” campaign and website for their fans to see the process of the car’s creation and search for their name on the car. Not only does this campaign portray the luxury automaker as a friendly and fan-loyal company, it brings awareness to the auto industry’s current eco-friendly car trend. By combining their fan loyalty with the popularity of hybrid vehicles, Porsche gets publicity, awareness, record setting and novelty points for releasing news in an unorthodox manner. For a company like Porsche, social responsibility to the environment and social interaction with their consumers and fans are connected. Porsche’s use of Facebook is an example of how the use of social networks can create more than just a digital and perceived connection between corporations and consumers but also a literal one.

What do you think about Porsche’s social network idea? Do you know any other companies that have used social media to connect with their fans in a creative way?

Become a fan of Porsche at http://www.facebook.com/porsche and check out their “A Million Thanks” campaign at: www.porsche.com/thankyou.

http://www.porsche.com/microsite/facebook/international.aspx

Original can be read here.

Be Careful What You Put Your Name On– 'Kardashian Kard' Controversy

The Kardashians have their image and name behind a clothing line boutique, beauty products, a book, a new jewelry line for BeBe and just recently a credit card. Branding themselves with these products has mostly improved their celebrity status. However, if you think celebrity fame and name equal instant success in all endeavors, you’re mistaken. Recently, the Kardashian sisters and their company, Dash Dolls LLC, were hit with a $75 million lawsuit over the termination of their Kardashian Kard, a pre-paid MasterCard held by Revenue Resource Group LLC who reported “being severely financially impacted” over a pulled 2-year contract, says Fresno Bee.The lawsuit came about when the Attorney General of Connecticut opened an investigation of the Kardashian Kard for claims of possibly illegal and outrageous card fees to its users. The sisters terminated the contract for the use of their name and image on the card after being informed of this. 

The Kardashians have a very loyal fan base of mostly young women, who would probably love the idea of having a Kardashian credit card. In fact, Resource Group LLC reported 140,000 hits after the card was launched in November. That said, it was a strong decision by the Kardashian sisters to terminate the card because they sacrificed a possible big business venture for the sake of their name and image. 

However, the suit claims the sisters signed the agreement acknowledging the fees on the card. If that is true, it may raise some questions to their credibility as businesswomen. This situation ultimately brings up the ethical question of whether or not you should promote a product or service when you are aware of unfair terms to its consumers. 

Despite the controversy, the Kardashians are still a very strong force in entertainment and have experienced no apparent change in their fan base due to this situation. Even if it was bad publicity, the Kardashian sisters and their name remain unaffected for now.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Jessica Lopez.

Original post can be read here.

Want to Get Noticed? Set a Record.

The next time you check out the Guinness World Records look past the glass eaters, world’s largest pizza, tallest people, and other weird acknowledgments and you may be surprised at what you find. In a new marketing and publicity initiative, some prominent companies are taking “getting noticed” to a whole new level. 

Recently, Estée Lauder found their way into the record books by setting a record for the “most landmarks illuminated for a cause in 24 hours.” Estée Lauder’s Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign illuminated over 40 worldwide landmarks in pink lights for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Another bold publicity move was seen with luxury hotel company Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., who set a record for the “largest-ever resistance-band strength-training class.” The Jim Pattison Group, who owns the Guinness World Records, brought on these publicity stunts by creating a new marketing records division as well as a PR division in order to help companies market their brands and gain media attention.

These bold marketing tactics certainly catch people’s attention and are entertaining, but are they effective in building awareness of the company? That all depends on what the company wants and what the company actually gets from the stunt. 

In Estée Lauder’s case, their pink illumination record certainly gained attention from the media but was probably not needed to bring attention to an already widely recognized health campaign. The company had already made its mark by being behind one of the most recognizable symbols for breast cancer, the pink ribbon. They co-created the symbol with SELF magazine, and it appears on many of their make-up products.

As for Starwood Sheraton, their world record helped in promoting their new upgraded fitness programs at the hotel, where about 270 people participated in a fitness class in the rain. This type of record-breaking publicity stunt can be beneficial to the company because it not only gains immediate attention for being out of the ordinary, but it is also a relatively inexpensive marketing tactic. According to the Wall Street Journal, Starwood Sheraton spent $120 million on their fitness upgrade at the hotels but only spent about $4,739 on the Guinness Records process. 

This trend of record breaking seems to be a cheaper and more creative marketing alternative for companies who wish to gain media attention without going through traditional marketing methods, which can be very expensive and require a lot of outside employment and time. 

What do you think about these stunts? Are they effective? Would a Guinness World Record make you more aware of a brand or product? Let us know!This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Jessica Lopez.

Orignal post can be read here.