Anniversary Trip To Nashville

Dale and I spent Memorial Day weekend road tripping to Nashville! It was our first time in the city as adults, and I would have to say it exceeded our expectations. We stayed in a lovely East Nashville Airbnb with hosts who were more than willing to share their favorite spots. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee

We arrived late Friday night and got up early Saturday morning in order to get in a full day of exploring! Our first stop was Biscuit Love for breakfast, and I have to say the Bonuts were as good as I imagined. (I suggest going early because there was already a line forming at 8 AM.) The waiter recommended 12 South as an area we wouldn't want to miss, so we drove through on our way to Pinewood Social for some morning bowling. The restaurant at Pinewood Social looked great but we were so full from breakfast that we headed back to 12 South right after in order to do some shopping. Our next stop was the Nashville Farmer's Market. After that we explored Hillsboro Village and then made the trek out to Hewitt Garden and Design Center. If you are on the hunt for a cactus (like I was) this is the place. I could have been happy snapping photos of all the different plants for hours. 

By this point we were exhausted and headed back to our Airbnb to relax before dinner. We choose to eat at The Pharmacy, and boy was it worth the wait. The beer garden atmosphere was just what we were looking for after a full day. (I recommend grabbing a drink at the Holland House Bar and Refuge next door if you have a long wait.) We finished off the evening with a drink at No. 308 and headed back home for the night. One of my favorite parts of the trip was chatting with our Airbnb hosts that evening! 

Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee
Letters Are Lovely | Trip to Nashville, Tennessee

Sunday we slept in and then headed to Barista Parlor for coffee and breakfast. This is perhaps one of the most well thought out restaurant spaces I have ever been too, and I really appreciated their attention to detail. Amelia's Flower Truck was parked right outside which was an added bonus. After eating and relaxing for a bit we wandered down to several shops close by including Wilder. The rest of the afternoon was spent driving around to a few other shops we didn't want to miss (White's Mercantile & Old Made Good) before a late lunch at Desano Pizza Bakery. I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate our First Wedding Anniversary! If you are headed to Nashville, take a peek at A Beautiful Mess' posts, too, because they were super helpful in planning our trip.

Until next time, Nashville!


May Around The Web

This month was full of spontaneous decisions and late nights at work. I love Spring and snapped photos of flowers everywhere I went! Here are a few of my discoveries around the web this May:

I loved how Dale and I were able to fit in a trip to Nashville this month, and I am really looking forward to a summer filled with travel! In early June I head to the Dominican Republic for a wedding. This month at work my team finished designing Valentine's Day cards for next year, and I also found out I will be moving to a new team. Next week I will start work on Mother's Day 2017. I hope you all had a wonderful last month of Spring and are ready to head into Summer!


Go Blog Social – St. Louis

Today I attended Go Blog Social's St. Louis conference! The event took place in the beautiful Lumen Private Event Space and featured a full day of speakers and hands on opportunity to connect with other bloggers and business owners. I attended with my sister Sophie and we especially enjoyed, Julie Blanner's, talk on relationships with brands, the two discussion panels with local and out of town bloggers, and making flower crowns with Snapdragon Studio! Here are a few photos and takeaways:

Letters Are Lovely | Go Blog Social STL
Letters Are Lovely | Go Blog Social!
Letters Are Lovely | Go Blog Social STL
Letters Are Lovely | Go Blog Social STL
Letters Are Lovely | Go Blog Social STL
  • Be persistent, but very polite (when working with brands).
  • Research and personalization for pitches is important.
  • Produce high-quality photos and content.
  • If you are persistent, luck has a way of finding you.
  • Analyze your life and present environment; reinterpret to share with the world in a distinct way.
  • Editing is vital, find good mentors to help with this process.
  • Focus on the social media platforms you are most passionate about.

We also enjoyed a delicious breakfast and lunch by 23 City Blocks Catering! I especially loved the Olive Gelato (served in a frozen tomato) which is pictured below. Thanks, Go Blog Social, for a day full of learning/connecting with wonderful people and brands!

Letters Are Lovely | Go Blog Social STL
Letters Are Lovely | Go Blog Social STL
Letters Are Lovely | Go Blog Social STL
Letters Are Lovely | Go Blog Social STL

Hallmark’s Creative Leadership Symposium

Letters Are Lovely | Hallmark's Creative Leadership Symposium

 

On Tuesday Hallmark hosted their Creative Leadership Symposium and invited the entire creative community to attend! The day long event was filled with amazing speakers, and I have so many notes I knew I needed a blog post to process all the amazing tidbits I scribbled down. Best of all, it took place at the beautiful Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Here are some takeaways from my favorite speakers:

DAYTON MOORE

Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations
General Manager, Kansas City Royals

  • You have to have a vision to win. 

  • The habits that you have off the field can lead to a broken focus.

  • We have to manage failure, and the will to win for one another must be first. You win with an undying passion for something bigger than yourself. 

  • Share the glory together, settle disputes quickly, lead with hear


GILLIAN FLYNN

Author

  • If you want to write, write. Trust in your own weird voice.

  • It is easy to follow the market, but that is not always the best route.

  • Creativity is 99% work.

  • It is important to buckle down, have discipline, and if something isn't working get rid of it. 

I have no muse, if there is one she does not care for my company.
— Gillian Flynn

MAURO PORCINI

Chief Design Officer, PepsiCo

  • The world has radically changed in the past FEW years. 

  • Brands have competition beyond their direct competition and need to be part of a two direction dialogue.

  • In this new (elevated) competitive landscape technology will touch everything. And customers are savvy, smarter and connected. 

  • People don't buy products anymore, they seek out holistic solutions, meaningful experiences, and authentic stories. 

  • People consume content at the speed of light and brands now need to become the topic of conversation, and they must earn this right. 

  • The brand experiences then becomes even more important. What will buying the product communicate about ourselves to others?

  • Products must be relevant to people's lives. Purchases are either visceral (impulse), interactive (satisfaction & loyalty), or expressive (communicate something).


Art by Amber Goodvin for Hallmark CLS

Art by Amber Goodvin for Hallmark CLS


ROB RIGGLE

Actor/Comedian/Writer/Producer/Director

  • Brevity is the soul of wit.

  • Great writers aspire to make an impact as quickly as possible.

  • Electricity is being around others who want to make others laugh.

  • Choose joy, choose happiness, choose laughter. 

  • Humor, honesty, and sincerity from those you love never goes out of style. 

  • His goal in life is to make someone happier because they came in contact with his life's work.

  • Comedy is not about overwrought perfection, it's hunting for the joy. 

You turn folded card stock into joy grenades!
— Rob Riggle

CARLA MOORE

Vice President of Talent Acquisition, HBO

  • Live with purpose. You already posses the power to change your own life. 

  • It takes a personal transformation to make a leadership transformation.

  • Life presently. Passion is for you, purpose is for others. Purpose provides motivation.

Nothing will keep me from living the life I imagine.
— Carla Moore

RAUL ALEJANDRO

Designer / Animator / Letterer / Art Director

  • You can't let your fear hold you back from the things you really want to do. 

  • Life is never quite what you expect it to be.

My work is not satisfaction from all the people I’ve proved wrong...
It’s a tribute to everyone I’ve proved right.
— Raul Alejandro

Thanks, Hallmark, for the inspirational day!