PNW: Part 2

1) I spent many, many hours exploring Indian Beach at Ecola State Park. One of the definite highlights from my trip.

2) The Big Tree at Humboldt Redwoods State Park

3) Spent a few glorious hours in the International Rose Test Garden in Portland. OR pretending I wasn't panicking about not having a place to stay for the night. (It worked out in the end)

4) Exploring the cutest shops in San Francisco's Mission District, including the beautiful shop, Paxton Gate, and their ridiculously well-curated plant section.

5) A little bit of sun while overlooking the Oregon Coast from the 101.

6) Stocking up on fresh produce at the beautiful farmers market outside the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.

7) The Pacific Northwest reaffirms their love of flannel on random road side signs. I'm not complaining (please see photo 1).

PNW: Part 1

 

A few shots from my amazing Pacific Northwest adventure to get things started:

1) Standing on the edge of Devil's Churn, trying to overcome my fear of heights

2) A little rental car dash decor: an ever-growing pile of driftwood and roadside flowers

3) My first morning in Portland

4) The magic and fury that is Cape Perpetua

5) Essential soul warming food after chilly hikes on the coast

6) Roadside attractions

7) Towering redwoods in Redwood National and State Parks

To Austin and Back

Earlier this month I packed up my trunk and hit the road for a 3 day road trip adventure to Austin, TX for the SXSW Renegade Craft Fair. Day one was an 8 hour drive north to Tallahassee, the following day was a 6 hour drive to New Orleans and day three was 8 hours further to Austin.

 

This was my first official visit to New Orleans and I have to say that I truly fell in love with this city. I knew I had two visits to plan (coming and going) so I spent the first visit exploring the French Quarter (steering clear of touristy Bourbon Street) and the Ninth Ward, where I was staying. Everything in this city is so perfectly dilapidated. If you're an abandoned building junkie, New Orleans is the place for you. 

Recommendations: Adolfo's for dinner (maybe the best meal I've ever had), Cafe Du Monde for beignets (believe the hype!), Frenchmen Street for good music and R Bar for a friendly dive with some yummy drinks.

Next up: Austin, TX! Renegade was so much fun and I met a lot of really great people. Of course I ate a ton of tasty Tex-Mex, drank my weight in Topo Chico and went to some fun shows.

Recommendations: Torchy's Tacos (try the Migas taco for breakfast and the Fried Avocado taco for lunch...yum!), Maudie's for great Tex-Mex, Kerbey Lane Cafe for brunch and Uncommon Objects for some picking. Can you tell I spent most of my time eating my way through Austin?

New Orleans Part 2 brought me to the Garden District where I continued to eat and thrift my way through the city.

Recommendations: Tour Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 (I took a walking tour with Save Our Cemeteries and it was amazing), enjoy a crawfish dog at Dat Dog, hit up some great thrift stores and salvage yards. My favorites were Preservation Salvage Store and Green Project in the Ninth Ward and the Bargain Center in the Bywater Area. On my last night I spent an evening at The Country Club soaking in the hot tub and heated pool...just what I needed before hitting the road again.

(For the record, I did not eat that entire plate of fried shrimp and mac n' cheese alone!)

Renegade x SXSW

So excited to announce that we're heading to Austin, TX for the SXSW edition of Renegade Craft Fair! This is our first Renegade and we can't wait to participate.

The details:

-March 13-15 (Thursday-Saturday)

-Noon-8:00PM

-Palmer Events Center (900 Barton Springs Road)

Renegade will be sharing the venue with SXSW and the market will serve as the entrance to the Free Stage which you need a guest pass to attend. Pre-purchase one at Guestpass.sxsw.com or you can pick one up when you arrive at the fair. Badge/Wristband holders do not need a pass. Entrance is free!

We hope to see you there!

PS-Recommendations for what I should see or do during SXSW are welcomed!

Farewell 2013

This year, like every year, has been full of ups and downs but on the whole I'd say it was pretty great. This was the first year I spent doing Heist full time, and although I've probably spent more effort and time on it than I have with any other job, I can honestly say it has also been the most rewarding job - even though most days it hardly feels like work at all.

First things first, we launched our line of salvaged leather handbags! I think back on the process of making patterns, learning to sew leather, researching equipment, etc. and I'm blown away by how far I've come. Sure, there are always improvements to be made and my list of ideas and goals continues to grow but it's nice to look back and realize the progress that has been made. 

Travel! I didn't do as much in 2013 as I would have liked but I did get to visit some pretty great places. From Big Bear, CA to a trip up the road to St. Augustine, FL I definitely did a good deal of traveling this year. I'm really looking forward to a year of adventures in 2014 and my "to visit" list is already pretty long.

Professionally, this has been a great year for Heist. We welcomed some great new wholesale accounts, joined some new sites and tried our hand at some local markets. It's funny how things can seem so daunting until you just jump right in and try. Some things worked, some things didn't but it's all a big learning experience. I'm hoping to do some larger, national shows this year and I have an extensive list of retailers that I would love to work with, so I definitely have my work cut out for me. But again, looking back can give you so much perspective on where you've been and where you're headed!

Loving on this guy all day, every day. 'Nuff said.

Our new branding by Flying Pyramids. I think the fact that I've stamped this logo on everything from copper to cotton bags really shows how much I love this design, but in case there was any confusion...I LOVE IT!

 One of the biggest highlights of my year was...music! I was a music major in undergrad and music was my everything for pretty much my whole life. But since graduating with my B.M. I've gone back to school, been absorbed in other jobs and experiences and then started devoting all my time to Heist. Well 2013 brought me right back! I spent time singing and recording and now

I'm teaching piano part time (and loving it). And as of the last two weeks, I'm learning guitar! Looking forward to a lot more music in 2014.

Heist Vintage! Another far off idea that somehow became reality this year. Crazy!

Here's to a new year filled with good health, love, prosperity and happiness! 2014 has a nice ring to it!

Big Bear

This past weekend I traveled to Big Bear, CA for a friend's wedding. The drive up the mountain to get to our adorable little rustic hotel near Big Bear Lake was both breathtaking and terrifying but it was completely worth it just for the scenery (see above).

 On our first full day we set off for the Snow Summit Sky Chair. We rode up to an elevation of 8,200 feet (white-knuckling it most of the way up) and hiked the mile long loop. After, we sat out on the observation deck and had some absurdly overpriced PBRs, but the scene was so amazing we hardly minded. The ride back down was more relaxed thanks to a mixture of beer and a beautiful view of Big Bear Lake, of which I snapped copious amounts of Instagram photos (latergrams for dayyysss, you guys).

The wedding took place that afternoon in an adorable converted barn. We sat outside and drank wine and ate too much mac & cheese (ok, maybe just me) in the perfect California climate. Then we danced it off to Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson.

The last day, we emerged from our wine hangovers and went to Grizzly Manor Cafe where we ate the biggest pancakes I've ever seen. After that we spent the day being lazy, lounging around Big Bear Lake and then exploring a little further before the treacherous (not really) ride back to LA to catch our red-eyes.

I am now back in Miami nursing a sunburn and a head cold plus trying to catch up on orders and edit photos for the upcoming Heist F/W Lookbook. Totally worth it!

PS-I had a small part in the wedding, making the bridesmaid gifts. I'll be sure to share the really cute outcome in a future post.