Stephanie's April Goals

Looking back at March I cannot believe how much has happened! I went to Austin for SXSWedu, hosted family in town from Spain, set up my apartment and home studio, had our first Cocktails+Craft and started a new job!

I also started a weaving class and continue to have German class every Mittwoch. I learned a lot this month - like how overplanning is really, really bad for me and you never know when a new friend will show up or an interesting connection will happen: The professor that joined us at SXSWedu is from Tallinn! And I found out an old co-worker is now my neighbor!

I've been trying to go to bed earlier (though not tonight) and waking up earlier so I can get the most out of my days and do awesome at my new job - which I love! It's really amazing to work on a fantastic team doing really interesting projects that I believe in. Follow me @stephanieetxe for more details on the work I do. 

I've been thinking a lot about why I blog and create and have gotten more clear on the things I want to spend my time on, which include helping to create a global brand (my day job), learning (weaving, german classes), daily design/sketch practice (#100daysofdresses) and inspiring creativity (this blog and Cocktails+Craft). I'm still working on a small womenswear collection. Yeah, I guess that's a lot of things, but it makes sense in my brain and keeps me sane. So I'm going with it. Slowly certain things will float to the surface and it all makes me happy.

my goals last week

1. Make something everyday. I did this almost. I used the hashtag #etxemade and just started a project called #100daysofdresses via #100dayproject to continue this. 

2. Go on a run. I've been following my workout schedule more - it helps that it is finally Spring here in DC!

3. Wrap up my SXSWedu coverage. Almost finished. I know, It's April.

my goals this month

1. Journal once a week. I really function better when I set aside time to write for myself. 

2. Prep fabric. I bought these awesome sweaters and want to reuse them in new patterns I developed. 

3. #100daysofdresses. I really want to stick to this!

How was your March? What are your goals for April? 

#etxemade and 100 days of making

For the past few weeks I've been using the hashtag #etxemade to share things I've been making around the house and then used it for all projects like meals, artwork, progress in weaving class. My sister has also been using it and so far we've created some really cool things: 

The other day, my friend Wole shared a post about the 100-day project. The #100dayproject is organized by Elle Luna & The Great Discontent and was originally inspired by a grad-school project run by Michael Bierut at the Yale School of Art. See more examples from his class at The Design Observer. 

Illustration by Elle Luna via The Great Discontent

The idea is that you do something everyday, no matter what. I'm, naturally, terrified of this kind of commitment, but I want to try and see what happens. We've all heard of the 10,000 hour rule, and at the very least by doing something every day you are focusing time on one thing. I'm super impressed by people that can stick to a regiment so we'll see how I do!

#100daysofdresses: april 6 - july 14th

I'll be participating in the 100 days project by sketching one dress everyday for 100 days. I had a really hard time deciding on just one thing and figuring out how I want to constrain myself. Since I know I'll be traveling and am generally busy, I decided to let myself be a bit free as long as it is a dress drawn somewhere -- I can use pen, pencil, marker or watercolor and the surface can be paper, coffeecups, newspaper. I'm sure I'll learn a lot during this challenge! #1 thing I hope to learn - discipline.

Follow me on instagram @etxeco to see daily updates! And go to The Great Discontent for details on how you can participate.  

And that's all I got! I have to go on a run and buy some Easter egg dye so we can make cascarones for our House Warming/Easter Brunch tomorrow--look out for photos. 

xx, 

Stephanie

Cocktails+Craft: Mimosas & Moodboards

Today we had our first Cocktails+Craft! If you're in your twenties, you know that most social time is spent drinking or at brunch (or maybe at yoga). I'm not opposed to either of those things, but I'd much rather be creating something. I've been thinking of ways to socialize, create and inspire a little bit more creativity in everyone's day-to-day. I've also been wanting to make more cocktails. And so, the idea of Cocktails+Craft was born. My sister liked the idea so we threw a first try at our new apartment today. 

why moodboards? 

Last year my sister and I went to a Levo League event where we made moodboards to envision what we wanted to do in the next year. We both still have ours hanging in our rooms and we thought this was a good, easy craft to start with. 

Most people have experience making moodboards or collaging and if not, they have probably used Pinterest. A moodboard is just a collection of images. It can be centered around a theme or totally random. You can adhere anything from anywhere, but often people use images from magazines. I make moodboards when I'm working on a new collection for inspiration (side note: I finally got my home studio set up and a printer so I'll be resuming soon!). 

It is hard to find images in fashion magazines, and models in fashion magazines are not diverse, so I highly suggest gathering a variety of magazines to get more options. 

& mimosas? 

Mimosas may not really be cocktails, but they are classic. They are also easy to make and pretty much everyone likes them. It was an easy first 'cocktail'. 

Tell me more

We started late morning and once most people were here we shared a bit about ourselves so we all knew each other. Then we shared moodboards my sister and I had done before and went over some ideas of how to create one. 

Everyone got into it pretty quickly. This craft is fun because it's super self-directed and easy to start. We all got a little lost once we had to glue it to our boards (because you have to actually plan that out), but that's pretty normal. We spent most of our time finding images and words we liked and took a break mid-way to eat some bruncy snacks (Val made an amazing breakfast casserole, blueberry muffins and cinnamon rolls). Everyone was really excited to take home their moodboards and put them up for daily inspiration! 

Clean up was pretty easy - especially since we need confetti for next week's Easter eggs. We just cut up extra papers for the confetti and put the rest in a paper bag to throw out. Then we did the dishes, actually I still have some dishes to do, but other than that not bad. 

And no, we weren't all 'creative types', we were a mix of designers, writers, lawyers and non-profit folk. The goal was to inspire creativity and I think we did that! I'm super happy everyone had a good time and left with something tangible to remind them that they can create. 

Wait, can I plan my own? 

Yes! It'd be awesome if you planned your own Mimosas & Moodboards event with your friends! 

Here's what you need: 

Make sure you get enough supplies for all your guests. 

• glue sticks
• poster board
• mod podge (optional)
• foam brushes (optional - for the mod podge)
• orange juice
• champagne (we asked people to bring this - and they did! It's a great way to share costs with your guests)
• scissors 
• magazines (also good to ask people to bring some so you have a variety)
• brunchy snacks 

Tag your photos #cocktailsandcraft @cocktails_craft and we'll repost on Twitter/Instagram!

big grafitti wall in Austin

Yesterday my sister and I attempted to spray paint these shelves metallic gold so we could finish up our living room. Our farm table dining table was made in the wrong size, so we are still waiting for locally-madeness to complete our home. In the meantime we thought, why not just spray paint these shelves in our living room instead of lugging everything down three flights of stairs and then literally watching paint dry?

Since we have virtually no newspaper in our house, we used trader joe's bags and ikea cardboard and plastic to cover our floors. Then we opened all our windows. Then we tried to spray paint two shelves and two chairs with one can of paint. 

We did not succeed. 

Two cans and one well-ventilated living room later, we still haven't finished. I went to get a third can today and the local hardware store is out. 

This made me appreciate the art (and mask) I saw last week in Austin. 

Hope Gallery

Hope Gallery is a three-story art project at 11th & Baylor Street in Austin, Texas. It was created to give muralists and graffiti artists a place to share their work and serves as one of the largest outdoor galleries in the US. It was launched by the HOPE Campaign in March 2011. 

I did not know about Hope Outdoor Gallery (HOG) until my co-worker mentioned it - she kept referring to it as 'that graffiti wall on Baylor'. My recent trip to Austin was my first trip to Austin so I figured - why not?! I was there for work (covering SXSWedu) and after a long week of sessions and summits and live tweeting we all went out to see this graffiti wall. The cab driver to this location was convinced this intersection of roads didn't exist, and our cab driver leaving had never seen it before. So, either we got two very clueless cab drivers or this place might still be a hidden gem for even Austin residents. 

It reminded me (of course) of Berlin. The weather was glorious, people were hanging out and art was being made all around me. We snapped some photos and climbed. What better way to spend the afternoon? 

Afterward we got some bomb southern food and experimental desserts... check back for updates on what I ate in Austin!

xx, 

Stephanie

p.s. I will be posting a bit less frequently, but at least once a week. So check back every Tuesday to ensure fresh content!

My Weekly Goals #7

I was out in Austin all last week for work reporting from SXSWedu. I had a blast and learned a ton. There are so many amazing educators and entrepreneurs (and edupreneurs) doing innovative work to help improve education for everyone. It was super inspiring and caused me to do a little soul searching about my own life path and what I do. 

Related... I just found out about some exciting changes in my work. This evening, after celebrating with my sister over a glass of wine and catching up on GIRLS, we talked about what we both want to accomplish this year and I begged her for help on what I want to do in my outside-of-work time. She reminded me most people just go to work and then go home. But I'm not most people (and you shouldn't be either!). 

The real question I've been struggling with is why I do what I do (blog, write, make things, take photos...). I know even the people that look like they've got it all figured out may not even know why they are working so hard or what their real reason for doing it is. I'm not interested in fame or even money, I just want to wake up everyday and feel inspired, and hopefully inspire others. I know what I love to do: build relationships, create, travel, and write. In my new job I'll be able to do most of these things, but I still think I need an outlet (this blog!) to share projects I do on the side. And I've decided they are just projects -- this year is about creating for the sake of creating and seeing where it takes me. 

I decided a while ago I don't want to make things just to sell them with no greater meaning or contribution to the world. (it's totally fine if you do this, but it's just not for me). And on the blogger front, I'm more into creating than consuming...critically thinking about things instead of just trying to sell ad space or talking about an outfit created out of various brands. This might not be business savvy - but it's much more true to myself.

For the forseeable future I'm going to focus on learning and creating. As my mom has alway said, I process things by writing and getting lost in my work. I get lost in my work during the day at work, which is awesome, and for some reason I still have to have another creative outlet to be lost in my work at home. Like, making chalkboards with my sister today. It does beg a bigger question - why make just to make? But then, that's my stress relief...and somethings are bigger projects that you can build on, like working on a longer essay or painting (I don't paint, but if I did!). I'm still a little bit scattered in those projects, but I do feel a good sense of what I like to do and what I spend my time on, which is a start. 

What's awesome is there are so many things you can make. You can make a sweater out of reclaimed fabric or a visually-compelling blog post. You can make a beautiful meal or a social campaign. I'm lucky I get to make all these things -- at work and at home -- and I'll be sharing some of them here! My sister and I will be attempting to make one thing (or work on part of a thing) everyday for the next month and share on instagram using the hashtag #etxemade. 

MY GOALS LAST LAST WEEK

1. Get furniture for my new house. We spent all day at Ikea the Saturday before last, but in the end we accomplished this goal. Unfortunately the locally-made dining table we've been waiting for was made the wrong size, so I'm still eating my breakfast standing up in the kitchen.

2. Practice German. I could have practiced more, but I'm using this awesome app called Memrise. Wunderbar!

3. Set up home studio. I did it! I took me all last weekend to make my table, hang my corkboard and make a dresser in my room so my clothes had a place to go, but it's done. Now time to create!

MY GOALS THIS WEEK

1. Make something everyday. Or work on the making of something. Things I make at work count. 

2. Go on a run. I now live across the street from the park AND it's not snowing anymore. Woohoo!

3. Wrap up my SXSWedu coverage. I'm working on a project for work that I'm really excited about but it is kind of hard and new and scary for me. I'm figuring it out. 

 What are your goals for this week? How do you manage your life/passions/goals? 

In Austin!

Hi,

I'm in Austin for the week at SXSWedu for work! I won't be able to blog all week as I'll be tweeting and filming on site. I'll report back soon--follow me on Instagram @etxeco and on Twitter @stephanieetxe for live updates! 

xx, 

Stephanie