Only one wish, dream bigger. Happy 2015!
2014.
As this year is quickly coming to an end, I think back to January and can't believe all the obstacles and challenges that I have overcome in just this last year. Sometimes I think how is this all real? Some days I want to pinch myself and be like, what are you doing??
I wake up today thinking this is just another day to be grateful for everything and everyone brought in to my life, and remember to live life to its fullest every day. To see and believe in only the good in the world, and cherish those people and places worth loving. I am of course thankful for the simple things. Food, water, air, breathing, mother nature and all her beauty.. I am thankful for all those little things that make me happy. Laughing so hard my stomach hurts, unexpected thinking of you calls and texts, the people that hold doors for you, happy hours, morning licks from my puppy... I am thankful for the inspiration I am surrounded with daily. Thankful for Vegas, a small little city that sits in a desert, that has taken my dreams to new levels and allowing me to grow into a real woman. Very thankful to see the sun shining here almost everyday. Thankful for all those little and big moments you can't put into words. Thankful for my family and friends who are always there when I need them and supportive of my dreams and passions. Thankful for all those people that I have met on my journey, that have inspired me and pushed me to keep chasing the dream. Thankful for you, all of you that have been there to support my journey, those who have picked up a piece from my collection along the way, and those I have yet to meet.
Today I wake up and remember that no matter what obstacles come my way, or how uncertain the road may be to keep chasing the dream, and never settle for anything less. I look forward to this new year, with no set resolutions in place, only to keep working hard, travel as much as possible, and surround myself with all the like-minded rebels, lovers, and dreamers out there. Thank YOU.
Xo,
Nicole
Food for the soul: a day in the mountains
Sometimes you just need to surround yourself with good people, in a good place that makes you feel like home. Today was one of those really good days. Being from upstate NY, I do get homesick around the holidays because the weather in Vegas still doesn't feel like home, but I love being able to drive 30 minutes to the Mt. Charleston where the snow is just beginning to stick to the ground. Today was exactly what I needed to bring back those feelings of home. Although I can say after spending the day up there, I definitely don't miss the "cold" weather but do miss that crisp air and smell of December pine.
I spent the day with Brie, Mae, and Micha. Brie, I met when planning for my look book for the Fall collection. She is the one who created all the photo magic from the "Roots" look book. Her work has always inspired me, see more from her site here. Mae, I met exactly a year ago, on a shoot for Dark Beauty. Since then, we've become very close. One of my best friends since being here in Vegas. And lastly, Micha who I just met today who was so fun to shoot with. Between the four of us, we were able to capture and create some magical moments in the mountains. I still can't get over the massive tree fort we stumbled upon on our adventure. It ended up being the center for our shoot today. Below are some outtakes//behind the scenes. We stopped on the way out from our shoot at the lodge to warm up with some hot chocolate and some "are you afraid of the dark" stories/laughs. Love these days!
Market Row
I can't believe it has been a whole year since I've done an event for Nikdreamer. I believe our last one was at West Elm last December and First Friday in December as well. This year went just like that! I was extremely excited to be asked to be a part of Stitch Factory's Market Row holiday event last Thursday evening. It was their first time hosting this event that included local fashion, art, crafts, food, etc. It was the perfect mix of vendors. I had a great time. Thankful for my friends that came out to support and new friends that I met from being there. We all had a blast! Looking forward to doing more events in the near future.
Freedom and the Valley of Fire
In celebration of being self-employed (yes - i am officially free!) I treated myself to a full day adventure in the Valley of Fire with a fellow jeweler friend. It has been a full week now that I left my full time job at Harley-Davidson. Right after the mercury retrograde, I had so much bottled up inside that I knew I needed to change. It was a hard decision to make, one that I thought about for quite some time - if you asked me 10 years ago right after college what my dream job would be, it would have been doing marketing/events for a company such as Harley-Davidson. It has been hard to let that go.. but today my dreams are bigger. This road I'm taking has no maps and is quite scary, but I've never been so ready for this journey.
Yesterday was exactly what I needed to celebrate this freedom. I need adventure, inspiration, and to always be traveling on those roads (and hiking paths) with no maps. I'm going to make a pact to myself, that at least once a month I adventure to a new place I've never been. The adventure yesterday was my first time, and luckily I went with a friend that knew exactly where to go and share the magic. I will say we definitely had our share of unexpected adventuring - especially when we went off-roading and my car sank in the quicksand. Lesson learned in the desert... thankfully a couple saw us and helped get us out and back on the road. So grateful for them, I made sure they didn't leave without a crystal I had in my pocket. I put extra in that day, because I had a feeling I was going to need them. The power of crystals.
For those of you that have never been to the Valley of Fire (which is about an hour outside Las Vegas), I highly suggest putting this on a top visit in the Southwest. To be honest, I enjoyed it more than Red Rock Canyon. At some points on our hike, I felt like I was on another planet, the extensive erosion was so amazing photos don't even really capture it's beauty. Here's a peek inside the Valley.
Solar Eclipse, Mercury Retrograde, and New Moon Intentions
The Solar Eclipse and New Moon that is happening today in Scorpio is the last eclipse for 2014. This is a special eclipse as it is happening two days before the mercury retrograde ends. Mercury retrograde always slows down time, taking us back to old feelings, desires, losses, and gives us time to reflect and gather some new insight of what changes need to be made in our lives. The Lunar Eclipse on October 8th brought forth so much confusion and miscommunication these past few weeks, also because it happened during the retrograde. But now it is finally time to see the light on all the issues that were not clear to us so that we can move forward again.
"The Solar Eclipse on October 23rd will open a Portal of Light that illuminates that which seemed hidden from us, revealing the truth of what we should realize at this moment, making us fully aware of what really IS and embracing everything that is occurring in our lives now so we can accept it and create new outcomes that will serve for our Soul purpose as well as for the betterment of the new lives that we are constantly creating. A Portal of balance which is much needed after the inner “chaos” we may have experienced due to the integration process and also as a consequence of dealing with the new energies and body updates that we have been facing as it has not been always easy, so this Portal of Light brings us harmony and ends a cycle to begin a new one full of opportunities and Divine encounters with others souls as well as an infinite stream of abundance and all we need to start our new lives in the way we consider best for us." {www.starseedsoul.com}
I don't know about you but this past month has been a very active month for me full of surprises, high drama, stress, chaos, bursts of good luck, laughs, and fun, also has caused me to lose sleep (I even got sick a couple weeks ago) because of the intensity of all the new energies. From what I have learned this past year about energies, listening for the signs, and embracing the synchronicity of things is to rejoice in myself the knowledge and joy of knowing that everything has happened or is happening for a higher and perfect reason. I know that all of these challenges and stresses brought my way are preparing and guiding me for a new journey. Remember that it is only from chaos that we can make room for something new and brighter. This last year has been full of struggles, letting go of fears, and releasing things that no longer resonate in my life. Every single step that we take within our unique path, brings us closer to our happiness, soul expansion, and our dreams. Keep trusting and having faith in a higher force that is always there assisting you in your journey and know that all is heading you in the right direction to be where you are meant to be at every moment. Wherever you are, you are exactly where you're supposed to be.
Tonight I feel very clear and enlightened as I set forth my intention to trust myself and follow my heart, intuition, and inner voice wherever it may lead me. I want to experience all moments in my life with love and passion, rather than worry or stress about what happens next, or how to get from here to there. I want to find a place of peace within the chaos. Remember that a new moon always brings new beginnings. We can always set new dreams and intentions during this time. Be sure to always honor yourself and share your love with others, because that love and abundance will only come right back to you.
No matter what it is you choose to create or set as your intention at this time, just know these new energies will assist you in your journey. We are all at different places in our lives, so some of us could be passing through a releasing/cleansing period. Yet others could already be living new life experiences, it is all happening when it is supposed to. As long as we keep evolving and growing into more love and compassion within our own journey.
"Patience and trust is vital when we are waiting for something to occur and sometimes it is already there, happening in an energetic Plane, but we are not allowing it due to our inner doubts and fears or to the lack of confidence as we think that we are not seeing any physical evidence of it or that we are not adequate enough to receive it, so trust that what you are expecting now will come at divine time as our dreams and new goals are just around the corner, waiting for us to manifest them, finally enjoying the fruition of our inner creations!" -Natalia Alba {www.starseedsoul.com}
Love & Light,
Nicole
{photo credit: omtimes.com}
7 simple things
I know this has been my worst year yet keeping the blog updated. I cannot believe the summer officially ends today and tomorrow begins the first day of fall. I couldn't be more excited, my favorite season of all. It's like everything starts over again in the fall. This summer I feel as though I've experienced so much in such a short period of time. My summer started off with a promotion at Harley-Davidson to marketing and social media manager, which has required at lot more time and attention than my previous position. So to say the very least, it has been keeping my plate quite full {hence the lack of blog love}. To keep sane I still always check in every week and think of all those simple lil moments that make me happy. Here's to seven that just happened in this last week.
{private trunk show parties on sunday}
[coffee and cake with these two}
{passing my motorcycle road test, officially licensed to ride}
{When creative friends from the other side of the world collaborate and design you gifts of love, forever grateful. Check out more of Jacquie from Bird Black's work on etsy https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/BirdBlackEmporium}
{Gifted with a special edit from the Roots Lookbook by Brie Seavey, http://www.soulsynergyimagery.com/}
{fresh cut flowers on friday}
{lil paws while i'm working}
photo diary: SF
I enjoyed spending labor day weekend in one of my favorite cities, San Francisco. I have been to SF a couple times before and every time I seem to fall more in love with this city. Here's a little photo diary of our weekend in San Francisco.
the first night we stayed at a Hotel Triton that was in Union Square, and walked right in to chinatown after a morning café
Ferry plaza farmers market
The Painted Ladies
sunsets and windy evenings - felt like fall <3 - in alamo square park
City streets like this. i really loved this neighborhood, we spent two nights at an apartment off Hayes St.
dinner at bar crudo, then adventured to the mission for the rest of the evening for drinks and 2am tacos
one of my favorite moments, getting lost on the walk to the bike rental shop and wandering right in to this, Presidio Park
bike adventures over the bridge to Sausalito
last photo stop before we crossed the golden gate.
visiting Kate and Nick (and baby Louie's) new home in Sausalito
when in the bay, seafood all day
bakeries and cafes off Fillmore street
the magical gardens aka japanese tea garden
SF adventures with miss hovland
last stop before my flight smugglers cove
photo diary: la la land
a weekend full of birthdays, burritos, modelos, tequila, visits with old friends, new friends, pop up dance parties, ubers, downtown roof decks, coffee shops, donuts, convertibles, hollywood adventures, cooking, baking, new bars, old bars, and of course photos to remember... i'm already missing this place a lot.
A lil cabin in the woods
I've always had this dream of living in a cabin in the woods. Of course I have many dreams of living in so many different places, but the more I think about the woods and mountains the more i'm inspired to go and live a simple life in a little cabin. Trees, nature, plants, rocks, lakes, and minerals have always inspired me, and as i'm working on this new fall collection I have been thinking more and more about creating this dream in to reality. Last weekend a friend and I went on a hike in Mt. Charleston to Mary Jane Falls. It was probably one of my most memorable days of this year so far. Some times I forget how much I miss those moments of just being in mountains, the woods, and seeing trees and plants. I grew up in upstate NY, so I always had these things around me but now that I'm living in a desert I forget how much I miss the smell of the adirondacks, pine, and just seeing green.
About six months ago I came across this video on a blog, and whenever I need some creative motivation and inspiration I watch things as such. I really do believe that if you have an idea and you're passionate about something, anything, you can make it happen. #inspiredalways