NYC Recap | Pepperologie May 2013

Well friends, it took me a hot minute, but I finally had time to sit down to process + recap my incredible experience at Pepperologie. In case you missed it, a few weeks ago I booked a last minute trip to NYC to attend this fabulous workshop hosted by Ms. Style + Pepper herself, Jessie. Let me just take a moment to tell you about Jessie...she is awesome. [I mean that in that actual dictionary definition, not a teeny bopper kind of way] 

This was my first real blogger event/interaction and truth be told, I was nervous. The morning of the workshop, I took the elevator up, stepped out, the door swung open and there she stood. An adorable doll with the biggest smile and prettiest hair I've ever seen. Y'all she is so sweet. Jessie took the time to really speak and connect with all the participants and her passion for this project shined bright. It was really wonderful to spend the day with her and all the experts. I'm so happy I was able to attend Pepperologie, plus spend a couple extra days in NYC visiting my cousins and prancing around one of my favorite cities. 

Here's a quick description of Pepperologie [taken from their website] and then we'll get started with my review of the day.

Pepperologie is a social, hands-on workshop that features creative yet practical lessons on how to add flavor and spice to every part of your life. Attendees experience a robust day filled with experts teaching courses about what they know and love, in an interactive classroom full of women who all share one very common bond:  An appetite for becoming the best versions of themselves possible, and the desire to have fun learning how at the very same time.

[Photo by Sara]

***

Here we go!

I woke up early on a rainy Saturday morning in NYC but it was so worth it!

The day was broken up into 5 sessions. We had coffee and fruit, mingled then got started with the sessions. Oh and some of the sessions had their own DIY project. Loved it.  Here's my place setting and chair at the event. Rose, who is one of my favorite Twitter friends, was my partner -- both at the table and in crime ;)

Clean Eating by Amie Valpone of The Healthy Apple

This first session was really important for me because I've been on a quest to detox and eat well. I believe what happens on the inside affects what we look like on the outside. Amie started off by telling us her amazing story of healing. She literally healed her own body after years of being sick. You guys, I totally believe in this stuff. Amie gave us tons of information about healthy swaps for our kitchen and presented a beautiful parfait bar.

DIY: make your own parfait bar & make your own granola (decorated with adorable floral tape!)

[Photo by Sara]

Favorite tips: Flax seed should be ground to receive the most benefits. Chia seeds can be eaten whole. Out of eggs? 2 tablespoons chia seeds + 1 tablespoon water = 1 egg. What a great substitute! No Splenda! Use agave nectar only. 

Top Tweets: What put on your body [skincare + beauty] is just as important as what you eat. Lipstick has lead & gluten!

DIY Entertaining by Rebecca Gallop of A Daily Something

And speaking of sweethearts, Rebecca is one. She taught her session while 8 months pregnant with Baby Zoe! So fabulous. She created a gorgeous tabletop and really encouraged a mix of high and low products. She also gave some fabulous thrifting tips

[Photo From Rebecca's Instagram]

DIY: painted cork boards to be used as place mats, inspiration boards, coasters, or trivets

Favorite tips: Use a canvas drop cloth, found at a local hardware store, for just about anything! From tablecloth to napkins. 

Top Tweets: Be present. Make home place u love. Overlook imperfections & your guests won't even notice your green carpet

"Some of the deepest relationships are formed sitting around a shared table." Love your space, whatever it is

"You don't have to be Van Gogh to add that homemade touch"

Next was lunch. De-li-cious.

Style Capsule by Anna Cottrell of Tulip Louise

Man she is just the cutest thing ever. Another Southern transplant into the city, she is sweet and stylish: a killer combo. Anna styled clothes on Hilary Rushford and gave us some fabulous advice for dressing in all aspects of life. I also enjoyed our discussion on personal style and the affect it has on our daily life and attitude.

[Photo from Rose's Instagram]

Favorite tips: Wear palazzo pants with a long sleeveless vest (really want to try this!). Key pieces include dark skinny jeans, nude heels, pencil skirt in leather, button up in white and chambray, statement necklace and boyfriend jeans.

Top Tweets: Have a signature piece that you wear everyday

Black & white bold stripes + short suits are @tuliplouise 's favorite spring trends.

"It's all about the bootie"

A short bootie and a white Converse are so fresh!

According to @tuliplouise, the trends in sunnies: mirrored lens + colorful cateye

Summer Hair & Beauty tricks by Jessie of Style + Pepper

I already told y'all Jessie is beautiful and has lovely hair. It was so fun to hear some of her favorite tricks for beating the heat and still looking fabulous!

[Photo by Sara]

DIY: make your own sugar exfoliating scrub

Favorite Tips: Use baby powder instead of dry shampoo! Sleep in a bun. Use Moroccan oil on your ends before you sleep. Spornett brushes are comparable to Mason Pierson. Always moisturize before you self-tan. If you mess up the self-tanner, then cut a lemon in half, sprinkle with sea salt and use as a magic eraser.

Living Gracefully by Hilary Rushford of Dean Street Society

Not to pick favorites, but I was the most excited to hear Hilary speak. I've been following her for a while now and I just love what she does. [I also worked in personal developement (for attorneys) at a large corporation in Chicago so I have a passion to become the best version of themselves and Hilary's session really touched me.]

Hilary spoke about wanting to have it all in life and the way to truly find that. My most favorite thing she discussed was viewing our life in seasons. For example, right now my season is opening a new business. So I might have to say no to other obligations/people/things that do not fit in this season. That's ok because once this season is over, I will move into another one and get to experience all those things that I "missed out" on. That way, I actually have it all. Just not all at the same time. I get everything I want....in seasons. 

Another key concept was batching. This is from the book The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. I think of batching sort of like an assembly line. Group together similar tasks to be completed at the same time. That leads to higher efficiency. 

This is all good and well but sometimes we wonder where to start? Hilary says we focus too much on goal setting. First, figure out how you want to feel and then set goals. That's the opposite of how we do it now. These feeling descriptors will also tell you where to begin with batching. Also, view your life like a path. See where everything lies in a domino effect. Work your way backwards. 

The final concept she discussed was balance. Finding the balance between hustle passionately and humbly be still. So that you're moving and creating opportunities but also allowing room for God to do His work. As Hilary says, you must create providence where you make space for the universe to move.

Questions to consider: What are the seasons you want to make space for in your life this year? How do you want to feel? What are some of the pieces in your domino effect? What might your life recipe be?

Favorite tips: See your path as watercolors not Sharpie lines. Be flexible. Imagine swirling colors. Have a picture for your life, but it's fluid. 

***

It was an action-packed, inspiring, invigorating day. Besides the wonderful presentations, I also got to meet some of my blogging buddies! Love it when virtual friends become IRL friends. It was a bit surreal to experience the personalities that I see on the screen come to life. So fun.

[Hallie]

[Patricia]

Everyone left with a goodie bag full of Bare Escentuals bronzer and lipgloss, Mason Jar tumblers, notebooks, hair products, coupons, samples, snacks and a full heart.

So grateful to be a part of it and especially to connect with so many fabulous women.

Bravo, Jessie

x

[Photo by Sara]

A couple other recaps of the session: Jessie + Rose

 Unless noted, all images are from my Instagram

NYC Recap | Scatter My Ashes At Bergdorf's

Hi friends! I missed y'all during my little holiday, such a fun last-minute pop over to NYC. It was literally perfect. I promise I'll have a full recap of Pepperologie next week, but until then I wanted to share a bit about one of the (other) most exciting parts of my trip: I got to see Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's! In case you haven't heard, it's a fashion documentary about the history behind the iconic 5th avenue retail store, Bergdorf Goodman.

It's the most mythic of all American emporiums - a one-of-a-kind Manhattan institution where over the last century, the view of fashion has been transformed into modern art. But behind Bergdorf Goodman's magical window displays lies a very real world where the rich and famous wield their power and eccentricity, where young and talented designers have their dreams granted and denied, and where money and ambitions co-mingle with radical ideas of beauty and provocative style. Now, for the first time, audiences get a chance to peek inside this world, as Matthew Miele's "Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's" explores the history, inner workings, and untold stories behind the store's rise from a modest ladies' tailor shop to a mirror of contemporary culture.

The film is based on this cartoon featured in The New Yorker in 1990

I loved, loved, loved the film. I got in to the City late Friday night, grabbed dinner with my cousin and then headed to the theatre. There was something so magical about watching it in the middle of NYC, late at night. It was perfect. I didn't want to miss the opportunity to see it since it's not showing in other parts of the country (certainly not in my little Southern town)

Here's the trailer, if you get the opportunity I highly recommend checking it out!

Pepperologie!

I had a different post scheduled for today, but I just had to share: I'm going to NYC! It's a totally last minute trip, I literally just bought the tickets last night. I had been thinking about going up for Pepperologie, but honestly didn't want to pay $350 to attend the workshop in addition to the plane ticket. But then last night I got an email that conference tickets have been reduced to $50! What?! That's almost free so of course, I hopped on Orbitz and found a fabulous deal on tickets and I'm off! Less than 2 weeks and I'll be back in NYC! So excited to attend the workshop and hopefully meet up with some of my favorite blogger friends! My aunt also lives just outside the City so I'm excited to see my family too. I was just there for Christmas/New Years but really any time is the perfect time for NYC! Yayy! 

Who else is going to Pepperologie? 

Tweet me if you'll be there or live in the City and want to meet up! xo