Hello, San Francisco

This weekend I was lucky enough to spend some time in beautiful San Francisco. I had been dying to see the Moraga Steps so this was a great time to see them.

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I wasn’t expecting to walk on a dirt path so I had to walk along the logs to avoid dirt in my shoes…

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Shoes: Coach Silver Slingback (actual) J. Crew Lucie Mirror Slingback Flats (similar)  ||Sweater: Altuzarra for Target || Skirt: Derek Lam Creppon Nude Skirt || Beanie: Asos  Monki Rubina Veil Hat || Bag: Coach Crossbody (similar)

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Work, Love, Life

When I first started writing this blog I wanted to create a space where I could share my love of fashion, travel and music. I also wanted a space women of all ages could find inspiring and engaging. I’m a firm believer that as a woman, I can do anything I set my mind to. Sadly, not everyone feels this way. In some countries, even in ours, women are told they can not have a personal life, children, and a successful career all at once. We are told that we must sacrifice one aspect of our lives at the expense of another. But why?
 
As a recently engaged woman and one that just LOVES what she does and does not plan on quitting after she gets married, I can tell you…you CAN have it all.
 
Luckily, more and more women these days feel the same way I do…that brings us to my very first guest blogger on North 7th & Bedford,  singer/songwriter, Katie Garibaldi.
 
Based out of San Francisco, Katie has just launched her seventh full-length albumFollow Your Heart, and is currently on tour. She is recently married and has managed to successfully run a business and have a happy marriage. Katie tells us all about how she does it!
 
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When my husband and I got married, just shy of our 30’s, I’ll always remember what a friend of mine wrote to me in a card.  She wrote: “See Katie, you can have it all!”  It was a sweet sentiment, and this friend is aware that I’ve been running my own business for years as an independent singer/songwriter so of course I was now adding the role of wife to the role of businesswoman.  This was coming from someone who also runs her own business while having been married for years.  When I read those words, I remember the first thing that came to my mind was an agreeing, ‘yes, I can!’  And then another thought immediately followed, which was: ‘I never thought that I couldn’t have it all.’  Now, this is probably in part due to my upbringing, as my parents have been happily married for over 30 years and they are both owners of their own separate businesses, all the while having raised me and my older brother.  So suffice it to say, I have a strong foundation of wanting it all: the career, the husband, the family—the whole shebang!  My parents set the bar high.

However, this got me thinking.  Not everybody is so lucky to have had a strong background of family values as well as the exposure to what it takes to run your own business—having a successful career while having the house with the white picket fence, so to speak, too.  I started wondering: do some women think they can’t have it all?  And I’m curious, if so, perhaps this doubtful thinking is what holds some women back from getting it all.

This is a bit of a sad notion to me.  Maybe it is hard to be Super Woman: be the wife, be the businesswoman, be the mom.  But at the end of the day, these are labels and perhaps the women that think they can’t have it all are the ones who are trying to please everyone and paying too close attention to other people’s expectations and judgments.  We’ve all heard of the clichés: ruthless businesswoman who puts all her time into work and doesn’t give love a chance.  Or the stay at home mom who ends up resenting her family because she didn’t go back to a job she loved.  But this doesn’t have to be real life.  (And I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with being a full time mom or wife or career woman.  I’m just referring to the scenario of wanting it all but not believing that you can).  Having a successful career and marriage simultaneously is possible and maybe easier than some of us allow ourselves to believe (or even enjoy).  I say, focus on what you want and who you want to be.  Then, go get it.  If you allow outside opinions or the fear of having everything you want hold you back, you’re only jeopardizing your full potential.

Giving my marriage and career the proper attention they both need to flourish is a balancing act.  I’m an indie music artist so I take on a lot of different roles in my business and it’s not a 9 to 5 job.  It’s something I have to constantly be working on, as well as traveling a lot for touring.  But I’m also invested in my marriage and know that I don’t want to lose my personal life in sacrifice to work.  I suppose it’s like walking on a tight rope between the two worlds and if you lean more to one side, the other side will suffer.  However, I’ve never really felt like it’s been very difficult to balance the two.  I guess it all comes down to this: if your relationship and your career are both things that you really want and value, you don’t have to struggle too much giving your time and attention to them.  You just make it work.

So even though balancing is a major ingredient in work and love, I believe balancing is the easy part.  It’s even the fun part (despite some people complaining about how they have to wear so many hats). It’s just part of life.  I think the more crucial part is what comes before the balancing.  It’s the foundation you set for yourself, the commitment to believing the dreams within your heart, and the braveness to chase those dreams down knowing that you deserve them because they are part of your delightful destiny.  Give yourself permission to be happy, to be the independent businesswoman and the loving and devoted wife, all at the same time.  Accept the trueness behind the concept that a lot of us might be taking for granted or dismissing too soon: you can have it all!

-Katie Garibaldi

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Fonts! Fonts! Fonts!

In planning a wedding I have found that the things I thought would take the least amount of time are becoming what takes me months to figure out.

My latest feat has been finding a font for our wedding invitations. Spencer looks at me like I’m crazy when I bring this up to him but I truly feel that our Save The Date, Invitation, and Website are the first thing our guests are going to see and are a representation of our wedding!

So, I’ve gone through hours and hours trying to find just the right font for our invites and I think I have finally found it!

The font is called “Asterism” and can be purchased here for only $30.

I have to say it was a hard choice so I have compiled a list of the best fonts I found and perhaps they will be useful to you at some point!

 

1. asterism By Great Lakes Lettering, $30

2. bellucia By Correspondence Ink, $30

3. carolyn By Emily Lime, $89

4. cantoni By Debi Sementelli Type Foundry, $80

5. bombshellpro By Emily Lime, $54

6. Ondise By Magpie Paperworks, $32

7. saintagnes By Great Lakes Lettering, $30

8.adorn By Laura Worthington, $99

 

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Coach Spring 2015 RTW

Opening Spring 2015 RTW #NYFW was Coach by Stuart Vevers. The line presented at 9:00 am Thursday morning and was decorated in “little monsters” created by artist Gary Baseman. The characters were sprinkled over sweaters, bags, dresses and leather jackets. Notorious for outerwear, Coach presented some amazing pieces made from synthetic long “monkey fur” and printed ocelot in wacky pastel colors. Low heeled clogs and mini skirts adorned the Coach girl making it a very bare leg collection.

If it wasn’t clear by the Route 66 backdrop, Vevers referred to “Paris, Texas” and Patricia Arquette as Alabama Whitman in “True Romance” as a source of inspiration. The 70’s hairstyle and twiggy like bangs really completed the look .

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Brunch!

Having a backyard has always been important to Spencer and I. We love hosting, having a little sanctuary and being able to enjoy a meal outside.

This holiday weekend we decided to stay home and make a delicious brunch together. On the menu:

Sweet Italian Sausage & Cherry Tomato Frittata
Paprika Potato Medley
Arugula, Beet and Parmesan Salad

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Sweet Italian Pork Sausage & Cherry Tomato Frittata (serves 4)

  • 2 Sweet Italian Pork Sausages
  • 4 Eggs
  • 4 Egg Whites
  • 1 tbsp of Half & Half
  • 1 cup of Cherry Tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup of fresh Basil
  • 1/2 cup of finely grated Parmesan
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a small frying pan cook sausages (remove casing) until they are nice and brown.  Make sure to crumble with a wooden spoon.
  3. While sausage is cooking, crack 4 eggs and 4 egg whites into a bowl. Add 1 tbs of half and half and beat for a few minutes.
  4. Add fresh basil, grated parmesan and salt and pepper to eggs and mix well. Set aside.
  5. Slice cherry tomatoes in half and place in a greased 9″ x 7″ pan.
  6. Drain grease from sausage and add crumbled sausage to pan.
  7. Pour egg mixture in pan and bake for 40 minutes.

Paprika Potato Medley (serves 4)

  • 1 lbs of mixed Potatoes (I like to use Trader Joe’s gold, red, purple “Potato Medley”)
  • 1/4 cup of Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp of Sea Salt
  • 1 tsp of Paprika
  • 1 tsp of Garlic powder
  • 1 tsp of fresh ground Pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Cut the potatoes in quarters and place in a bowl with cold water. Soak for about 15-20 minutes. You can soak overnight to get crispier potatoes
  3. Dry potatoes and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika; toss until the potatoes are well coated.
  4. Transfer potatoes to a sheet pan and spread out into 1 layer.
  5. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes or until browned and crisp.

Arugula, Beet and Parmesan Salad (serves 4)

  • 4 cups Arugula
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 cup Beets
  • 2 tbsp Lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  1. Place Arugula in a large bowl and mix in olive oil, sea salt, and lemon juice.
  2. Top with beets and parmesan.

 

When it comes to sea salt I like to use Sal de Ibiza. You can find it here and add to your own dishes!

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