Recap: Family Vacation.

Everyone reaches a point when they become mentally and physically exhausted from their everyday personal and work life. When that happens, the best cure to return to your old self is a needed vacation. 

Several weeks ago, I was beginning to reach my threshold. With DeNada, the DC MEET Market, Topaz + Arrow, and Ulysses Room, I was getting tired of just working all the time. At that moment, I realized that I needed to get away with my family to relax before September arrives. 

Thinking that it would be a great idea to include my entire family, I decided to plan a family vacation for my son and husband with my parents, sisters, and their families - the whole clan! Looking back at my decision to organize this family vacation for everyone, I realized that I was slightly crazy. Why? Well two words, "family drama."  

Overall, we had a great time! A week away at the beach in a cozy home just a few blocks away from the ocean was perfect for my family. And though there were moments of drama here and there, the time we spent together chatting, hanging out, and watching the kids play together undeniably outweighed the stressful moments. 

With family there is unconditional love. We love and accept each other for who we are despite our differences. This is the sole reason why I decided to organize a family vacation for all us. Though I knew there could be a chance for "family drama," I overlooked the possibility. It's important that my family spends quality time together. And since it's been awhile since we had all taken a vacation together, I decided to plan one because I love my family.

So if asked if I would plan another one next summer for my whole entire familia, my answer would still be a solid yes!

Below, are few photos from my vacation with my family!

View of the blue sky underlined with colorful beach umbrellas.

Some of our tools for making our sand castles.

My sisters & I.

Cousins.

With my son at the playground.

Lifestyle Family Photography with Erica Baker.

My husband and I have always wanted to get photographs taken of our family. But with our busy work schedules and personal life, we never had the time to plan for a proper photoshoot - one that was truly thoughtful and that would captured who we are as a family. 

Luckily, photographer, Erica Baker reached out to us and asked if we were open to getting some photographs taken of our family. A friend of a friend, she was looking to build her portfolio and wanted to capture families in their natural environments. Unlike posed photography, her goal was to photograph families during their regular routines such as, having breakfast or venturing out to a farmer's market. After viewing her online portfolio and loving every image I saw, I said yes, of course!

On a Sunday morning, Erica visited our home and photographed us as we all played with puzzles and trains, read books, and went over to our favorite splash park for some outdoor fun! Overall, the experience was wonderful! Not only was Erica incredibly professional and super nice, our son - who is normally shy - warmed up to her instantly. We would recommend Erica to any family, who is looking to have some lovely photographs taken of them!

Thank you Erica for the wonderful photos! Below, are some of my favorite photographs that will soon be framed and hung in our home!

Photo courtesy of Erica Baker.

Photo courtesy of Erica Baker.

Photo courtesy of Erica Baker.

Photo courtesy of Erica Baker.

Photo courtesy of Erica Baker.

Photo courtesy of Erica Baker.

Photo courtesy of Erica Baker.

Photo courtesy of Erica Baker.

Photo courtesy of Erica Baker.

Photo courtesy of Erica Baker.

Photo courtesy of Erica Baker.

Recap: Behind the Scenes at our Photoshoot | Topaz + Arrow.

This past weekend was DeNada's photoshoot for our Autumn/Winter 2014 collection followed by Topaz + Arrow. 

Early Saturday morning, my team and I traveled to Occoquan, Virginia, a charming town outside of DC for the day to the studio of photographer, Luis Aragon. After all of our hard work and preparation we did weeks ahead, I was ecstatic to see everything finally come together. Year after year, I anticipate and love the slight nervous feeling right before each photoshoot, and the feeling of relief right after. To see my collection complete and ready to be showcased is so exciting, and I can't wait for the launch. The day turned out to be a success, running smoothly as we shot over 100 products within 8 hours - kudos to our model Kaleigh for staying strong until the end.

During the photoshoot, Spare Tire Production captured some behind the scenes footage of our day. At first it was hard to ignore the cameras as they silently followed me around, but soon enough I got used to it. The footage will be used for a special project soon to come, so stay tuned!

I want to sincerely thank everyone who took part in this past weekend's photoshoot - photographer Luis Aragon, makeup/hair stylist Kathy Aragon, stylist and production manager Morgan Hungerford-West, Spare Tire Productions, our model Kaleigh, my assistant Sue, and my interns, Canon and Rachel - for all of their hard work and dedication.

See below for some behind the scenes photos!

Luis, Morgan, and Kaleigh in action.

Spare Tire Productions and Kaleigh.
Photo credit: Kathy Aragon.

Occoquan, Virginia. 

Hair and makeup for the day on our model Kaleigh.
Photo Credit: Kathy Aragon

Occoquan, Virginia.

Selecting photos during the shoot.
Photo Credit: Kathy Aragon

Instagram ready behind the scenes.
Photo Credit: Kathy Aragon

Morgan styling Kaleigh.
Photo Credit: Kathy Aragon

The next day, Morgan and I held our monthly Topaz + Arrow workshop. Although the day before was exhausting, the workshop was a great way to relax and socialize with guests.

As always, we had so much fun hosting this month's session: Natural Elements x Found Objects. We provided our guests with used items and materials that can be found at hardware stores such leather, rope, copper, plastic tubing, napkin rings, and wood to make jewelry. We loved seeing all of the different pieces our guests created, and it's always great to see all of our participants design, socialize, and enjoy some food and drink on a Sunday afternoon. 

Special thanks to our wonderful partners from Honest Tea, KIND, Dolcezza Gelato, Kushi, and Boulevard Brewing.

Food and drink from some of our partners.

Gorgeous necklace by one of our guests.

Delicious treats from Dolcezza Gelato.

Morgan and I instructing the class.

Finished products from the workshop.

A glimpse into the direction of my new collection.

My newest collection for autumn & winter has arrived! Completely excited, I am currently working with my team on gathering inspirations and prepping our samples for the next step towards the public debut of my new line, our photo shoot.

What is important for me with my collections is to make sure that my designs evolve naturally. Throughout the years, each of my collections have been unique in its own way.  Last year, there was an abundance of warm, autumn colors woven into chunky textures. But with this new collection, I decided to go in a semi-completely different direction - instinctively, due to the Gemini in me.

Though I continue to maintain DeNada's simplistic aesthetic, for this new collection I  decided to incorporate lighter and bolder colors. The aim this year is to create a collection with textures and colors that can effortlessly carry our DeNada woman from one season to the next. With that in mind, my team and I have been hard at work planning and setting the ambiance for our upcoming photo shoot: everything from model to makeup to hair.

Shown below are selected photos from our mood board. Take a peak, and I look forward to sharing more about my upcoming collection soon - so stay tuned!

Recap: 4th of July Weekend!

July 4th is a reminder that the year is halfway done. And as I have said this before,  I can't believe how time flies by so fast - and this year proved to be no different. With this in mind, I decided to take advantage of this long holiday weekend and spend it with my family.

As each day passes, I am reminded on how kids grow up so fast. In my personal life, I have learned to slow down. Slowing down allows me to acknowledge and truly cherish the moments I share with my son, who means the world to me. The moments we share together are priceless - when we giggle together, when he gives me a hug and a kiss, the times we do puzzles together, or how we share the same love for popcorn and smoothies! All these moments and more I have learned to pause and take them in, bookmarking them in my mind and heart so that I will never forget those precious times.

This past weekend, despite my tall list of to do's and never decreasing workload, I decided to spend the majority of it with my son - mommy & son day. Instead of working in my office on a Friday, we went to the neighborhood pool and park. And after having a great time, we crashed out for a long snooze. After a lengthy nap, we ended the day with dinner, a movie, then watched the never ending fireworks from our building.

The following day was the DC MEETMarket. And though work-related, my son was by my side the whole day - with the amazing help of my awesome and supportive husband, of course! For the month of August, we hosted a Summer Cookout celebrating Independence Day! With a special BBQ from Kingston Seoul, gelato by Dolcezza, root beer by Thunder Beast, and live art by Superwaxx / No Kings Collective, we had a great market day with family and friends gathered to enjoy the rest of their long weekends. Our market-goers enjoyed the day with festive patriotic decorations and entertainment by Lady Hatchet, Merry Toddlers More, and DJ Natty Boom, presented by Rock-n-Romp.

Special thank you to our sponsors and partners this month - Relay Foods, Honest Tea, Zip Car, Think First Local, Thunder Beast, Kingston Seoul, No Kings Collective, and Dolcezza - and all our wonderful vendors!

The long holiday weekend ended on high note, and I hope everyone had a lovely, festive, and safe time with their friends and family!

Below are some pictures from this past weekend, enjoy!

With my son, Atticus at the park.

Happy 4th of July!

Delicious BBQ by Kingston Seoul.

The guys at Kingston Seoul working the grill.

Gorgeous handcrafted cuffs and earrings by Metallist.

Love these fun rings by Naked Decor.

Southern Hospitality at the DC MEETMarket.

Photographer Steve L. Miller of Steve L. Miller Words and Images.  

Health: A Change in Diet & Lifestyle.

Being a business owner and mother can get pretty busy at times. And I've realized that I not only need to be healthy for the everyday challenges at work, but to also have the energy to be fully present and energized when I'm with my son. In order to do so, I had to make a complete diet and lifestyle change. I'm not a health freak, but I've become more conscious of my daily activities and eating habits.

Eating the right foods is sometimes difficult, especially with a busy schedule. I recently got into incorporating juicing into my diet and found it to be one of the solutions for getting my daily intake of fruits and vegetables. It's the perfect way to keep my body in balance and works as a daily mini cleanse for my system. Starting the day with a fresh juice allows me to feel my best, and gives me the energy boost I need without caffeine.

Until recently, I used to think that any juice combination was healthy. However, there are many dos and don'ts when it comes to juicing. Using too many sweet fruits and not enough veggies counteracts the benefits of juicing because the amount of sugar can impact insulin levels in the body. Drinking juice on an empty stomach is also a must. Fruit and vegetables are basically juice, sugar, and water, so they digest very quickly. If you drink juice after eating then it can't go to work healing the body because it becomes stuck in the digestive system. Also certain ingredients can have a big impact on how nutritious your juice is - for instance adding ginger and lemon give juice an added detox factor.

I've learned from the likes of Dr. Oz that juicing does more than offer vitamins and minerals, juicing can prevent cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and various inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Because I live in a city, pollution is bound to be a present part of my life and I've learned that juicing can counteract some of the negatives. Chemical compounds called flavonoids and anthocyanin are found in fruits and veggies, and can guard against oxidative cellular damage which is partly due to pollution.

Working out and staying active is also important in my change of lifestyle. It's easy to make excuses to not work out, and making the effort to go to the gym sounds like a hassle, but I've always loved running. I slowly made a habit of running to my destinations like dropping off my son at daycare and found it to be refreshing. Running has become a huge part of my active lifestyle to keep my body in motion.

Everyone at DeNada is hooked on juicing, and we love sharing recipes. Here are two recipes that are perfect for a boost of energy this summer!

 http://www.justataste.com/2013/06/blender-green-juice-drink-recipe/

Healthy Green Juice

2 Green Apples, halved
4 stalks celery, leaves removed
1 cucumber
6 leaves of kale
1/2 lemon, peeled
1" piece of fresh ginger

Beet Summer Juice

1 large beet (or 2 medium) cut into wedges
1/2 lemon, zest and pith removed
2 large carrots
1 large apple, cut into wedges
1" piece of fresh ginger

Topaz + Arrow & Summer Travels.

When it comes to traveling, my husband and I love it 100%! Whether our trip is for business or for pleasure, we are always eager to explore a new city together. A couple weekends ago, my husband, son, and I traveled to Boston to celebrate a friend's wedding. This was our first time visiting Boston, and from mixed reviews shared by our friends, my husband and I didn’t know what to expect. But we were both certain that we were eager to leave DC and start our much needed mini vacation!

After a long weekend in Boston, we were impressed on how the city was both kid and running friendly. Everywhere we looked, it seemed as though someone was either jogging or that there were kids playing in these amazing “modern-style” playgrounds. And as parents who love to run, Boston was a perfect vacation spot for us - and we came prepared with our running stroller and sneakers. In a short amount of time, we got to see a lot of Boston!

Boston, overall is a lovely city, and I would recommend this city to everyone - whether you love or hate to run, or have kids or no kids. This city seems to appeal to all with their many museums, bars/restaurants, shopping areas, historical landmarks, playgrounds, and running trails.

Following this mini vacation was Topaz + Arrow's DIY workshop called, Greenery + Glass, where my friend and co-founder Morgan and I showed guests how to create simple, yet unique home decor using air plants and glass jars. Held at Morgan's studio, Wild Hand Workspace in Brookland, DC, I had a great time crafting with a sold out class!

I want to thank all of our guests, who joined us at our June's workshop. And I would like sincerely thank our sponsors and partners, who provided our class with drinks and light bites: Growl Cold Brew Coffee, Honest Tea, Boulevard Brewing Company, Uncle Chip's, KIND Snacks, and Ben & Jerry's.

Below are a few photos of Boston and Topaz + Arrow – Enjoy!