so much fun!

One of my favorite parts of my job as the creative director for a beauty retailer is the model shoots. I don’t work in an environment that has a coordinator for these - so I basically get to meet each model at the model call, then I work directly with the agency, the wardrobe stylist and the hair and makeup stylist. 

Over the years, I’ve been really fortunate to work with industry experts and I’ve learned so much from each shoot. I love the talent that we get to work with. Each shoot brings new challenges, new hair and makeup looks and really fun personalities. 

I simply can’t say enough about Sara Domi, who owns a salon on 5th street in Austin. Whenever I can work with her, I jump at the chance. She is beyond talented and FAST. Another huge bonus is that she’s just a really nice person and very open to new ideas. She always brings fresh styles and usually knows our products so well, that she brings out the best in them. 

Although it’s a lot work to produce at shoot - which usually occurs in a very short amount of time, it’s just a lot of fun. When the shoot is over, I comb through all of the amazing images to determine which ones are the absolute best to select for post production and usage. The models are so talented, they make this part of the project really difficult.

There are days when I come home from work and just realize how fortunate I am. I always feel this way after a big shoot. I hope you have an element of your daily gig that brings this much fun and excitement to your work. If not, try to find some new opportunity within your position where you can do something a little fun. You’ll shine in the opportunity if you are enjoying what you’re doing. Go for it!

Show you care

Thanks to Denise for the reminder of where to buy heart-shaped balloons! They make the PERFECT Valentine’s Day gift. 

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Make it special! 

Mornin' routine

When my awesome husband is out of town - the typical routine looks completely different:

Let’s start from when I get home from work (and he’s gone):

• Home around 7:15 (much earlier than usual, so I can relieve our afternoon tutor for B&B)
• Grocery store run (because someone needs something for some class)
• Make my dinner (yep - usually the hubby makes me yummy food, but not tonight)
• Eat dinner and watch some TV with kiddos
• Put kiddos to bed
• Evening call to out of town hubby, to catch him up on the evening
• Make lunches for tomorrow (while catching up on TIVO’d TV - so it takes at LEAST two times longer)
• I go to bed, but I don’t really because I turn on the TV in the bedroom (STAY UP TOO LATE WATCHING THINGS I GENERALLY HAVE NO TIME FOR, such as Project Runway All Stars)
• 5:25am: alarm goes off for the morning workout, but I snooze because I’m stiff tired from being up too late the night before
• 6:15: actual up & shower, etc
• 6:40: wake kiddos up
• 6:50: kiddos actually get up
• 6:50 - 7:15: morning blog time for Paperclip
• 7:12: kiddos come down for breakfast, while I finish getting ready for work
• 7:25: start telling kiddos to get in the car to leave for school
• 7:33: actual time we leave for school drop off
• 8:20: arrive at the office (about 20 minutes earlier than when my husband is here)

No complaints - this is just how it goes when he’s out of town.

MUCH different from when he’s here and does a LOT of the typical routine tasks (like making lunches and taking kiddos to school).

Much respect to the single parents out there - who ALWAYS have all of the responsibility of making everything run smoothly.

Sometimes . . .

So - I was talking with some friends over the weekend about work/life balance.

We talked about the fact that sometimes we become completely engrossed in our work - and it’s all-consuming. 

But sometimes . . . we take a step back and we wonder if this job is really the right job. Sometimes - we’re just not into our jobs. After working in the same position for a while, you feel like you’ve learned everything there is to know about it and the work is not stimulating anymore. 

My friends were talking about the importance of a happy life because you start to realize that the work you do is funding the fun you can have outside of work, such as the latest decorating project, or the upcoming vacation that you’ve been dreaming of taking.

Even when we aren’t feeling completely inspired by work, we can feel inspired by what our work is helping us accomplish or support elsewhere in our lives. Then we can respect what we do and keep us on track - without slipping into a feeling of frustration. 

So, even if this Monday morning has you less than excited about going into the office, you can remember that you’re doing what you need to do in order to afford your life. Your office needs you and wants you to perform your best when you’re there. 

And about that lack-luster feeling about the job? Give yourself some time - either some new project will come up, or some new opportunity for a promotion might occur and you’ll feel inspired and motivated by your work again, or you’ll feel led to search for a new job. In either of these situations, time will be your friend. Give yourself time to realize what’s going on in respect to your feelings. Doing your best job gives your employer a good reason to assign you the new important project which puts you in the position for a promotion. And if you’ve decided to search for something new, time allows you to think about what type of new job to look for and develop the skills you might need for a new role. 

Sometimes, a steady job that’s not too draining of your energy or schedule is a good thing to allow you to pursue other interests outside of work. In the end, the fulfilled life is the ultimate goal. The best part is that you get to define “fulfilled” and what that means to you.

what's on my iPad?

Let’s see:

565 notes in Evernote

Yes, it goes with me to every meeting. I try to keep everything digital and avoid handwriting notes as much as possible. Sometimes, it’s more practical to write my notes - when there are huge, multi-page documents being reviewed or discussed, but other than that - I put the info in Evernote (which is also on my phone, as well as on my work and home notebooks!). These notes sync like magic!! With the ability to create different notebooks by topic, and also “tag” individual notes within a specific notebook - this app has absolutely revolutionized the way I work and keep track of everything.

36 books (reading through about 5 or 6 currently)

5 sample books (just deciding if I want to buy them or not)

18 magazines in Zinio

20 magazines in Newsstand (LOVE the new WWD app!!!)

(9 issues that need to be downloaded)

a Bazillion apps (always fluctuating thanks to my kids sharing my iTunes account)

(4 apps that currently need updating)

several games (thank you kiddos) - but my FAVE is Backgammon

Twitter (of course) and Facebook (but I’m more active on Twitter for some reason)

Pinterest (just getting started with this new social phenomenon) 

camera & video (iPad2 - YES) - so lots of videos and photos

9 movies!

1 TV show - Million Dollar Decorators (SOOOOO good last year!)

1 music video - I Am A Gummy Bear (thank you, son)

1457 songs

2 podcasts

75 unread emails (whoops!)

NO telling what else, but I’m curious - what’s on your iPad???

what a SLACKER!

So - I’ve been sick. 

I have a nasty cough and fever.

I’ve had to call in sick to work for two days in a row.

Very unproductive.

I couldn’t even do anything while being home sick because I felt too bad.

This Blows.

(Yes, I’ve done a lot of that, too.)

special treat

We’re SUPER busy.

Because winter has brought on several sick days, we’re in the weeds (we’re behind).

This calls for a moment of Starbucks. Delivered. To everyone.

It rarely happens, but when it’s REALLY needed - Starbucks to the rescue. 

I just hope that it helped the day go a little smoother and better.

Hey - I saw smiles and in a crunch week - that’s pretty special!

Just sayin’ . . . . 

this may take a while

I’ve got a really long meeting today. I have this meeting once a month and it generally lasts about 3 hours. It’s a meeting in which I’m an active participant.

I like to dress comfortable, but extremely professional because we’re sitting around a table looking at each other for a good portion of the day.

I like to bring my usual essentials to this meeting: notebook, project folder, pencil, eraser, a water, and (at least in my pocket) my Bobbi Brown lipgloss. 

Going into a long meeting, I need each of these items. If something were missing, the world would not turn as smoothly. I don’t think that I would “pout” exactly, but I wouldn’t be at my very best. What are your “must haves” for really long meetings?

Is anybody ever really . . .

I’ve noticed lately that even though there’s a lot going on at work - and I’m staying later to get things done - I’ve really lost that feeling of being “caught up.” 

Oh yes, the small victories come and go. Today I rewrote some outdated job descriptions to try to help our compensation team understand why one position is considered a higher level gig. I have been working on those (off and on) for the past month. I even tried to finish and email them before my vacation (talk about stress!). Today was the day that I concentrated (as much as possible in a busy work environment) and knocked them out. Felt amazing! Walked on air for about . . . 3 minutes.

Then I realized how much else was left to do on my handy-dandy “to do” list. 

Scary. 

Do you ever feel all caught up - or does your list feel never ending (which I guess is a good thing - like job security)?

grind those numbers

Have I EVER mentioned that spreadsheets are the LEAST favorite part of my gig? I know that they are necessary (and sometimes have very good news attached to them!), but MAN - Excel is most usually not my best friend. 

Thank goodness for the analysts and accounting pros! You guys ROCK the charts!

knock it out

Ever have that sinking feeling that you have too much to do and too little time to do it in?

Me too.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the idea of “standing meetings” - where people stand instead of sitting as a way of ensuring that the meeting doesn’t take longer than it should. 

That’s what I did when I arrived at work today. I stood and just cleared through everything that I could as swiftly as possible. I did give each task my full attention - I wasn’t rushing through and being careless, but on the other hand - I seriously wasn’t sure exactly how I could accomplish everything that needed to be done in a short timeframe with the usual daily processing.

I liked it! I felt a certain sense of urgency about each effort. I was thinking on my feet and I had more energy. Of course, when it came time to address the email inbox - I sat. But for paper that was on my desk and had to be handled in some way or another - I stood.

Sounds crazy (I’m sure), but if you ever feel a little overwhelmed by the workload - I’m just suggesting to give your bottom a break and get moving!

getting psyched

One way to get yourself ready for a fun week at work is to make yourself a new playlist to listen to on the way to the office. 

Sometimes I specifically download all new music and really get going with some new funky tunes. There are other times when I really like a nice quiet ride into work with some beautiful classical music. Sometimes, I just really want to hear good ‘ol U2.

Listen to your favorite music on Monday mornings and you’ll find yourself in the most positive mindset (which is the BEST remedy for “the weekend is over" blues).

Monday is here - so do whatever you can to make sure it’s a great one!

longest week EVER

Not sure exactly why, but this short work week has felt VERY long to me.

What’s weird is how excited I am for next week. I’ve got a lot of projects along with meetings coming up and quite frankly - I’m pretty happy knowing how challenging the next few weeks will be.

I’m just happy to realize that this week is over (so is school for my kids after today) and there is much fun (even in the office) just on the summer horizon.

I hope your short week flew by, but that you’re just as excited to get to next week as I am!

Happy Friday!

super fun stress relief

My office has a bowling league. I’m not very good at bowling (I really don’t like what it does to my nails), but I joined the league because I wanted to build relationships with some coworkers outside of the office. 

We bowl (when we don’t have meeting conflicts) during lunch on Wednesdays. The alley we bowl at has typical bowling alley food, nothing fancy - mainly grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, nachos, and soft drinks.

When I first started bowling in this league, I felt good to achieve a score that was almost to 100. The next season - I kinda started expecting to break the 100 score a few times. I’ve only bowled for a few seasons, but I’ve seen improvement in my game, which does give me a sense of satisfaction. The score above is my highest score EVER. Yes, I’m very happy with it. Many people bowl this score all the time, but for me - it was really crazy to have such a nice, high score.

I like the people that I bowl with. They are from all areas of the company, which makes it fun. Frequently, I have meetings just before bowling and I’m running late to get there, but my bowling partners are very patient and forgiving. They also give great advice on how to improve. Some people bowl with the most amazing spin action on their ball. It’s cool to watch the ball head in one direction down the alley only to suddenly and completely change course and really blow away all of their pins “with authority.” 

It’s really helpful to just take a break to get out of the office and focus on something that is not work-related. I completely understand if you’re reading this and thinking that bowling is not for you. I wouldn’t have thought of EVER doing this myself, but now that I’ve tried it - I think it’s very beneficial - and fun - to take a mid-week break from the office (just for an hour) and enjoy hurling a decent weight down an alley in efforts to knock those pins down.

While it’s bad for my nails (ugh), it’s very good for a work-weary soul.

What’s your favorite way to relieve some work-related stress?

sittin' and spinnin'

I had a boss that once said, “You should never have to wait on technology. Technology should wait on you.” 

UGH - it just doesn’t work that way. I have a super-fast MacBook Pro with an amazing internet connection, but still - there are moments when it just seems to need a moment to spin (ahem, “process”). There I am - waiting on technology to help me keep up with the fast pace of the day and thinking of my former boss. 

Sometimes it’s a welcome break that allows for a "get up and walk" somewhere moment, but generally, those spinny wheel moments occur just when you need to get something done for an important deadline. It’s like Murphy’s Technology Law.

Come on you know it’s true!

the short list

Every day has new challenges. Meetings, questions, discussions, phone calls and emails. 

I'm going in early today to try to get ahead on a couple of projects because I have two meetings that I know are going to take up some major time (either in the actual meetings or preparing for them). 

Honestly, I know that going in a little early will allow me to cross off a lot of my "to do" list left over from yesterday and I'm pretty darn excited about that!

My project list is never-ending (thank goodness!), but if I can keep it to a minimum by clearing out the easy stuff - then it makes me panic a little bit less. I like to keep my list as short as possible, or at least keep it pretty steady, so that I'm not letting many items pile up into a big stress ball for me.

What's your strategy of taking care of your "to do" items?

Ready, set, go!

Today is going to be a great day because:
- I have a favorite project all lined up to work on (and time to do it!)
- One of my favorite meetings of the week occurs on Mondays
- I have something cute to wear (with cute shoes to match!)
- I have a LOT of really good posts scheduled for this week

Basically, I had an amazing, fun weekend where we spent some time spring cleaning and organizing our house and so I'm ready to get back to my office and continue the good vibration there as well. 

Anyone with me on making this a VERY good Monday???

office interuptus

My day began as usual.

Meeting at 9. LOTs of important discussions and decisions.

Mid-meeting my silent phone lit up. It's the elementary school calling. So I excuse myself and answer. (Why do I forget WHY the elementary school would call in the middle of a meeting?)

Of course. School nurse.

Bradley has thrown up twice. (TWICE??? They usually call on the first instance of something of this nature.) He's feeling horrible and we need to come pick him up.

Of course I DID ask if there were any witnesses to the moments of illness. Regardless, of the response - as good parents (and school policy), we made arrangements to share the responsibility of being home with him. Todd Owen took the morning, I took the afternoon (after my meeting was over).

Skipped lunch - since I was leaving so early - and got as much completed as possible and packed a few projects to take home with me.

Once home, I'll admit - he looked pale. Ill really - lying on the sofa. He tells me that he's thrown up THREE times today. I ask the husband if he witnessed the moments of illness. Nope, everything happened without parental supervision. We give him a snack. Tell him to lie back down for a little while and Todd Owen heads out to his afternoon appointments while I settle into my comfortable notebook and try to watch for any important work emails.

Once Brooke gets home from school, that's when Bradley REALLY tells us how terrible he's feeling. He reports that he's thrown up for a fourth time.

We establish a new house rule: IF SOMEONE THROWS UP, DO NOT FLUSH. A PARENT MUST SEE THE TOILET WITH THE VOMIT IN IT. (I know - this is really GROSS! Twice in one week. I'm SO sorry!!)

I put Bradley in his bed. Kiss him lightly. Whisper how much I love him and that I'm very sorry that he's feeling SO bad because I really wanted to go ride bikes with him. He asks, "Really?"

Such a dramatic recovery. In less than ten minutes, Bradley bounds into the room and tells me how he is all sparkly, fresh and new again. "It's amazing!" he exclaims.

Yes. It. Is.

And yes - we rode bikes tonight, in celebration of health.

the great deception

Am I the only person who prefers to leave my desk completely clean when I leave in the evenings? Sure my desk may look empty, but the “to do” list for my tomorrow is absolutely scary. BTW - it doesn’t always work out that I can leave it this clean. And, yes - I see the mess I have behind my desk - past issues of WWD to dispose of, old projects that are still in limbo, a few powerpoint desks of research. You don’t need to point it out. It BUGS me. Promise.

Anyone else this weird about how you leave your work space after a great day at the office?

Pulling it together

I'm gathering my items that I need to take with me to work tomorrow.

It's going to rain, so I'll use my plaid "bad weather" tote.

Inside it:
- yellow, hold EVERYTHING IMPORTANT folder (large spreadsheets, important work docs - like the past 3 paychecks that were direct deposited, etc)
- essential notebook (with a million notes, but especially noted important ones)
- mechanical pencil & eraser (also must-haves for me)
- security badge for work
blue bag with holds 8 lip glosses, 2 lipsticks, a few flosser tools, my ear buds, a handmade love token from one of my kiddos, some elastic ponytail holders and a thumb drive
my wallet
- sunglasses & business card case
- lunch (yes I take - almost everyday)
- new April issue of Glamour (I find it interesting that it always arrives first)

Everything in it's proper place. Seriously helpful.