The Good Girl Gone Blog: Photography

Puppy Playtime!

Feb 6, 2012

I've been spending more and more time outside since we adopted Maggie. I typically throw on jeans, whatever t-shirt I slept in, and pile it all under my big puffy coat. Gone are my days of wearing pumps just for fun, and I rarely put on anything besides my Kate Spade Snowboots.

I'm getting used to having to take things out of Maggie's mouth- she really like socks, bras and blankets right now- as well as waking up at 3 AM when she jumps in my bed looking for things to chew. I then find her a bone and go back to sleep so she doesn't bark and wake up the dogs next door.

She's such a sweetie, but to be honest, I don't know if she'd be as sweet if she couldn't have her daily jaunts in the dog park. I love that it's just down the street and that she has the chance to run off leash and play with the other neighborhood dogs.

And yes, I am starting to feel like a parent now. I've even referred to Eric as "Daddy" when talking to Maggie. It's weird.

Behind the Scenes: Shoeline Spring Preview

Jan 31, 2012

One of the perks of befriending the social media manager at a major shoe company? You get invited to cool things like photo shoots! This was my first time on set of a fashion photo shoot and I was definitely in shock initially. There were so many shoes!

Everyone was extremely friendly and willing to answer all of my questions, whether they were about the table of accessories or fashion photography.

Besides getting to take a peak at and un-box various pairs of colorful, summer shoes, I also got to go behind the scenes of the design room, where in house designers are already creating pieces for 2013! It was fun to help group different shoes together for an upcoming Pinterest project, which you'll be able to see on Shoeline's Pinterest.

I'm absolutely in love with these Korkease wedges and simply must add them to my collection this summer. Shoeline's prices are higher than what I would normally pay for shoes, but this is because of their amazing quality. I constantly turn to my Shoeline boots when looking for something comfortable and stylish to wear, and have no doubt that they will last a very long time.

I loved looking through the clothing rack- my favorite trends were neons, neutrals and colored denim.

Want to see more? Head over to Amy's blog, or check out Shoeline on Facebook.

Major Update

Jan 24, 2012

*Photo above shows some of the gifts I received for my 24th birthday, which was this Saturday. Thanks Mom & Steve for the Kindle and thanks to Amy & Stew for the fun bracelets!

Just wanted to keep you all updated on some big changes and share some exciting details about my 2012.

Blog Better Boston, the conference I'm planning with Amy, is now a big part of what I do daily. Hopefully we'll be announcing the date and location later this week and you'll all be able to purchase tickets.
Instead of working a 9-5 "normal" job, I've decided to take some time to just...freelance. I'm working with a few clients right now and am loving it. Freelancing has allowed me to create my own schedule and choose the types of companies I want to work with. I'm in the process of putting together information on my consulting services (!!) that I will be offering to both bloggers and brands. I'm currently available for hire in the fields of copy writing, blogging, social media marketing, community management, event planning and blogger relations.
The largest chunk of my freelance time is currently spent running social media for Laura Preshong, a local ethical jeweler, gallery owner and all around cool lady. Definitely check out her stuff online, and if you're in the Boston area, let me know if you want to come to a really fun event that I'm planning. Whether you're local or not, make sure to "Like" the Laura Preshong Gallery page on Facebook, as I'll be posting a really fabulous giveaway in the next few weeks!
Though I've neglected it in the past week, my goal is to spend a lot more time on my blog and get back into a normal posting schedule. This blog truly represents me, and is therefore an important part of my brand and who I am.
Maggie has been taking up a ton of my time. She's so sweet and smart, but definitely still needs some training. I love that she gives me a reason to go outside more than once every day, and how proud I am to be raising her with Eric.

So...any good name ideas for my consulting business?

Photo Diary: Homemade Ravioli

Jan 3, 2012

The above photos were taken on Christmas eve as we prepared ravioli completely from scratch. It was a family effort- Dotti made the pasta and passed it to Eric. Eric stuffed, folded over and cut the long pasta noodle into ravioli and passed them to Matt. Matt pressed the edges of the ravioli with a fork before handing them off to me. I used a pizza cutter to round the edges of the noodles and voila, they were ready to be cooked.

The final product was super yummy, but my favorite part was definitely the assembly line process. We figured out "best practices" along the way, joked around and had a great time.

These ravioli were definitely made with love.

More photos here.

My Favorite Gifts

Dec 29, 2011

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that gifts were not the best part of my Hanukkah this year. Well, that's still true, but that definitely doesn't mean I didn't receive some fabulous, well thought out gifts. Allow me to share some of my favorites!

North Face Belted Raincoat: can you believe I don't have a raincoat? Well, I don't, or at least I didn't, until my lovely step mom and dad gave me the gem above. It's perfect for layering over a sweater in colder weather, and will definitely be a wardrobe staple come the warmer months. I love the color and the feminine shape created by the belted waist. Thanks also for the beautiful handmade shabbat candles and fun necklace from Israel, and thanks Lauren for the super fun Alex and Ani friendship/sister bracelet.

Ugg Ansley Slippers: these are from Eric's mom, who couldn't believe that I wore a size six. I absolutely love them. Plus, they have a rubber sole, so I can wear them outside!

Gift Cards Galore: thanks Mom/Steve and cousins for the TJMaxx and Marshall's cards (my favorite!) and some of my favorite aunts for the WHBM card.

Side Bow Echo Touch Gloves: These are from my cousins. Technically, I picked these out for myself after seeing them on From Me To You. They are so elegant and dainty.

Silver and Gold Love Knot Necklace: from Eric. It's so pretty and thoughtful. I love that it's handmade and that he found it on Etsy.

Yosi Samra Gold Glitter Flats: I bought these and a fuchsia suede pair as gifts to myself when I saw they were half off on MYHABIT. Though they're a little pricey, they are my absolute favorite flats and will replace the pink gold ones that I wore down last year. They'll be staying in their boxes until springtime though, as they're not exactly puddle/snow friendly.

Thank you to my family for the lovely gifts featured above, as well as the "camera shy" ones (because checks don't photograph nicely/some are still sitting unpacked in my suitcase) that went unmentioned.

What were your favorite holiday gifts this year?

Happy Everything! Love, Alana + Eric

Dec 16, 2011

I didn't want to share our holiday card until I had confirmation that it had already been received by friends and family. I've gotten 2 emails from Baltimore saying it's reached their mailboxes, so I decided that's confirmation enough.

Happy Holidays Everything, everyone!

A special thanks to Shutterfly for providing the cards. (Full post here.)

Our First Boston Brunchers Event

Dec 13, 2011

On Sunday, Eric and I attended our first Boston Brunchers event, which was hosted by Harvard Common Press in their spectacular 5th floor office in the South End. When we first walked into the building, I was amazed by the ancient elevator and the fact that I had no idea anything worth visiting actually existed in this part of my neighborhood.

We were greeted warmly with drinks, smiles and lots of Mexican art. Everyone was extremely friendly, especially the HCP staff, who had whipped up some delicious treats based off of recipes in some of the cookbooks they'd published.

Nancy, HCP's head of marketing, took me around and answered all of my questions about the company, their office space (an old piano factory, now covered in gorgeous rugs that the company's president, Bruce, brought back from Mexico) and the books they publish (mostly cookbooks, but some parenting books as well).

Brunch included lots of yummy muffins and cakes (I'm assuming they were all yummy, most contained nuts so I stayed away) and some sort of egg/cheese/spinach bake. Oh, and there was wine, lots of wine.

It was nice to meet so many of the local foodies (like Beth, Liz, Taryn and Audrey) whom I've been emailing with on behalf of HipHost and to finally put faces to email addresses and Twitter handles.

One of the coolest parts of the experience was the discussion about how to go from blog to book, specifically in the cooking world. Apparently, most publishers require you to come up with 100% original recipes, meaning you can't use anything you've already posted on your blog. So, in addition to having a real job and maintaining a blog, you also have to come up with 100-150 completely new recipes. It sounds like a ton of work and I applaud any food blogger who takes on the challenge.

A special thank you to the Boston Brunchers (Renee specifically) for putting together this event, and to all of the amazing staff at HCP who made us feel at home. Also, thanks to HCP for sending us home with lots of fun cookbooks. I can't wait to make a bunch of things in Gourmet Gifts!

Photo Diary: Feeling Sad? Look at Puppies!

Dec 1, 2011

Whenever I'm feeling sad/stressed/agitated, I try to take my mind off of those emotions by looking at puppies on line. (BTW, in my mind, puppies refers to all dogs.)

I took these pics of Sadie when I was home for Thanksgiving, and figured you'd like them. How pretty are her eyes? I think she'd make a gorgeous Cleopatra!

Some of my favorite puppy websites:

Northeast Animal Shelter- unlike many shelter websites, this one has great photos. Plus, I like reading the dogs' bios!

The Fluffington Post- the name really says it all. Plus, they accepted and feature my picture of Z-pack!

Where do you get your puppy fix?

Photo Diary: Yum! by Becky

Nov 29, 2011

My mom (Becky) recently started selling her baked goods to friends and family in the Baltimore area. She makes all kinds of cookies, brownies and cakes that people go crazy for.

I volunteered to help with her marketing efforts and took these pictures over Thanksgiving to include in her December email blast. Don't they look yummy? All of the desserts above (except for the Snickers Cookie Pops) come on pretty plates, so they make great hostess gifts!

If you're in the Baltimore area and are interested in ordering something for the holidays, I'd be happy to add you to the email list- just let me know!

Pictured above: Tres Leches Cake with bananas, Tres Leches Cake with raspberries, Honey Peanut Butter Brownies, Fat Raisin Cookies, Cranberry Orange Cookies, Snickers Pop.

Photo Diary: Give Colorfully with Kate Spade

Nov 23, 2011

Ever since Lauren and I indulged in the Kate Spade sample sale a few months ago (I got this gold bag that I rarely put down), I haven't been able to stop obsessing over the brand.

...So when I heard about the Kate Spade + Paper Fashion holiday event, I immediately RSVPed and started daydreaming about the fun things I'd find.

The event was PACKED, making it hard to get through the throngs of people, let alone take photos and adjust settings with a DSLR, though I did my best. One girl even came up to me and asked if I was a blogger, based solely on the fact that I had a big camera!

I didn't end up buying anything, but I really enjoyed scoping out the merchandise, sipping champagne, noshing on mini potpies/grilled cheese and tomato soup and catching up with friends.

Thanks to Miriam for pointing out that I should flip over my napkin to include the Kate Spade logo!

Unfortunately, most of the Kate Spade items were out of my budget, which is why I'm so looking forward to the next sample sale. (Honestly though, I think I can DIY some of them, like these cute gloves.)

Though most prices seemed "reasonable" for high-end merchandise, I was shocked that this prize ball cost $45! I believe it was Stew who compared them to overpriced crackerjack boxes.

My favorite part of the evening was grabbing dinner at Cafeteria with Stew and Amy, where we chatted about everything from the controversial Benetton ads, to travel, to brunch. Love those two!

For more pictures, check out my Kate Spade Holiday Party set on Flickr!