Why Haven’t You Heard from Me? It’s been over a year since I posted something on my blog. Why, you ask? The answer is easy. I got a full-time job which made my blog turn into a different priority. A new job comes with more work at the office, being behind a computer, and of course it consumes a lot of time. So, the last thing I wanted was to spend more time behind it, even if that meant I did not get to follow one of my passions. Nonetheless I decided to keep it up and not to change it to a “book shop only”. And, now I couldn’t be happier about this decision. #trustthetimingofyourlife This springtime is for sure special, and my mood swings range from “will this ever be over?” to “it could be worse”. The unknow future Continue Reading
How BUTTON Changed my Shopping Attitude
10 reasons why I no longer Shop at Normal Retail Stores A few weeks ago, I was at BUTTON when the owner Liz asked me if I could help her make over the company website. My immediate response: “Yes, what do I have to do?” Her goal was to do a photo shoot of customers in action. She wanted to show the customer experience at BUTTON. Being able to help gave me a great deal of pleasure. Button has become a very special place for me and has shaped my shopping attitude. The staff at Button has always made my shopping experience unique, and I wanted to give back to them. You see, I quit my long-time job in early 2017, and, as a result, I had to make a few budget adjustments, shopping including. In the beginning it was easy. I was Continue Reading
BE ACTIV – MY 2019 UPDATE AND YOUR HELP !
Listen to your heart.Trust the timing of your life. You make it or you break it.If you need to make a decision re: 3. – go back to 1. This process pretty much describes my start-up experience with be active the best. If you like to know more about www.beactivpdx and how it all started, please read these two blog posts. To be honest, I debated almost all year 2018 on what to do with my first ever self-owned business be activ. Despite what I know is right and what I share in my book, I was hoping that a solution would come from somewhere. But as we all know that hardly ever happens and there only certain things that you can sit out. When it comes to crucial business decisions, it is definitely the wrong action to just sit Continue Reading
An Online Concept-Store So Good You Can’t Ignore It: www.hannahey.com
The story of its founder, my friend and maker or breaker: Hannah This is pretty much of one of the only photos of Hannah and me together #notsurewhy. New Year’s Eve We started a lovely tradition a few years ago when her youngest daughter was still a toddler and we both didn’t feel like going somewhere to celebrate the new year. Since then on every year on New Year’s Eve Hannah spends all day in the kitchen and always serves a 5-course menu. We never manage to eat all five courses before midnight because we chat about new and old projects, we eat, we drink, we celebrate our friendship and always just have such a good time. That way, one of the first things we always do a few minutes into the new year: We Continue Reading
My 2018 Recap – 10 Reasons Why It Was the Best Thing Ever Not to Go Back to Work All Year.
It is already Mid of January when you read this, but it took me a while and I needed a moment to find out what my overall take away on 2018 would be. I wrote down my thoughts, looked through all the photos I took in 2018 as well as went through my email inbox.While doing all of that, it became pretty clear to me: The best thing about 2018 was that I did not go back to work. Here is why: THE SECRET OF GETTING AHEAD IS GETTING STARTED One important thing that made this year such a happy and good one for me is that I knew projects that I wanted to do going into this year. I knew that I wanted to write a book, that I wanted to take trips and go.see.do with Lucy and that I wanted to get fit and healthy again. Having these goals in Continue Reading
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started” The story about the wall calendar 2019 and its design.
It was end of October when I was invited to co-host a fundraiser for @newavenues at the @simpleandjustpdx store in Portland. It turned out that, Ryan and Morgan, who used the run the store, were facing a huge life and career changes around this time. I was impressed by their brave, positive, curious and just such a go.see.do attitude towards the upcoming changes. Morgan was excited about a new job opportunity in Portland. Ryan had just started her own business as a designer @littlepainterlady. Her goal is to work as an independent designer for all kinds of stationary projects (wedding invites 2019 anybody?) and all the fun stuff that comes with it. I knew that the timing to share my book with them was perfect, but I was even more Continue Reading
Holiday Shopping Party @ Breighela James! Come celebrate with us!
TREAT YOURSELF to a new looka new book & a glass of wineWEDNESDAYNOVEMBER 7th5-8 PM Breighela James Boutique, 4220 N Williams Ave, Portland 97211 Maika Janat has been a client of ours since year one! She has become a dear friend and we are constantly amazed by all she does. In September she launched an incredible book we all should read and buy for everyone on our holiday shopping lists: Go.See.Do.10 Life-Changing Quotes to be Successful as a Young Professional. We were talking casually last week about her book making the perfect gift! So of course, the three of us ladies decided to throw a holiday shopping party!We can't wait for you to meet her! Xx Aubri & Bre SEE YOU WEDNESDAY Continue Reading
How BE ACTIV came to life….or simply: DON’T OVERTHINK IT.
I didn’t know what to expect when a client asked me to meet him for happy hour to share an idea with me. It was a typical rainy evening, and he had already arrived when I entered the cozy restaurant in NW Portland. He was a bit nervous and hesitant to share, so he launched into small talk. I finally told him I couldn’t help him if he wouldn’t share his idea with me. His idea was to create a mobile fitness concept. He had done tons of research and analysis about what keeps people from moving and what barriers prevent them from working out. His analysis revealed the problem, and he had created a business idea based on it. A fitness van or trailer would arrive at participants’ homes where they could work out with friends or neighbors. Once Continue Reading
Hi, I am Andrea!
“Why don’t you meet me at my hotel?” I think a lot of people have experienced that question trying to arrange a meeting with Andrea Michaels. I think I have met Andrea in more places all over the world than in Los Angeles, where she and her agency, Extraordinary Events, are based. It must have been around `09 when I first met Andrea in person. My boss back then described her as a pretty lady, super important U.S. client, and just a great person I needed to meet. Continue Reading
A little getaway: California, Manhattan Beach. Hermosa Beach.
One of the great gifts that comes with living in Portland is that whenever you need a break from the rain ( which most of us probably feel like especially this winter) you can easily hop on plane and spend some days in sunny California. This is exactly what we did last week and besides all the good things you know about getaways like taking a break from life and relaxing for a couple of days, it amazes me how much the combination of sunshine, oceans and beaches adds to it. At least for me. As always we never have a plan when heading anywhere because we hardly ever have time to come up with one before and secondly because we like to explore. Have fun day dreaming while reading our experience and #placestobe we got to explore and that Continue Reading