Countdown to BLOGHER-It starts with the hair...

I am SO excited about the Blogher conference! Somehow having it in my own hometown makes it extra special. Of course there's the seminars, and the parties-but what I'm looking forward to most is meeting the bloggers I've been following and chatting with for years. If you're coming to Blogher, you've probably noticed that the conference chatter always leads to "What are you going to wear?"

If you read my previous post, you know that I'll be wearing Jockey Person to Person, since they're sponsoring me to attend Blogher.  I don't know exactly what I'll be wearing yet, since my wardrobe is coming from the Fall Collection which becomes available only a few days before the conference. SUSPENSE! This has made it a little challenging to plan very important things like shoes and jewelry, so I decided to start with the hair.

I get a lot of questions about my hair! I guess short hair is still pretty unusual? I went short about 12 years ago because I have a TON of hair and when it was long it 1. Gave me headaches and 2. Never dried. When I lived in the NYC metro area I got my hair cut at Bumble and Bumble in Manhattan (which was awesome) but after we moved back to San Diego, I had a very hard time finding someone to tame the mane. One day I was flipping though a fashion spread in San Diego Magazine and I loved the hair on all the models, so I looked up the stylist and made an appointment. And that's how I found Lisa.

Lisa @Saylula Salon (I designed that desk!)

No one else has touched my hair with a sharp implement in over 9 years. I never tell Lisa "I want you to..." because frankly? She knows about hair and I don't. I completely trust her to do her thing. I've followed her to at least 4 different salons, including her own, Saylula, which we designed together.

I'd put off getting this haircut for aaaaages, mostly because (if you follow me on twitter you know) I've had a very busy summer! My hair is out of control-let's just say I've been wearing a lot of hats! Here I am before:

And here I am after:

Is this the hair style I'll be sporting with my Jockey P2P? You'll have to wait for the tweets to find out!


Thanks Lisa, you're the BEST! If you're in the SD area and want an appointment with Lisa, just contact her at 619-702-6592 or email her at saylula@gmail.com.


Are YOU coming to Blogher? If so, I hope we can meet!
 
Wishing you love with extra cheese-
Nacho Mama

DIY Publicity Workshop at Crafty Chica's Site

Image by Kathy Cano-Murillo via TheCraftyChica.blogspot.com

 

As some of you may be aware, I've spent the last 4 weeks taking an absolutely fabulous online class with Kathy Cano-Murillo (aka Crafty Chica!) and 38 wonderfully creative ladies. The lessons and their feedback have truly enriched my whole approach to my work and this blog (most visibly in my full bio and my new Facebook page). Something about having the class environment really gave me the push to take care of many loose ends that I'd been putting off and helped me see what I was doing from a new perspective. If you ever have the opportunity to take a course with Kathy, I hope you DO, you won't be sorry!

You can read more about the course and meet my awesome classmates HERE.

Best. Summer school. Ever.

What are you hoping to learn this summer?

Wishing you love with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama

The Perfect Vacation Wardrobe: 6 garments, 100+ LOOKS!

Ok-so I have a basic philosophy that all a woman needs in her wardrobe is "Ten Easy Pieces". 10 pieces that all work together and can be mixed and matched to create a month's worth of outfits. Does that seem impossible?

Then let's start small. With what I call the "vacation" wardrobe. SIX sassy pieces, that can be mixed and matched to create at least two week's worth of outfits. I'll be illustrating this concept using pieces from this season's collection by Jockey Person to Person (who are sponsoring me to attend Blogher-thanks JockeyP2P!) but you can benefit from these basic principles no matter where you shop!

 

FIRST: Pick 3 colors: a light color (in this case white), a dark color (in this case chocolate brown) and an accent color (in this case coral).

SECOND: Choose 2 tops, 2 bottoms, 1 dress and 1 piece of outerwear. Here I've chosen a sleeveless top, a short sleeve top, a cardigan, some pants, a dress and a pair of capris.

THIRD: Pick some fun accessories to dress the outfits up or down.

That's IT. Really!

From the 6 pieces shown above, you can create 4 outfits by wearing each top with each bottom. The dress can be worn by itself. Add the cardigan to each outfit and the dress and you get 5 more looks. That's a minimum or 10 looks from these six pieces, BUT-the Modal Cardigan can be worn at least twenty different ways!* Put all these variables together, and you get at least one hundred different looks from these 6 garments!! All these pieces together cost $340. That's only $3.40 PER OUTFIT.

So there you have it, 6 easy pieces for a stylish, versatile wardrobe. This is a "universal" concept that works for all ages, sizes and shapes. You can use even if you're shopping in your own closet!  But just in case you're interested in the pieces I used in the example, here are their names, prices and where you can find them in the Jockey P2P catalog:

1. Modal Blend Cardigan, $79, pg.6
2. Princess Seam Dress, $68, pg.3
3. Ruched Wide Strap Tank, $39, pg.5
4. Capri Pant, $54, pg.9
5. Lace Print Tee, $42, pg.21
6. Textured Crop Pant, $58, pg.21
(and btw? All these pieces are machine-washable!)
NOTE: The pieces listed here are from the Jockey P2P Fall 2011 Collection


So that's the basic idea. I'd love to know what you think!

Wishing you love and STYLE with extra cheese-
Nacho Mama

*Don't believe me about that cardigan? Check out this video!  Jockey P2P head designer Sunil Ramchandani (who is even more charming and fun in person!) demonstrates just some of the ways this versatile piece can be worn. And please like Jockey Person to Person on Facebook -tell 'em Nacho Mama sent you!

Disclosure: I am being sponsored to attend Blogher 2011 by Jockey Person to Person but have not been compensated in any way for this post. The opinions expressed here are my own-honest!

My new post at San Diego Momfia: Learning from an Architect's Home

My latest post for San Diego Momfia is a profile of the home of architect Jim Gates and his family. The 1916 cottage has gotten a makeover and is now a comfy habitat for Jim, wife Lara, their twins and 2 bunnies! The couple have some good tips for living with kids and pets, click HERE to read the full article.

 

Wishing you love with extra cheese-

Nacho Mama