My name is Mijanne and I am a people pleaser. I have always been this way. I am always worried about what everyone thinks. And making sure everyone else is happy. I never say no. Like really never. I have this fear if I say no someone wont like me or I will disappoint them. And to me disappointed someone is like the end of the world to me. I will pack my schedule so tight so that I am always watching my clock. I am constantly 2-3 minutes late to everything because I forgot about drive time. I have meetings, lunch dates, hang out times that last only about an hour until I have to get to the next one. And that is just my social life. When I work its even worse. Because I continue this life after I get off of being on set for 17 hours and I am exhausted but I still feel this need to see people. Again you might think that I am just super busy and great a time management. Wrong! I suck! Because of my inability to say no I just say yes. With no thoughts. There is never a time where I say “one moment let me check my calendar” or even think for five seconds. Its like the word no can not form on my tongue. So in turn I say yes all the time and I just figured it out. Which results in me being over committed or letting someone down because I have to change plans. I had a big slap in the face last Tuesday about this when I let down my fellow nourish ladies because I over committed. In the end I keep learning that I am actually disappointing people more because I am tired when I get that small amount of time with them, or I have canceled with them, or they are on such a tight schedule with me that they don’t feel like they can have an actual relationship with me. So I know that January is almost over but my new years resolution is to say no. And maybe you should try it too. When you are making your calendar for the week make sure you schedule in time for yourself. Time where you can read or sleep, go to the gym, maybe bake. Things that give you life. Don’t forget about them because those will allow you to have healthier relationships with others because you are healthy yourself.

Cupcakes are my favorite variation of cake for a number of reasons:

1. They are the perfect portion
2. You can get super creative decorating
3. When decorating, you can mess up without ruining your entire presentation
4. Everyone loves a personal dessert
5. You can mix and match flavors to suit everyone’s taste
6. Of course cupcakes don’t take as long to bake as a sheet cake
7. And, they are a great representation of life’s sweet moments

Last night, a number of friends and I celebrated our friend Reagan’s birthday. This meant that I spent my afternoon baking lots of cupcakes. From mixing the batter to placing the final sprinkled-marshmallow-flower-petal on top, the entire process was mouth watering. It is those cupcakes that have inspired this post.

Please enjoy some delicious photos I have in my cupcake arsenal. So many tasty memories are housed here!

Reagan's party cakes and the inspiration for today's post

My original cupcake partner-in-crime, Kaci. We <3 Cupcakes!

Lil Ariza Monster Cupcakes made by Lizzy and Melissa. So cute!

3 Lil Monsters. One of my favorite photos ever!

Flower cupcakes for Lizzy's bridal shower.

Tie dye cupcakes for Lizzy's baby shower two years later!

It's a legitimate tradition.

Cupcakes Down Under! Sunday in Sydney with the gorgeous Courtney Ezra.

Celebratory Chicago Cupcakes!

Witchy Cakes. Duh.

Told ya we love cupcakes.

Post-10K Snickerdoodle & S'more cupcakes courtesy of Mijanne of Frenchie & Guido.

Kara's Cupcakes in San Francisco.

A little SF cupcake action in honor of Kaci.

Now, go make some cupcakes with a side of sweet memories!

Last night I was awakened to a simple, yet significant need in my life: FOCUS. Not just focus, in general, but an intentional focus on God. If I’m honest, I spend the majority of my days with great focus: on work, on friends, on my personal well-being, on my immediate physical needs & desires. In a world full of ADD and ADHD, I would say that I am quite effective at focusing, in fact.

So, no, last night was not about discovering focus, but learning HOW and on WHAT to focus. In its most tangible form, focus has to do with our eyes, with concentrating our vision on a certain subject. As I thought about this, and how it related to focusing on God, I began to wonder how it all really works. What in our brains stimulates the inner working of our eyes to focus on a certain object? What does it take, physically, to keep that focus? How many actions and reactions are going on in our brains to do so?

With all of this in mind, I emailed my friend and ophthalmologist Joel. He’s real smart and great at explaining eyeballs. He did a thorough job at answering each of my queries with great detail, but there were a few simple facts that caught my attention in particular.

“The eye, when it is anatomically correct (either born that way or surgically corrected to be) is already focused when looking at at distant object,” and in contrast, “when looking at something up close, it requires more focusing power to keep it sharp.” Now, these two statements make sense when I think about experiences using my own two eyes. Just think about the struggle to focus on your own nose. What struck me is that this same simple logic can be used when setting our focus on God.

Cole used the analogy of the arcade driving game to illustrate a similar point last night. When we spend time and energy focusing on the little minutiae of our everyday lives, the work is hard and tiresome. We develop presbyopia, a deterioration of our eyes’ focusing power. It is only when we back away from our selves, and our worldly concerns, that we begin to clearly & effortlessly see what it is on which we should place our focus. It is through a broadening and selfless perspective that we allow our eyes to land on their natural focus: God.

It is no small wonder that God made these eyes that naturally focus on Him. His desire is for our whole selves. He wants not only our eyes, but our hearts and minds and full bodies as well.

Romans 11:36
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Supplies Needed:

Paint sample cards from your local hardware store: $0

Canvas- I used two (2) 16”x20” canvases: $5.99 for both

Mod Podge- Matte: $5.79

Sponge Brush: $.79

colors & stripes and galore!

best to lay it out before committing to positioning!

mod podge working its magic!

finished product sure to inspire rainbow-colored dreams!

who wouldn't want one of these?!

My taste  level and affinity for tie dye have come a long way since the mid-90′s, as have my desires to create tie dyed masterpieces of my own. Here’s a photographic account of my first tie dyeing experience at the ripe, old age of 23. About time, right!?  

just getting started...

not a dr. seuss book, but a shirt being tie dyed!

hang-dry tie dye

everyone should run a 5k and wear tie dye on thanksgiving!

Of course, all obsessions must be dealt with in moderation, so I tend to delight in the little tie dye pleasures that are incorporated into my every day. 

why not have a tie dyed house key?

highest bidder on this Hurley Art Chest silent auction piece

tie dye and abraham lincoln. double victory!

 There are many scarves not picture here, but, trust me, they’re the most efficient and tasteful way to wear such ostentatious accessories.  So tell me, what’s your latest obsession? I sure hope it’s as much fun as mine with tie dye! 

tie dye heaven found at the long beach farmers' market!

One of God’s greatest gifts to us, His children, is the ability to experience joy. Try reading that definition again, really absorbing its meaning, without smiling.  It’s difficult, isn’t it? For me, the best part of experiencing joy is that it can be triggered by slightest shift in perspective–turning a dreary morning into the perfect palate for introspection or emotional void into an opportunity to hear from the Lord.

Stirred by a recent, impromptu visit to Orlando, I find myself filled with overwhelming joy.  There’s no explanation save the fact that I was surrounded for four days by the people I love, the community my heart aches for, the intense Florida heat, and my precious dog.  To count my blessings would take days and to praise God for his faithfulness is a lifelong commitment I have made.

It is my prayer that everyone may experience the pure, unbiased, uninhibited, uncontainable joys that life has to offer. In my recent bombardment of great delight, I searched “pure joy” in Google images. Below are some of my favorites. Note that the majority of them picture a child. I think this is an excellent illustration of the inherent innocence of a joyful experience. EnJOY!

“²Consider it PURE JOY, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” -James 1: 2-3

One of my newest hobbies is jewelry-making. Thanks to my wonderful roommate Sandi, I’ve learned lots about wire wrapping, beading, and overall splendor-making.  It’s silly to think that it took me so long to try this new craft, but I was honestly intimidated. There are some pretty industrial tools needed to make such delicate pieces! Fortunately, I took the plunge and am honing my new skills. I’ve even started to sell some of my pieces on Etsy. Here’s a look at my jewelry journey courtesy of my handy dandy iPhone.

the first pair of earrings i made with sandi's help!

pliers and wires and chains, oh my!

sometimes you just need a dog to help you

the key to my heart made with my hands

This new hobby of mine has certainly become a relaxing way to get in touch with my creative side. There’s lots more to come and many gifts to be given, so stay tuned!

WOW!! This is borderline crazy now! Ok ok, maybe isn’t so crazy seeing that we all work for the same apparel company…

Regardless, it’s still pretty sweet and I like to show off my friends and their love for the same fashions. So, here’s to another day of twin spotting at Hurley! 

Scooter and KP rep customer service hard.

**UPDATE!** Well, wouldn’t ya know, there was another twin spotting at Hurley HQ on this Cinco de Mayo, 2009! 

pro surfer Pat O'Connell and pro SVP of marketing chance king look positively adorable in their gingham Hurley threads!

…And while I’m at it, I was reminded today of a pretty classic case of the twinsies. Some of my best friends Kaci & Daniel met some more best friends Melissa & Ian for dinner one night last year only to find out that Kaci and Melissa we wearing the exact same thing. Wait, it gets better. Not only were the girls dressed alike, but Melissa & Ian were thrilled to tell the Ariza’s that Melissa was pregnant at the same time as Kaci!! Talk about some awesome similarities! I’m happy to say that they’ve both since given birth to two of the most handsome baby boys on the planet!

pregnant twins comparing striped bellies!

For some reason, I just really enjoy when people are accidentally dressed like one another. Take a look at the latest twin spotting going on at Hurley. Precious!

Ok, so this last one didn’t actually happen on the same day, nor at Hurley HQ….but they both are wearing one of my favorite all time Hurley dresses. 

Jessica Biel & Rachel Bilson in US Weekly May 11, 2009

Every so often I have the chance to sift through magazines at work. It comes with the territory of working in PR and I sometimes have the pleasure of coming across images that make me happy. Some inspire and some provoke, some simply tickle my fancy, yet they all make me smile. They all make me happy. Please enjoy. 

splitting stripes in some of my favorite colors.

splatter paint. i love it. maybe you do too.

shoe island. rad.

draping gowns and cotton candy hair.

juxtaposition of modern steel hand palming a european castle.

living in the lap of jewel-toned luxury

have you?

a day in the life of dkny's sole print designer

queen rania of jordan. simply stunning.