We Moved!

Over the past several months I was working day and night on a complete site redesign and migration to Wordpress. I really wanted to customize my design and have more flexibility in my plugin options, so I thought it was time to make the switch. I quickly found out that a complete overhaul of my blog was going to take WAY longer and include MUCH more work than I anticipated. I'm thankful for my brother in law who was able to help with coding my website and make design decisions (color, font, layout), and for Food Blogger Pro who has over 100 hundred videos that walk you through the migration process from Blogger to Wordpress as well as other key tricks to making your blog look good. I highly suggest FBP (It's not just for food bloggers! It covers all the basics any blogger should know.) to anyone who is looking to improve their blog, whether it's photography or a redesign.

After many months of long hours and hard work, I'm so proud of how my new blog turned out! It's still the same content, just prettier and in a new location :) I hope you will head on over to Hammer and Heels and check out the new blog! Please leave me a comment and let me know how I did.

Don't forget to follow my new blog on Bloglovin' here!

Secrets to a Relaxing Beach House (Without the Beach)

I'm a summer girl. My birthday is in August (next week!!), the days are long, temperatures are hot, and the grass is green. So many good memories come from summertime. Growing up my friends and I loved boating and I still go any chance I get. There's something to be said about basking in the sun and the wind in your hair. With boating outings happening less and less these days, I like to bring the beach to my home. OK, not literally. But summer is on its way out (how is that even possible??) so I like to cherish the days and make my home feel like a summer retreat, beach or not.

With just a few key elements, your home will feel like a relaxing getaway!

Bright White
White walls, bedding, and furniture create the perfect foundation for cool blues and warm wood finishes for a cohesive look.

Raw Wood Elements
The casual and rustic elements of raw wood chairs, tables, and floors add the organic, weathered feel you'd find outdoors.

Shades of Blue
Incorporate a range of blues in your textiles, decor, and furniture, but balance out the cool colors with warm wood accents.

Woven Designs
Rattan, seagrass rugs, woven blinds and furniture add a casual beach chic aesthetic.

Stripes
The versatile stripe is effortlessly beachy and preppy in everything from rugs to pillows and wallpaper to window treatments.

I've been tediously working on my blog redesign for about three months perfecting a new logo, colors, layout, and more so you have the best experience here at H&H. I'm happy to (finally) announce the full blog reveal will be August 1st at a whole new website, so come back here Friday to check out the new bells and whistles.

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The Best Conversation Starter

My inbox is flooded with e-mail subscriptions. I love getting mail, and with so many talented business women/entrepreneurs/creatives out there with newsletters, I always subscribe so I don't miss a thing. I get everything from marketing tips to networking advice to how to manage finances. While emails do take time to filter through (right now I have about 40 unread!), I always come away with a little nugget of new information. The other day I was reading Kate Northrup's e-mail where she shared a story about her and a friend at a launch party. Kate's friend came up to her with the best conversation starter I've heard yet, "What are you most excited about right now?" We've all been to events where the very first question out of everyone's mouth is, "What do you do?" Though an important networking question (let's be honest),  I love the idea of starting a conversation with something a little more personal, less business. You know, so you can actually get to know the person. You might even catch the person off guard (in a good way)!

As I was reading Kate's e-mail, I started thinking about what's going on in my life that I'm most excited about. This summer has been such an experience. I'm glad I had the chance to live in California and experience a fast-paced big city. Visiting is fun, but you never get the chance to fully immerse yourself in a city until you've stayed for a couple months. While I've adjusted quite easily, I do miss a few things about home. Ample parking being one of them. In August my boyfriend is finally making his way out West and visiting for the first time. I'm excited for a fun trip to Lake Tahoe and hanging out like we're used to. What are you most excited about right now?

Try asking someone next time you strike up a conversation!

The new LPF Magazine is out and I'm in it (along with some other blogger friends :)) The issue is full of fun summer ideas, an inspiring weight loss story, and my tips for decorating on a budget. Read it here.

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My California Home

I promised a tour of my home here in California, so here it is! I played around with YouTube and thought I could pull off a really cool video of the space without ever working with video before. I failed. Miserably. Those YouTube beauty gurus sure know what they're doing! You guys, it's hard stuff to make a video that isn't blurry and horribly edited and I admire anyone that can do it (tell me your secrets!) I'm so impressed with 14 year olds that have it figured out. So, I saved you from a blurry video and I'm sharing bright, pretty photos instead.

Summer Layers

If I have learned one thing from a summer in California, it's dress in layers. The Bay Area consists of many microclimates with drastically varying temperatures. One minute it's sunny and 70 degrees, the next it's windy and 55 degrees. It's sounds dreamy, but it definitely makes for a challenge in my daily style. One I'm happily willing to tackle.

Shop You Should Know {Parc Boutique}

One of my favorite things about Instagram is the ability to discover unique and beautiful shops. I'm constantly stumbling over new shops and pretty Instagram accounts I hadn't known before. Ah, the power of social media. Recently I came across Parc Boutique. Based in Minneapolis, they are a shop for the modern and minimalist. Located only a couple hours from my hometown, I definitely need to make a trip back to the city just to check them out in person. 

I mentioned earlier that I'm drawn to modern, neutral styles lately. I'm in a bit of a transition and shying away from my usual brights to more muted and chic designs. Parc Boutique has modern and clean written all over it and I am OBSESSED. They nailed it on the head with a perfectly curated boutique of beautiful jewelry, clothing, and pretty packaged products. And if you are looking for some inspiration (who isn't?) then you should check out their Instagram, like now. Thao is a creative genius and I'm totally stalking their account for styling tips. 

The Chock Block Copper Necklace, Leather Bracelets, Horse Watch, Linear Earrings, Soy Candle, and White Vest are a few of my favorites from the shop, though honestly I wanting everything. 

Do you have a favorite shop you think I would love? I want to hear about it! 

All images via Parc Boutique Instagram

Obsession

Do you look at Tumblr? I know I'm wayyy behind the times here, but I'm now just getting lost in the incredible Tumblr world. I don't know what it is, but there are thousands of Tumblrs out there with the most amazing photography. I like using it as inspiration. What are your favorite Tumblr accounts?

Happy Friday! Tomorrow is a full day of shooting for Apartment 34 -- I always learn the best styling tips!

Image via

Decorating with Branches

One of my jobs as a kid was picking up branches. We lived on a farm with a grove of trees, so every spring we had to pick up branches off the ground so we could mow the lawn. Though the job was tedious and I always dreaded it, my dad offered us one cent for each branch we picked up as an incentive. It sounded like a great deal at the time, considering how many branches were strew around.

I love the feeling of natural elements inside a home.

Little Lessons

It was Saturday morning in Oakland. A number of creators and makers set up stands displaying their proudest collections of things for sale. Pretty stone rings, woven blankets, and vintage purses were waiting for someone to snatch them up. After briefly meeting one of the shop owners and exchanging business cards, I was complimented on my necklace. I thanked her and she followed with the usual question, "who makes it?" I was attending an event that celebrates small businesses and the handmade. So I proceeded to answer her question with my honest answer, American Eagle. The raised eyebrow staring back at me was a bit surprising. Should I not have told the truth?

Happy Friday!

On Saturday we're going to the launch party of the new book, This Is Oakland. It's a book that explores the best boutiques, shops, restaurants, and bars that make Oakland the fun and culturally diverse city that it is. I've had the chance to visit a few shops here and there, but I can't wait to wander around the beautiful stores this weekend. The photos in the book are amazing and I'm itching all week to check them out in person.

Have a great weekend! Stay tuned next week for a new video (If I can figure out how to make it not so blurry after I upload it. Any ideas?) I'm really trying to get back on schedule and post every Monday, Wednesday, Friday like I used to. Life is busy but I miss posting more frequently. I'm also finishing up the final touches to the new website so I can finally share it with you guys! 

Images via

Domino Nails Summer Style

I have always loved magazines. When I was in 7th grade I subscribed to Lucky magazine when it first came out. Mostly because my older sister read it, so naturally that meant I should to. Turned out I loved the magazine and currently am a happy subscriber. These days I have less free time to sit down and read my favorites, but this past weekend I picked up the summer Domino issue. You must g`o get your pretty little hands on an issue NOW.

Transition

Today was my first week as the marketing intern at Apartment 34 and I am still pinching myself that I get to work with such amazingly talented people! It was a great work week with fun people and I'm so excited for upcoming projects and just learning the ropes. Refinery29 showed a sneak peek of Apartment 34's office this week, so if you haven't already you can check out where I'm spending time this summer :) And yes, it is just as gorgeous in person as it is in photos. Erin, the founder of Apartment 34, has mastered the modern design and I'm so obsessed with her clean and airy aesthetic.

Big News

As you know I have been working on a blog design for the past month now. It's time to step up my design game and have a professional website with my own domain. The plan is to finish it in the next few weeks! It's been fun working on the project, but I'm getting anxious to show it to you all! While I redesign my site, I'm also thinking about new ways to approach blogging and bring new, exciting content every week. Part of my reason for posting less on here lately is not only because of my busy schedule and moving headache, but also because I want to be more conscious about what I'm posting. I want you all to the love the content, and  I want as much of it as possible to be original. Which of course is also the most time-consuming to create.

Generation Beauty Recap + Swag Bag Haul

The goods

My favorites

Hello again! It's officially been one week since moving out West to California for the summer. Honestly, it seems like I have been here longer than a week. I'm coming off a great weekend and apparently I got a little excited when writing the recap and got a little carried away...so I will forewarn you this post is quite long. Those strictly interested in the swag bag haul might want to jump to the bottom. For those of you interested in my life story...read on :)

My sister and brother-in-law's home is spacious and comfortable (and well-decorated might I add. I'll give you a tour soon!) so I'm fitting right in. They have a small spare room where I keep my stuff, but it was used as a storage room before so it needs a little reorganizing. My decorating instincts are coming out so I'm already brainstorming organization ideas to save on space in the small room.

During the day I'm found working on the Powder Room app from home and running errands with my brother-in-law, Chris. I've already been to a few delicious restaurants and eat out more than I did in a whole month in Iowa. There are just so many good options and it's part of experiencing the city, right? Last Friday I had a job interview in San Francisco, but got lost for about an hour and walked up and down the same street looking for a nonexistent address. Turns out I was given the wrong address for the interview, but on the plus side I was able to see more of the city and came across some beautiful homes.

Friday night my sister and I flew to LA for the Generation Beauty event to promote Powder Room and meet bloggers. My sister, Ida, is the co-founder of Powder Room, and despite being ten years apart, we have similar tastes and interests so it's fun getting to work with her. The Powder Room website launched this weekend so be sure to check it out and sign up for updates so you can participate in beta testing when we are ready to launch!

Friday night my sister and I flew to LA for the Generation Beauty event to promote Powder Room and meet bloggers. My sister, Ida, is the co-founder of Powder Room, and despite being ten years apart, we have similar tastes and interests so it's fun getting to work with her. The Powder Room website launched this weekend so be sure to check it out and sign up for updates so you can participate in beta testing when we are ready to launch!

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect at Generation Beauty. I had never attended a beauty conference before, nor had I traveled to LA. When we arrived at the event that morning the whole place was buzzing with excitement. Music was blaring and hundreds of girls were beaming and dolled up, ready to chat about all things beauty. I'm aware of the YouTube phenomenon and have my favorite vloggers I turn to for beauty advice, but you can't fully understand the capacity of YouTubers until you experience it first hand. These are young women, some top vloggers as young as 14, that love makeup and managed to build a huge following by being honest, fun, and genuine in their videos. The event attendants in general skewed below the age of 21, and it's incredible to see how many impressionable teenagers are flocking to beauty. They certainly know way more about makeup than I did at that age. It's truly inspiring knowing the whole Generation Beauty event was created because of YouTube bloggers. In today's society more and more are turning to bloggers for advice on makeup and beauty, and turning less to brands and traditional marketing.

Throughout the two-day event we stood in lines, chatted with brands, got our hair braided, and tested some amazing, new products. We also had the chance to meet Josie Maran, the founder of Josie Maran Cosmetics. She had fantastic advice for budding entrepreneurs. She invited us to sit on the ground in a circle as she opened the floor to questions. You can't get any cooler than that, and now I'm coming away with more respect and maybe even a little biased towards her natural products. What can I say, her down-to-earth boho personality is contagious. We also met Michelle Phan (who we embarrassingly towered over), the most poised and respectful woman despite being hugely successful. Even after the line kept growing and growing, she never turned down fans during the meet and greet.

The event was inspiring to say the least after witnessing the power of video and how it's given people amazing opportunities to share their opinions with millions of viewers. Of course, I can't talk about Generation Beauty and not mention the swag bags. All of the brands at the event provided products for swag bags that were given at the end of both days. I've never seen so many girls make a mad dash like that before.

While I'm not a beauty blogger, I did want to share with you some of my favorite products from the swag bag. We received about 40 products and based on my first impressions, these are my favorites.
The EM Cosmetics lipsticks by Michelle Phan are super creamy and moisturizing. The Dirty Girl mask by Pur Minerals instantly made my skin clear and really soft the next morning. Cream blushes are huge lately, and while I'm still mastering the application, they have serious payout in color. So I don't make this post any longer than it already is, let me know if you have specific questions about products and I'll cover them in more detail.

Living Room Progress

Today is the day! I'm flying to San Francisco today and starting my summer adventure there working on an exiting beauty app. Stay tuned for app updates in the coming months. I can't wait to share it with you all and get your feedback! We already have a jam-packed schedule starting the moment I get to SF which is exciting jumping right in! This weekend I'll be in LA for the Generation Beauty Event by Ipsy meeting tons of beauty bloggers (hello Michelle Phan!) and networking. Follow along on Instagram and Twitter for tons of photos. But before I fly out, I want to give you a look at the living room progress in my house in Iowa. I won't get to decorate the house for a few months while I'm gone, so I was running around like crazy trying to finish the main projects.