Ikea Love

ikea home goods by hilarybadger featuring a whistling teakettle


Straws // Tea Strainer //  Chest // Cart //  TeaKettle // French Press //  Basket //  Glass Container // Cream & Sugar // Glass Water Container //  Food Storage Container // Small Spice Containers 

I am super in love with all things Scandinavian.  You know this. 

Therefore I'm sure you have also assumed my deep love and affection for Ikea.

While nothing is certain on where I will be living or working, I am SO certain about what I will be purchasing from Ikea.  I'm ready to make this happen; big time.  I can't help but scope out Pinterest for ideas and DIY's for my future apartment.  What I am wondering is what everyone's go-to is for first apartment essentials?  While I am inheriting some furniture from my parents, I am wondering what I should do about the rest of it...

Follow Hilary's board apartment on Pinterest.


Do you own any Ikea furnishings? 

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Bayside Bride Reunion!

In the Fall semester of 2011 I was the social media intern for Bayside Bride, an amazing wedding blog that is now one of the top 50 wedding blogs in the world.  Let that sink in for a second.  Think of all of the Pinterest boards and blog devoted to 'the happiest day of your life.'  These ladies of the Chesapeake are doing amazing things and I am so lucky to be a part of the Bayside Bride family. 

Natalie Frank Hayes, the cofounder of Bayside Bride invited those of us who had interned with her throughout the years to her house for networking, nibbles, and great conversation.  It was amazing to connect with the girls that I had interned with, sent emails to, followed on social media, but had never met IRL in real life!  The little get together came at the end of a two day marathon of meetings in DC and while I was tired of driving, traveling, and sharing my story, it was one of the best decisions I could have made to slap a smile on and go!  

Being greeted by Natalie with a arms open wide and a big smile was such a relief as I was a tad nervous connecting with girls I had only read about.  I made a Smart Girls connection right away with a past intern that attends Fordham University with our founder, Emily Raleigh. 

I met the ever lovely Kate Ann Morris of Kate Ann Photography  and hopefully will be collaborating with her for this little blog #fingerscrossed. 

We missed Bayside co-founder Krista A. Jones, but you have to check out her work.  She is incredible! Also, be sure to check out their amazing workshop that Krista and Natalie will be hosting this summer with Caitlin Moran of Glitter Guide, Janelle Diamond of Baltimore Bride, and Staci Lanham of Baltimore magazine.  

Be sure to follow/like/love Bayside Bride on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, & Instagram !

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Shailene Woodley

I am so fascinated with Shailene Woodley. 

She is the hippiest of the hippies & I find it so interesting.  She has every chance to be a typical Hollywood starlet & rejects all of it on a daily basis. 

1. The 21 Most Feminist Things Shailene Woodley Has Ever Said

2. Shailene Woodley and Brie Larson Are Out To Conquer Hollywood - And Fix It.
3. "When I started thinking about acting, I was like, ‘Why do I love it so much? Why do I feel so fueled from it?’ And I realized it’s because when I see most films, I leave feeling affected and inspired and emotionally captivated. And all of that has to be based in truth.”
4. "You forget that you do choose your life and there are so many things to be grateful for and I feel like society has gotten to that point where we’re always looking for the next and the better and we lose sight of what’s actually in front of us."
5. “For me, one of the things that I'm so passionate about in life is empowering young girls to reconnect with their personal power. There's this trend in society where, up till The Hunger Games, which was 1 of the very first young adult series that did this, it was usually the damsel in distress, or the girl possessing to change herself for love…there are a lot of motion pictures where a person falls in adore with a person else primarily based purely on attraction, and there's no depth, and no conversation. It just feeds the fire of materialism, and feeds the fire of make up, and false attire, and whatnot. The one particular point I truly loved about Divergent is that Tris is a heroine and fights for what she believes in, is passionate about it, and is prepared to threat her life for the higher good of humanity, but also, the relationship amongst her and Theo. I really feel quite proud to be a portion of a franchise that doesn't exploit young adore, and doesn't exploit what that implies, and genuinely treats it tenderly. They're far more partners than they are lovers, and for me, that's what I want in my life.”

How do you feel about Shailene? 

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#IAmThatGirl Pt. 2

I fell head over heels because of these words by the fabulous Alexis Jones when reading the next 100 pages of I Am That Girl.  Here are the ones that captivated my heart.

"I realized that when we have truly built a reputation on making good decisions, of unbridled self-discipline, unwavering work ethic with a strong moral compass, that in spite of circumstance and temptation, people are willing to invest in us." // 104

"You attract what you are." // 105

"You have so many gifts to offer this world and you owe it to yourself (and to all of us) to be remarkable today." // 108

"I believe in a world where girls empower girls, a world in which we are each other's biggest supporters and our greatest cheerleader, a world where we are taught to celebrate one another's gifts, not to be threatened by them." // 134

"...fight for something that doesn't make sense to anyone but you." // 134

"...magic lives where fear and magic intersect."  // 137

"Being the captain of your ship is a power that most people dream of, but never have the guts to take, and that can make them resentful." // 140

"I do know that life is not too short, but rather, far too long for you to waste another day not seeking out every adventure calling your name." // 147

"In that space, I'm able to connect with the best parts of me, to really see me in all her infinite brilliance."  // 165

"And that requires digging deep into your soul on a daily basis and making the choice to be joyful, not because you have the perfect job, found the love of your life, or won the lottery, but because you chose to be that way." // 168

"Being an optimist is not the same as being naive or ignorant, in fact, it takes far more discipline to extend tolerance over judgement, faith over fear, and love over hate."  // 187

"Be a source of light - that is the real test of living well." // 187

"The reality is that the greatest map we have to our life's awesome quest is actually imprinted inside the walls of our heart, and the constellation of stars guiding us along our journey are the phenomenal people we are surrounded by."  // 199

"My identity is more found in who I love than in who I feel I need to be.  I can smoothly answer, 'I don't know,' and find power in my acceptance of the grandness and enormity of this beautiful life and my beautiful, learning mind."  - Yvonne Randolph 101 

What inspiration have you sought out after today?  Share it in the comments below :) 

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3x3

Matt Corby // Made of Stone

Gabrielle Aplin // the English Rain full album

The Knocks // Dreaming

x

Andrew Garfield & Emma Stone being fantastic 

African Asylum Seekers Travel Through South America

Hillary Clinton: The Fresh Air Interview

x

White on White 

Aztec Dress

Anthropologie Mandarine dress

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3x3

Barnaby Bright // Castle Rock

This 8 Tracks playlist 

XO cover by John Mayer

Occupy New Space // Hannah Brencher

Call Your Girlfriend // Ann Friedman 

Evidence of Racial, Gender Bias Found In Faculty Mentoring

The perfect summer look

the blue&white trend

parisian poor little it girl outfit 

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Old Art

Going through all of my belongings once I moved home was definitely a sweet moment.  

Reading all of the letters, notes, cards, newspaper clippings, etc of accomplishments, celebrations, and heartbreaks of past was a great way to reflect on the last 8 years.  

One thing that I did find that was especially entertaining was my sketchbook from my honors portfolio class.  

Can I get a #nofilter ?!

I'm just really in love with these bananas.  They were hands down my favorite page in the entire sketchbook.  I believe they were done with Prismacolor Colored Pencils and I think this was on the cover of that set and I just copied it. 

Do you have a piece of art that you especially love that you created?  

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How To: Job Hunt

Second semester of senior year went more quickly than I could have ever imagined.  I felt like I spent more time my fall semester freaked out about the fact that I was going to be in the 'real world' and landing a job.  Looking back, I now know that I should have been more worried about my thesis dissertation, but that's another post for another day.  

I'm in the thick of the job hunt.  Graduating unemployed was my worst fear and I survived.  Still breathing & still searching away!  I know a lot of recent grads in my shoes, so I thought I'd write a post to explain how I'm coping with this new gig, the job hunt gig.  Here are 4 tips to keeping yourself motivated, organized, and on top of you work! 

1. It's a Full Time job - The job hunt IS a full time job.  But actually.  It's something you have to work at every single day.  Whether its sending out emails, doing background research on companies, writing cover letters; it's a lot of work.  

2. Create a routine - It's challenging to create a new routine, especially if you've just moved back home with mom & dad.  At school, I was totally into how I spent my day.  I would typically be up, ready, and out the door at 8 AM and back in my room after dinner or lib time.  It's especially challenging when your parents live at the beach (thanks, Mom & Dad).  There's a beach, bikes, a gym, the pool; so many activities + no homework.  It was easy the first two weeks after graduation to just relax and enjoy, but now I know that I can't do that everyday.  I have tried to schedule a little gym time, pool time, and working hours for my day & it seems to be working!

3. Create a Google Doc/Email Folder - The hours this past year that was spent google searching, LinkedIn browsing, and straight up stalking my favorite organizations and companies for job openings...those are hours I will never get back but boy were they valuable.  Also the amount of jobs that my mom emails me is out of control.  Keep yourself organized by creating a Google Doc on your Google drive with multiple rows.  I organized my own sheet this way: Title, Company, Status, Date Applied, Response, Link, Location, Connection, & Info. 

What helped the most was formatting my Status column by color.  I chose 3 conditions: Research, Communication, & Complete that way I could keep track of where I was in my job search.  It's pretty easy to do!  Right clink on the column and go to Conditional Formatting.  

Once you see this page, type in your key words that will determine the status of that specific job, add a background color & whenever you type that word, it will automatically color code it for you.  Magic! 

I also created an email Folder called Jobs/Networking that I store all of my career related emails in to help me stay organized!

4. Commit - If you want to be in NYC, make it happen. Go there.  I'm not exactly currently located in the heart of the DC Metro area.  But if I want to be there, I'm going to have to commit, as in, travel there frequently.  Make sure that you have saved up enough gas/travel money to make trips to the city/location you want to work in.  Make sure you have friends/loved ones you can crash with, and don't forget the keyword of the last 4 years, #network.  Set up informational interviews with everyone and anyone, they might just give you a piece of insight or introduce you to someone who could make it happen for you.  Reach out to college professors, graduates, old intern supervisors, whoever is there and is willing to help and commit. 

5. Think forward - As you know I've been reading I Am That Girl by Alexis Jones and it is really reshaping what I want out of a first job.  I really want to align my first job with my life goals and my career goals; I don't want it to just be "a job."  It will take longer to find, lots of patience, and resilience but I know that it's out there!  

Here are a few other articles about career that are worth reading.  

Are You Settling for a Backup Career // Levo League

The Questions Manager Want You to Ask During A Job Interview // Mashable 

Finding a Job You Love: How to (Really!) Do It // The Muse

Are you in the job hunt currently?  What tips/tricks do you have for keeping focused and staying sane? 

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#IAmThatGirl Pt. 1

I am finding so much therapy in I Am That Girl by Alexis Jones.  

Every word has me thinking, every testimony of strengths and choices and wishes has me wondering, questioning, and planning.  What a perfect time to read such an uplifting and inspiring piece of work! Alexis Jones dreamed of changing the world and worked her bum off to do so.  She has started her own nonprofit, I Am That Girl that empowers women to believe they are enough, they do enough and they can be exactly who they want to be.  

I thought that I'd split up the book in thirds & let you walk this transformational journey with me. 

I'm falling in love with words all over again.  

So here are the words that moved me (and my pen) and I think they'll move you too.  

All quotes unless otherwise described are by the author, Alexis Jones.  

"To invalidate part of who you are, to cast it out as "imperfect" and pretend it's not an integral part of you, means you will never fully know or love you." xvii 

"This book is my attempt to inspire that girl in you: the girl who has the potential to create magic, to ignite change, and to inspire the world." xix

"I speak my truth." xxi

"I throw my hands up, close my eyes, and revel in life's awesome and mysterious ride." xxii

"I owe it to myself to be remarkable, so I am." xxiii

"...don't let self-doubt keep your magic from the rest of us.  We want in." - Jackie Tohn

"...somewhere, someone else has already won this battle for me." - Mashad Vakili

"You are so much more valuable to everyone around you and to the world if you begin everyday knowing exactly who you are and try to be the best, brightest version of yourself." 22

"Do one thing every day that represents a conscious effort to expose yourself to the extraordinary instead of the ordinary, the profound instead of the pedestrian, the breathtaking instead of the mind-numbing." - Gina Rudan

"Your own words are the bricks and mortar of the dreams you want to realize.  Your words are the greatest power you have.  The words you choose and their use establish the life you experience." - Sonia Croquette 

"There is nothing more beautiful than a confident woman who knows what she wants." 66

"... a reason to feel electric." 81

"Empowerment is recognizing that in any situation, no matter how small or lost or scared you feel, you have a choice in how you choose to react to your life circumstances.  Exercising that choice is a freedom and it's also the warehouse of your power." 82

"You have mountains to move, dreams to dream, and a world to change, even if the only world is your own." 83

Are you excited for Pt. 2?  Same :) 

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Jumpsuits..

I'm falling in love with jumpsuits. 

I've had actual dreams of this J.Crew Eyelash lace jumpsuit from their Wedding collection.  Don't worry, not getting married anytime soon (unlike every other human being I've ever met: my Fbook feed is full of marriage), but if I had to get married today, this is what I would want to be wearing.  I don't care who it's with, where it is, what the color combo is or the ratio of mason jars to burlap, but I must be wearing this jumpsuit, end of story. 

Have you tried the jumpsuit?  What are your favorite ways to style it?

I also love jumpsuit 1  // jumpsuit 2 // & jumpsuit 3 //

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National Donut Day!

img 1 // img 2 // img 3 // img 4

I feel strongly about donuts (doughnuts). 

I have 3 constants in terms of food & they will never let me down,

Donuts, cheese (all of them), and Herr's Old Bay Crab Chips.  Obviously these are not my everyday staples, but they are my favorite 'treat yoself' snacks. 

Apparently Dunkers is giving away a free donut when you purchase a beverage...

I went for it after the gym today because life is too short! 

Treat yo'self to National Donut Day! 

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Introducing...

Latch ft Sam Smith // Disclosure 

Royksopp & Robyn // Sayit 

Sam Smith // Stay With Me

x

Shailene Woodley and Brie Larson Are Out to Conquer Hollywood - And Fix It

The Confidence Gap // Katty Kay & Claire Shipman of The Atlantic 

18 Pulitzer Prize-Winning Books By Women

x

this dreamy london look 

these wide legged pants 

this jewelled zara jumpsuit

Introducing, the 3x3 for your week!  Some things I'm listening to, some smart articles to brush up on, and some styles I'm loving!  Hoping to make this a weekly thing :) ! 

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Makers

#videobinge

You've heard of the Makers, right? 

"The largest video collection of women's stories."

It's all about women who fought to make a difference, so naturally, I love it.

^^^ some of my fav ladies right here.

Here are some of my favorites:

Christiane Amanpour // One of my favorite Iranian women ever, Ms Amanpour is no doubtably one of CNN's best reporters, serving as their Chief International Correspondent.  

Madeleine Albright // The first female Secretary of State to the United States government, Ms Albright has gumption and loads of tales of her career and it's late start, but fruitful journey.  She's also Czechoslovakian, like myself!  

Hillary Rodham Clinton // #HRC #ReadyForHillary #Duh.  Ms Clinton truly believes that the moral imperative of the 21st century is the empowerment of women all over the world, and I do too.  As the former First Lady of the United States, former United States Senator, and former United States Secretary of State, there is little that my namesake hasn't done.  

Ruth Bader Ginsburg // The second woman to have been appointed to the United States Supreme Court is as cute as a button.  When Ms Ginsburg entered Harvard Law School in 1956, she was one of 9 women in a class of 500 men.  What happened next will really grind your gears.  

Kirsten Gillibrand // Rockstar.  I think she may be my favorite member of Congress.  You know you're a political science major when you have favorite members of Congress; I want her jersey.  Currently serving as a United States Senator for New York, Ms Gillibrand has fought her way into public service and continues to fight for women on the floor of the Senate everyday.  

Sandra Day O'Connor // #SpoilerAlert!  This might be my favorite.  Ms O'Connor is feisty, passionate, and serious about women, about their lives, and about their well being.  Being the first female Supreme Court Justice is no small task; she even gives a little shoutout to the confidence gap. 

Maria Shriver // What hasn't Ms Shriver done for women?  Serving as a journalist, the Former First Lady of California, and now leading the Shriver Report of the status on women, she has been a mover and a shaker for women in the U.S. 

Joan Sullivan // Growing up as the youngest of 10 to a stay-at-home father, Ms Sullivan speaks about the benefits of growing up in a home where gender, feminism, and the roles of each were discussed at the dinner table.  She has successfully implemented schools in the most poverty and violence driven areas of the Bronx and now currently leads the Los Angeles school system of over a million children. 

Condoleeza Rice // Former Secretary of State, and first African American woman to hold the position, Ms Rice grew up in the Jim Crow South to become an expert on international policy and the Soviet Union.  

Marie Wilson // What an eloquent women's rights advocate!  Founder of the White House Project, Ms Wilson fights for women to run with the resources they need in every level of the political realm.

Do you have a favorite female activist?  Comment below & share :) 

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New SGG Issue!

Happy June! 

With each passing month, you know what that means?  New issues of the Smart Girls Guide! 

Check out our June Issue featuring Cynthia Rowley, Kendra Scott, Hallie Wilson of Corals + Cognacs, style picks from Kelly in the City and Amy V. Norris.  I was so excited to book these amazing girls for our June issue & I hope you enjoy what they have to offer! 

Read up! 

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