Thanks to everyone to who came out for the Anthropologie Mother’s Day event last Thursday! It was so much fun to watch your crafting skills blow mine out of the water, and I’m glad the project allowed for some creative expression.

The original craft event called for “Dip-Dyed” pots, which turned out take too long to dry, given our 2 hour event. So we improvised, and the craft event was dubbed “Choose You Own Adventure in Terracotta Pot Painting”. For those of you interested in making your own painted pots at home, here’s what you’ll need:

1. Terracotta planter
2. Semi-gloss or stain paint (we used interior paint)
3. Rubber bands in different widths (at least 1/4″in thick) and/or thin painters tape (we used this Martha Stewart pattern tape)
4. Sponge paint brushes

Step One: “Mask” your pot with rubber bands or painters tape where you want the terracotta material to show. You could apply random strips of tape vertically at different angles, or one rubber band placed unevenly near the base of the pot, for a dip-dyed look. If you’re using painters tape, be sure to press down hard.

Step Two: Paint the areas above, under or in between the rubber band or painters tape. This is where you can use your creativity! Many of our participants used two colors, others created an “ombre” look by mixing white paint with pastel paint. The rubber bands make for great organic patterns, and the painters tape creates a cool, abstract look.

Step Three: Wait 5 minutes for the paint to dry a bit, then add a second coat. We want the paint to have a thick, contrasting texture to the terracotta pots. This is why we chose a gloss paint!

Step Four: Wait for the paint to dry completely before removing the tape or rubber band. Run an exact-o knife along the edged of your rubber band or masking tape. Snip the rubber band with scissors, and remove the tape slowly. If there are jagged edges, trim them with an exact-o knife or press them into the terra-cotta pot.

That’s it! I would recommend spraying the pot with a matte finish, but it isn’t necessary. Fill your pot with whatever your heart desires; we filled ours with indoor violets.

Thanks again for Anthropoloie at 50th and France for hosting a lovely evening. Hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to do it again, soon.

Images: My super high tech iPhone.

I’m excited to follow the Vancouver-based entrepreneurs as they open in the next few weeks. Follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Be sure to check out the video on their website, too.

Need Supply Co. will become the newest retailer to carry Warby Parker this week, offering an in-store showroom with roughly 60 styles on display. It’s no secret that I’m a fan of both brands, and when two big names in the e-retail world get together in this fashion, it’s a safe assumption that amazing things will happen. It’s also safe to assume their launch party will be off the hook.

I had the chance to interview Neil Blumenthal, co-founder of Warby Parker and Gabriel Ricioppo, co-founder of Need Supply Co., to talk about their booming brands. They were kind enough to entertain us with some answers to the infamous Proust Questionnaire, too. Thanks to Neil and Gabriel for taking the time to talk with me. I’m excited to help celebrate this new partnership tomorrow night at the the Need Supply Co. flagship store. Details on the event are available at the bottom of this post.

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W&D: Thanks for sitting down with me today! Could you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you started your respective companies? 

WP: If you told me when I was a kid that my life would be dedicated to eyewear, I would’ve said that you were crazy. Or something to that effect, but with more colorful language. It’s been an unpredictable journey, but an intensely gratifying one—a year after graduating from college, I moved to El Salvador with VisionSpring, a non-profit organization that trains entrepreneurs in the developing world to sell affordable eyeglasses to members of their own communities. After five great years with VisionSpring, I enrolled at Wharton, which is where the Warby Parker story officially begins.

Back in 2008, I met up with my friends (and classmates) Dave Gilboa, Andy Hunt and Jeff Raider for pints of Yuengling at a pub near campus. Both Dave and Jeff had recently lost eyeglasses, which sparked a conversation about the egregious price of eyewear. The next question was whether we could find a way to address it.

NSC: Need Supply Co. had been in business for a few years before I got involved. I was responsible for creating the website and managing the brand. I had always been a fan of the store and saw something special in it. We got that in front of more people with the site, so it allowed us to do a few things we couldn’t have in the past.

W&D: Need Supply Co. seems like the perfect fit for Warby Parker. What attributes do you look for when partnering with retailers? 

WP: We look for retail partners that can offer customers an intimate shopping experience. That’s key for us. We want the process of buying glasses to feel fun and unintimidating. But it’s also important that the stores we work with have a focused and coherent vision—of what they sell and how they sell it. Ideally, there’s also a social, community-minded component to the mission of the businesses we partner with.

NSC: They have to be something we use, respect or genuinely want to be a part of.

W&D: I’d love to ask you a few general questions from the infamous Proust Questionnaire. Feel free to have fun with these! To start: What is your greatest extravagance?

WP: Ring Dings. Their chocolatey shell and signature hockey puck shape make them, as Robert Palmer once crooned, “simply irresistible”.

NSC: Wine with dinner.

W&D: What is your favorite part about your job?

WP: Working with our incredible team and seeing people emerge as leaders. I love seeing that people who were in college a year ago are now managing teams and helping others reach their potential.

NSC: Being able to create something. It’s always a great feeling to put your energy into something that grows and attracts others to join in and contribute.

W&D: If you could have any other occupation, what would it be?

WP: Maverick from Top Gun, but before Goose dies. Before Goose dies but in a parallel universe where I still get to shoot down the enemy MiG and protect the fleet.

NSC: I used to say architecture, but I think it would be industrial design now. 

W&D: What is your favorite virtue?

WP: Having a sense of humor.

NSC: Respect

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To kick off the new Warby Parker show room, join us at the Need Supply Co. launch event on Thursday, May 2 from 6 -9pm. They’ll have hand-crafted cocktails by Saison, food by Goatacado, cones from Mister Softee on hand, with music by DJ Robot E. Lee.

This is the third post in a three-part series made in collaboration with Juut Salonspa. We’ll be talking hair, skincare and spring makeup during the month of April! Lastly: Why an esthetician is your best skincare asset.

The last post in our Juut Salonspa series is about skincare and the importance of knowing what your skin needs. Last year, I shared tips from my esthetician, Christen Hackett. When we met to talk about doing this year’s feature, it was my intent to provide a calendar outlining a monthly skincare routine. When I shared my idea with Christen, she told me it wasn’t that cut and dry. While she could outline the steps I should follow to care for my own skin, it wouldn’t be near as applicable to others.

It got me thinking. The relationship I have with Christen might be the single most important part of my skincare routine. While I see her every few months, Christen monitors the changes she sees from visit to visit, and has a good sense for the nuances and tendencies of my skin. The value of this relationship really sunk in as she asked minutes into my facial, “So. Tell me whats going on? Did something big happen? A new job? Something to stress you out?”

She could tell the there were environmental and emotion changes were going on in my life just by looking at my skin! We talked about the changes in my routine, the added stress that comes with life changes, the ways I could combat the effects of a rigorous work schedule, my skin’s natural dryness and stress-related breakouts. By closely monitoring these changes, Christen adjusts the type of facial she give me and suggests at-home care that pinpoints and eliminates trouble areas.

In short, if you haven’t established a relationship with an esthetician, consider it. Even if it’s a semiannual appointment, you’ll find it beneficial to meet with someone who knows you and your skin.

I’d like to extend a big thank you to Juut Salonspa for sponsoring these posts and to my lady Melissa Oholendt for capturing these images. You guys are great!

Four pieces from Another Feather that are calling my name. Really liking the mid-arm cuff.

Twin Cities readers! You’re all invited to get your crafty on with me at the 50th and France Anthropologie Thursday, May 9th. We’re going to be dip-dying flower pots, an activity solely inspired by my own talented and green-thumbed mother. I’m so excited to host this workshop and can’t wait to get to put names with faces.

Reserve your spot here. If you’re not located in the Twin Cities, look for a Mother’s Day workshop near you, here. Hope to see you there!

Airwair, people. Airwair.

Dr Martens | Coat | Glasses | Bag | Jeans

Motown moodiness. That’s what I’m talking about, kids. Listen here, review here.

Ms. Spade just introduced us to her hip, urban sister. Enter: SATURDAY, the new brand from the lady-like, personable and all-around good time, Kate Spade.

Bold, minimal, graphic and abstract, SATURDAY‘s products are casual enough to wear, well… on a Saturday. Lately, the ladies over at SATURDAY have had a lot of fun jazzing up minimally classic windowpane patterning. In fact, I contributed a tote to the collection you’ll find here. Pretty cool round up, right?