Byham Theater

As an early Christmas gift, GC surprised me with tickets to see A Christmas Carol at the Byham Theater. It was my first trip to the venue and I loved dressing up and venturing downtown to see the show. The theater was a charming blend of old meets new and the performance was equally admirable.

Glitter Grad

I "capped" off my undergraduate career at Virginia Tech this past weekend and donned a glitter-painted cap. It was a hit, and my Instagram was even retweeted by the Virginia Tech Twitter account! It was bold, but I went for it. When in doubt, choose glitter!

 

With the loads of leftover Martha Stewart glitter paint, I decided to paint wooden frames for my sweet friends. I tried to pick patterns and colors to suit the personalities and pulled it off with the help of Frog painting tape. 

Styled Spirit

From the beginning, I realized that I wanted to utilize my love of writing in whatever career path I chose. When I landed in marketing, copywriting became a possible path, and my internship at BD&E really helped me to dive right in. This semester, my marketing communications course, led by VT's resident advertising guru, Donna Wertalik, was tasked with creating an integrated campaign for Belk. I loved having the opportunity to create every step of a campaign and I was even able to put my copywriting skills to work. 

After getting to know the Belk brand by exploring the store and hosting an event, we decided to emphasize collegiate colors to tell a story. With the help of the local Belk store and my generous friends BM, PD and MJ, we had a photo shoot to launch the Styled Spirit campaign. It was a joy to photograph my great friends in Lane Stadium and to see our ideas come to life. Our hard work paid off with a third place finish in the collegiate competition.

We strategically chose maroon and orange merchandise to appeal to Virgnia Tech students. This shot was used as an example of how Belk could showcase merchandise on Pinterest.

Print Campaign:

Under the Green Umbrella

At the beginning of the semester, I made a game time decision to add another marketing elective. I enrolled in Donna Wertalik's Social Media Marketing class on the last possible day to add courses and have been a social media junkie ever since. My world is now filled with brands, social analytics, tastemakers and emerging platforms.

 Part of the course involves teaming up with a local business to execute a social media marketing strategy. My group was paired with Under the Green Umbrella (UTGU) and we got to work bringing the brand to life in the social sphere. Under the mantra "Let the Love Grow," Under the Green Umbrella sells wholesome, natural and unique foods at local area farmer's markets. From cranberry pumpkin muffins, to sweet tart pumpkin apple cider, to poblano pepper pesto, UTGU's  founder, Tracie, is always dreaming up new treats. Aside from her kitchen prowess, her brand is centered around her buy-local lifestyle and her two young boys.

Throughout the project we redesigned her website and crafted content to emphasize her family and lifestyle. I served as the team's resident blogger, writer and twitter-enthusiast, and had a blast working with Tracie and her family.

Here is an except from the blog - see the full post here.

Fall Wedding

GC and I attended the fabulous fall wedding of our good friends J + K. The two Pitt alumni had a gorgeous ceremony in the Phipps Conservatory outdoor garden with a perfect view of the Cathedral of Learning. A festive, pumpkin-filled reception followed shortly afterwards at the Mansion at Maple Heights in Shadyside.

I usually visit Phipps during the holidays, so I was thrilled to learn that guests were able to tour the conservatory before heading to the reception.

K is a talented artist and spent hours crafting the decor for the reception. I applaud her patience and creativity! The chalkboard signs were incredible and I loved the centerpieces.

The duo picked Warm Apple Cider as their signature drink and even had a pumpkin-cake, how fitting! Congrats to J + K !

Welcome to the South

Blacksburg, Virginia may not be the first city that comes to mind when you think of "the south." I certainly didn't realize that I would experience such cultural differences when I decided to attend Virginia Tech University. But since it is my last semester in Blacksburg, I decided to soak up all of the southern charms that this town and my best, most southern, friends have to offer.

Football is the fall semester and tailgating and turkey legs comprise every home game Saturday. I attended the Homecoming game and started jumping to Enter Sandman as my Hokies took the field.



My good friend CB invited us to her house on Smith Mountain Lake for a good ol' southern escape. A High Point, NC native, CB insists she's from the "deep south." During the trip I experienced my first ever low country boil and withstood various jabs about being "a northerner."

Three words: Flatfooting in Floyd. Every Friday night, the Country Store in Floyd, VA opens its doors to locals and tourists alike for an evening of old-fashioned soda, modern-day-priced "penny candy," a blue grass band and flatfooting. An Appalachian take on clogging, Flatfooting is a type of folk dance that originated in the region as early as the the 18th Century. Experts and amateurs alike took to the old wooden floors of the country store to get their flatfoot on. I was even roped into a square dance number. I am definitely not in Pennsylvania anymore.

Fall Digs

For my last semester in Blacksburg, I moved into "The Penthouse," a glorious ranch filled with five girls, a husky named Mako, and a boxer-pittbull named Roxy. Chaos, ensued. But I was able to make my small little sublet space my own, if only for a few months.

I just love eclectic accessories. This tea cup was a gift hand delivered all the way from China, after a friend's recent trip. 

Dreaming of Wimbledon

Crazy upsets aside, watching Wimbledon this year has been surreal. Since my tour of the grounds this past February, I have been aching for a return visit.  Even on that dreary winter afternoon, without a tennis-star in sight, and strawberries and cream out of season, I was captivated.  And as I wandered the grounds bundled up in my parka, I was in awe of the history, the traditions, and those beautifully manicured grass lawns.

 Court 1

Henman Hill. Will the name be changed to Murray Mound after this year's championship?!

An example of historical plaques around the grounds

Press Room 

 Centre Court with the score from the 2012 men's final still displayed on the score board.

The Wimbledon Museum

Minneapolis, MN

After traveling through Europe last semester, I became extremely aware that I really haven't seen enough of the United States.  Needless to say, the traveler inside of me was thrilled  at the opportunity to travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota for a wedding.

I loved exploring the University of Minnesota campus.

I was in awe of the Weisman Art Museum.  Located on campus with a direct view of downtown Minneapolis, the museum, designed by famed architect Frank Gehry, was stunning inside and out.

 Sweeping spaces and high ceilings made for a gorgeous interior.

I loved that art was such a focus throughout the campus

Modern designs were offset by more traditional, historic buildings

No trip to Minneapolis would be complete without a visit to the Mall of America.

The wedding reception was gorgeous thanks to the keen  eye of the bride, who works as a graphic designer.

Two hours north of Minneapolis, lies the town of Brainerd. I loved having the opportunity to display a more scenic region of the state.

7 fish later, our adventure on Bass Lake came to a close. 

Re-Visiting Paris

In honor of the final day of the French Open, I wanted to re-visit my fabulous trip to the city of light by sharing all different pictures. I just wish I could have squeezed in a visit to Roland Garros.

 Notre Dame

 The Louvre

 L'arc de Triomphe

 The River Seine and Notre Dame