As a personal stylist for women, I get lots and lots of questions about referrals for hair, lashes, skincare, all the things. The good people at Cake Skincare and I go way, way back. This is my absolute favorite place for a luxurious skin treatment. The owner, Katrina, gifted me a set of Radical Skincare products years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since. When a client asks for a recommendation for the ideal place for skincare (lashes, facials, waxing, etc.), I always think of Cake.
We kicked off the In It Together Series a few months back to support the Poplin community during quarantine. I’ve been holding off on sharing a few posts until now, expecting that this situation might go on longer than originally anticipated… which it has.
Fortunately, Cake is slowly reopening with extra precautions to protect clients and the team. You can check the site to see when/if Cake is open thanks to an impressive effort to make educated decisions based on data from King County. If you are ready to get back into the world, you should book now as I expect the wait is a long one. If you are more comfortable holding off on personal care services, this guest post from one of my very favorite people, Kelly, will help you enjoy the spa at home. Enjoy and remember to take good care of yourself and shop local.
Last but not least, I learned recently from a therapist friend, that when you hug someone for at least 3 minutes without talking, your heart beats sync up. I love everything about this. Think of it as your free self care tip for the day.
How to Treat Yourself at Home with Cake Skincare’s Kelly Perez Snyder
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Man, everyday life in quarantine is filled with an array of unexpected daily challenges that seem small, but add up quickly. The In It Together Series will make your day to day easier thanks to expert advice from female business owners in Seattle. As a personal stylist for women in Seattle, I’m fortunate to be a part of a community of bright, generous, resourceful women who have the power to improve our situations. Today’s post is from the Chef Owner of Miri’s Golden Gardens, Miri Plowman. This is sure to be a post you bookmark and come back to repeatedly. Enjoy!
First, I want to acknowledge that everyone is approaching this time in the kitchen differently. I think some find it a time to dive into cooking projects that maybe otherwise they would never dare to take on, others are looking at their kitchen with dread and overwhelm and for some, cooking is business as usual, just more of it.
For me personally, running a business and a restaurant means that my partner and I end up eating at odd hours, and not very consistently. I have enjoyed this time for reinstating important habits that have fallen to the wayside-like eating three square meals a day all at reasonable hours and mostly at the table. I’ve been really enjoying having a big delicious lunch followed by a smaller, more leftover-y or salad-y dinner.
All this to say, if I could offer one suggestion in this weird time, listen to what your body wants and needs! Try to relish in the slow down and savor mealtime if you can!
The other thing that typically dominates my home cooking style lately is to make do with the ingredients I have. The other day I was looking to make Prad Pri King. A Thai dish with red curry paste, green beans and a protein- typically pork or beef. I had maybe half the ingredients and zero interest in braving the grocery store. 😱
In lieu of the red curry paste I blended some chili pepper flakes, shallot (an onion would have also been fine), a squeeze of 1/2 a lime and some fish sauce. I added some chicken broth for some extra umami. It wasn’t perfect, but it also wasn’t bad. Learning to make do with the ingredients you have means wasting less and also saves time and energy. Over time, you will find that doing this will help you to be more creative in the kitchen. Recipes will only get you so far! I want to be clear this is far more helpful for cooking than it is for baking!
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The next several weeks are devoted to making your days better. We’ll be solving problems, decreasing anxiety, making you look and feel better. It’s all happening here. And, it’s all happening thanks to the genius of local small businesses in the Poplin community. Welcome to another installment of, “In it Together.”
As I’ve mentioned in the blog, we’ve been doing some major repurposing over here. We turned our garage into my husband’s “loft like” office by cannibalizing lots of swanky furniture from around the house and building some tables with old doors and sawhorses. We reorganized our son’s room including repainting and putting up a mural on the wall. And, of course, we’ve been building planter boxes and more out front. The point is, we live for this stuff and now is the best time to do it. Not only does it make our space more appealing during Quarantine, but it also is a great way to be creative, productive and achieve flow. I heard from readers that this sort of thing doesn’t necessarily come naturally to everyone. So, I reached out to my longtime friend, Poplin client and genius Interior Architect and Designer, Amy May. Enjoy!
P.S. Next up, I’ll be guiding you through getting dressed everyday in Quarantine. See you Friday!
Reinventing Your Space With Amy May, Founder of May Designs
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George and Nakeesa have been friends of mine for years. You may recognize some of the images below from cards I’ve mailed out over the years. Or, you might have seen me carrying around my favorite George Jennings totes. (I have two!) I’m especially excited to share Sophia’s take on George’s work and to give you an opportunity to win one of your own! Enjoy.
Read MoreAs a personal stylist for women, I hear a lot of questions. Yes, there are lots of questions about clothes. But, when I'm working with a client, it goes well beyond clothes. It's not uncommon for one of my clients to simply have never learned about style, makeup, hair. Often, she was busy doing other things that were more interesting to her. Then, she looked up years later and discovered she was missing some of the skills that would make style a fun part of her life, not a stressful chore. This naturally leads to questions on hair, makeup, skincare, undergarments, waxing. You name it, I've been asked about it. After all, once we've been in a dressing room together, most other inhibitions are long gone.
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As a personal stylist for women, I spend my days offering tips and tricks to make lives easier. Who doesn't want the mornings to run more smoothly? Who isn't looking for easy ways to keep her style game elevated without having to try too hard?
Read MoreI'm looking forward to seeing so many of you at Saturday's Women's March. It sounds like we'll have a large turnout for equality. I'll be in the front of the march in support of the Missing Indigenous People of the Canada and US. Say, "hi" if you see me!
Read MoreWell hello there, Dear Reader!
I trust you are gearing up for the holiday weekend. If you are on the Poplin email list, you received word earlier this morning about some hot spots for Small Business Saturday. If not,
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