Furkids Foster Dog for Adoption

My sister Whitney and I are foster mums for dogs trying to find forever homes through Furkids - Georgia's largest animal rescue and no-kill shelter.

This is Miss "Anteater." She's a silly, happy-go-lucky two year-old dachshund beagle and some other mix - possibly whippet or chihuahua (the jury is still out). Nevertheless, she's got a little something of everything in her and we like to think that makes her rather cultured.

She is a lively, independent little girl filled with positive, bubbly energy. She feels right at home entertaining herself and playing fetch alone, but is also very outgoing, friendly and social with people, kids, and other dogs. She's extremely confident, loves being the star of the show and is a real ham. She's also loves exploring new places and spaces and is very curious and inquisitive about the sights and smells around her. She has deep, intelligent eyes that like to gaze longingly into your eyes, searching your heart and soul and thinking really deep thoughts. She was also a teenage mummy who had a litter of puppies several months ago. She definitely needed some time away from the shelter to lounge, pamper herself with peace and quiet (and a good bath!) and just be a kid again.

Contact the Furkids Alpharetta shelter (also known as Sadie's place) or write me to find out more about this little girl. Contact information below:

Shelter Contact and Information
Website: www.furkids.org
Shelter: Alpharetta Dog Shelter (Sadie’s Place)
1520 Union Hill Rd. Alpharetta, GA 30005
Alpharetta Shelter Phone: (678) 624-1003
Main Furkids Phone: (770) 613-0009

Also, if you are interested in providing a temporary home to a dog while helping them find a home through social media marketing and hosted events at the pet stores, please call Whitney Baldwin at (404) 307-4098. She'd love to share with you about how to get involved with Furkids!


Blue Skies,

Apple Watch Fashion Faux Pas

I am all too ready to wear my technology, but I think Apple needs to partner with Micahel Kors and Chanel first.

Here's some concept designs I would actually wear:

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Documentary - "It's a Girl"

It's my dream to be able to adopt two girls from overseas one day. I never thought I'd be the kind of person to to say something like that, but God planted that seed in my heart a little over two years ago.

I'm of course not ready now, but one day I will be - I'm hoping that will be some where around age 2017/2018, when I've accomplished the rest of what I want to do with my education.

I spent an entire Sunday with tear-filled eyes after watching "It's a Girl" - a documentary highlighting the systematic elimination, abandonment and outright murder of innocent baby girls - simply because they were born "the wrong sex."

Warning: this documentary is very hard to watch, but its a very, very important one:

Unwanted, thrown out, cast aside... because they were girls. How can you even wrap your head around this? How can knowing this not haunt you?

Human lives are not dispensable. Human lives are sacred.

Cultures and institutions that devalue the lives of women and girls - the soft, bright, empathetic, life-giving forces of the world - are examples of absolute and utter depravity in a fallen world. There aren't even enough words to say how incredibly horrific this is - that we live at the hight of civilization in 2015 and this is still happening.

Its my hope that more people, including couples, singles, gay, lesbian, etc. - whoever you might be - will consider overseas adoption of girls through this film.

This has been one of the greatest tragedies throughout all of history for far too long and it must end.

Magic Friends

Almost five years ago to the day, I left all of those bright horizons I'd been running to out in Hollywood, CA. Sadly, I ended up leaving some wonderful people behind - including a very dear friend of mind: an all-around, ah-mazing woman named Angela.

Truth be told, I'm a very discerning person when it comes to friends. Very discerning. In fact, there may very well be people in this world who think that we are the best of chums, but who I haven't really quite made my mind up about yet.

While I can play the part of an outgoing people person, I am still very much an introvert: highly analytical, deeply introspective, and always observing. Behind all of those girlish smiles, hair flips and giggles, is a pretty sharp brain that is always scanning, always assessing you: your integrity, your morals, your motives, the way you raise your eyebrows when you greet someone - I'm assessing whether or not that was a real eyebrow flash or if you are trying to use body language tactics for some kind of ulterior motive...  Basically, I'm a suspicious type - always watching out for wolves in sheep's clothing, and that makes me, well, hard to really get to know.

What can I say? We are who we are. Its a part of my nature.

So when someone passes my meticulous screening process and I actually feel drawn to build a close friendship with them, it is always because there is something very special about that person.

Angela is one of those people. Of course it helps that she's an actress, singer, musician, yoga teacher, business woman and all of the above which makes her creative, fun to be around, and interesting, but I think more than anything, its because I respect her.

She never went to college, but she has extracted more wisdom from life and life experience than anyone I know. She's humble and really, really funny. She can observe herself from the 3rd person and laugh at her shortcomings. She also never seems to lose her sense of wonder and amazement, yet is firmly grounded in reality and anyone who can crack up with me about the fake "woo-woo" you find in Hollywood is already moving up my list.

She's an easy friend to be with. She's at peace in herself. Her emotions are not up and down, riding waves of blood sugar levels, but are constant, consistent, steady and change only according to context... when its time to be quiet, she's quiet; when its time to carry the conversation, she carries it.

She does what she says she's going to do. When she gives you her word, you can count on her.

She has a "plug and play" personality. You could drop her in a group of C-level executives and she'd win them over. You could drop her in another group of let's say, a really scary motorcycle gang and she'd win them over just the same. You could put her anywhere - in any subculture, any socioeconomic group, anywhere and she'd fit right in.

She doesn't speak negatively about anyone and I think because of that, she has a pretty drama-free existence. She doesn't take up your space or deplete your energy; in fact, she gives it you. She seems to give energy - its a little like she brings her own sun to your gloomy day.

She also just seems to have a lot of magic around her - mostly because she's open to the possibilities and I think that's what I love about her best. She reminds me that over something as simple as a 3 minute phone call, a layover or an email, life can change just like that into something so much better.

She left Los Angeles about six months after I left, sold everything, went to Moscow to do a show, and then decided she'd use her last little bit of money to go to Italy, where she met her now husband. And they lived happily ever after.

I've learned a lot from her. She is a very deep, bright soul - an incredibly special person.

And as life would have it, she and her husband are coming home to live in Atlanta! Who would have thought in a million years we'd be living in the same city again! I couldn't be more thrilled!

Life, huh? What a ride! This deserves a shot of Absinthe!

Blue Skies,

Mom, Look What I Made!

If you know anyone looking for custom-made gift baskets, I think I have a knack for this!

Here's what I designed for my mother this Mother's Day: I was inspired by some of the things I've been learning on what life was like in ancient Babylon.

I imagine this is similar to what noble women ate whilst they lounged about in their hanging gardens!  

Oh, and she loved it!

Here's an amazing 3D tour through the Babylonian hanging gardens:

Blue Skies,

Beauty Secret: Potent Vitamin C Serum

When I was a teenager, I had to see an aesthetician for acne. During that time, I remember thumbing through some product literature and coming across a study on Vitamin C and its ability to reverse the signs of aging. The product information showed an aboriginal man who had been treated with this pure Vitamin C concoction and the before and after pictures offered evidence that it could definitely reduce wrinkles and hyper pigmentation.

The results, as they were depicted in the aesthetician's literature were dramatic. So it always stuck with me - knowing that Vitamin C had the potential to reduce the signs of aging.

I think most women know that Vitamin C has this capability, but what I don't think most people know (and I certainly wasn't aware of it up until a few years ago) is that Vitamin C is highly unstable and therefore, its difficult to actually deliver into the dermis at an optimum dosage from products you get over the counter. What that means is that all of those products labeled as containing Vitamin C that have been sitting on store shelves for any length of time - the Vitamin C content is not effective at all.

I did some research on the problem of Vitamin C's degradation and came up with an organic way to create a highly potent Vitamin C serum that would be potent and active enough to actually work. The catch is that you have to mix it in weekly batches as it only remains effective for 3-5 days at a time. You will also need to buy a dark/shaded eye dropper to keep the serum away from light and store it in a cool, dry place. Here's how to get started:

Buy a dark eye dropper with a small funnel, a bottle of pure rose water, a small bottle of vegetable glycerine, and dry, powdered Camu Camu capsules. Camu Camu is a cherry-like fruit from a tree in the Amazon and contains the highest content of Vitamin C found in any fruit on earth and is 40-50% higher in Vitamin C than an orange. You can order all of these ingredients on Amazon or at your local International Farmer's Market.

Note: you don't have to use the rose water in this recipe, but I use rose water for everything (face washes, etc) because it has natural antiseptic properties.

Mix 1/2 a teaspoon rose water, 1/2 teaspoon vegetable glycerine into a small glass dish. Open 1 Camu Camu capsule and mix in the powder. Wisk briskly and pour the mixture into the dropper using the funnel.  

Voila! You now have a highly potent Vitamin C serum that's all organic that you can apply to your forehead, under eye area, and decolate. Because the glycerine gives it a moisturizing effect, its best in my opinion to use in the evening before you go to bed.

Again, this serum is not effective after 3-5 days, so please remember to create a new batch!

Also, be sure to drop me a line and let me know what you think! Did it brighten your skin? Soften some of the crows feet? I'd love to hear what you think!

Blue Skies,

Canva: The Best Free Marketing Tool Ever

Now that I've moved marketing to the background of my life in favor of working with organizations and information design, I feel I can go ahead and share one of my greatest marketing secrets.

And not only that, I'm going to tell you about this tool without even being an affiliate marketer, which means I wont get a commission cut off your purchases! This is pure philanthropy.

So here it goes:

Who needs to learn Photoshop or Illustrator anymore when you can use Canva to create elegant designs from templates for free? Yep, for free. Well, or for a nominal fee if you use their template designs.

Here's an example of a flyer I did when I was working on the Modern Living brand:

Pretty sweet huh? You can design social media headers, covers, elements, flyers, presentations - and other graphics with custom dimensions for like, no money at-tall.

You're welcome. Enjoy!

Blue Skies,

Blog Rebranding and Kazien Introduction

As you can see, I'm in the process of overhauling my blog so please excuse the mess!

I've realized over the past few years that I've collected an immense amount of knowledge and expertise on the topic of living life creatively, and I thought - what better place to start sharing with others than on a new blog!

Its my hope that what I am able to share can help others manuever in life with more agility and grace, and perhaps open up possibilities that may not have been so obvious, making the way just a little bit easier.

Here's a brief list of topics:

• All things marketing 
• Free marketing tools
• Creative cost savings tips and tricks
• Unique recipes
• Unique gift ideas
• Everyday musings and ramblings
• Health and organic food
• Cultural moments
• Design and decor
• Documentaries I love
• Social causes
• Fashion
• Fashion discounts and promotions
• Life lessons
• Personal branding
• Life transformation
• Paperless offices tips and tricks
• Organization and productivity
• Business philosophy
• Video blogs
• and more!

I hope you'll check back often for updates!

A topic that I've been falling in love with lately and will want to write about is the Japanese philosophy on Kazien. Its a management and life philosophy used at Toyota among other notable businesses.

Its premise is that if you take small, incremental steps every day, you can achieve big results over time and in a much more sustainable way without all of the additional fear and stress that comes with its antithesis - massive action. Massive action is the popular notion that big action produces big results. But does it really? 

The underlying question for me is "is it possible to change your life without fear?"

I'm experimenting with Kazien by intentionally stepping out of my comfort zone at least once on a daily basis.  Here is a great video on the topic:

Blue Skies,

Marketing Tips and Tricks

I just found this tool for sending video emails called Bomb Bomb and it is quite literally the bomb!

Not only can you build elegant video messages (which, as we all know, increases the likelihood of people actually opening your email), but you can also track email performance.

There's also a feature for building drip campaigns - meaning you can build a series of say, 3 emails and time the way emails are sent, i.e. 1 email every 3 days. Check it out!

Blue Skies,

My Real Job - Reinvented Personal Brand

As is customary for me every year, I've reinvented my real job's personal brand. Heres's my new site:

And here's a new bag and some pumps I got to go with it:

And here's my new business cards from moo.com:

Blue Skies,

Emily Baldwin Branding and Marketing

Blue Skies,