recent work | Paperwhites in the Presidential Suite

 On paper I have a pretty regular desk job. But, the fact that I work for (and in) a hotel adds a different element to my day-to-day. It's a little bit like being Eloise. 

In the month of April we acquired a new property in Portland, and I put together fifty paperwhite bulbs for our clients to go with the tag-line come grow with us. (you can see a version of the project that I bootlegged for the blog here). It turns out the flowers sprout pretty fast, so in addition to writing contracts and answering phones, I was tending a little garden everyday. My office has no windows - since those are needed for hotel rooms - and the plants started to get wiltey from lack of sunlight. Taking care of them obviously made me form an attachment and I couldn't just let my plant babies die! So, our chief of engineering let me set up a little habitat for them in the grand suite which was being renovated.

Whenever I went up to water them it cracked me up. Paperwhites sunning themselves in the Kennedy Suite, ready for room service. 

(photos) on instagram, username : SamShorey (lyrics) from Wiz Khalifa's The Thrill 

party planning | 100 Year Anniversary

Before the building I work in was The Fancy Pants Hotel it was a fancy pants department store called Lipman and Wolfe. It's been standing here for a hundred years, so we decided to throw the old beauty a birthday party tonight, in the theme of 1912. 

It was a big year - the titanic sank, Oreos were invented, and Cracker Jack first put prizes in their boxes (which would explain why my grocery cart looked like this on Tuesday ...)

childhood dream come true.

(artifact) courtesy of Oregon Historical Society  (photo) on Instagram. username : SamShorey

professionally speaking | Working With Friends

I've had a lot of fun reading Mindy Kaling's book because she writes about how she found success by doing what she loves with her best-friend, Brenda. Most people picked up her book for the humorous essays, but reading about the play they wrote, Matt & Ben, and Mindy's life just before she started The Office has actually made me super inspired.

When I first got promoted, a few people I know warned me that working with your friends can strain a relationship, kind of like being roommates. Tessa and I shared a room - and a bed -  when I came back from my trip to South America (because I had zero dollars in my bank account and sixty left on my credit limit) so I wasn't ever really worried.

But, one of the important things I've learned from working with her is that a friendship can definitely survive (and even flourish!) in a professional atmosphere. I think the key is that you, not only like them, but respect them. If you don't share a similar work ethic, it's really hard to continue being friends with someone when you can't rely on them between the hours of 9 - 5. 

The pictures above are of our hotel's hot coco station, one of the aspects of the winter marketing campaign. The plan from home-office basically only required two things : chocolate and water. But, Tessa turned it into an all-out  hot-co-co dream-come-true.  Isn't it magical?

Looking at the table, it's obvious why working with her is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. It definitely helps that we have a similar aesthetic and love for doing creative projects with style.

Have you ever worked with a friend?
Did it bring out your best or make you a mess?

(photos) on film with minolta srt-201

professionally speaking | Asking for an Opportunity

One afternoon on my lunch break, I read Jordan's Advice for a Creative Life on Oh Happy Day.
She said ...

"Rule #1 Ask for things. No one is going to hand you the perfect life on a platter. You have to ask for things. The worst they can say is no. From that internship to that class that is already full, make yourself be the exception and ask for things. Once you figure that out life is so much better" 

It just so happened, later that day I had a meeting for the launch of the summer marketing campaign for my hotel. At the time, I had only been working upstairs for about 3 months, and my position was primarily administrative. Jordan's words (with a little help from the three diet cokes I had a lunch) inspired me to be brave and ... well ... ask for things. So, I volunteered myself to take pictures for the campaign. They appeared on our facebook page and in our elelvators all summer.  It was something so simple, but it's really made a difference in the kind of creative opportunities that have opened up here for me with our company.

I always believed that to succeed one should work hard, and then wait to be recognized. Part of it has to do with being a woman - to be ambitious goes against a lot of the most highly held feminine values like agreeability and team work . And of course, all these things are so important to accomplishing any goal. But it's not enough just to put yourself out there. You have to go after what you want!

Have you ever been brave and asked for something at work? What was the outcome?  

(1, 2, 3) film photos with my Pentax k1000 - from our the Live Like a Local summer campaign. used without text. (p.s) my appearance, as the local coffee expert 

Red Ribbon in Review

Our Red Ribbon benefit last week was a roaring good time! But, the best part of the night was that we raised almost $17,000 for AIDs research. It's a feeling better than building a balloon arch, or winning at bingo, or having someone tell me that my outfit was Anthropology catalogue status (which is kind of like the ultimate compliment)

I wore a fire-engine-red knee length skirt ... which you, unfortunately, can't see in any of the photos because everyone knows I was in a sorority in college. People assume I have certain talents; like doing the signature squat in group pictures or making an ice luge. I'm not particularly good at either - but another sorority skill came in handy : planning a party, but keeping it professional. And a little thing called philanthropy.

[ all event photos courtesy of A.J. Meeker Photography ]

recent work : World AIDS Day Benefit

You sure do get some funny looks at the party supply store when you annouce yourself by saying

"Hi ... Um, I'm supposed to be picking up 15 feather boas, 500 bingo cards, and 6 pairs of red underware". Especially when you took a cab there.

All in a World AIDS Day's work at The Fancy Pants Hotel.

I'm off to set up things for the body painter, but I just thought I'd pop in and share the cute invitation I created (with the help of some elements from pugly pixel, since I've been a little slow catching on to InDesign. Have you ever tried to draw a circle in that program? I think I'm missing something here).

Unfortunately, the client decided to reuse the clip-art fueled fun-fest of an invitation they printed last year. Oh well. The cause is the important thing, right? right. the cause and the cosmopolitans we'll be sipping tonight are the important thing.

for the hotel | Portland's Best Cup of Coffee

Our summer campaign at The Fancy Pants Hotel is all about our guests "living like a local". I work with some pretty amazing people (mostly of "young and hip" variety) and each of us became a resource for our guests on a certain aspect of the city

It would be The Understatement of the Year to say that I like coffee. I love coffee. I think I have coffee instead of spinal fluid. So naturally, I became our local coffee expert.

Here are a two of Portland's Best Places  :

Stumptown on SW 10th and Stark

Taking a trip to Stumptown Coffee is a must for any Portland pilgrimage. I can still remember my first cup! I had even been a barista for over year, and after my first sip of Stumptown I saw stars.

{ order } : The Hair Bender Blend – it just smells like inspiration to me.

{ do } : Get your picture taken in the photo booth next door to remember the moment you turned your back on instant coffee forever.

Ristretto on N. Williams & Failing

Ristretto is my favorite summer spot. Their minimalist space is open-air on summer afternoons, and has a covered deck year ‘round. It’s a great place to work during the week, and most of the shop is set up with freelancers and their laptops. But if a little talk time is what you’re after, their staff is genuinely cheerful and passionate.

{order} - Beaumont Blend Iced-Coffee – it’s far and away my favorite cold coffee on planet earth!
{do} – Sip on your cup and spread out a copy of the Sunday times.

You can see the rest of the feature (and my favorite coffee places in Portland) on our facebook page.

gatherings | sweet summertime

We had a cotton candy machine at the company party this year! I'm on the Communications Committee - which is essentially like the Party Planning Committee from The Office - but, I can't take credit for the sugary sweet bit of genius.

 I can take credit for suggesting we order the party decorations from a car lot supply store : "Imagine how wonderful your used car lot or shopping center parking lot will look as the breeze blows past these eye-catching metallic streamers on a string!"

Imagine.  

[ (1 and 2) red tint due to expired film from 2008 (p.s.) expired roses | expired  rooftop]

for the hotel | Beach Clean-Up

The Hotel where I work is environmentally friendly. We use special light bulbs and do our printing on recycled paper with soy based inks. It's one of my very favorite things about my work place. I believe in our company, because they believe in caring for our planet!

Once a year we all ride on an Eco-Shuttle (stocked with a keg of local, sustainable beer) and go to the beach to pick up trash.  I usually shy away from any activity that is offered as an alternative to prison time. But, this was the best afternoon! We were all together, saving sea turtles from swallowing cigarette butts.

p.s. You can see a few more photos of our valiant efforts on my flickr.

(1) on film with my pentax k1000. Cannon Beach, Oregon Coast.