Archives for April 2015

Interview with ‘A Beautiful Mess’ sisters

Britt and I were lucky enough to interview bombshell sisters Emma & Elsie of ‘A Beautiful Mess’ while they were in Utah for the SNAP Conference. What started out as a bakery and vintage clothes shop for the sisters has turned into a hugely successful company and brand. The two could not have been sweeter. And they don’t try to… but they just ooze cool vibes.

Here is our quick interview with them:

Q: Why are you guys in Utah?

Elsie: We are in town speaking at the Snap Conference about being creative

Q: If you go online and see a new trend, you guys are the trendsetters and probably started it. What do you guys think is next?

Elsie: My favorite trend is the color blush. It is what I want to buy for my clothing, paint my walls, just everything.

Emma: I do a lot of cooking and recipe development at our site so I am really excited about different flavors for spring like lavender, lately I have been putting lavender in everything. Drinks, brownies, everything.

Q: You guys are sisters, we are sisters. How do you guys get along?

Elsie: It’s really bad. No (laughing) we love each other. We are normal people so we have little fights and stuff but we have really open communication and also, I mean – we’re best friends.

Emma: We have different strengths and weaknesses, you guys might be the same I don’t know, so we try to kind of focus in on “oh Elsie is really good in this area so I’m going to let her make the decision” and not try to be the leader all the time. I think that helps us kind of come together and make projects happen.

Q: For the people that are not familiar with your website you guys also have 2 great books. What can people expect to find in those?

Elsie: The first one is called “A Beautiful Mess: Photo Idea Book”. That is where we give tips for photography and it is just kind of a kickstarter for creativity.

Emma: And the second one is called “A Beautiful Mess: Happy, Handmade Home”. We have a thing for long titles, right? (laughs) That one is all about home decor and how to make your space feel more like you, adding personality and color all over your home. And we share our houses in the book.

Britt: Which are so beautiful!

After the interview the sisters told us they are tentatively working towards a TV show and may release a new app soon. Over achievers! We loved meeting them and look forward to following all their adventures.

The 3 Caribbean Islands You Should Visit

Parker and I were lucky enough to go on a Caribbean cruise with the entire Hackett clan. My mother-in-law Linda was nice enough to give us the trip for Christmas, so we have anxiously been waiting since then! The islands we visited were all so beautiful – yet so different from one another. Although I absolutely loved every minute, I had a few favorites along the way that I wanted to share.

Puerto Rico: It was my second time in Puerto Rico and the more time I spend there, the more I love it. The city of Old San Juan has colorful buildings and tiny cobblestone streets with a European feel. We spent a day exploring the old fort and finding the most divine burger place that puts mini fries ON your burger!

Dominica: A tiny, non-commercialized island. We made a surprise stop there and it might have been my favorite place. The island has waterfalls, hot springs, and volcanoes so there is a ton to see! It’s incredible to be walking through the jungle and feel like you are in Jurassic Park.

St. Maarten: I loved the Dutch and French influences on the island. This was definitely the most developed and affluent island. The shopping is great with little cafes that offer gelato and crepes. We spent most of our time at Maho Beach where planes land right behind you. Perfect photo op!

How to Stop Fighting With Your Spouse in Bed

We both pretty much scored the jackpot when it comes to husbands. We have some pretty crazy sleep habits and they are the kind hearted people that have to deal with them.

Here are a couple of things we have learned since getting married and learning how to share a bed:

1. Make it comfortable. We grew up sleeping in twin beds til college, so anything bigger than that always feels huge. This is not the same for our husbands, who are both pretty tall. One thing they both agree on is the fewer pillows the better and comfy sheets are critical. We were both given bamboo sheets recently. They are a GAME CHANGER! So soft, yet silky and breathable all at the same time. Our girlfriends have been telling us about them for a while, we were a little skeptical because we didn’t understand the magic of bamboo. Now that Spring is here they are seriously perfect for warmer nights. They actually stay cool the entire night so you never wake up sweating, it’s gross but true! Ours are from Cariloha and we are obsessed.

2. Watch out for sleep walkers! Britt and I have been sleep walkers since we were young, crazy I know. Instead of growing out of it, we still sleep walk regularly. It usually involves getting in the shower, doing our hair & makeup, or eating breakfast in the middle of the night. It is extremely odd but a little bit hilarious too. I’m sure you can imagine how thrilled our husbands were to first find us eating breakfast at 2am or changing into our work clothes shortly after midnight 🙂 Over the years we have found that stress and sleep deprivation are the main triggers. Now we try to control both of those things to avoid sleep walking in middle of the night and scaring our husbands to death.

3. Snoring=the sad realization that we are turning into our parents! A little nudge or in desperate times plugging each other’s noses work like a charm.

4. Cold feet. This is the number one reason to get married, so that you have someone to warm you up ha! I sometimes am guilty of putting my cold feet on Parker’s warm legs. Oops. He is a good sport and always warms me up, but I do need to reach for some socks more often!

5. Make the bed. We have a rule that whoever gets out of the bed last makes the bed. Since we are both more of early risers than our husbands – it works out perfectly.

What are the tips and tricks you use for staying happy in bed?

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30