Madelynn Hop & Co.

ALOHA!

Here is what I did in Kauai.

Hiked down to a cove

Saw sweet waterfalls

Visited sea turtles in a cool cave

This was the cool cave

Cool cave part 2

Laid on the beach

Walked on the beach

Enjoyed the view

Hiked up a mountain

Hiked to a waterfall

Played at Queens Bath

Went zip lining in the Hawaiian jungle

Saw a cute jungle cat

That's me zip lining in the trees of the beautiful Kauai

My trip was amazing relaxing and adventurous. We got way too much shave ice and explored the whole island. We hiked, we swam, we zip lined, we tanned. The perfect amount of adventure and relaxation. Kauai is an amazing tropical jungle it has something for everyone. Can't wait to go back! 

Turning a spare room into a beautiful functional home office. 

Before we started
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The client had asked to incorporate a chair that had been purchased (from World Market) into the design. Once I saw the chair I had a vision. The client is very fun, bright, energetic person and that chair said all those things. We went with a different approach on industrial, rustic, chic. We also wanted this design to be affordable. So to the drawing board I went...

Such as the bookcase, and the funky fun chair. We next went to a local decor/furniture shop called Pretty and Paint. We went looking for accessories and lighting. We found the most perfect rustic glam lighting fixture, we also picked up the wire baskets that hang on the chalk board wall, and some desk accessories. Some background on this next object my client is very into running so she has acquired a lot of race medals. We wanted to display them in a well designed way. We found two wooden arrows with hooks to display the medals perfectly. Our next stop was... online! We went looking for a dining room table that could function as a desk! My client likes to have papers spread out so no ordinary desk would fit we wanted to go big! We found the perfect affordable table from All Modern online. The distressed wood top compliments the industrial style metal legs perfectly. Next on All Modern I found two plush ottomans in the perfect shade of chartreuse pulling the color out of the bright and fun desk chair. Another splash of glam! Next in the process was painting. The chalk wall balances the space perfectly, it anchors down the room. It also gives the client an opportunity to be creative in her own way! We picked up a couple of items from Target such as the desk lamp and the window treatment hardware. We stuck with that industrial feeling for the desk lamp and window treatment hardware. In the space there was a wide open closet. Wanting to disguise the closet and have it blend in more than stand out I chose a fabric that blended right in with the walls but had the texture of an industrial style fabric. For wall decor the client had a lovely wall hanging already, that we incorporated into the design. Then I shopped around for some cute dry erase boards. After finding matching galvanized steel erase boards on potterybarn I knew they would fit perfectly. We also order a matching cork board but unfortunately it won't arrive till August. After items were hung the staging began. I wanted this to be very functional for the client who I know will be spending unless hours in this office working.

The Finished Product.

This summer I decided to focus on my health. 

Regular exercise, more veggies, ect...

When thinking about this healthy summer I went straight to Pinterest to look up some inspiration. There I kept on seeing these people doing a water detox. So the first step to healthier living I prepared a whole week of water! I did some research and looked at different recipes and then just modified some and made my own. So here's my recipes!

Preparation:

Sliced Fruit

First I soaked all of the jars in soapy water to make sure they were clean. Next I cleaned the fruit and herbs and sliced them to my liking. 

Strawberry Mint Half cup of strawberries and mint to your liking.

Pineapple Rosemary Half cup of pineapple and rosemary to your liking.

Cantaloupe and Rosemary 1/2 cup of Cantaloupe and Rosemary to your liking.

Watermelon Mint  In this one I added about a 1/2 cup of Watermelon then about 10 leaves of mint. I wanted mine to be really minty so I added a lot of mint.

Apple Ginger Sliced half of an apple and then added about 5 slices of ginger. Can't wait to try all of them!!!

My airport tips and tricks.

This year I have flown back and forth from the West Coast to East Coast about a half a dozen times. I have flown from small town airports and from some of the largest airports in the country LAX, JFK, ect... From the overpriced airport food to being delayed hours here is what I think about airports. 

I got home to Oregon yesterday. I flew from Newark Airport instead of JFK for the cost of it. Both are the same distance from where I live in CT. I got to the airport about an hour and a half before my boarding time. I had to check a few bags so I wanted to make sure I had enough time to get through security. You never know with security. Sometimes it takes 15 minutes other times you are standing there for an hour. So I always try to get there an hour and a half before my boarding time. After my bags were checked and I was through security I found my gate. After being confident of where my gate was I started wandering around the airport. I found some snacks for my trip.



I try to keep hydrated so grab some water and filled my hydroflask up. I tried to grab food that would fill me up. Traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast is exhausting and takes up a whole day. So I grabbed some yummy mangoes and snacked on some almonds. Also I couldn't go without caffeine on this long day so I picked up my fav vanilla latte from Starbucks. After the food situation was figured out I just wandered aimlessly around the airport. My logic was, I am going to be cramped into a tiny space for 6+ hours why not walk around and stretch my legs while I can. So while talking on the phone I explored what Newark had to offer. 

Next we were off!

To San Fran we go. 

In San Fransisco I had about an hour layover that turned into 3...
With that I grabbed a bite to eat. After that I checked out the SF airport. Something I didn't know about the SF airport is that they have a yoga room. After my gate changed about ten times my flight took off earlier than the delay. So off I went home to Oregon!





My outfit for the airport.


I always want to be comfy when sitting in a plane for 6+ hours, but I don't want to look like I just rolled out of bed. With that I chose
My black matte Hunter rain boots. It was pouring that day in New York so for me this was a great option. The comfiest rain boot I have ever owned.
Next I wore just a pair of black jeans they are Level 99 I got them from a small town boutique and they are my fav jeans to wear super comfy!


My shirt was just a slouchy grey crew neck tee from Old Navy.

I also wore an army green and jean coat from PacSun.

On top I wore a my Brandy Melville hat, to cover up my not so nice hair that I was going to get on these plane rides.

And off to the next airport I go!

Sophomore Year of College.

As finals are completed and I am packing up all my summer clothes to embark on my journey back to the Pacific North West, I reminisce about my first year living on the East Coast. Here are some of my favorite memories from this year!

Fall.

New start. New school. New friends.

Starting the Interior Design program, learning the logistics about what I love and I am passionate about. Starting this program has made me grow and become more of the person I have always wanted to be. Also I have so much fun everyday!! 

Meeting some of the greatest friends! And from so many different places. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and more!

Adventures in the NYC! My love for the city exponentially grew. The first adventure of the year was with my friend Kerri. WE WALKED EVERYWHERE. (I soon learned the subway system haha) 

The "hikes". To any Oregonian these hikes would be considered a walk. Not a lot of mountains in Southern CT, but the views where amazing. A hike in the fall in New England PERFECT. With new amazing friends it was definitely a highlight of the fall.

Winter.

My favorite thing from the winter season was spending two different days with my amazing boyfriend in two of our favorite cities Boston and New York City. In Boston we went and wandered around the farmers market trying crazy fruits we have never seen before and definitely aren't grown in Boston and then made our way over to Quincy Market and saw the huge Christmas tree. We accidentally/ we're really lucky we went on the tree lighting weekend. So we went and we're super New England and got clam chowder and a lobster roll. It was perfect. 

Then came NYC. We did everything Christmas. Macy's window displays, Bergdorf Goodmans window displays, and the grandaddy of them all Rockefeller Center. It was utterly amazing. 

Winter also brought the snow. It definitely wasn't as bad as I thought. I was terrified of the East Coast winter, but I survived and it wasn't that bad! February came and brought Valentines Day. My incredible boyfriend took me to the city and we wandered around The Met all day. The perfect date if you ask me.

Spring.

It was still cold but there was spring break. I explored every nook and cranny of the tiniest state Rhode Island! I'm so glad I had an amazing tour guide to show me everything in that precious little state. Shout out to Kerri!! 

Next came the opportunity of a lifetime. I saw JIMMY FALLON LIVE! It was unbelievable. Definitely one of my favorite memories! I was front row laughing the entire time to Jimmy and his guest Melissa McCarthy. Shout out to Katy for making it all happen!!

Next came one of my favorite visitors! My friend Ali from Oregon. We adventured what seemed like the entire East Coast. I blogged about her visit. Reference 48hrs in Boston and New York to read more about Ali, tips and tricks, and our journey.

One of my final trips on the East Coast was going to Six Flags NJ with my boyfriend and our friends. It was a great trip to end the year. Churros, popcorn, screaming my head off, and a million rollercoasters!! Oh and if you were wondering there is always traffic in New York yes we drove back at 10pm and sat in traffic till midnight. TRAFFIC SUCKS!! But it was still the perfect, crazy fun day. Also I dodged riding King Da Ka the 3rd fastest roller coaster in the ENTIRE world hitting speeds of 127mph and that made the day so much better! (Yes I get freaked out on rollercoasters). 

The end of another school year they seem to go by so fast. I can not tell you how thankful I am for my experience, the knowledge I have gained, the friends I have found, the quality time I got with my boyfriend adventuring the East Coast, my amazing Professors and classes, and everything in between. I can't wait to see what Junior year has in store for me!