Marabou Design

The culture of policing in this country is so defensive, that it refuses to acknowledge the blatant obstruction. America needs police reform now! Taxpayers must hold police unions and officers accountable for misconduct. I can’t think of any other occupation that hides violent employee records from the public, refuses to enforce discipline, won’t investigate anonymous witness claims against bad cops, provides bias fear-based training. In order to protect and serve communities, proper deescalation training should be mandatory. Mental health evaluations and higher education requirements would be nice too for incoming recruits! Americans can no longer afford to hold cops to a different standard. Police officers should be held to a higher standard, not a lower one.

Most police union contracts shield bad cops from legal consequences. Use your vote to elect prosecutors who value & understand BIPOC communities. Black & brown people refuse to be abused, assaulted and/or murdered by police officers with no means of justice? All citizens should be anti-bad cop. Enough is enough!

Download our free #PoliceReformNow poster! HERE

Resolutions can be hard to live up to, but they say people who practice daily self-affirmations are more successful. So, what better way to celebrate and spread hope than with an 18-karat gold inspiring quote on a chalkboard globe? I chose to script "Share your smile with the world.", I believe it's a symbol of friendship and peace. Especially, during these uncertain times.   

We shared this darling DIY on HGTV.com, read full tutorial HERE! 

Relive the moments that made the last year memorable with this treasured craft. Theme your time capsule around milestones and memories that reflect the spirit of the present. Fill the capsule with items that spark emotions like a thoughtful card, a written note, photos, knick-knacks or treasured gifts. Unveil your time capsule whenever you’re feeling nostalgic. 

Read our full tutorial on HGTV.com. Happy 2018! 

Send out this year's holiday greetings with style. Your seasonal message will look great on our holiday card. Created exclusively for UNICEF USA’s GiveHope campaign. Minted is donating 20% of the sales from this design to UNICEF USA through January 2018. For more information visit www.unicefusa.org. No portion of this purchase is tax-deductible. Tax and shipping is excluded from proceeds. Purchase our design "Give Education" HERE. Happy Holidays!

Try Our Grim and Tonic for a Frightfully Good Cocktail Recipe. 

A signature cocktail is the cherry on top of entertaining and presentation is everything. The great thing about gin and tonics are that they are light, refreshing, and the ideal drink for any occasion. Simply add a garnish or a complimenting flavor to personalize this classic cocktail. Our recipe is bursting with fresh blackberries and pomegranate seeds for ghoulish touch.

Ingredients:

Ice

Hendrick’s gin

Sparkling tonic water

French berry lemonade 

Agave

Lime 

Blackberries 

Fresh thyme

Pomegranate seeds

Instructions: serves 1

Muddle 3 organic blackberries into base of a beverage glass.

Add 4 cubes of ice and 1 ounce Hendrick’s gin.

2 ounce sparkling tonic water and 1 ounce sparkling french berry lemonade. I prefer the Trader Joe’s brand for this recipe.

Include 1 tablespoon of fresh squeezed lime juice and stir in 1/4 teaspoon of raw agave. Top with a sprig of thyme and 3 pomegranate seeds for an eerily delicious concoction. Serve immediately and enjoy!

We had the pleasure of curating a dreamy suite for our dear friend's wedding this Summer. Sarah Jurado & Elliot Jackson are totally in love and perfectly matched. Hence their hashtag #totallythejacksons. The ceremony took place at the Ballard Church and the reception was held at Delancy, which has the best pizza in Seattle. To say the wedding was dreamy would be an understatement. I am so happy for the newlyweds. Wishing them a lifetime of happiness.  

This Summer, my family & I attended a friend's wedding in beautiful San Clemente, California. This Seaside town is booming with an active community of surfers, artisans and farmers. The weather was a perfect 75 degrees and the Pacific ocean views from the cliffside were spectacular. We stayed at the Volare hotel & hit up the farmer's market to support the local community. Dined at a couple of decent restaurants & snuck in some time to watch the Mayweather fight. Our daughter, enjoyed the short flight and carefree access to the sandy beach. I will definitely visit San Clemente again.   

If you live in or plan to visit Seattle, you should carve out some time and reserve a table at Bar Melusine on Capitol Hill. Local chef, Renee Erickson has curated the perfect slice of France in the Pacific Northwest. 

This Summer, we took our annual family roadtrip to Sunriver, Oregon. My husband's family has been vacationing there since he was a boy, so it seemed fitting to celebrate our daughter's birthday in a familiar place. We hosted our nieces, mothers and dearest friend's family for a week of dining, sunbathing, golf, bike riding, river rafting & exploring. Though, we had a big celebration for our daughter with family & friends the week prior, I couldn't resist orchestrating a pool party on her actual birthday. We gave swan floaties as party favors to all our guest and enjoyed a lovely dinner at Carson's in the Sunriver Resort followed by lawn games. The kids enjoyed spending time at the space observatory & amusement park, but our favorite  tradition is rafting the Deschutes river. I can hardly believe we are the parents of a 10 year old! Holding on to these precious moments more & more. Looking forward to a lifetime of memories with my favorite humans. 

Enjoyed a beautiful weekend in Roche Harbor with my family, celebrating our friend's wedding and taking in all the sites of the San Juan Islands. I love visiting the San Juan Islands! Nothing beats Summertime in the Pacific Northwest. From the ferry rides to the food, everything was picture perfect. Peep our a few examples of the calligraphy we created for the special day! More photos of the wedding details to come... In the meantime, visit Roche Harbor! We stayed at the Roche Harbor Resort & would happily book there again in the future.