Category Archives: Random

red eye essentials.

redeyeessentials2

i’ve flown quite a bit in the past year…i think since last may, i’ve been to california on average once a month!  i mostly flew the red eye because when i was still working at my corporate job, i had to catch the friday night flight out to LA and make it back to hawaii by sunday night for work on monday.  (yet another reason why working for myself is AWESOME).  these were my essential pieces for those late-night-to-morning flights but definitely work for any-time-of-day-flying as well.

1) a large bag / i love using a big bag for a carryon because i stuff it with my laptop, camera, wallet, a book, some snacks, and other random in-flight necessities.  i’m really loving this one from cuyana.

2) a long + cozy sweater / without fail, i get super cold on the red eye.  i find blanket-like sweaters get the job done in keeping me warm through the night. (i saved this pic so long ago and have no idea where i saved it from!  i’m wishing i knew because that sweater is so cute!)

3) boots / i always wear my heaviest and largest shoes on the plane so they don’t take up precious room inside my suitcase.  (they also keep my toes warm on freezing flights!)  i currently have a huge crush on these ones from madewell and am saving my pennies for them because i love them so much!

4) leggings / the comfier the pants, the better.

february in review.

FebruaryinReview1 // we walked to a diner near our house and shared a milkshake late one friday night.  for some reason this has been on my bucket list and i’m glad we did it because i love me a thick diner milkshake.

2+3 // some of my family was in town and we climbed the koko head steps.  it’s a quick way to get your heart rate up and the views at the top are worth the crazy leg-burning.

4 // i was going through my desk (in which i have about 13 half-filled notebooks) and discovered my very first sketch of my wedding dress that i drew at the end of this weekend!!  so thankful for my mama who made it!

5 // we spent a lot of weekends on the beach.  i’m trying so hard to get my tan back!

6 // reis surprised me on valentine’s day with take out from whole foods and a sunset picnic by the beach.  love him so much.

7 // we went to our friend tara’s rad pop-up shop at specialme in waikiki and had a really fun night with friends.

8 // many hours were spent waiting in line at the tax office & the department of commerce and consumer affairs, but jayadores design co. OFFICIALLY became a registered business in the state of hawaii!

march is going to be a BIG month for us and i’m so excited for everything to come in the next few weeks.  will be sharing lots more soon!

WORK IT OUT | zumba.

zumbawear3

i’m going to start talking fitness here on the blog every now and again.  working out is something i love to do and makes me feel so good!

i’ve always been a huge fan of classes at the gym.  it’s funny because i’m kind of an extremist when it comes to working out – i either like to run solo or be surrounded by lots of people!  zumba has been one of my favorite classes for a few years and now that i make my own schedule, i can make it to a lot more classes during the weekdays.  if you like to dance, i suggest you check out a class near you because they are SO MUCH FUN!  especially if the teacher has a more hip-hop style…then it’s the best!  if you are a new zumba-er, i think this get-up would make for a good work out.

1 // be prepared to get sweaty and have your hair pulled back with some funky hair swag (like one of these glitter headbands).
2 // i definitely recommend a fitted tank because it’s easy to move in them and they are super comfy!  no cotton t-shirts/tanks – always go for the sweat wicking material!
3 // loose pants!  you want to be able to shake what yo’ mama gave ya and it’s a lot more fun in pants like these.
4 // a good pair of cross-trainers will do ya just fine.  bright ones will give you more flair.

my number one tip would  be to GET INTO IT (esp if they play THIS song) and HAVE FUN!! let loose and go crazy to the reggaeton beats and it’s a guaranteed good time.  i promise!

branding our wedding (and i’m getting married THIS weekend!)

wedding weekend is finally here!!!  oh my goodness.  after 8 1/2 months of planning, i cannot believe this weekend has come!  time flies when you are planning a wedding, i tell ya.  we flew into california last weekend and [with lots of help] have spent this past week crafting, gluing, tape-gunning, eyeleting, cutting, arranging, creating mock-ups, and doing last minute designing.  it’s been a blast and i am excited and ready to see everything come together (and to finally get some sleep…well, after the honeymoon anyways).  my family arrived in santa barbara last night and the rehearsal dinner is in a few hours!  weee!

my approach to planning was this: BRANDING OUR WEDDING.  i love designing (hence, my new career path), so designing every. single. little. detail. for our big day was a dream come true.  there are so many little details and i cannot wait to share all of them here on the blog!  i have a whole slew of wedding posts in the queue when we get back so check back in a few weeks.  my vision for the design aspect of our wedding was small, local coffeeshop branding meets wedding.  does that even make sense?  probably not.  trust me, though, everything turned out exactly how i envisioned and looks really cool (to me, at least)!

we will probably be instagrammin’ lots this weekend, so you can follow the hashtag #jaymeeandreis for wedding weekend pics!  (or follow me @jayadores)!

a big announcement.

i have some big news!  i quit my full-time job as a tax accountant and am going to pursue my passion of freelance graphic design.  wednesday was my last day [hopefully ever] in corporate america and i could not be more excited to start this next chapter in my life doing what i love.  i have always loved design, but in the past two years my passion for it has grown exponentially.  i tried doing it on the side for a little bit, but with public accounting, there really is no such thing as a side job.  it’s impossible.  i can’t wait to dive full force into this whole freelance thing once we get back from our honeymoon!  i know it will be tough and extremely challenging (um, hello no steady income) — but in the best way possible and worth every bit of hard work.  i have so many things i want to create and so many projects i want to pursue and i am thrilled to be able to do that now!

we leave saturday for california (our wedding is in 10 days!) and i am feeling incredibly blessed and joyful right now in this exciting time with so much to look forward to.

lots more to come soon (and so many things i can’t wait to share!).  this whole freelance thing means more blogging too.  hooray!

*i gave my blog a temporary facelift (much cleaner and simpler!) until the grand launch of my new site sometime in january!  super excited about that too.

saturday morning.

reis and i had a coffee date on saturday morning to a relatively new coffee shop called R+D in kakaako.  we haven’t seen much of each other lately because we have both been working crazy hours, so it was nice to have a morning with him all to myself!  plus, discovering new coffee shops is one of our favorite things to do.  they have stumptown coffee so it was an automatic win in my book and it has a pretty cool atmosphere too.  we will be back soon.  i hope everyone had a great weekend!

four months to go.

you guys.  four months from TODAY reis and i will be getting married!!!  FOUR MONTHS.  ahh!  time is flying.  i am really trying to savor this whole engagement time because it only happens once.  it’s been a really sweet time in our relationship and planning a wedding is just really fun!  here are some updates on our wedding plans:

1) my dress// i’ve mentioned this before, but i am designing my own dress and it has turned into a multi-state affair.  i got measured last weekend by a seamstress in hawaii, we are having a seamstress in idaho make the pattern, and my talented mama in california is making the dress.  it’s all kinda crazy.  last week my mom sent me a picture of the fabric she bought for it and i am slightly obsessed!  so excited to see my design come to life!

2) our save-the-dates// hahaha. well….according to martha stewart, these should have gone out, ooooohhh, about 4 months ago.  yeah.  so it’s only appropriate (considering reis and i are the most un-punctual people on the planet) that they are not going out for another week or so.  it’s been quite a production (literally) to make them and i am SUPER excited to finally send them out!  i will share full on details (and show lots of photos) once we send them out to our guests!

3) vendors// i’m happy to say that we have booked the majority of our major vendors and i am so excited about all of them!!  my mom is the best wedding planner (ever!) and has made this whole long-distance-wedding-planning thing a lot easier (and a whole lot less stressful) just knowing she is taking care of all of the logistics.  now it’s time to nail down all of the little details and i am currently a busy busy lady designing everything (programs, menus, table numbers, escort cards, invitations, our logo, etc.)…probably one of my favorite parts about wedding planning!

it really is so much fun planning the biggest day of our lives.  here’s to hoping the next four months don’t go by too fast!

photo from our engagement shoot with brooklynhawaii

taylor + bradley wedding: part II.

june 16 was a really special day.  i’ve said this before, but we really LOVE taylor.  a lot.  she is the perfect fit in our family and we could not have picked anyone more perfect for our brother!  (and vice versa…our brother is one pretty amazing guy himself).  we got ready at the hotel all morning and had the sweetest hair and makeup artists come to the suite to make us up real pretty.  taylor was an absolutely stunning bride and had that beaming bridal glow all afternoon.  i love just looking back at these photos because it was such a memorable day.  eee!  i just love all things wedding!  since i was in the wedding, i didn’t get any photos of the ceremony, but was able to get a few at the reception which i will share tomorrow!  (get ready for DIY amazingness…taylor is a creative genius!)