{Queen City Cause} Plateshare

Last night I met up with my girlfriends to celebrate National Tequila Day. We went to Monterrey’s and they had no clue it was a holiday and thus did not have any tequila drinks on special. We overcame this crisis by accidentally ordering $14 margaritas… and they weren't all that great and costs more than my fajitas. This is definitely a first world problem.

What else is a first world problem? Hunger. Yes, in this good ol’ United States of America we still have people going to bed hungry. And it’s not just adults, children are affected too. Lots of children.

If only there was an easy way to help…

Oh wait, there is! It's called Plateshare. It's as easy as going out to eat, pulling up an app, taking a few seconds to enter information, and donating money to a local food bank (it’s the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina for the Charlotte area). Instead of wasting hours sorting through canned goods and processed non-perishables, the food bank can take the change that you have donated and make it work to purchase fresh quality foods in bulk.

And all you had to do was lift a finger.

The hardest part of donating to Plateshare last night was remembering my PayPal password...

You can download the Plateshare app here.

It’s never been this easy to make a difference... I'll drink a margarita to that!

Gold & Feminine Leather

I met Victoria a long long time ago, in 2006, at a holiday party. She was thirteen and at the time starring on Zoey 101. I had heard of the show but Nickelodeon was not exactly in my channel flipping rotation. She was sweet as can be and I could tell that she had big star potential.

The other day I stumbled upon her new music video "Gold" and it's adorable and would totally be my favorite song... if I was 16. But regardless, it's fun, catchy, and I totally fell in love with the outfit below.

Photo via J-14

I've been slightly obsessed with leather lately. Especially for fall. And more specifically, leather worn in a feminine way. There's a reason why leather and lace are the perfect match.

I'm looking forward to wearing my leather mini that I picked up at the Green Jeans Sale this past spring with billowy tops and lace tights.

How do you rock your leather?

{Queen City Cause} MTJ Foundation's Catwalk for a Cause

There are some activities and events that require convincing in order for me to participate. Hot yoga. Camping. Tractor auction. But the moment you say the words Levine Children’s Hospital, I’m in. I don’t care what it is. So when I got an email from the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation to attend Catwalk for a Cause, I was in, all in.

My date that night was Michelle and we were one of the first people to arrive. We quickly found our way to the shrimp display and took the moment to take in the space. The runway was gorgeous and the silent auction tables were full of amazing items waiting on people to bid on them.

The big stars of the night were the children on the catwalk, each facing illness no child (or adult for that matter) should ever face. So brave and so inspiring.

The MTJ Foundation focuses on helping kids with serious and often life-threatening illnesses, a cause after my own heart. I look forward to participating in other events put on by the Foundation.

If you want to learn more about the event or the foundation, visit the MTJ Foundation website.

July Writing Goals

The Bund. Shanghai, China

Nǐ hǎo!
(That’s hello in Mandarin)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a whole month since we’ve left for China. Where does time go?! I’ve got so much on my mind and so much I want to blog about but not enough time in the day to do it. Why is a day only 24 hours?

So, in the spirit of being accountable for my writing goals and sticking to them, here is a list of what’s to come on the blog this month:

Events: Goodwill Cornerstone Luncheon, Catwalk for a Cause, Charlotte Shopping Tour
Recipes: Adobo Chicken, Batata Harra
Travel: recap of my trip to China, what to pack on a two week trip, Shanghai/Suzhou street style, airplane food

And this is the short list…

My idea notebook is bursting with amazing Charlotte finds and more of my favorite things. Can’t wait to share it all with you!

Until then, hope you’re having a wonderful weekend and an awesome last day of June!

Cheers!

P.S. New sections to the blog and a topic re-organization are coming too! Eek, I’m so excited!

Charlotte Shopping Tour - June 22, 2013

I’m a huge fan of shopping local so when I heard about J. Leigh Events’ Charlotte Shopping Tour, I was all ears!

The basics: get on the bus and shop till you drop at awesome local boutiques with your friends.

The stores: Fifi’s at Lake Norman, Cheeky Bean in Ballantyne, JLC WearHouse, Summerbird, and JT Posh. What a line up!

The goodies: a swag bag, discounts at participating stores, lunch, and more!

There are two pick up locations that you can choose from when purchasing your ticket:

Charlotte pick up at JT Posh (2400 Park Rd., Charlotte, NC)
Lake Norman pick up at Fifi’s (20601 Torrence Chapel Rd., Cornelius, NC)

The tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite and more information can be found on the Charlotte Shopping Tour Facebook event page.

Hope to see you there!!