Satisfying the Wanderlust

Florence, Italy more commonly known to the locals as Firenze, is officially when I fell in love with exploring.

If you look at an overview of the map of this city you'll see the center becomes so intricately webbed with streets. It was so easy to get lost!

So that is exactly what we did. We rented some bikes, grabbed a map, then let ourselves get lost. It was the epitome of thrilling. Racing through winding, narrow streets, every other one crowded with people, no idea where we were, but enjoying every new discovery made.

Instead of being stressed about making plans and getting to see specific places, we went wherever. This is what adventure is. This was the satisfaction of wanderlust.

So easy it is to become entrapped in a schedule of everyday life that we often forget to open our eyes, breathe in our surroundings and find the beauty that's right in front of us.

Sure, Florence is one of the most beautiful cities, but it taught me my next greatest lesson.

Life is beautiful

This city will forever be dear to me for all it has taught me.

Here are some highlights of this beautiful city!

Starting off down the alleyways

piazza della signoria

I can officially say I've seen a ghost ;-)

Bridge over alley way

This was just too perfect

Overlook from Michelangelo Square

The Duomo, No shot could cove the majesty of this Church! 

If you haven't been here already, I hope you can one day experience this city too!


~Mina

Dreams Can Become Reality

Blogging was once again put on a halt, this time due to a European adventure including my two feet,
a backpack, and a camera.

 For six weeks I traveled through Italy, France, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, and England!

I've heard stories of how this trip could be life changing, but always just assumed it was just something Hollywood made up, you know, like Eat, Pray, Love. 

Well, those six weeks were truly transformational!

Through the next few weeks I hope to share as much beauty and lessons that I experienced with you through this blog. Now that I am back and refreshed, you will also be included in the growth of Mina Designs and the new adventures that it's bringing!

To start off the adventure, my brother and I arrived in Rome.

Lesson #1-
       When traveling account for mishaps! Allow one extra day per city for adjustment/rest time.

We landed safely and smoothly in Rome headed for our hostel when... I realized my passport was still on the plane where I so thoughtfully put it on my seat. Hours later we tracked it down from information, to police, to information, to security, to information, to security, to police... Needless to say we slept well that night.

Then we enjoyed a full day of sightseeing around Rome!

 Sancta Sanctorum

 

Basilica of St. John the Latern

The Colleseum!

Roman ruins

Trajan Column

 The Vatican!

 Piazza della Repubblica

 Trevi Fountain still under construction :-(

 Day three was spent hiking with our backpacks searching for our Eurail passes which were being held by the carrier. We started at 11am and finally made it to the correct carrier by 6pm. By the time we made it to the train station there were no more trains out so we were left wandering the streets of Rome for our final night. We found a nice spot by the fountain to rest, thus the picture below :-)

Due to adjusting period being mixed in with the great adventures we had not planned for, we were excited to leave Rome. We saw all we wanted to see and learned our lesson. The rest of our journey had to be enjoyed, not just experienced. So we went through all the cities we had planned to see and scratched them down to the most important ones.

So long Roma! Thank you for the memories! Until next time ~ Mina

Impossible is Impossible

Have you ever thought about everything or anything that you wanted to do and then said to yourself, "oh well, it's nice to dream"?

I know I sure have!

   - Travel Europe
   - Have my own clothing line
   - Run a marathon

Why not do those things you only dream of? What's holding you back?

I guaruntee it's you. You are holding yourself back.

To quote Nike- "Just do it"

How badly do you want it?

• Prioritize your life
• Set the steps needed to accomplish it
• Tell yourself it will happen
• And most importantly: Trust in God

Something to ponder

     Your thoughts become your words

          Your words become your actions
               Your actions become habits
                    Your habits become your lifestyle
                         Your lifestyle becomes your destiny

Make your thoughts positive. Make your destiny an inspiration.

If we all did this, what an incredible world we would live in! Stop letting life go by. Make a difference every day of your life. Even the small ones matter. Together we can eventually change the world.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" --Phil 4:13

~Mina~

Long time, no post!

Ever have those times when doing every thing you want to seems impossible?

That's pretty much the summary of my life right now.

Solution?
      Simple: create a list of the top 10 attainable goals to make your life better.

I decided to make mine visible to me every day

- Yes, that is a chalk wall in my bedroom. It's pretty amazing. Especially if you like to change up your room often. No need to keep repainting or hanging me pictures, just wipe off your wall and draw or wrote something new! -

Always finding ways to love life!
~ Mina ~

Behind the scenes

What does a designer really do? Sketching out ideas doesn't seem like a career.
Well here's the inside scoop of what we really go through~

1) The inspiration: This was the inspiration for this particular project- Primarily the butterfly

2) To the drawing board! (No, this is not the first sketch)

3) Making the pattern...
    Further explanation will have to be another post entirely

4) Fabric time! This is the scary part, once you cut, you can't undo it. 0_o

5) Serging (This is my favorite part)
     It is a machine with four threads that sew the end of the fabric in order to prevent it from fraying through all the wearing and washing.

6) Assembly process

7) The fit and analysis

Voila! Now it's time to be worn and make some woman feel beautiful and confident!

Thoughts? Questions? Comments?

Is love to hear!

~Mina

Old Fashioned

Old Fashioned: Synonyms- Vintage, Antiquated, Old school

    Last time I checked in the fashionable world, you bring these qualities back into fashion, you are in.

Old Fashioned

Movie reviews are the very last thing I thought I would ever do. Then I saw this movie...

Have you ever seen a movie and felt invigorated? Usually a sports movie right? Maybe an inspirational religious movie? This movie will give you those same chills.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

  R-E-S-P-E-C-T find out what it means to mean... (Sorry couldn't resist :-) 

But SERIOUSLY! Who doesn't want to be respected? Loved? Cherished? 

       Is that something that just magically appears? Or is it something that is earned? <-- (That is what we call a rhetorical question) 

What do you believe in? Stand up for it! Stick to it! Don't give up and don't let anyone tell you it's ridiculous or silly or even old fashioned. If they do, let them know how fashionable Old fashionability is! (Yep, just made up a new word there) Tell them a fashion designer even told you so from her own research in fashion school and in the fashion industry. 

Ok, so that was a lot of use of the word fashion...

Now the question is, how do you stick to you? The world seems too influential. Answer: Create a checklist. Crazy? Maybe. But it works! I have one. It's for my future spouse which in turn applies to me. 

         Trust me, people laugh at me. They say it's ridiculous and that it won't last or work. Well, I've had it for 4 years and counting. And they're right it has changed. It's grown longer. Every time I meet someone new who seems to have potential they either add an admiral quality that I want in my future spouse or they are lacking in something necessary. 

Instead of creating this perfect Prince Charming in my mind who I may never meet, it has given me the respect. I am respected for maintaining my stance. Am I perfect? HA! Heck to the no. But I am happy, bubbly, and always optimistic! Prince Charming is out there with all of his wonderful imperfections that will irritate me, but gosh darn he will respect me and I him. And we shall live a hard and challenging life happily ever after together with our little minions.

Women of the world, don't settle. Men of the world, be bold. (Trust me, it's hot!)

~MINA

{Change}

Well here it goes! Day 1 of Bullet Proof diet!

I just received the bullet proof coffee in the mail last night. My first cup this morning has already impacted my day! I'm not waiting for the next chance to take a nap or going to make my fourth cup of coffee for the day.

So here goes to a New lifestyle ~ More energy ~ Weight loss!

~MINA~

Valentines day challenge

What is love? Does anyone truly know what romance is anymore?

Love is such a powerful phenomenon.

Unfortunately it has been reduced to romance, and romance has been reduced to sex.- - Christopher West.

This Valentine's day, join me in celebrating true love with all those you love!

It doesn't consist of flowers, chocolate or dates (of course, none of those are bad and receiving them is always a bonus!):

But time spent with those you love most. What is more valuable than time itself?

Communicate how you feel for those who you love!

*Let your family and friends know how much you mean to them.
*How they've impacted your life.

What greater gift could you receive than hearing how much you are loved and that you've made a difference in someone's life?

~With love, Mina~

Word of the Day

Wanderlust: (n.) A strong desire or urge to wander or travel and explore the world.