Laura of the Valley: July 2014

July 31, 2014

Monthly Medley: July

I can't believe July is already gone. This month flew by so quickly that I didn't even have the time to gather enough links for today's roundup. Ok, I did –yeah, I'm guilty of spending too much time in front of my laptop. But it still went by way too fast!

So this month was a lot about thinking of travelling and the beach –although I only really had time to fly over to Miami for just a week.

It was also a good month to try and re-connect with my inner self and evaluate my life a little, especially as the time approaches for me to move to New York. This was always a dream, and now it's coming true! And even though I can't put into words how excited I am, I must confess I'm also a little nervous about such a huge change! But more on that later...

Let's get down to business. Some my favourite finds for the month were:

– Vogue Paris's news on the 1950s exhibition at Palais Galliera:

this decade is seen as a time of rupture, between the period of world conflict and post-war recovery, between the straight-laced old guard and the baby boomer, between the opulence of the New Look and the sobriety of classic Chanel tailoring, between the sustainability of haute couture and the emergence of new talent - such as Yves Saint Laurent -that would carry fashion into a new era.

– Gala Darling talked with Sherold Barr about how to get more money in your wallet –and it's closely related to daring and stop being afraid!

If you can practice courage and take a tiny step toward what you fear, you will not get stuck. Fear + action = courage. Start to take baby steps toward knowing exactly what income is coming in and what it costs you to live each month.

– Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere in defence of souvenirs

– Erica Domesek and her take on bestiemoons:

I just want to go on my own epic adventures, and I’m not willing to wait until someone puts a ring on it. Why wait for the man of your dreams to take the trip of your dreams, am I right? With a flexible working schedule (thanks iPhone?) and money in my pocket (#PSIMadeThisBusiness), I decided to go on my own honeymoon with my best friend. Call it a bestiemoon.

– Just in time before the season ends, Olivia Palermo shares some tips on how to make your summer pedicure last

– André Leon Talley and the Toledos share some career advice on working in fashion:

I have a theory: Never bloom too early. I’m a big believer in big losers . . . eventually you’ll get there, and that’s okay. That builds character. –Ruben Toledo

– Katie Kendall and the importance of the space between

I think everyone can take responsibility (myself included) to make a stand for enjoying the small things, allowing ourselves to relax and not succumbing to this pressure of over achievement physically, academically and personally. Make space for enjoying the ‘spaces between’ and know that it’s in these moments that magic happens and in which some of the most creative thinking and inspired moments are actually born.

– The celebrity insider guide to summer in Montauk

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

July 30, 2014

Miami

As you might have noticed, I have been absent from the blog for about a week. Although I do need a break––which will happen next week, thankfully!––the reason for my absence was mainly because it was that time of the year when I disappear from the real world and go into an intense adventure with some of the people I love the most in the world. This time, we went to Miami, where we spent lots of time having fun, learning how to be good leaders, and loving each other.

I was super busy––or dead tired––most of the time, so I didn't really have much time to take interesting pictures. And to be honest, I barely left the hotel, so I guess I couldn't have taken many good photos anyway. But here are some of the images I did manage to shoot.

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

July 23, 2014

Sister's Birthday Celebrations

My sister turned 21 last year and we decided to host a small celebration for her. We went to have lunch with my mum at a new Italian restaurant in Bogota named Primi. The food was pretty good, although I didn't really like the fact that the menu is so small I had a hard time trying to choose what I wanted to eat.

We shared most of the dishes––as we always do––to have a bite of everything. We ordered prosciutto e mozzarella for a starter, and then ordered ravioli, meatballs, fish and vegetables, and tagliata with salad. We then have Nutella pizza for dessert.

We then went back home and had a small party with my sister's friends. We ate tons of cake and had a lot of fun, but what's definitely most important is that my baby sis was super happy and she probably won't forget this birthday –even if she didn't have a crazy trip to Las Vegas or anything of the sort!

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

July 20, 2014

More Radical Self Love

As I told you about a week ago, I am taking part on Gala Darling's Radical Self Love July challenge this month. I've really enjoyed the experience, although I just noticed I skipped a day––oops!

Anyway... Days 11 through 20 included lots and lots of love––of course––and fun things to do. I particularly liked the fact that most of my pictures were taken outdoors –except for the first two, maybe. I also loved all the different colours that the pictures in my challenge have been showing.

Day 11. The Bible

Day 12. In my bag

Day 13. No-makeup selfie

Day 14. Get physical!

Day 16. Favourite quote

Day 17. My city––ok, not yet, but almost!

Day 18. Inspiring friends

Day 19. Great outdoors––at the stables, obviously!

Day 20. RSL Totem

Love,

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

July 16, 2014

Inspiration From The Ruins

One of the things I love the most about this world is all the inspiration you can get from places you never even dreamed of visiting. Last Friday, my dad asked me to come with him to a glass fabric that's in ruins, cause he and his partners are thinking on buying and restoring it for their company. And this place happened to be one of the most amazing places I've seen in quite a long while!

The pictures talk for themselves, but I must say what captured my eye at first sight were all the patterns that I found so naturally repeated everywhere around the place. And the textures. I felt like a 3-year-old again for having my dad telling me off for wanting to touch everything there –and no, I didn't even care what sorts of chemicals and animals could be there!

Love,

July 15, 2014

Happy Birthday, Sis!

We all know that my favourite person in the whole world is my beautiful sister. Not only because she's the little fairy that was sent to take care of me while we grew up, but also because she's the perfect example of fighting for life and being awesome on the way! She's taught me to always think positive and fight for what I want, while loving myself and being happy.

Last year, we spent her birthday in Madrid, doing what she loves the most: eatº–yeah, she's even more of a foodie than I am! We had some delicious brunch, followed by the best paella in town! It was definitely an unforgettable day for her.

Today she's turning 21! And although we're not Eurotripping this year, I really want today to be special. So we're definitely going out for lunch, and hopefully I'll get her to finally share some prosecco––or maybe even a Margarita?––with me! We're also going to get her a new laptop, so she can start working on her awesome design projects for school.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY!

I still remember the first time I held you in my hands, and how happy I felt about my little sister being born. I remember skipping class in kindergarten because I wanted to make sure you were doing good, and I remember wanting to kill those bullies who were mean to you in middle school. From this little baby just entering primary school you've grown up to be a wonderful woman and I'm sure your future is full of amazing surprises!

I will miss you to the moon and back when I'm in New York!

Photography: Laura Beltran-Rubio

July 11, 2014

These Days...

This week has been nothing but crazy! I had so much to do that I couldn't sleep peacefully at all, thinking of everything I had to get done, and waking up super scared thinking I had missed the alarm. I had visa appointments, meetings to figure out how my scholarship will work, and lots of other real like work... Thankfully, it all went perfectly well and I am now free to happily enjoy my last month –can you believe that?!!– before moving to New York!

After realising a while ago that today was Friday, I also noticed I am absolutely wiped! So I decided to take some time to myself, put my PJs on, and reward myself with my favourite meal. I'm already laying in bed, browsing Netflix to find some old movie to watch. Nothing better than these lazy days after a super hectic week!

But before immersing myself in my movie night, I decided I wanted to share with you one of the most fun things I've done in social networks lately. You must know I'm not particularly good with them, and I just basically use them to tell you I've published a brand new post –and I skip that part a lot, oops!– but I'm not a big addict...

Except when it comes to Instagram!

There's something I find wonderful about sharing different pictures and capturing the moment. But this time, I'm particularly in love with Instagram, thanks to Gala Darling's Radical Self Love July challenge. Those of you who know her, must be well aware how much of a star she is at helping women be happy and love themselves. If you have never heard of her, I seriously recommend you have a look at her website.

This time, she surprised us with a super cool Instagram challenge, where we should post one Instagram photo every day. I really liked the idea and decided to follow the challenge. And here's what I've come up with so far...

Day 1. Silly selfie