fancy feature—Erin of beauty:design:life

The readers of live the fancy life picked the oh-so-fancy Erin of beauty:design:life to be a fancy feature during the “vote for our next fancy feature” contest. In short, Erin is a fancy law student newlywed blogger living in South Minneapolis with her husband, two cats and her dog, Levi!

Who are you?
I’m a wife, daughter, sister, and friend. I grew up in the Twin Cities, went to college at the University of North Dakota, and am now in my final semester (!!!) at William Mitchell College of Law. I love music, fashion, design, animals (I have two cats and a dog), cooking, eating, wine, the Twin, and Fighting Sioux hockey!

Your blog is so much fun and I saw that it was recently named a Shop It To Me Trendsetter. Tell us about it.
I started my blog because I needed a creative outlet. I’ve always loved to write (I graduated from college with plans to be a journalist), and in my second year of law school, I realized there wasn’t much creativity in my life. I was in the midst of planning my wedding and was encountering all of these creative people and their brilliant creations and ideas and I was so inspired by them. So I decided to create a blog to showcase the lovely things I was coming across, and to document them for my own inspiration.

My blog started slow, but I’ve been building it over the past few months and I have big plans for it! My blog is a documentation of the things that inspire me, whether it be Etsy sellers, local restaurants, fashion innovators, photographers, activists, technology, etc. I created it with no real parameters, which is one of my favorite things about it.

What makes you feel fancy?
Sitting at the bar (any bar, really) and drinking wine with my husband; traveling; street fashion; candlelight; good food and even better wine; heels, scarves and jewelry; my wedding pictures and video; having fancy friends who are going places; being inspired, and those rare occasions when I am an inspiration to someone else.

Editor’s note: Erin is frequently an inspiration to me and others too. Follow her on Twitter or read her blog and you’ll see why.

Where is your favorite place to go on date night with your husband?
Aura in Calhoun Square. We actually went there on our first date and on the night we got engaged (technically, both dates started at Chino Latino and continued to Aura) and we always sit in the same booth. It has a perfect date-night ambience – darkly lit, quiet – and it is never as busy as anywhere else in Uptown. And they have happy hour basically all the time, so it doesn’t break the bank!

As you know, one of my biggest goals for 2010 and biggest challenges is keeping female friendships alive. At this age, it seems like friends aren’t trying to stay connected as much and it is way too easy to lose track of one another. How do you keep in touch with your female friends and keep your friendships strong? 
Every week, a few friends and I get together to watch The Biggest Loser. We rotate between our houses, and everyone brings food to share (coincidentally, I eat the unhealthiest while watching Biggest Loser!). It’s a fun and inexpensive way to spend time together.

For my friends that don’t live nearby, I’m a firm believer in the power of the letter. I send notes and cards via US Mail, and they’re as much fun to send as to receive!

Editor’s note: One way to take handwritten notes to the next level and to encourage yourself to actually send them is to buy beautiful notecards. Check out Emily Ley Paper on Etsy. Emily rocks paper and is another great person to read. Check out her blog. I think she’s going to be a huge success this year! Watch for a fancy article coming soon about the comeback of handwritten notes.

What do you love about Minneapolis and St. Paul?
I love the uniqueness of each area of the city. There’s always somewhere new to explore! And one of the best parts of Minneapolis/St. Paul are the people. There are so many who are passionate about our twin cities and are willing to share their experiences to ensure everyone who visits or lives here gets the best of what we have to offer.

What’s new for you in 2010?
Starting in February, I’ll be blogging for Ms. JD as a 2010 Writer in Residence! Ms. JD is a site for women in the legal field, created to give such women a forum to discuss gender as it relates to the law and the legal profession. I’m excited to be associated with this organization!

Live the fancy life!