Excuse me, miss? Lets get crazy

These sketches are to show you I'm being proactive about design. Be brave, it's no time for waiting. Get active. Chase your dreams.

 Enjoy

Mahalo

Creative Outlet

We all have those days. You know, the day that feels as if it's never ending. The one when things don't go right, you wish the day would be over so hopefully the preceding day will bring more exciting events. Yeah, it turns out I've been having those days more often than I'd like. The tough part is that my frustration has been driven by work. The nice thing about what I do to pay the bills, I get to leave my work at work. Its also less dramatic because I work with mostly men, note that I didn't say it was completely drama free. Boys will be boys, and sometimes they bitch. That's besides the point, I love the people I work with. They're honestly the ones that have kept my head on my shoulders. As of late, I've struggled with being unnoticed, under appreciated, and rejected. One doesn't get much validation for working in the hospitality industry. Yeah, tips are a nice gesture, but so is gratitude. My scheduled work week begins on a Saturday, I get my schedule on Thursdays (if I'm lucky, you can throw the occasional Friday morning in there). Needless to say, my life revolves around work. Last but not least, my employers know that my dream isn't doing the dirty work, but creative work. They know I've been looking for jobs, and they're being as supportive as they can be. I just haven't had much luck with my applications.  Which takes me to my point. I live for work at this stage in my life because I have bills to pay. I haven't received that phone call yet telling me I have a long lost great grandfather and a huge inheritance... I'm still waiting. I've neglected my outlet. In college my outlet from school was golf. Now my outlet from work is art. Aside from all the other things I love to do like exercise, golf, and cook, I put my design to the waste side. I didn't mean to, but I keep making excuses about time and money. Screw it, it brings me happiness. I spent time this past weekend using colors that bring me joy, and styled a couple of goofy outfits that made me smile. How could a little gingham and chambray not make you smile? Enjoy my "lime layout", I think I might have margaritas on the mind. Stay tuned for more creative processes and sketches!

Find things that bring joy into your life, and make time for them. Trust me, it'll bring some peace.

"I found that if you love life, life will love you back." --Arthur Rubenstein

We've got some catching up to do.

Good evening ya'll. I must say, its been too long.  Red wine in hand, I have to toast the New Year, new things, and...

Hello PGA season.

Last update was Halloween, sorry we missed the New Year ya'll, but lets be honest we've all been busy.

Quick catch up:
Thanksgiving- yeah, we all ate too much, I know. B and I started a tradition last year to not actually eat a turkey dinner on this Holiday. Held true this year, we both dinned elsewhere. I must say Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa, truly grateful for your steak and wine selection. Delectable. It was up there with the previous years Sushi and Sake. Wonder what next year will being?
Also, our reminder that Christmas is right around the corner. Time to start thinking of those New Year resolutions...

December brought some exciting things. 1) I was lucky to work the PNC Father/Son challenge along side legendary golfers and their talented sons/grandsons/daughters. 2) I surprised my family in the snowy north. To make this short and sweet, I convinced my brothers and parents that I had to work Christmas and the New Year (like I had done the year prior, but my family was kind enough to join me in the sunshine state). Two days before the surprise, my older brother wanted to come down to surprise for the New Year. Problem, I think so, I broke the news to him. I had kept it from him for 2 months. TWO MONTHS. 12 hours later I received a text message from my twin, "Justin spilled the beans". Really. All I needed was my brothers to keep the secret for one more day. Luckily, the secret was kept, I made it to my brothers door step on the evening of Christmas Eve. I got just the reaction I had imagined for two months, a warm embrace and tears. Merry Christmas.

Happy New Year, hope everyone was safe. Made good decisions, and rang in the year with love, friends, and happiness.

Dustin Johnson won the first tournament of the season. Mahalo.

Other tournaments occurred, nothing overly worth noting. Yeah, TW put some scores together, but I must say Phil Mickelson's win was much more exciting.
Some of the most shocking things that have occurred this season for the PGA tour would have to be all the players switching endorsements! By far the worst decisions would have to be: Webb Simpson from Polo to Izod, or maybe Watney leaving Hugo Boss. Really Rory, you'd prefer Nike over Titleist? The list goes on, but we'll elaborate a little later. This certainly takes me to the next big event of January.

I can't neglect Orlando's influx of golf nerds for the PGA show. Always an exciting time of year, rounding up the passionate and the knowledgeable to appreciate the unveiling of this seasons designs and equipment. Obviously, the fashion excites me. I had the pleasure of meeting some incredible people, one of them being Ralph Dunning. I got to listen to his run down for his line this year, the inspiration, and the drive to design exceptional pieces with performance and functionality. If only women were so lucky to have a designer create fashion and function. (cough cough, c'mon someone needs to step up to the plate!)

Probably the most monumental event: I turned 25. (I've constantly been reminded I'm now closer to 30 than 20...) Did I mention I joined the world of cyber dating? Thats a whole other can of worms.

That pretty much brings us to present, I think I hit the high points.

I say this with the utmost hope that B and I can follow through. We want to make time for this blog. This is our chance to share with you the exciting world of two adventurous girls that have an upbeat, humorous outlook on life. You know what, I need to highlight something really special, B ran her first 5K! Props. She kicked of this year in a healthy direction, hopefully that will inspire us all to lace up our shoes and hit the pavement.
Back to the basics ya'll, time management.
Find time for yourself (and for us of course).

Lets talk soon,
G

Surprise! A US Women's Open fashion review

So I just realized (in addition to not blogging in AGES) we have never really written about the state of women's professional golf in terms of fashion. I believe this is mostly due to the fact that nothing is ever that exciting in terms of color or outfits. Nobody is dressed overly tacky (most of the time) but nobody really stands out either. After watching the Women's US Open the past two days I really felt like I needed to address a few fashion winners from the most recent major championship on the LPGA. So, without further ado, here are some of my sartorial winners from this week:


Vicky Hurst 
This talented young American looked so simple and young when she wore bold Under Armour colors in Wisconsin. Also, I dig her old school hats. The look is very unique and she wears it well. Apparently, her dad's favorite player was Payne Stewart, so she wears the hats as a nod to him...a nice touch. I especially liked the color combo for Sunday, the neon green underside of the popped collar is great.

Sandra Gal

Her Callaway outfits aren't ever really anything to write home about. I included her simply for the color combination she wore on Sunday. The yellow polo with blue & white striped shorts is so east coast, I love it. And just to keep things freshy-fresh, she threw in a pink visor with a matching pink belt. Fist-pump worthy indeed, Sandra. 

Suzann Pettersen

Sponsored by Nike, this Norwegian always looks really athletic in her outfits. Sometimes I wonder if she is going to go for a 27 mile bike ride or play a round of golf...the result of being sponsored by a true sportswear company. Her Friday outfit was really my favorite of the week. A neon pink Nike polo with   small black stripes around the sleeves and at the end of the collar, plain black skort with a blacked-out Nike belt and some simple white shoes. 3 colors worn perfectly. Excellent. 

Lexi Thompson

She always dresses very age appropriate, everyone forgets that she is still just a kid. Aside from some questionable pattern choices for her shirts in the past, Puma has certainly nailed it as of late. Her blue shoes on Sunday were pretty sweet. And the blue skort with simple pleats on the front is really fun and young, paired perfectly with a cool graphic polo. Hey, even her grips and hair ribbon matched. Well played. 

That should about do it for me, gang. Sorry for the unintended hiatus, we will try and get better at posting more often but busy work weeks tend to get in the way of any meaningful blog writing, dontcha just hate that? Ugh. Me too. 

Happy Sunday, y'all. 

B

Teamwork.

Just a quick update, we're alive and well! Finally got a break from work, the both of us workin two jobs to support our dreams. We do make a point of it to have fun though, so we hit cocoa yet again to unwind and recharge. Be expecting some extraordinary things from G&B!

Lots of love.

2012 PGA Merchandise Show

Believe it or not, this was the first trip for either of us to the epic PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando and we were not disappointed. This is the mother of all merchandise shows, seriously. Literally wall-to-wall golf. And because this was the first time that we had ever been, we didn't really have a plan as to how to get through the exhibit hall and hit all of the great booths we wanted to see. We ended up just wandering up and down all the aisles being sure to check out our favorites to see their new collections and scope out some new equipment as well.

We of course took some great pictures and it should be noted that we were the only ones walking around with an honest-to-gosh Polaroid camera, printin' out vintage looking images right on the spot and getting some odd looks from people while we were at it. So, with that in mind, we hope you enjoy the following photos as much as we enjoyed taking them.

Also, we would like to give a special shout out to Alexia at Iliac Golf. She took the time while Mr. LaMar was in a meeting to walk us through the booth and some of the highlights for their line in the upcoming season.

We had a great time at the show and we can't wait for next year. Maybe we will have our own G&B booth sometime in the (near) future?! Wish us luck!

G&B

PS. Hope you like the new look of the blog, customized plaid and background design courtesy of us, duh.

New Year, New Style.

I think we're all excited for the new golf season, and the fashion we're about to endure in 2012.

Best thing, we'll be looking forward to the PGA show in Orlando where we will be shopping for looks in the upcoming year and seasons!

In the meantime, enjoy our humor.

Stay tuned for our evaluation of the style that appeared at the Tournament of Champions.

So far, geat players. Fantastic start. Classy styles. 

Cheers to a New Year!

GIFT GUIDE FOR GUYS.

so we're almost down to the single digits til the holidays are in full swing...
I dont know about you, but I certainly haven't finished my christmas shopping, let alone saved enough to buy everything for everyone... So it looks like I'll be gifting smart this year!
I was in a couple creative conversations with some gentleman that are stuck on what to get their "ladies"
The funny thing is that they didn't have a problem figuring out what to give, it was more a problem of giving the right gift from their ever so demanding wish list. Ladies, piece of advice, be grateful for whatever your man gets you. Seriously.
Are you really going to complain if your man went through all this trouble of actually getting you the michael kors camo bag and it's not the one you wanted... (sorry that was a gift my coworkers girlfriend wanted and it came to mind)
(im genuinely concerned because the girl wanted a camo bag... that's very destiny's child of you...)
 can't you atleast be grateful?
What about all those who don't have a man to share the holidays with... Just think about it.

Alright, rant done, on to the good stuff.
How to gift smart.
Ladies its our turn to give back.
For the Men (easy gifts for brothers, boyfriends, and fathers. Any man on that list.)

Quick Stocking Stuffers

(for all ages)

Chanel Allure. Tom Ford. Burberry Brit.

A variety of scents, for an array of ages.

UNDER $50

  

row 1: Jcrew mens 49. UO tee 24. Levis 58. 

row 2: UO tee 24. HugoBoss 25. UO mug 18.

row 3: Jcrew 12. UO 39. Jcrew 18.

UNDER $100

row 1: Jcrew 88. Tommy Bahama 98. Jcrew 69.

row 2: Peter Millar 95. Jcrew 98. JLindeberg 85.

row 3: Adidas 60. William Rast 95. TopMan 32.

That Special Someone. PRICELESS.

row 1: Timex 150. Hugo Boss 245. Hugo Boss 125.

row 2: Persol 225. Kicking Mules 335. JLindeberg 175.

row 3: Aquascutum 170. Victronix 595. Aquascutum 185.

A special thanks to those designers who created apparel and accessories for the modern man. Majority of these items are ageless (minus the UrbanOutfitters pieces...) Plenty of thought goes into designing pieces that are flexible and easily integrated into the customers wardrobe while creating something new and fresh! I'm excited for the new year and the new designs. Also, thanks for trendygolfer for making shopping easier for the individual who is interested in fashionable golf apparel instead of weeding through the pitiful designs that don't flatter everyone. Please enjoy this help, and let it inspire you to shop for that someone special and give them a gift that really matters!

Cinched Up: My Favorite Belts

As previously mentioned, my love for watches runs deep. They are such a fantastic and versatile accessory that can really enhance a whole outfit. And while I could go on for ages about watches, I must not forget to pay homage to another beloved accessory: the belt. 

So many options. And yet I will take the time to select only a few to feature in this post. A great belt should make a statement, but in a good way, not in a John Daly way, which of course, would be very bad. Just like watches, the belt can really add to an outfit as well. My criteria for belts are similar to what I look for in golf clothes. Make you look good on the course and still look put together when you leave the links for the day.

I thought about this post at work last night (my job affords me ample amount of time think about random stuff) and I liked the idea of writing about something I really enjoy (weird, right?). Since Griggs already covered watches, belts were the next best thing. 

Nike

Sometimes they can get a little out-of-control in the belt buckle department, but I think for the most part their simple designs are the best. Good quality leather (though I am not opposed to the colored webbing styles) and a clean, simple buckle design is what makes their belts good. They surprisingly have some great belts with a regular buckle for the more conservative crowd. But they do have some great options for white belts, which despite what some people think, can be pulled off properly even if you aren't a svelte little Englishman like Justin Rose or Paul Casey. A moderate price tag, usually between $40 and $60 they are a good-looking option for both your waist and your wallet. 

J. Lindeberg

This Swedish designer makes great belts. But his colors are not for the faint of heart. Bold uses of color combined with his iconic "JL" logo are what these belts are all about. Worn by the likes of golf star Camilo Villegas and entertainer Justin Timberlake, these belts appeal to all kinds of golfers. This is the perfect addition to that golf outfit that just needs something. A pop of color, perhaps? Done. Thanks JL. These belts made of leather and brushed steel finished buckles can run you anywhere from $65 to $80. 

Note: Camillo's rock hard body does not come with the purchase of a J. Lindeberg belt. Sorry, folks.

 Kiel James Patrick

I only recently discovered this website of fantastic New England inspired belts and accessories. And I am really glad I did, but the jury is still out if you ask my bank account. This brand is all about "creating a classic, all-American lifestyle" and I personally think that translates well into the golf course scene. Each belt is handcrafted in Rhode Island by Mr. Patrick himself out of materials from the good 'ol US of A. The quality of these belts (and their other products) is very apparent, a lot of attention to detail and a ton of hard work goes into each one...not to mention there are a ton of fun color combinations to choose from! I wear mine to the golf course all the time and the classic design makes it look great off the course as well. Starting at $88 per belt is totally worth it too, you are paying for quality here, people. 

Vineyard Vines

The belts by VV are so much fun. Known for their crazy patterns and fun colors, these whimsical designs are always a great addition to any wardrobe. Vineyard Vines also sponsors PGA Tour player Brett Quigley and LPGA Tour player Liz Janangelo. Needless to say, they aren't big in the golf game having come from a simple line of ties for men and their primarily cotton fabric polo shirts cannot compete with the bigger companies that are more focused on creating shirts out of performance fabrics. But I chose them for their belts, not polo shirts, we will save the post on that love affair for another day. I am a big fan of their cotton D-ring belts, they have the fun patterns and are pretty reasonably priced ($35) but they do have more expensive options like their Club Belts made of canvas and leather for about $50. 

As with watches, I could go on forever about my love for belts. The ones from this post in particular. Maybe another time, as new companies with great belts crop up I will revise my list. But for now, this is it. I encourage you to click on the header of each section, it will take you straight to the company website so you can experience all the golfing and belting goodness they have to offer. 

PS. I won't judge you for buying a Christmas present for yourself (we have all done it)...just as long as its a sweet belt from one of these guys. 

-B