World Travel Market Preparations: Business Cards

Only a little over a month remains until the London 2013 World Travel Market. I have my press pass, the hostel is booked, plane tickets are purchased and now I have my business cards! I used moo.com, and it was really such a great experience. I used the “Great Escapes” Template. I loved the color scheme and layout on the front, and on the back, you can choose 5 of your own photos that will alternate on the cards…

*There isn’t actually a blank space under “Two Thumbs Travels”, I just figured the internet isn’t the best place to display my personal cell phone.

You can use the photos on the back as a mini photography portoflio, like I did with the New York and Key West Photos, or have photos of yourself to make them remember you, like the skydiving and paddle-boarding shots…. or you can have a picture of your cat, just because you can…

Anyway, the cards are made really well. They’re not flimsy and cheap feeling, like cards I had previously purchased from a large office supply retail chain. I also love the matte finish and rounded corners, but there are many other options also. Plus, they come in a really cute little black box so you can carry them around and not get them damaged or lost.

The shipping was incredibly fast too. I ordered them on September 15th and the confirmation said they would arrive by September 25th. This is why I was fairly surprised when they came in the mail only 5 days after I placed the order and 5 days before they were due to arrive.

I wanted the cards to look professional, but stand out with a little humor (Cat Lady) and I couldn’t be happier with the results. I highly recommend moo.com for not only business cards, but all kinds of promotional materials. Go check out their website!

For live updates on all upcoming events (World Travel Market, Doctor Who 50th Celebration, Cats), don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Vine and Instagram @CorneliaJoy.

Side notes: I would like to point out that I know the scratches on my desk are terrible and I will be refurbishing and posting about it as soon as time allows. Also, I will only have 8 weeks of class left for my B.A.S. after the WTM, but it would be a huge waste of money hassle to make these and then have to order new ones 8 weeks later, so I decided to include it on there already. I hope that doesn’t offend anyone!

Bucket List Item # 218 Continued…

More Quotes!

(Key West, 2013)

(Anna Maria Island, 2012)

(Desoto Park, Bradenton, FL, 2012)

(Skydiving, 2013)

(New York City, 2013)

I do love a good quote…. I’d love to hear your favorites!

Things To Come…

I realize I have posted A LOT about the Keys lately, but my horizons will be expanding once again, shortly. Here is a list of a few things coming up over the next few months or so…

Travely things…

First, in November, I’ll be headed to London for the World Travel Market! This will be my first time at WTM and first time in London. I’m definitely excited for both! I know lots of adventures with new friends await, and that’s just the beginning. After London, I’ll be headed over to the Netherlands via a short stay Brussels. At least that’s the plan for now. After a couple weeks in the Netherlands, it’s back to London for (hoisting my inner nerd flag) the Doctor Who 50th Celebration! It took waking up at 5 AM and struggling for about 45 minutes to get through for tickets the day they went on sale, but my diligence was rewarded and I have a ticket to the (now sold out) event!

Since leaving Nashville in May, I have done almost nothing but think about how I can justify a trip back. *Enter the Music City Rock ‘n Roll Marathon* Granted, the race isn’t until April, but at least now the dates are set! I intended to only sign up for the half marathon, but my running buddy signed up for the full. I’m not sure if my competitive nature or peer pressure is to blame, but regardless of the reasoning behind it, I am officially signed up for my first marathon, 26.2 grueling miles. What have I gotten myself into?? Actually, as far as marathons (aka running over 26 miles, in one shot… on purpose) go, this seems to be a pretty cool one. There are supposed to be bands at every mile playing live music, and then a big free concert afterwards. The race benefits St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, so that’s pretty cool too. It also gets me back to Tennessee. What more could I want?

More fitnessy things..

In March, there’s another pretty awesome race happening in my area, and I’m really looking forward to this one. It’s only a 5k and it’s called the “Bad Prom Run.” You find one of your old prom dresses or something terrible from a thrift store, a group of your funnest friends, run/walk a couple miles and then have a big party after. Sounds like a good time to me!

DIYs..

I’m almost done with the interior of my Dome Top Steamer Trunk, I’m pretty excited to have that beast finished. I’ve also got a few other things thing in the works, but I don’t want to say too much. Spoilers! Between what I’ve got lined up for myself and friends, and all the estate sales/thrift stores that are calling my name There are plenty of project posts on the way.

Personals..

– turning 25 (since when am I a quarter of a century old?)

-finishing my undergraduate schooling

-applying for graduate school aka lots of stress

If you’re looking for live updates in real time on any of those events, I’m talking to you Doctor Who fans, be sure to follow me on any of the various social media platforms… facebook, instagram, vine, twitter… @CorneliaJoy! If you have any suggestions for London/Brussels I would really appreciate hearing them!

Tennessee Video 2013

This is just a glimpse into my trip from last week. It’s one of the best trips I have ever had! I can’t wait to go back to Nashville!

Also, if you haven’t seen my New York or Las Vegas videos, you should!

I Saw The Signs..

I wanted to share some pictures of signs that I have come across recently. They made me laugh, some for the wrong reasons, and hopefully they will make you smile too. All of them are from Tennessee, but the last one. Enjoy!

That’s intense!

I’m still not sure what to say about this next one…

I don’t know what it means to “except” credit cards, but they do it in this place, apparently.

“Greatest blog in the world.” – My Mom

New York Designs

Just a little design inspiration from NYC…

Central Park..

The High Line Park in Chelsea… LOVED this place, and found it by accident! It’s an old, above ground railroad line that they’ve turned into a park. The whole place was blooming, Absolutely gorgeous.

A locksmith in Little Italy… who wouldn’t want a sweater for their padlock?

Seriously though, where do I get one?

Urban Barbed Wire..

Chelsea Market..

When I have my own kitchen, I think I need a wall like this…

New York. Effortlessly chic..

St. John the (oh so) Divine

On day one of our itinerary-less trip to New York City, we were walking to breakfast surrounded by a bunch bland apartment buildings until there was a clearing for a small park. That’s when we saw it, looking down from the hill across the park where it sits in all it’s spired and stained-glass glory. Just like that, we had an itinerary….

Choirs were there rehearsing for a competition over the weekend so the beautiful halls were filled with music that was equally stunning.

There was a small monument in a side hallway to commemorate the 9/11 attacks and those that we lost. I don’t know if it was the surreal music ringing through the hall that made it so moving, but it was the most touching memorial that I had ever seen.

The top half is that of a woman, and the bottom box has a piece of the World Trade Center inside of it. It was just completed in 2012 by Meredith Gang Bergmann..

There are also several mini-chapels in the back of the building, each with a different theme and purpose..

The whole thing is in the middle of a remodel. Here you can see the divide between the old and new walls..

It is right next to the Columbia University campus, so if you’re in the area you should go check it out. They do not charge a fee for entrance, but giving a donation isn’t a bad idea. It all goes towards the restoration of the building.

You can also donate in the form of a candle purchase. They’re actually quite cheap and you can write a small inscription. There were many candles with writing in several languages. Some were in memoriam, others were prayer requests or notes of thanksgiving… All very beautiful.

La Ville-Lumière

I’ve already posted about zombie walking through Paris and our practice being vagrants, but we actually did much more than that! We did a lot of things that you would expect tourists to do, like visit the Louvre.

Pictures and words are not enough to describe this exquisite museum. We only had about 3 hours to spend, but we could have easily lost days in that place exploring and taking inappropriate pictures..

I blame it on residual effects of sleep depravity. We weren’t allowed to use the flash, so our picture quality wasn’t the best. Once you find the Mona Lisa, you’ll see that you have to squeeze through about 15 layers of people to get anywhere near it. If you don’t, you’ll end up with an awkward picture like mine where it looks like you photobombed yourself..

We also saw the Venus de Milo, but I can’t seem to find that picture.

This trip was just before the 2008 Presidential election, so anyone that found out you were American would yell “Obama!!” at you excitedly. There was a pair of Nigerian men getting signatures that were particularly excited about the election.

We couldn’t sign the petition because we weren’t French, so I’m not sure what it was about, but they were so charismatic and funny!

Transportation was outstanding. It was easy to navigate and if you purchased day passes you could take a bus or train about anywhere within city limits. We learned about the city limits part through trial and error. Towards the end of the day we were trying to see something just outside the city and when we got off at our stop, there was nothing there but a setting sun and some papers that were blowing eerily across floor. We decided to abort the mission until we discovered that our passes would let us back on the train platform. We actually had to climb through a gate and over a turnstile. There wasn’t even a ticket booth there, so we didn’t have any other option! Oh well.

Always an adventure!

Barbershop Dance Party

When traveling, it’s always best to just go with the flow. Embrace whatever comes your way. On my first night in NYC, the first thing that came our way was a mid-week dance party in a barbershop. We had just gotten in that afternoon. We checked into our hostel and then went for a short walk around our section of The City. On our way back, when most businesses were closed, we saw all the lights on in one store and the music was PUMPING! After staring inside for several minutes, while making our best sad puppy faces, we got invited inside!

They were so welcoming! It turns out the place doesn’t actually double as a nightclub, but it was just someone’s birthday.

There was an abundance of food, Corona and dance partners. It was such a blast! Vaniella even got a to-go plate!