she's a boss

nice little 3 track EP coming in from disclosure. who doesn't love songs about ladies being bosses, al green and magic?! 

listen on spotify or purchase on itunes! 

listen on spotify or purchase on itunes

 

 

Posted on June 17, 2016 and filed under beats.

Crushin' on Chubbies

a few months ago a friend of mine asked if i was available for a photoshoot with chubbies! they were looking for ladies to model their new shorts line for women. i was excited to join the crew and show off my thighs in some chubbies shorts. if you go to the website you can find photos of me here and there with my blue hair!

photo courtesy of Chubbies

photo courtesy of Chubbies

photo courtesy of Chubbies

photo courtesy of Chubbies

fast forward a few days and chubbies asks me if i want to model their swimsuit. gulp. without hesitation i said yes. was i going to feel comfortable prancing around in a swimsuit in front of a camera all day? no. was it something i needed to do? yes. this is what the movemeant foundation is all about - celebrating and being proud of our bodies. if you haven't heard about movemeant stop reading this and go to their page now! 

i'm not the typical model size. i workout six days a week, eat healthy (for the most part) and my thighs touch... they always will. i have a nice layer of wine and cheese on top of my very strong abs. but this is why it is important to me to model this swimsuit (or any swimsuit really). people need to see real bodies. not photoshopped not altered but just beautiful the way they are. the chubbies photography team made me feel comfortable, beautiful and empowered. statements like "your butt looks great in this suit!" broke the ice as i attempted to get my covergirl on.  

photo courtesy of Chubbies 

photo courtesy of Chubbies 

next up! videoshoots. they came up with an awesome concept to offer "pants repair" for april fools day. because let's face it, life's too short to wear pants :) 

and then rope swing beer pong. which is as epic as it sounds. we went to the rope swing at bass lake to try out this revolutionary game. check out the video on chubbies facebook page

all in all. the team at chubbies rules. working with them is a dream! great product. great people. #dawning with a bunch of #dawners. what more could you want?

sky's out. thighs out ya'll

Posted on June 9, 2016 and filed under live-dream.

LiB

if you are in the mood to have a great time memorial day weekend go to lightning in a bottle! for those that are unfamiliar, lightning in a bottle is a music festival based in bradley, ca. the festival is thrown by the do lab, one of my favorite places to shake it at coachella. this was my first year attending and i will definitely be back! the vibes are right! the art is beautiful. the lines are short (for bathrooms and bars). everyone is camping (a sense of community) and having a great time. what drew me in? the music!

of course jamie xx was my favorite... at one point he remixed drake's one dance and i lost my shit. i made a bad joke "just drop the new drake in your set and everyone will love it". but for real, he was incredible. he took the crowd on a 2+ hour musical journey, mixing vinyl, playing the original songs he's sampled, etc. honestly everyone blew me away minus mr. carmack but i'm not going to get into that... hint: he remixed ultra light beam with a salsa song.

the truth is festivals aren't really about the music. you can have a plan, memorize set times, etc. but you are bound to miss some acts and stumble on artists you've never heard of. i think that's the point! additionally, LiB does a great job of making it about much more than the music. countless workshops, yoga, meditation, etc. you can even go shopping! which brings me to outfits! i love dressing up at festivals because it's an outlet for self expression and creativity. one thing i always make sure of... comfort! recently my friends and i have really gotten into kimonos. they are great to throw on because they are lightweight, you can use them later to sit on or tie around your neck as a scarf. 

IMG_1001.JPG

i got this kimono on etsy! finding something unique is worth the 30min search! this swimsuit was comfortable, sexy, and cheap. i used tribal markers to paint my legs! they were so easy to use and gave my outfit a nice boost. everyone made fun of my soul patch! i'll try and get better at the face designs ;) 

lib_dreamsofdawn

i purchased this crop top and short set a year or so ago. i also grabbed a fanny pack from forever 21! since we were camping i didn't need to pack a backpack. this made dancing much more enjoyable. i threw on a necklace, some combat boots and more body paint (pretty easy to remove so you can do new designs every day). 

i got my nails done at sparkle in the mission! you can see the dreams of dawn logo on my thumb! 

despite the delicious food i actually lost a few pounds over the weekend from the dancing and hiking (there are hills & stairs). our camping location was sooo far away - i would not recommend rv with hookups. if you're doing the rv thing camp w/o hookups and you will be much closer to the action! the good news was the closest stage to us was my favorite stage - the woogie! woogieing is a thing and i suggest you try it! did i mention you can bring your favorite drink along with you? 

woog vibes ya'll. hope to see you there next year :) 

Posted on June 5, 2016 and filed under live-dream.

go dj

me at mighty

me at mighty

recently I've been granted the amazing opportunity of playing some tunes at some local clubs! i pride myself on taking my riders through a musical journey. playlisting is one of the best parts of the job... so mixing is a natural next step! take these mixes with you on your next workout and let me know what you think! 

my public works set can be described as "sassy house". we had a fun time dancing to it. 

at mighty i went for something more mellow... was told to keep it simple. it's a deep dark journey with some sexy vibes... enjoy! 

Posted on May 26, 2016 and filed under beats.

avocado toast with smoked salmon, tomato and shichimi

avotoast

pretty simple snack! i like to keep smoked salmon in the fridge as a quick protein fix. it is low in calories but does contain a TON of sodium so be careful. 

what you need for this snack:

1 slice of whole grain bread

1/2 avocado 

2oz salmon 

1 roma tomato

1 tsp shichimi (Japanese 7 spice blend) 

toast the bread and affix with toppings! yum! 

avotoast2
Posted on May 23, 2016 and filed under eats.

on repeat...

the past couple of weeks i've been rotating through a few albums... Kaytranada's 99.9%, Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book, and The Colour in Anything (as previously mentioned). it typically depends on my mood... if I want to wind things down i'll listen to The Colour in Anything, if I need something uplifting I'll throw on Coloring Book and if I'm looking for good mid-day vibes or driving music I'll give 99.9% a spin. I love how with all these albums you don't need to skip any songs... I appreciate that the most in an album! There's nothing like an artist taking you through a journey start to finish. 

99.9%, favorites include drive me crazy, glowed up, you're the one. 

99.9%, favorites include drive me crazy, glowed up, you're the one. 

are you ready, for your blessings, are you ready, for your miracle?

 coloring book, favorites include no problem, blessings, juke jam

 coloring book, favorites include no problem, blessings, juke jam

The Colour in Anything favorites include timeless, put that away and talk to me, i need a forrest fire

The Colour in Anything favorites include timeless, put that away and talk to me, i need a forrest fire

of course i'll still bumping the life of pablo and lemonade! what a great time for music... 

Posted on May 23, 2016 and filed under beats.

this album is fire! and i needed a forest fire.

i hope you all have been listening to james blake's latest album, the color in anything. i was super excited to hear he was working with frank ocean and hope that collaboration continues to prosper (c'mon frank give us some music)! as a seattle native it's no surprise i love the rainy day vibes and I simply can't get enough of this song. other favorites include put that down and talk to me and timeless! check them out! 

Posted on May 11, 2016 and filed under beats.

dinner at the coffee shop

if you life in the castro you have probably stumbled on hearth, a cute little coffee shop with amazing croissants! what you might not know is that they offer a prix fixe dinner wednesdays, thursdays, and fridays. 

I teach the 7:30PM class at the castro studio on wednesdays and decided i'd stop in for a little post class fuel with some friends! 

the vibe is quiet, romantic but casual, and candle lit. the music is well curated - tame impala, rhye, aka all the hits. the meal is $29.50 with the option for a $14 wine pairing (duh) and amazing service! 

hearthprixfixe1

everything is fresh and delicious! the portions are small but you leave satisfied and not overly full. 

hearthprixfixe2
wild arugula salad with cherries, hazelnuts, and pecorino

wild arugula salad with cherries, hazelnuts, and pecorino

freshly made amatriciana ravioli in a cacio and pepe sauce 

freshly made amatriciana ravioli in a cacio and pepe sauce 

gianduja tart with cherry gastrique

gianduja tart with cherry gastrique

...it was so good I had to go back the following week! 

fava beans crostini with mascarpone and pecorino cheeses

fava beans crostini with mascarpone and pecorino cheeses

handmade tagliatelle with crab, time and espelette

handmade tagliatelle with crab, time and espelette

triple cream verinne with brown butter streusel

triple cream verinne with brown butter streusel

to reserve your table simply email reservations@hearthcoffee.com! tell them paula dawn sent you ;) 

 

 

Posted on May 11, 2016 and filed under eats.

baked eggs with veggies, bacon and avocado

dreamsofdawn_bakedeggs1

i'm really into baked eggs! it's a fun way to get creative in the kitchen and cook up veggies that need to be used. you will probably see many varieties if you continue to follow along! they are easy to make, delicious and filling!

what you need for this version

2 shallots

3 strips of bacon cut into 1 inch pieces

1 sweet potato

2 zucchini squash

1c spinach

3 eggs

1/2 avocado

dreamsofdawn_bakedeggs2

preheat the oven to 400 degrees. boil 2 quarts of water with a pinch of salt. chop the zucchini, sweet potato and shallots. place sweet potato in boiling water and heat bacon on a skillet. once enough grease coats the pan add shallots to the bacon.

dreamsofdawn_bakedeggs3
dreamsofdawn_bakedeggs4

add chopped zucchini and boiled sweet potato to skillet. add a little bit of water so the shallots don't burn.

dreamsofdawn_bakedeggs5

next, add the spinach and quickly make three pockets in the skillet for the eggs.

dreamsofdawn_bakedeggs6

crack the eggs into the pockets

dreamsofdawn_bakedeggs7

after the eggs have cooked for 2 minutes on the skillet place entire skillet in the oven. the eggs will bake for about 5-7 minutes depending on preference. while the skillet is in the oven clean up and cut the avocado into slices. take the skillet out of the oven and top with salt and pepper and the avocado slices. be sure to have something under the skillet. it will be hot! enjoy!

dreamsofdawn_bakedeggs8
Posted on April 21, 2016 and filed under eats.

coffee please

sweat pants. hair tied. chillin with no make-up on... pretty much my uniform! with that said i still try to stay (relatively) cute in my cozys. these sweatpants are sooo comfy and embody my morning character "paula before 10". she's not fully there and could use a little extra boost!

 

 

Posted on April 21, 2016 and filed under wear.

change for the twenty

today, treasury secretary Jacob J. Lew announced Harriet Tubman will be the new face of the $20 bill. this historical moment brought a lot of amazing stories to light. one thing that standed out to me was this quote

every great dream begins with a dreamer. always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

I've always identified as a dreamer and I hope to share more of my dreams with you. welcome to dreams of dawn!

xoxo

paula dawn

Posted on April 20, 2016 and filed under live-dream.