June 22, 2022

Let's Meet Ana Leilani Ka’ahanui

June 22, 2022/ Meryl

Ana Leilani Ka’ahanui

Ana Leilani Ka’ahanui of Capital Nature is a lover of nature, photographer and seeker of rainbows - she lives in Burke, VA with her husband Nik and sweet pup Lani.

Ana welcome thanks so much for taking the time to be here and chat!

So tell the readers a bit about yourself: I was born Ann Leilani Ka’ahanui, but I changed my name legally to Ana in my 20s for a few reasons. When I was in 8th grade in Hawaii, my Grandfather, Charles A’a Ka’ahanui, gifted me with a Hawaiian Heritage ring and necklace with the Hawaiian spelling of my name “Ana” engraved on it. The ring only fit my wedding finger so I was wearing a gold band until I got to college! While I lived in Rome, Italy from 1992-1996, the Italians called me “Ana” and I decided it sounded much better with my middle and last names, so I changed it.

I met my husband Nikhil (Nik) Raval working at the Borders Books and Music at Pentagon Centre. Fun fact: He doesn’t ever call me “Ana” but the nickname “Hapa” which means “half” or “mixed” in Hawaiian. The term describes that I’m half islander and half Caucasian. We did things out of the conventional order since we are not conventional. We got a place together, adopted our dog Zoe, bought a house in Burke, VA and then got married on Sept 10, 2005. We had a wonderful 11 years with Border-Collie-Retriever Mix Zoe and now have adorable pup Lani, which means “heaven” in Hawaiian. My Mother Mary Ann claims that she suggested the name. Both dogs were adopted from Lost Dog Rescue and we knew Lani was destined to be ours when we found out that she was born on our wedding anniversary!

Please tell us what did you studied in school and what your 9 to 5 gig is: I graduated from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC with a degree in Foreign Languages. I studied abroad at the University of Nice, France and at Loyola University of Chicago’s Rome Center in Italy, where I later returned for two years after graduation serving as a resident advisor. I’ve also worked as an Event Planner for a government contractor and as a Community Relations Coordinator for Border Books & Music.

I’ve worked at the U.S. Green Building Council since 2003 in various capacities that connect people to the green world. As employee #22, I'm a veteran on the staff of 300+ people. I started as a Workshop Manager, then managed curriculum development and also did a year on the operations and facilities team. Currently I’m on the Marketing and Communications team, I manage projects, curate digital assets and serve as the staff photographer.

Capital Nature - how did this venture start and it’s goal: Part of my job at the U.S. Green Building Council was leading public tours of our very sustainable LEED Platinum headquarters. Over 10 years, I led over 850 tours for more than 14,000 guests. One of the design concepts is called biophilic design, incorporating elements that make the tenants feel more connected to nature. “Biophilia” means “love of life, love of nature.” Studies show that when people feel a connection to nature, they are happier, healthier and more productive. We have lots of daylight, views of the outdoors from our desks, reclaimed wood furniture and decor, plants throughout, images and symbols of nature and a 2-story water feature.

I enjoyed using the built environment as a teaching tool and especially sharing what biophilia means with our visitors. This love of biophilia led me to attending programs by Biophilic DC, a civic initiative co-founded by Stella Tarnay. She and I started having lunches and calls in 2017 and officially started our nonprofit Capital Nature in January of 2018. Our mission is to connect DC area residents and visitors to the unique nature activities in the region. We offer our own programs such as nature and forest bathing walks. We also curate a web events calendar where we hand-pick events and promote dozens of organizations in the area. We want it to be the one-stop location for anyone looking to do something outdoors, whether it be planting trees, pulling invasive plants, learning about mushrooms or doing yoga in a park. We are also very engaged with citizen science activities, where lay people help scientists make observations and collect data using the app iNaturalist. We are on the leadership team for the global City Nature Challenge. This year, we had a great turnout, placing in the top 10 in all 4 categories out of 445 cities in 47 countries.

Yoga

Elementary School Class

My article “stepping into nature” was featured in the annual journal "Avenues" published by the Urban Design Committee of the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. It captures my nature journey from seeing a leaf on a walk, to becoming trained as a Virginia Master Naturalist to being certified as a Forest Therapy Guide. Here is the Facebook post I did about it.

**stepping Into Nature** **Written by Ana Leilani Ka’ahanui**

I was so happy with this Washington Post article by John Kelly from May 4, 2021. He attended one of my walks in DC:

Cleansing the soul and restoring the spirit with a spot of forest bathing

I was very lucky to grow up in Hawaii, being surrounded by some of the most gorgeous nature in the world. I didn’t become a “nature nerd” until later in life.

I was thrilled to be contacted by KCRW, the NPR affiliate in Los Angeles, to do an interview about trees and forest bathing! They had seen the article about me in the Washington Post. They have an hour-long Saturday afternoon program called Life Examined, which explores science, philosophy, faith — and finding meaning in the modern world.

My 15-minute segment followed an interview with the German forester Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees, one of my favorite tree books! On their website, they also list our interviews separately, but I encourage you to listen to Peter's segment, as you will learn fascinating things about trees. One funny thing I learned about myself: I say "Absolutely" before I answer questions. I need to work on that! Shout out to Nik for taking the photos of me for my segment and I'm thrilled they used my #thedailyleaf Instagram collage as the cover image for the full episode and Lani's paw is included.

Ana I know Rainbows are deeply special to you - can you tell the readers what they mean to you and how they manifest around you: Rainbows give me so much joy! Growing up in Hawaii, you see rainbows every day. When we moved to Virginia when I was in 8th grade, I had a rainbow bedroom, maybe to remind me of Hawaii. My mother Mary Ann is an artist and made me several decorative items, many of which I still have. I have collected many rainbow items over the years and have been posting #thedailyrainbow photos on my Instagram. It can be anything showing the colors of the rainbow. Friends and family now text, email and tag me on rainbow images which makes me so happy. 💜🌈

What I learned about myself is that I have very specific color shades that I prefer for rainbows, with images that represent them. For example, I prefer primary colors over pastels. I did a personal Google survey a few years ago asking friends and family to list the items that remind them of their favorite colors in the rainbow. What I discovered is that many favorites are tied to childhood memories and life experiences. For example, several people chose colors based on their favorite sports teams. Here are my favorites and the image that best describe them:

Pink: Strawberry Carnation Instant Breakfast Drink from my childhood
Red: Red Skittles
Orange: Dutch National Soccer Team Jerseys
Yellow: a tie between Candy Corn and Sunflowers
Green: Kermit the Frog
Blue: My royal blue wool coat
Purple: Grape Ape cartoon from my childhood

A goal of mine is to take the responses from the survey and make a collage of all the things that represent each color for my family and friends. I find it all very fascinating.

**Ana’s love of color started young. Age 3**

I know you have a creative eye. You are often seen with your camera in hand. How many years have you been into photography: I’ve had a camera since I was about 10 years old and have always enjoyed taking photos. One of my best friends has said there would be no record of her childhood if I hadn’t been taking so many photos. Consequently, I have amassed thousands of images over the years, all in boxes in our home. It’s on my to-do list to Marie Kondo those photos, go through them, purge and organize. I have memories of the anticipation of getting film developed and hoping photos came out. In my late 20s, I did take one photo developing class that was really fun. I enjoyed being in the dark room and watching the images come to life. I’m so thankful for digital photography as it’s easier to store and organize photos. I keep all my pics in Dropbox for ease of sharing and posting. I am the USGBC photographer and have taken over 300 staff headshots as well as pics for dozens of programs. On a personal level, I love to photodocument events like baby showers and other special occasions, then gift photos to people. I’ve also trained my husband that if a meal looks Instagram-worthy, he’s not allowed to eat until I’ve photographed it! I won a DC photo contest several years ago called “Capitol Hill Dogs” with an entry of our pup Zoe called “bliss.” I am always thrilled to have my photos published in magazines and online. My proudest accomplishment is making it into 4 editions of the “365 Dogs Page-a-Day Calendar,” which has a distribution of 5 million.

**documenting insects at a pollinator garden in Washington, DC**

Tell us more about your creativity: I love how people are creative in different ways. For example, my mother, Mary Ann Kaahanui, can do everything. She can crochet, knit, sew, embroider, paint, do calligraphy, design dolls, make beaded jewelry. etc. While I’ve made beaded jewelry, surprisingly I don’t do any of those other crafts. I consider myself creative in other ways. From when I was young, I could make things out of paper. Mother’s and Father’s Day cards were innovative or in 3D and I loved doing découpage, stamping and embossing as I got older.

My maternal Grandfather, Paul Zetts, Sr., was a jack of all trades. He could “McGyver” anything you needed and I inherited that from him. I enjoy coming up with ways to use unconventional items. For example, during the Christmas holidays, I’m able to take colored plastic tablecloths and make palm trees and a volcano for our Dancing Hula Santa. When I was in college, I made and sold earrings made from Friendly Plastic. While living in Rome, I made beaded souvenir jewelry that I sold on campus and at the American Embassy in Rome. My little cards said “Accents by Ana.”

Ana's dad Mel

Ana's mom Mary Ann

Any plans for the rest of 2022 you’d care to share: This is my 19th year at USGBC and while I love our mission, my colleagues and our work, I’m ready for a new adventure. Stella and I started Capital Nature 4 years ago. Neither of us have ever been motivated by money so fundraising has been a challenge. I’m not willing to leave my paid job until we have some funding and it’s been slow going. Ultimately. I’d like to leave USGBC and work on connecting people to nature full time.

My forest bathing practice is getting busier with requests from local botanic gardens, parks, schools, churches, counties and other civic groups. I get so much gratification from leading forest bathing walks (slow, meditative walks in nature) and am thrilled to get people of all ages involved in citizen science. I especially love leading tree appreciation walks. Through Capital Nature, we are growing our list of collaborators and partners. National Geographic and Patagonia in Georgetown have awarded us micro-grants and we continue to push forward in search of grants and other funding opportunities.

One thing I’ve learned in the last few years is how to balance my 9-5 job with running a nonprofit, having a family life and keeping up with friends. It can be really challenging at times and sometimes I may push myself too far, but in the end, it’s all worth it to me. My favorite words are “wonder” and “joy” and I try to live by them as best I can.

Ana I can’t say thank you enough for saying yes when I asked! And friends Ana is not only an interesting and creative soul but, she’s also my cousin!

You can find Ana on Facebook & Instagram
Capital Nature on Facebook & Instagram

Til next time friends be well!

Images: Ana Leilani Ka’ahanui

May 25, 2022

Let's Meet Tiffany Brown-Barino

May 25, 2022/ Meryl

Tiffany Brown-Barino is an Interior Decorator, Content Creator and Blogger behind My Eclectic Nest.

Tiffany welcome to the Chalet! I know you’re married, the mother of 3 plus one fur baby and a transplant to New Jersey from New York tell us where you grow up. Yes, I’m a native New Yorker my husband Michael and I both grew up in the always cool but not currently trendy Williamsburg section of Brooklyn NY. My dad, mom, sister and I lived together with my first fur baby, our Persian cat Fluffy (aka my little brother from another mother lol).

Tiffany and Michael with 2 of their 3 children

My next question of course is - What was your space like when you were growing up? Did you have a hand in its look? Growing up I shared a bedroom with my sister until I was 12 years old, she moved out (we are 10 years apart) and from then on the room was my oasis. My sister was a bit sloppier than I and it would drive me nuts. Once she left my mom and I promptly redecorated the space to better reflect my personality. We had hardwood floors but at that age I lacked appreciation for them and my mom allowed me to lay down peel and stick black and white floor tile. I had the coolest room in the entire neighborhood. I had my dream canopy bed and I hand painted a vintage desk and matching hutch given to me by my grandmother. I loved bright jewel tone colors and that is what I used to accent the room. All of my friends wanted me to help them decorate their bedrooms haha.

I’m sure they did… your passion for Interior Decorating starting early.

I can tell you this with regards to my sharing my bedroom - to this day I remember the outfit I wore to school the day my sister moved out - it was a turquoise corduroy skirt with a matching sweater vest, white bell sleeve blouse and rust booties. It was cuter than it sounds but I was just so excited about having my own space I dressed up for the occasion.

Tiffany I shared a bedroom with my older sister for the first 10 years of my life - I absolutely appreciate the level of excitement knowing it’s all yours! LOL

Tiffany please tell us what you studied in college. I went to The High School of Fashion Industries and then on to Fashion Institute of Technology for two years. Later in life I went back to school to become a certified Paralegal and most recently took a leap of faith and decided to try my hand in a completely different industry - Finance - I’m a Finance Administrator and loving every bit of using the left side of my brain.

Kitchen dining area - most recent One Room Challenge space in fall 2021

Did your Blog come first or was it Instagram and how did you come up with your fun account name? Instagram came first and it came about because we moved out to NJ and I wanted to document the entire decor process. Once I started reading blogs I figured I should give it a try as well. I love having these outlets at my disposal because I’m sure my family and friends are no longer interested in my pillows and rugs. My name is quite literally me - I love so many different styles of decor I would never want to box myself into one design category so My Eclectic Nest was born from that thought.

Would you say you knew your style before your current home – or has it evolved over the course of being in this home? It has absolutely evolved over time and I can feel it shifting lately. I think people are constantly changing and growing and with that - what you want you home to look like and how you want it to feel is also changing along with you.

My design philosophy is to always have fun with your decor/design process. It’s your home to do what you like, whether it's on trend or not. YOU live there and you and your family need to enjoy that space in the way you see fit.

Share what your favorite space in your home is and why. My favorite space is our main bedroom right now. I was very intentional with the latest design and it is very relaxing and calming, while also being somewhat glam-ish.

I know you’re always re-imagining spaces in your home, how many One Room Challenges, New Year New Room Challenges and similar group design events you’ve participated in? I have participated in six One Room Challenges, two New Year New Room Challenges and one Bathroom Primp and Proper (that was actually my first group design project).

Also I see you were a panelist with other creatives in April for The Beautiful Home, Beautiful Life Summit – can you share how you got involved with the event? Yes, I love discovering new to me creatives and then sharing them with my instabuddies. I really enjoy the blog hops or IG feed hops, it’s such a great way to find new inspiration. Beautiful Home, Beautiful Life Summit was such a joy to participate in. Tasha reached out to me and I was beyond flattered and so excited about being a part of the Summit this Spring.

Can you tell us how has Social Media impacted your brand? It has impacted it in a huge way. I get to work with so many amazing companies due to being seen on social media. As well as being able to work with other content creators I probably would not have due to social media and the brand partnerships. I think my brand being what it is - fun and eclectic - is much more defined due to some of the collaborations I’ve had as well.

Because of Social Media you’ve been featured on Apartment Therapy. What type of response did you receive from each feature? Apartment Therapy was definitely on my decor bucket list and it was blast having them feature myself and my family. I can get lost on that site for hours. They have so many amazing and beautiful homes that I peruse through as well as tips and advice on how to make the most of the home you have. I must say most of the responses were positive, the few that were not, weren’t a big deal. My feelings are still intact!

**Space featured in the 6/3/21 Apartment Therapy article: 101 Ways to Add Color to Your Home**

Would you like to share any plans you have for the rest of 2022 with the readers? Your To Do List? I really don’t have a To Do list per say, but I would like to spice up our family room a bit. Nothing big, just a few things I’d like to switch around. The family room is my second favorite room in our home - all the fun happens here so I’m always looking to change things in there. It never really ends and I don’t want it to either lol!

Tiffany one last question - I love how you use black and white to ground your spaces. It lends such a cohesiveness to your home. When did this manifest itself? What was the a-ha moment when you decided on this? That manifested itself when I was a teenager. In my bedroom I had classic black and white flooring and bedding. I love how colors pop against the combination of black and white; it is always the perfect backdrop.

**Lunching with (left to right) Regine, Aileen and Tiffany last fall at the Alternate Ending Beer Co.**

I always say how much I love Instagram and this is why… getting the chance to meet up with such lovely humans. Here I am with Régine Labossière, Aileen Grodzinsky and Tiffany at Alternate Ending Beer Co.

Tiffany thank you so very much for saying yes, when I asked if I could interview you!

You can find Tiffany on her Blog, Instagram and her Website.

Til next time friends be well!

Images: Tiffany Brown-Barino

April 20, 2022

Let's Meet Lauren M. Precker

April 20, 2022/ Meryl

Hello friends I am so happy to introduce the sweet and talented Lauren M. Precker to you all. Lauren is the creative behind the brand Lola & Pickett

I discovered Lauren through my friend Michele C. Strauts of Crafting Culture and I immediately went to Lauren’s shop and bought some her pretty clam and oyster shells. I’ve hung them on cabinet knobs instead of tassels and love the different element they infuse.

Lauren welcome to the Chalet can you tell us a bit about yourself? Hi Meryl thank you - we recently moved from Alexandria, VA to Richmond, VA and are deep in the throws of house hunting. My husband, Stephen, and I are getting ready to celebrate 10 years of marriage. We have our spunky one and half year-old French Bulldog/Boston Terrier mix, Oliver and our daughter Lily was born in October.

Please tell us about your business – when it started – where to find it and what you sell. My Etsy shop is Lola & Pickett named after our first Frenchie, Lola, and the street we used to live on. I sell a combination of painted and decoupaged oyster and clam shell items - such as ornaments and trinket dishes. In addition, I also sell seasonal décor items. Items that are painted and decoupaged - like pumpkins and Easter eggs.

This whole venture started back in the fall of 2020. Like many people, I was laid off due to the pandemic and was feeling a little lost and burnt out. I decided to take advantage of my severance package and take some time to recharge before jumping back into the corporate world. However, I am not someone who can just sit around day after day, so I decided to spruce up our fall decorations with some painted pumpkins.

I thought the final product turned out cute and maybe other blue & white fans might like them, so I put them up on Facebook Marketplace on a whim not thinking anyone would want them. Boy, was I wrong! I had people ordering them as fast as I could make them and even asking for custom color combinations.

We had a beach vacation in Cape Charles, VA booked just as pumpkin season was winding down. I have always loved to beach comb and collect shells and while I was walking along the beach one day, I was looking at the oyster shells that were all over the place and thought that I could make my own version of the oyster shell ornaments I had seen in some of the shops in town and as they say, the rest is history!

My husband is from Long Island, NY and my mother-in-law still lives there and is an avid beach goer. During the height of COVID when there weren’t a lot of safe outdoor spaces, the beach was her go-to escape. Collecting shells for me to decorate became a family affair as most of the large clam and oyster shells come from her walks along the beaches of South and West Hampton. My friends are also invested as they are always on the lookout for good shells while on vacation.

Lauren have you always been creative? I have always considered myself to be crafty. I loved coloring and painting growing up and like to make things for our home when it comes to seasonal décor. I got my bachelor’s degree in Interior Design and worked for a few years after college in residential and hospitality design firms.

Are you someone who decorated your bedroom often? I LOVED redecorating my room as a kid! I would even help my friends organize and rearrange their rooms during sleepovers. I still can’t help myself from organizing and styling bookshelves when I go to my parent’s house. I taught my mother Elaine the Marie Kondo method of getting rid of things if they don’t bring you joy and now, she is out there telling her friends to let go and thank your old items before giving them away!

Do you share a creative passion with someone in your family? My maternal grandmother Elizabeth was very artistic. She drew and did oil paintings. When my mother and uncles were younger, she would enter all kinds of contests to create jingles or art for various companies and would win! My mother said they always had new bikes from her contest winnings. If she had lived in a different era, I think she would have been in a corner office at a big advertising firm on Madison Avenue.

While my cousins got their musical talents from her and my grandfather – (they met while playing in a band for German immigrants) – I got the crafty gene which we bonded over. My grandparents bought one of those giant doll house kits where you built it from the ground up and by the time they finally finished, my older cousins who they had originally built it for had aged out of playing with dolls, so they gave it to me. She and I spent an entire summer picking out wallpaper for the various rooms and making all kinds of dollhouse sized food out of clay.

During the summer they also volunteered at their local “Dump” which was basically a big warehouse at the local dump where you could get rid of household items, furniture, and clothes. Since she was the one sorting through everything, she always put aside the “good stuff” like old prom dresses for my dress-up bucket. I am pretty sure I got my love for junk stores from her as well.

Where did you grow up? My family is originally from Massachusetts with many of my relatives still living throughout New England. My parents Elaine and Dennis and I moved to Williamsburg, VA right before I turned twelve. They still live in the house we moved to; which is within walking distance of Colonial Williamsburg. If you are ever walking down Duke of Gloucester Street and hear someone yelling at a little dog named Max, that would be them.

I am an only child and so is my husband which can sometimes make for challenging situations as we are both so used to getting our own way ha! After being together for almost fifteen years I *think* we are getting pretty good at understanding when to let the other one win.

Where and What you went to school for. I got my bachelor’s degree in interior design from Marymount University in Arlington, VA. I went to small catholic schools my entire life and instantly felt at home there. It is a great school; where you can get the best of Washington, D.C. with the benefits of having a real campus. I made lifelong friends during my four years there. We are actually getting together for our first real girls’ weekend since the pandemic at the end of April. Wish my husband luck. It will be his first nights alone with the baby lol.

I worked in high-end residential and hospitality design for a couple of years after graduating when the recession happened, and the hospitality design industry was hit hard. I took that as my sign to go back to school and I got my master’s degree in strategic public relations from The George Washington University. Since then, I have worked with various non-profits in the D.C. area as a social media and communications manager.

We had our daughter Lily in October and three weeks before she was born my husband was offered a new job down here in Richmond, so within a matter of couple of months we had a baby, moved, and sold our house! She just started daycare, which she loves, and I am back at work full-time doing social media. With her in “school” I have an hour before I log-in for my 9-5 and a full hour at lunch to work on Lola & Pickett inventory. It’s amazing how much I can get done in that small amount of time without having a baby in the house.

So what are your plans for the rest of 2022? Plans for 2022 include finding a house! We are in a temporary apartment right now while we try and find a permanent home. While the housing market isn’t as crazy as it is in places like D.C., we are still up against some tough competition. I can’t wait until we have more than 1,000 square feet of living space.

For Lola & Pickett, I would love to keep on growing my following and slowly expand into new products (hello napkin rings!) and patterns. When you buy from a small maker like me, there is so much love that goes into every part of the production process. I can’t explain the thrill I get every time I see that notice from Etsy or Facebook that I have a sale. It still shocks me that anyone wants something I have made. I want to share a discount code with your readers: CHALET10 for 10% off their total purchase before shipping with NO item restrictions. This Code has no expiration date.

Lauren thank you so much for saying Yes when I asked - you are a super busy lady. Thank you for the offering the discount code - CHALET10 - I know as a small business your margins are tight. My readers can use this code toward a little something for themselves or for a Mother’s Day gift. I wish you continued success with Lola & Pickett!

You can find Lauren on Instagram & Website.

Til next time friends be well!