AWESOME! So lovely when a product sponsor (Guerlain) tweets out some Love List Love to their 15 Million followers!
ELENA:)
Everyone knows that Instagram is a goldmine for talent. Local artisans flaunt their works and are remarkable at their craft; Janis is no exception. I gifted my coworkers bags of her yummy popcorn last Christmas and for the The Love List Lounge in Feb, Janis made popcorn snack pack bags with Salted Carmel Apple Pie Brittle. So tasty.
This is 5 minute 5 questions with Janis Sadoyama from Spoon Me Sweetly:
1) How long have you lived in LA?
All my life (30 some odd years lol) 😉
2) Why did you start Spoon Me Sweetly?
As a sweet escape from our hectic days. Too rarely do we have an opportunity to treat ourselves to something handmade with love. When knees deep in the hustle and bustle it’s nice to take a break and indulge (but not over indulge!)
3) Tell us about your best seller sweet?
Our best sellers are our dipped spoons. The flavors vary from chocolate sea salt caramel to custom flavors like spicy cocoa (chocolate with a kick of cayenne). They’re meant to be enjoyed submerged and swirled into a hot or warm beverage for a couple of seconds until the ingredients warm up and get gooey…then you just eat them off the wooden spoon. So fun, and just like take a bite of a yummy warm dessert.
4) What is your favourite sweet and why?
I’m a big time texture gal, so my favorite is our ramen rocky road! I love chocolate, and marshmallows, but never loved the almonds or walnuts added to desserts so I figure why not toasted ramen?! The rest is delicious history.
5) What are the top three characteristics on your Love List (characteristics or qualities you are looking for in a potential mate or current mate)?
Oooo now the juicy question lol 😉 I have an incredible man in my life and he has the 3 qualities that I hold near and dear to my heart for all relationships (romantic or platonic): integrity, sincerity, and resilience.
Be sure to follow Spoon Me Sweetly on Instagram and Twitter: @spoonmesweetly and ‘Like’ them on Facebook.
ELENA:)
I am so grateful for all the companies that pitched in to make my Love List Lounge swag bags simply amazing. When I was curated the product sponsor list, I wanted to make sure that my guests went home with products I would use myself (what better way to be a brand ambassador – the endorse cool quality products!). Note: I’m drinking tea as I edit this post. I came across Tease Tea by chance on Instagram and I realized that these ladies were from my home country (Canada) so I had to have them participate somehow! It was great to meet Caitlyn in person and have her live tweet at my event. I was a little bummed that I didn’t have any tea for myself so I ordered some Duchess of Earl which should be on its way soon. Can’t wait.
What better way to celebrate International Women’s Day then to post an interview with a company founded by a women!
Here is 5 minutes 5 questions with the fun and kind Caitlyn Squires from Tease Tea:
1) How long have you lived in New York?
I have been living in NYC for the past 5 months and have loved every minute! I moved here from Toronto, Canada to open Tease Tea’s first US location!
2) What is a tea sommelier?
A tea sommelier is a person who has been extensively trained and is knowledgeable and well versed in all aspects of tea. My business partner, Sheena Brady, is a certified Tea Sommelier through the Tea Association of Canada where she embarked in an 8 month journey which includes everything from import/export regulations, tea ceremonies, health and wellness benefits, how to blend tea, cook with tea, bake with tea, tea infused cocktails – it’s quite an extensive program.
3) Tell us about Tease Tea?
Tease Tea is Canadian born company with an international reputation. We are an online tea boutique operating out of Ottawa, ONT and have our small shop in Manhattan.
At Tease Tea, we are committed to creating blends for the modern tea drinker, inspired by reaching your individual goals & desires.
Are you the classic type? Looking to unwind? Have specific goals? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We literally have a tea for nearly any desire or goal.
Our speciality teas are always selected and created in small batches to ensure customers are receiving the freshest product possible, every time.
4) What is your favourite Tease Tea and why?
This is such a hard question because I love them all so much! I would have to say To The Finish Lime, not only for its citrus goodness and AMAZING health benefits like antioxidants, energy increasers and metabolism boosters but for the inspiration behind the blend. To The Finish Lime was inspired by Tease Tea’s 2015 kickstarter campaign that funded our journey from Canada to the US. We raised $22,800 in 26 days with the support of our amazing friends, family and true tease tea lovers around the world. This blend was our thank you to all those who supported our dream and encouraged us to reach our goals.
5) What are the top three characteristics on your Love List (characteristics or qualities you are looking for in a potential mate or current mate)?
The top three characteristics on my Love List in a potential mate would be: Ambition, Loyalty and a great sense of humour.
Don’t forget to “Like” Tease Tea on Facebook and follow Tease Tea on Instagram and Twitter both @tease_tea
ELENA:)
Filmmaker and Author Leslie Zemeckis‘s new book, entitled Goddess of the Love Incarnate: The Life of Stripteuse Lili St. Cyr gives an extensive account of history’s most famous stripteaser – Lili St. Cyr.
Not knowing anything about the art of burlesque, I was interested to A: read the book (review coming soon) and B: learn a bit about the author herself (who, yes – is married to famed Producer/Director Robert Zemeckis). Here is 5 minutes 5 questions with the talented Leslie Zemeckis:
1) How long have you lived in Santa Barbara?
15 years.
2) What is your biggest lesson you have learned about writing someone’s biography?
To remove myself. I am there to tell a story, the person’s story – not my pov about her or her life. But to relate the “facts” in a way that the audience will understand (whether they like or dislike the person) who they are and why they are the way they are.
3) What’s your advice to getting out of writers block?
Write. I don’t have writer’s block. I have a million stories I want to tell. Just power through the first (many) terrible rough drafts. Be passionate about something.
4) What draws you to the art of burlesque?
The people who were involved. No one has covered this era and talked to the performers themselves (most dead now) it is from where all our art today comes from, Johnny Carson, Saturday Night Live, Carol Burnett, yet it continues to be dismissed and likened to pornography.
5) What do you think Lili St. Cyr’s top three characteristics on her Love List would be (characteristics or qualities she was looking for in a potential mate or current mate)?
Tall, dark and handsome. That was it. She wasn’t after money or fame.
Don’t forget to follow Leslie on Twitter: @LeslieZemeckis and ‘Like’ the Facebook page: Goddess of the Love Incarnate and Leslie Zemeckis.
ELENA:)
I’m not going to lie. Break-ups are the worst. And break-up survival is exponentially harder when you don’t have your BFFs around for support. Enter Carissa and her great idea, Break-Up Box. Now you can send your North American bestie some love to get her back on her feet!
This is 5 minutes 5 questions with the sweet and caring Carissa, founder of Break-Up Box.
1) How long have you lived in New York?
I just moved to New York this spring.
2) Describe the NY dating scene in 5 words.
mobile, fast, intimidating, exciting, exhausting.
3) How did you start Break-Up Box?
My best friend was going through a tough break-up last summer and unfortunately we were living in different cities at the time. I felt guilty that I couldn’t be there to take her out and do things that would keep her mind off of her ex. I did a bit of research into the stages women go through during a break-up and the products which helped them get through it. After using my best friend as first hand market research for a few months, I sent her my first Break-up Box. After getting a lot of positive feedback from close friends and family, I decided to enter in a university-wide start-up competition which Break-up Box placed first in last fall.
4) What is your best break up advice?
Stay away from his social media accounts. Invest your time in yourself and your relationships with your friends. They’ll be what will get you through it.
5) What are the top three characteristics on your Love List (characteristics or qualities you are looking for in a potential mate or current mate)?
Smart, outgoing, passionate.
Don’t forget to follow Break-up Box on Twitter: @break_upbox Instagram: @Break_UpBox and ‘like’ them on Facebook: Break-Up Box.
ELENA:)