Hi Everyone. So you’ve read about the 10 things I (Jess Davis) can’t live without and most recently Jessica Burne shared her top 10 list. Well today we are learning more about another member of the Nest Studio team: Elizabeth Boland. Along with being my former next-door neighbor, Elizabeth is the quality and shipping/receiving maven at Nest Studio. While that couldn’t be farther from her degree in journalism and past professional life in publishing and consulting, it feeds her penchant for attention to detail, love of learning new things and delight in being involved with an industry that is new and fascinating to her. Another bonus is after hanging around with the folks at Nest Studio, it’s inspired her to actually paint, decorate and generally spiff up her own home. Elizabeth keeps the wheels turning on our incoming and outgoing inventory, heading up our quality control and making sure things are packaged as best as possible and shipped out in a timely way.  Take it away Elizabeth:

After really thinking about what I really couldn’t live without it kind of turned into a list of “things that have made my life so much better.”

Coffee – The top of the list is a large, quality, morning cup of coffee with a little bit of sugar and a little bit of milk. I’m the only coffee drinker in my house so I have an old Melitta single-cup drip maker that has gone on week-long vacations to destinations around the country. Why worry about what kind of coffee pot is at the rental or if the quality of the brew in the lobby is good?

Google Calendar – Second only to coffee is the use of Google Calendar. I used to kick-it with a paper date book to make sure I kept my life and eventually my family of five in some semblance of order. It’s probably the Virgo in me that now has family members color-coded and reminders being pinged to text and e-mail’s. It’s not a flawless system but I’ve only forgotten a child once during a random, half-day at school in almost 20 years!

Black Sharpie – I keep one in my handbag at all times and it is amazing to realize how many times it has come in handy. Labeling random items, hiding scuff marks on black high heels, handing it to a teacher in a clutch moment. They frequently get given away so I love getting a pack of them every year in my Christmas stocking!

Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm – Another constant has been Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm. With a tube or two always within my reach, it’s the quickest way to make sure there is some sort of color on my lips while moisturizing in a more natural way.

Honda Odyssey – I hesitate to admit that my Honda Odyssey mini-van is also something I have come to rely on and love. We just bought our second after putting over 250,000 miles on the first Odyssey, mostly from vacations up and down the East coast and as far West as the Mississippi River. My van has carried building supplies, mattresses, furniture, people, yard waste, more people, sports equipment, suitcases, vacation accoutrement and most recently everything to equip a freshman college dorm!

VRBO – With five people in our family and the travel industry geared mostly for four, I was also an early adopter of VRBO. Our first entree was a gamble as we traveled 1,300 miles away with three young children but we were hooked when our economical rental turned out to be a beautiful house with a pool.  Since then, we have stayed in everything from camping cabins to palatial homes all over the continental US and Hawaii and only had one clunker along the way.

Haagen Dazs Ice Cream – One food item I really love is Haagen Dazs ice cream. I have lived within walking distance to one of their shops for almost 20 years and now it’s like the old sitcom about the bar “Cheers” (where everyone knows your name) when we walk in. I try whatever new flavors come along but my old favorites usually win out.

Nerium Night Cream – A fabulous discovery I made a couple years ago was Nerium Night Cream. I was highly skeptical about all those miracle products that promised to make my face look smoother and younger. After a friend discovered Nerium and I saw dramatic improvement in real time, I was convinced. Those multi-step skin systems get old fast. This one-step, after you clean your face for the evening product really works!

Dansko Footwear – As much as I still love to get into a pair of rockin’ high heels (currently a fave pair of suede platform heels) slipping into a pair of Dansko clogs or sandals feels like going home to me. I played it boring with basic black early on but now love to wear some of the great prints and iridescent colors. Pairing them with a fun pair of socks peeking out for the cool weather and then catching a glimpse of the combo during the day can remind me to enjoy little pleasures.

Trish McEvoy Dramatic Lash Mascara – Last but not least is Trish McEvoy Dramatic Lash Mascara in black. After many years of trying different mascaras both high and low end, I kind of fell in love after the first use. All I’m ever looking for is a mascara to go on quick, smooth and easy, stay put for however long I need it to and then come off as easily as it went on. This magic tube does it all!

That’s a wrap folks! Stay tuned for our newest team member, Sharon’s top 10!