New addition!

Last time Dad went to visit PawPaw in Covington (just north of New Orleans) he spotted this gem sitting on a shelf! He brought it back to Houston with him and it's now easily my favorite, the second being Dad's old Pentax. It's a Kodak but I keep forgetting to bring it to work to look up the serial numbers so I can date it properly. I like to imagine all the fun things PawPaw and Gammaw would do when they used this camera...all the snapshots they'd take on vacations and road trips...maybe out on the boat.

 

What a great addition. Thanks, Dad and PawPaw!

HTX Happy Hour is on Twitter!

So lately I've been busy with my new little Twitter venture. I figured I pretty much used my personal account just to tweet about the amazing happy hour specials I would come across (i.e. $1 martini Wednesdays, $1 reuben slider Mondays, etc).  I searched for one a few weeks ago and since I didn't come across one, I took matters into my own hands. So I introduce to you HTX Happy Hour on Twitter.

On it you will find photos, menu uploads, reviews and cheap daily deals from restaurants and watering holes around Houston.

I'm learning so much about so many deals around town, I had no idea Onion Creek in the Heights had Dutch beer Tuesdays where Heineken and Amstel are $2!

Here are a few menu's I've collected so far.

I think doing the research (tasting) may be the best part.

On Style.

I've really been making an effort to put more thought and imagination into getting dressed instead of just sleepily grabbing whatever my hands touch first @ 6am. I mean it's early, I have to be at the office in an hour...I probably didn't get enough sleep because lately, the Fuzz won't shut her cake-hole at night and I'm usually not in a very creative mindset. BUT...In the still-dark of my bedroom with only a single, dim bulb illuminating my choices, I tell myself "Think outside the box!"...the box being my office space. It is possible to put something together that's stylish (for, say,cocktail hour or a dinner) and work appropriate!



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 Its odd to work on cultivating personal style at (almost) 30 years of age and I'm almost envious of the endless resources girls have today that didn't exist when I was in college (forget about high school!) In 1999, I was studying MLA style, not browsing personal style blogs. But I know that it's never too late. Updating your wardrobe is challenging and transitioning your style from college grad to professional, even girl to mother is tricky and there are so many people out there setting fantastic examples.

I've just been so inspired recently and it's because of a handful of ladies I'll probably never meet. I've learned that a summer dress can take on so many different personalities when paired with a great pair of shoes, a favorite clutch, a long dangly necklace, even pinning your hair up or wearing red lipstick. The perfect belt really can make an outfit. Fit/cut/shape is so important. ANYTHING can be hemmed, taken out or taken in, so keep an open mind when thrifting!  

In summation, I'd like to say thanks to the following bloggers for reminding me that getting dressed can be fun and for making me thankful I'm still young in an amazing time: Jessica Quirk, Amanda Johnson, Kendi Lea, Coury Combs, Bonnie Barton, and Erin.

  With these new eyes, I shop. This payday purchase is a two-fer because I've been pinching the pennies lately (and for some reason I felt like I deserved it..?). I love browsing the Modcloth dresses and yesterday I found this sweet little sea green spotted frock! (Under $50!) I love*love the color and the collar; the collar's definitely what got me. I like that it's long enough (@ 36") to wear to work- I can't wait to put this outfit together...

 

{Modcloth's Sea Salt Breeze Dress}

paired with a brown braided belt {UO}

and my (recently purchased) Gimmik Platform sandals by Blowfish! I'm pretty damn excited about these shoes because A) they were a good deal at $45 (free shipping @ DSW when you use promo code SHIPR) B) They have a 70s vibe to them...which is uncharted territory for me. I wouldn't exactly describe my style as 70s influenced so it's nice to get out of my comfort zone and try something new! and C) I haven't been able to get them out of my head ever since I first layed eyes on them via Miss Bonnie @ Flashes of Style 

(the 3 shoe-shots below are hers!)

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#winning

I won these vintage thermoses (thermi? what is plural for thermos?) on eBay! I don't need 6 those grey mugs but the 4 thermi (we're gonna go with thermi) are totally worth it. 10 bucks! TEN! WEEEE! That wood grain one? That one with the...what is that.. wheat? on it?  AWESOME. I know collections are supposed to be...collected. You're supposed to find one unique piece at a time...maybe from different places...over a period of time but when something like this falls in your lap, you gotta take it! They'll have such a good little home on my round kitchen table.

Etsy Love

I am loving these little cameo framed original art brooches! They're so cute and unique. You know that if you go out with one of these pretties pinned to your cardigan no one else will have one like it.

 above {Nan Lawson}

 

above {Storybook Rabbit}

The Tattoo Baby Doll Project

So while I'm at Goodwill...maybe rummaging through toys, looking for a vintage Fisher Price record player or some old Viewmaster reels...never have I ever looked at an old cloth-body baby doll and thought "I could totally embroider tattoos on that baby doll"...but it did occur to Sherri Wood over 10 years ago.  

I randomly came upon this project today, started in 1998 by a lady who happened to like embroidery and tattoos.Its a precursor to the handmade art/craft movement that is so prevalent these days. I admit that I didn't immediately love the dolls (a smidge creepy?), but the more I read about them, the more interested I became.

It was a simple idea.  (from the artist's statement on the project site) "I find cloth bodied baby dolls at thrift shops and send them to tattoo artists who then draw original tattoos directly on the dolls. They send the dolls back to me and I hand embroider the images on the cloth bodies".

Her purpose was this: "to break down barriers and prejudices about women’s work and roles, tattoo subculture, craft and art. The project strikes a subtle balance between these varied traditions and the communities they represent, thus questioning the lines that define, separate and empower each tradition. It draws together two distinct and distant marginal groups".

I like that it blends the talents of two different people using two different art forms. I like that it takes a very familiar part of many girlhoods and gives it a drastic makeover...as us girls have so changed since we last held a baby doll (some of us even tattooed?).

It sort of encourages me to think outside the box...to maybe use more re-purposed materials, more mixed media, explore non-traditional style...use things from my own childhood to create something new and fun.



Paper Hearts and Treasure Hunts!

20 paper hearts cut from this super cute scrapbook paper found @ Hobby Lobby for like.. 30 cents for Ryan's Valentine's day TREASURE HUNT!!! He'll be all over the apartment building...in the lobby, in the parking garage, etc.  I wrote 20 little riddles he's got to figure out in order to find his next clue. There will be little treats hidden here and there and a surprise at the end! YAYYYY!! I probably had more fun planning it than I think he'll have actually doing the treasure hunt

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In other treasure hunting news, we found a new happy hour place yesterday-  The Community Bar in Midtown.

OHHHHH WOW the food... this was no "bar food".. it was absolutely amazing food. We split 2 appetizers, Bangkok ravioli (dumplings) made of chicken and mushrooms in a green curry cilantro sauce and the goat cheese and pork egg rolls. I mean... I love goat cheese... you could put it on a dog biscuit and I'd call it a delicacy...but they were out of this world. Check out a review and photos here. Apparently Chef Bob does alot off the menu too. You can ask him to whip up a snack for you...whatever he's feeling..and he'll make you something unique and fantastic. The couple next to us were eating ribs which I didn't see on the menu. I was being nosy... telling them they smelled amazing... and the guy actually put a rib with BBQ sauce on a plate and gave it to us. HE GAVE US A RIB. LIKE ADAM GAVE TO EVE. How nice is that??  FOOD SHARING.

The drinks were great, too! We had a Moscow mule which is vodka and ginger beer (something Ryan and I drink often at home with Goya ginger beer, the spiciest we're found aside from Beaver's homemade) and a Moteato, tea vodka with mint, lemonade and soda water.

We'll definitely be back! If you're in the area, it's highly recommended.

Weekend outings!

Hihi! So it appears that the holidays are officially over and I'm back to working full 5 day work weeks. ARGH! I'm gonna be counting down until the next day off which is... I don't even know when. I guess all the more reason to enjoy the weekends even harder.. like this one, for instance! We explored the neighborhood and a few little spots in walking distance from our house.

Friday night we tried out a new spot,  Bitterman's Market Square Bar and Grill. We enjoyed  good, old fashioned hamburgers and cold beers while watching LSU beat the Aggies! (Hooray!) Their slogan is "It's every Texan's right to hold a burger in one hand and a beer in the other!" and I couldn't agree more.

Saturday didn't start off as I would have hoped. Ryan was going to go into work to get a few hours of OT so as we're walking to the car, we see the back windshield is shattered. Of course I start to cry because I'm A) super mad and  B) worried about how much the replacement windshield will cost. We couldn't figure out what happened! There was a small spot that looked like the point of impact, but we couldn't really find anything around the car that would have done it. It wasn't theft because the window was broken, but it hadn't fallen through yet. Were there drunks on the patio that just got a little rowdy and threw something?  Was it a freak accident i.e. a rock that hopped from the interstate or from the roof? I guess we'll never know because there are security cameras on parking garage floors 1 and 2...but not on 3. Funny. (Not funny). SO... to the internet I ran, looking for someone who would come out to my complex on a Saturday afternoon to replace it. I found Xpress Windshield, they found a used but in-perfect-condition back windshield and came out to replace it for 160$ total. (Thank goodness).

While we were waiting for the tech to come over, Ryan and I decided to make lemonade out of lemons and try another within-walking-distance place for lunch. I passed The Broken Spoke numerous times to and from work, but always thought it was a little hole-in-the-wall bar! I thought wrong because it is a fantastic Belgian restaurant that specializes in steamed mussels!! One of my favorites! We had the entire restaurant to ourselves at noon on Saturday but it was quickly filling as we were leaving. I had the mussels a la escargot (steamed mussels in a garlic butter sauce) with a glass of Blanc du Blanc champagne and Ryan had the chicken curry salad sandwich with a St. Arnold. Such a good lunch and a great way to take the sting out of the morning. Below are a few shots of Broken Spoke with it's colorfully decorated walls and ceiling murals.

 

    Sunday we woke up early to go to Trinity Downtown Lutheran church. We've been trying out different churches downtown, seeing which ones we like best. This weekend we went to Ryan's (as he's Lutheran) and next weekend we'll try out St. Joseph (I'm Catholic) downtown. Trinity and St. Joseph are across the street from each other (convenient!) so after Trinity we walked over to St. Joe to check it out and I snapped a few photos of the pretty interior.



After church we met up with Mom, Dad and Pete for a little goodbye-brunch at Mia Bella (a favorite!)  as Peter is moving to Lima, Peru on Wednesday! So exciting. I'm going to set up a blog for him so he can upload photos and stories about his adventures.

Happiest Monday!

Room Tour: Bedroom

With each passing week we're making progress and making this house a home. We got so much done this weekend and I wanted to share. Welcome to the bedroom!

Hung painted frames and wall art. 

Ryan put our dresser together and I got a clothes rack to hang my vintage dresses (and it's a pretty good spot to let clothes hang-dry).

We sat the TV on top of a vintage olive green American Tourister

Decorated some exposed pipe with green and brown finger knitted "ropes".

...and now the part I think I love the most! Our re-purposed headboard! We found this great louvered door at a junk shop in Montrose for $25. It's the perfect size! We took it home, scrubbed it down (thing was dirrrtttyyyy) and hung it on two nails above the bed.

I love the scratches and imperfections on the door and just the overall effect it gives the room. The little slats are so perfect for tucking in cute note cards or decorative papers.

 

We're still hunting for a cool old bench for the foot of the bed, but I think we're almost done in this room!

 So fun!

Crafty Christmas Bonanzaaaaa

Hello sweet visitors! I know Thanksgiving is in two days, but I'm still thinking a month down the road.

Christmas 2010 = D. I. freaking Y. With Ryan and I moving into a new apartment next week, our moneys will be a bit smaller this Christmas, but there will be no stressing out.  There will only be...busy!

I got a bit of a jump start this year since I anticipated the move...I had about 75% of my gift shopping done and my Christmas cards made at the beginning of November.  But there's still a fair bit to be done, like decorating the apartment after all the boxes unpacked. Decorating my home for Christmas is one of my favorite things about the holidays. I absolutely watching (or maybe directing? "More of the colorful lights! More on the bottom!") Dad string the lights and garland on the tree so we could dive into the boxes of ornaments, carefully unwrap the delicate Kleenex-packed ones are get-to-decoratin'.

This year will be the first time Ryan and I get to spend the Christmas season together. I'm determined to go  (a bit) overboard with the cheer and super determined to use mostly handmade, vintage and re-purposed items to do it

There's no limit to what you can do or make, just google Christmas DIY or look up tutorials and go nuts! Etsy has an endless supply of amazing vintage pieces and supplies, even pre-made kits, like this Winter Wonderland cupcake kit , this Holiday journal kit,  and this needle felted snowman kit  just to name a few, that can be shipped to your doorstep in days! 

If you like to shop local, hit up any antique shop. I guarantee they will have lots of vintage Christmas ornaments, figurines, cards and books. Last weekend Ryan and I snagged this 3 foot Santa

 at August Antiques  in the Heights (If you're in the Houston area, I recommend stopping by;  they have tons of Christmas items from the 50s and 60s!

I also bought a handful of these vintage Santa cut-outs to string up in the apartment.

At the moment, I'm waiting (not so patiently)  for my Jenni Bowlin chipboard buttons to come in the mail (via Etsy!) so I can make this awesome garland per Amanda's awesome tutorial found here.

So if you'd like to get your hands dirty this December, here are just a few of the hundreds of ideas and tips to help make your Christmas super DIY and unique:

Reuse broken or old ornaments to make a beautiful wreath! 

Use scrap yarn to wrap foam balls! 

I LOVE the candy cane candle in the upper left had corner!  I think the evergreen pieces on the outside of the glass adds such a classy touch to a table setting.

Great tutorial for making your own antique tin candles

This is what I'm working on now...crocheting Christmas tree garland. I chose fluffy white sparkly yarn to look like snow!

Use blank cards and scrap booking stickers or chipboard pieces to create your own unique cards! 

Chose pretty holiday fabric to make your own cheery bunting. Here is a no-sew tutorial!

Even if your gifts aren't handmade, you can add your own personal accents to the packaging! Use stamps, ribbons, buttons, or stickers to create your own gift tags. Blank tags can be found at Hobby Lobby or any craft store.

This is a great idea if you have kids and even if you don't making paper ornaments or decorative (using pretty holiday scrapbook paper) paper chains is a fun and easy way to add a handmade touch to your decor.



Happy Christmas crafting!

[photos from google images, light up Santa is mine]