Some fun weekend reading...enjoy the winks (weekend links)!

+ Have you guys been watching House of DVF? I kinda love it....John even got a little into it when shit hit the fan about Kier's giant gold bow. Anyways, I heart and admire Diane so I thought this article on Refinery 29 was an inspiring read from a very smart biz lady.

+ If you don't follow Megan's blog, what the heck is wrong with you? Add it to your RSS immediately. I loved this podcast she did with Jessica of One Part Plant. She gets real and talks cancer, menopause, adoption, her book, upcoming screenplay, and....why meth babies are a deal breaker. ;)

+ TXSC 2015 is on....pack your best plaid, find yourself a s'mores stick and reserve your spot! This year, the conference is about getting back to basics, so the theme is CAMP. I'm super bummed that I won't be able to go this year because of SXSW commitments - boo hoo!

+ This illustration on Cup of Jo had me laughing out loud. I can't help but eye roll when couples are all "Weeee're pregnant!!!" so I am 100% behind that one. Another one are those stupid BINGS on airplanes that scares the crap out of you when it wakes you up. What are your pet peeves?

+ The '60s are my most favorite decade - the fashion! the beauty! the decor! the movies! - so this post was definitely bookmark-worthy. It has me rummaging through my hair bin for my teasing comb within 10 seconds flat.

+Speaking of which, have you seen these classic films? With the exception of the Marilyn Monroe movies, I haven't watched any of them. I feel a movie marathon coming on....get ready, Netflix.

+ Flourless pumpkin almond butter bars with dark chocolate and coconut? Ummm, get in my belly.

+ Elsie and Emma hit it out of the DIY park with this rad marbled clay ring dish tutorial. Brilliant!

Thanks to Becky Murphy - a multi-talented (and pint-sized) author/illustrator/designer/friend here in Austin- this handy flow chart makes me feel validated about my answer usually being 'no.' This new one is also rad, and deserves some equally awesome wall real estate.

If you are looking for holiday gift ideas (props to you for not being a procrastinator like moi), I'd definitely hop over to Becky's print shop. It's full of quirky and motivational handmade gems that'll give you a little chuckle or pep talk whenever you look at them.

PS Of all the dry shampoos out there, this one is my ultimate favorite. Just in case you were wondering.

Cacti Party Print // So adorable. It's a cacti party, and all of the cutest and most colorful ones are invited.  

Heather Benjamin White Feather Ring // I love this line of earthy, bohemian jewelry. They are unfussy, yet super elegant. Considering the pieces I  r e a l l y  like are in the $500+ range, this feathered ring is a pretty piece that is actually in the budget. 

Nyx Cosmetics Butter Lipstick in Lollies // Ever since Olivia Wilde hit the red carpet at the Oscars looking like a modern Brigitte Bardot, I have been on the hunt for a light coral lipstick. I found the ones that her makeup artist used, and they were totally yuck in person. So, the hunt continued until I found this moisturizing option that I absolutely LOVE right now.

Metallic Leather Hexagon Coasters // These are freakin' sweet. Pop a cold mint julep on one of these, and you are golden. Or copper. Or silver.

Hanging art stresses me out. I hang it crooked 99% of the time, can never find the studs, and am super ADD which results in constant rearranging. Fun fact: the bizarro 1980s texture on our walls isn't a fan of those super convenient little sticky picture hangers...just ask the shattered glass that had a meet-and-greet with our floor. Anyways, for these reasons and beyond, most of the walls in our house are still as bare as Bruce Willis' scalp.

Really digging these colorful art prints from Cozamia. I'm drooling over them all, but I think "Lucid Surf" ordered in the big mamma size might be juuuuust perfect hung on the big bare wall over our sofa. Hang ten, dude.

1 // 2 // 3 + 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

Moody, graphic and much more modern than their frilly predecessors, these ain't your Granny's florals. The perfect print to add for spring. Those watercolor floral pants are my favesies.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

Perhaps it's because the walls of my office are now a deep, sexy, dark navy blue, but I'm certainly craving a metallic poster that'll give my office a dose of glamour with a one-two punch. I would give you a sneak peek of the room, but all you really need to do is watch an episode of Hoarders to get an idea of what it  looks like. Yep. It's that bad right now....and yes, it's driving my OCD organizational tendencies wild.

Now, time to get out of this clutterfest room and head out to the airport to pick my mother-in-law (the best one in the land, y'all). The hub's entire fam is coming in to town for F1 and staying for the Thanksgiving feast, so we are pretty darn stoked about that. Need to whip out my "Move To Texas" campaigning materials...let the game's begin!!!

 


Feliz, a celebration of anything and everything handmade, is the brainchild of Austin's very own Abby Powell and Natalie Davis. The first ever sale went down this past weekend, which couldn't have come soon enough. I follow Abby on Instagram, where I'd spot little teasers to this weekend's happenings, and to say I was eagerly awaiting the sale was an understatement. I mean, the sheer amount of talent that was about to convene under one roof made me giddy with excitement. It was super fun connecting with some of the artisans I have bought pieces from in the past (Leah Duncan, Son Of A Sailor, Stone & Honey - was even wearing a necklace of hers!), meeting ones I have been a long-time fan of (Paloma's Nest, Satsuma Press, OliveVintage), and a slew of amazing new discoveries (Beam, Satchel & Sage - bought that awesome feather print from them, Cotton & Flax). By no means is this list exhaustive....I was basically overwhelmed with the overflowing awesomeness of literally EVERY SINGLE BOOTH in that room. You're going to want to go visit the Feliz website to check out the entire maker and curator line-up.

When I came across the In Haus Press shop on Etsy, I was convinced they were located in the good ol' ATX...but NOPE! West coasters all the way, and HQ'd in one of my most favorite cities in the entire world, San Francisco. These hand-fed letterpress connoisseurs make all sorts of paper goodies that are feature a mix of original hand-drawn typography and historic wood type with a rustic, vintage vibe that I really dig. I wholeheartedly approve...and also really want those coasters.

PS Subscribers who get my posts delivered to your inboxes....I've got a happy little update for you! I got to work this weekend on creating a lovely little template on Mailchimp and migrating the list over from Feedburner. Expect to see a much prettier newsletter from here on out! If you spy any problemos, glitches or bad links in the template, please do let me know!

free "Eye Love You" printable from Inkbloom // free sloth printable by Mary Beth Heishman from IndieFixx // remaining prints by me // super pretty lucite tray c/o Mattie Luxe // candle from Voluspa // wine glasses from HomeGoods // my fave vase ever from Juliska

We have lived in our apartment for 8 months, and until fairly recently, most of our walls were totally bare. I loved the look of a gallery wall full of colorful prints, but I just couldn't fathom putting a zillion holes in the {rented} wall. So, stark white walls it was. It was really after I whipped up this little illustration that I decided it was time to punch up the color spectrum in our place. I went thrifting for some frames, but didn't really find a whole lot I liked...so off to Hobby Lobby I went. They were having a 50% off sale on wall frames at the time, and I may or may not have shouted "CHA-CHINGGGG!" when I saw that. I swear, I think the lady working that section of the store thought I had Tourette's or something. I also picked up some of those super sticky wall hanging kits so I wouldn't have to deal with wall damage when we move. I've never used those before, so hopefully when it's time to take them down, it won't look like a hot mess. After getting the goods, I went to work (well...really, play) in Photoshop. Some designs were me just goofing around with watercolor brushes and grunge textures in Photoshop, and others were 'heavily borrowed' from some prints I've seen around blogtown, but hey....I figure as long as they are for my personal enjoyment and I'm not selling them, why not recreate and put my own spin on them? It was a really fun afternoon DIY decor project, and it really brings that little space to life.

Hope you all have a happy Friday, and a super awesome weekend! John and I are going to have some outdoorsy water-sportsy fun with my cousin on Saturday, and then on Sunday I am getting baptized! So...without wanting to come off as too preachy (this is a design blog, after all),  I'll just say it's been a rough-and-tumble road for me to get to this point in my faith, but I am so elated to publicly make this declaration of my faith and commitment to Jesus. God bless!

So, I'm going to let you in on a little inside joke that John and I (and pretty much everyone who was at our wedding) tease each other with.

I have the propensity to go veeeeeeery long without having so much as a sip of water. It's weird and not that good for me, but I just don't get thirsty. Ever. Within the first month of dating, John started noticing this and began calling me "dromedary" or "camel woman."  Andrew, John's big bro and best man at our wedding, really got us laughing during his speech when he brought up that John had been telling his fam I was a total camel when they asked about this mysterious new girlfriend he had met in Florence, Italy. It's an odd term of endearment, but a term of endearment nonetheless from a guy that I was totally gaga for.

I had a couple nicknames for him, but it wasn't until I watched a show about wild moose that were ravaging Alaskan towns that it dawned on me - John was TOTALLY a moose. How could I not have seen it before?? The ultra long skinny legs, the giant stature, the enormous melon-sized head (the better to hold all those genius ideas). Yep. I don't know what sparked it, but last night I started thinking about our nicknames, got a visual in my head, and could not stop giggling. It became all too apparent....we were one goofy match made in heaven, and I had to put it on paper that instant. I started fiddling around in Photoshop and voila- easy peasy custom art that perfectly captures John and I in a whole new light.