Currently {April}

Reading…. I just started the book my bookclub at school picked, The Lake House by Kate Morton.  I’m not too far into it as of yet.  But I have a feeling I’m going to really enjoy it.  So far I’m 12 books into my reading challenge on Goodreads.  Not too bad for it being April.  I’m pretty positive I will surpass my goal for the year AND reach, if not surpass my 100 book reading goal for my 28th year.

Feeling…. a little bit anxious.  Jenny and I had a conversation on our way to Waco about me living by myself and it really got me thinking about this next stage of life.  I am so excited to live alone but at the same time I’m worried that I’ll get TOO comfortable being alone all the time.  I’m gonna have to make a very conscious effort to get out of the house and actually do things and not just sit on my couch and watch Bravo all weekend.  Which lets be real, will happen fairly frequently.  So yeah.

Drinking…. water water water!

Watching…. The Real Housewives of Dallas.  I’m still not sure how I feel about it yet.  I Brandi and Stephanie annoying, but still watchable.  Leanne wants so badly to be in Dallas society but she somehow falls short, even though she’s a big name in the Dallas charity world.  But how in the world do you make any money just working for charities?  Plus I don’t feel like these women are anywhere rich enough for the Housewives franchise.  I know that sounds weird but when you compare them to say New York or Beverly Hills none of them are any where near as glamorous as them.  But I’ll keep watching if only because their drama is so eye rolling and I can’t stay away.      

Loving…. the ladder I picked up at Harp Design Co. when Jenny and I went to Waco last Thursday.  It is going to look perfect in the new apartment.  I just have to decided where I want it to go!

Wishing…. It was summer time.  That unexpected week off was VERY nice and made me wish that we always had a second break in the Spring.  But at the same time it was kinda a tease since we are so close to summer vacation.

Thinking about…. Our DC hotel! We will be staying at The Virginian Suites in Arlington.  It is directly across the street from Arlington National Cemetery and is very close to all the other major attractions in the city right across from the Potomac River.  BAH! Just typing out those words makes me that much more exited about our trip.

Looking forward too…. MAY! A trip to Florida is coming up and so is the end of the school year!  26 school days to be exact!

Wanting…. all the makeup!!  I have been obsessed with watching makeup tutorials lately and all I want are new makeup brushes, new foundation, new setting powder, new lipstick…like I said… ALL THE MAKEUP!!!

Needing…. to learn to contour.  No seriously I NEED contouring in my life y’all.  I figured this out after going through the color wall pictures.  In the ones where I’m not looking directly at the camera I literally have no jaw line.  It looks like my neck and cheeks just blend in together:

See?!  Blegh.  So yes, contouring needs to come into my life like woah.  And so far my favorite tutorial comes from Meg O. on the Go!  She has the easiest way of explaining how to contour and is hilarious in all her tutorial videos.  So if you too are trying to up your makeup game go check out her videos.  They’re the bomb.

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Can y’all believe April is almost over?!  Where oh where is time going.

Linking up with Jenn and Jess!

Exploring Houston: Sugar & Cloth Color Wall

A few weeks ago I was browsing Instagram when I spotted several of my fellow Houston bloggers all posting from the same place.  They were posting from a gorgeous wall of color, right here in Houston.  My first thought was: “WHAT! I’ve never seen that wall.  How in the world did Ashley and I miss that on our mural day back in March.”  My second though was, “I NEED TO GO THERE!”  They all had tagged the following hashtag: #sugarandclothcolorwall.  

I clicked the hashtag and it took me a ton of other pictures in front of the wall and eventually to the Sugar & Cloth Instagram page! If you haven’t seen it, they basically have one of the prettiest and most colorful Instagram pages ever.   I originally met Ashley from Sugar & Cloth at the Thrive Blog Con.  She talked to us about increasing our social media presence and was an absolute doll and so knowledgeable.  

She’s also just about the best DIY-er I’ve come across.  So when I heard that her business was the sponsor of the wall I knew it was gonna be good.  

So obviously, Ashley from The Wandering Weekenders (aka my blogging buddy and Houston explorer partner in crime) and I had to check it out.  

The wall is located at 3302 Canal Street, Houston TX 77003.  It’s on the wall of the building that is going to be the future home of a company called, Headquarters.  

There is plenty of parking directly in front of the wall and the is a ton of space to allow for plenty of people to share the space without getting in each others way.   There were a few other people already at the wall by the time that we got there (around 10:20 in the AM).  But we all worked around each other and it worked perfectly.

We saw some fashion photography going on, a couple shoot, a few girls were taking graduation photos, and a family shoot.  The wall has only officially been open since April 4th and I would say that it it already one of (if not THE) most popular wall in the city…so well done Sugar and Cloth! 🙂

Ashley and I took turns taking some photos in different parts of the wall.  And we used her tripod to catch some photos of us together.  We both wore neutral colors because we felt those would stand out the best with such bright colors as our backgrounds.

 I can’t decide which color combos I like the most!  They all go together so well!  SO…here are a handful of the pictures we snapped!

We were able to snag the wall all to ourselves for about 5 minutes.  Which was awesome because we were able to get more of the wall in our pictures by going across the street!  

I had to include that last picture, because we tried to get a jumping picture together but failed so epically it was hilarious.  We got some pretty funny stares from the other people at the wall, but hey that’s what the wall is for right! 🙂

If you live in Houston or are planning to visit I 100% suggest you make a stop at the Sugar & Cloth Color Wall.  You will have so much fun posing in front of the wall (bring some props if you want!) and will come away with some really fun and colorful pictures!

Just as a reminder you can find the wall at: 3302 Canal Street, Houston TX 77003.  

Oh and don’t forget to pin that top image so you can save the post for when you decide to take a trip to the wall! 🙂

Now go be COLORFUL friends! 🙂

Apartment Style: Living Room Decor

As most of you know at the end of this summer I will be moving into my very own apartment.  I officially decided it was time for this major change around Christmas time and I figured it would be easier to start buying furniture and stuff over the course of the next few months.  I didn’t want to pay all the move in fees AND have to furnish and entire apartment.  My wallet would not have been able to handle that.

I’ve slowly but surely found all the bigger items I need to fill up my living room.  The only thing I’m missing now is an entertainment center for my TV and movies and things.  I have my eye on few options over at Home Goods but will be waiting until it’s a little closer to my move in date to actually purchase anything.

Anyway I figured I would show off what I’ve bought so far!  I think everything will come together very nicely.  Again these are the larger pieces I’ve picked out, excluding the couch since it hasn’t been refurbished yet.  But you can read all about that exciting project here.

Alrighty here is a breakdown of my future living room:

Painting- My pride and joy!!  I was walking through Hobby Lobby when I saw this gorgeous piece.  It was love at first sight and immediately came home with me.  This is definitely going to be the staple piece in the living room.  Here’s a better picture of it:

Coffee Table – Is from Ikea and is not something I ever thought I would look at.  But I originally saw it on one of my favorite bloggers blog, Lauren from Lauren Elizabeth.  I love the way she had it styled and knew I wanted to have it in my apartment!  

Lamps – These were actually the first things I bought!  I found them a Marshall’s and knew they were perfect.  You can’t tell but they have this silver tinge to them with a light silver lamp shade.  

Rug –Ok I haven’t actually purchased this yet.  But I know I’m going to buy it, so I figured I throw it on the collage.  Plus I needed to fill a blank spot.  But I love this too.  The gray in the rug is going to go great with the gray chairs and gray-silver speckles in the couch fabric. 

Chairs- My second pride and joy.  These babies were also found in Marshall’s and again, love at first sight.  My roommate found them and knew I would adore them.  They were a little pricey but 100% worth it.  I’m keeping them in our guest bedroom right now will occasionally go in there and look at them.

Bookshelf– Since I went for a more contemporary look with the coffee table, I decided I needed another piece to help tie them together.  Then I saw an IKEA hack pin on Pinterest with this bookshelf painted gold and I new I needed to recreate it.  So once I have built the bookshelf I believe I will be painting it gold!  That’s the plan for now at least.  But I’ll officially make that decision once it’s built and in the apartment with everything else.

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Well there ya have it.  Seeing all the pieces together like this makes me even more excited for this move.  I can’t wait to fill the shelves and walls with accent pieces that will really make the place feel complete!

So what do y’all think?!

The Weekend and an Unexpected Day Off

Originally I did not in fact have a post planned for today.  I was super lazy yesterday and just did not feel like sitting down at my computer and typing out the very boring post that would describe my weekend.  Because if I’m honest it was not exciting in the least.

Then at around 4:30am I woke up to some VERY loud rain, thunder and lightening.  I mean the thunder was ROCKING the house.  A few minutes later I got the word that school was officially cancelled because of the storm.  And y’all it’s still raining and supposed to rain all day and into the night.

Thus the reason for the late morning post.

So even though it was a very low key weekend, I thought, what the hell.

Here were the highlights:

– Friday night I attended a Thirty-One party hosted by a friend of mine.  It was a sip and shop party. So we sipped on some wine ( I mostly drank sweet tea) and shopped some of the products.  I had never really been interested in Thirty-One, but after the party I’m a huge fan.  I had my eye on a few products but I got suckered into hosting a party of my own.  So I only ended up buying a travel jewelry case.  Which I’m really excited about.  I’ll be hosting my own party in May.

– Saturday morning was spent enjoying coffee and a book.

-Saturday afternoon was a day spent out and about.

– Lunch at Chuy’s – where I some very tasty enchiladas.

– A little shopping at J-Crew and Sephora.  Right now the J-Crew Factory has a great deal on their Chino shorts.  They’re half off which makes them about $16.00 a piece.  They are my favorite shorts.  They’re just the right length (I get the 5″ ones) and super comfy.  I took a pair to Europe with me and loved them.  So I bought a navy pair and a turquoise-y colored pair.

– Sunday was 100% lazy.  I did a bit of reading, a bit of napping, and a lot of TV watching, and of course the obligatory Target trip.

Over all a very laid back and enjoyable weekend.  And now I’m off to binge watch Outlander and work on some blog posts for the rest of the week!  I am thankful that we don’t live in an area that floods really bad.  There are several areas of the city that are flooded really bad.

Prayers for the rest of the city are definitely needed!

Happy Monday friends!  Linking up with Biana.

What’s Ha-"Pinning" [Vol. 8 – Refurbishing a Couch]

On Easter Sunday I was just about to get into the shower, when my roomie walked in and told me to stop what I was doing, throw on some clothes, and come with her right that minute.  She had something to show me.

That something turned out to be a vintage couch, that our neighbor had tossed to the curb.  The minute she saw it, she knew that it had to be mine.  So we walked two houses down and as we were walking she told me she thought it would be the perfect couch for my new place.  All it needs is a little TLC and it will be perfect she said.

I was very skeptical at first, but after getting the reassurance that she would 100% help me with everything….I decided to take on the project.

In case you missed it, here is what the couch looks like:

We’ve determined that the couch needs the following things:

-all new fabric
-all new trim
-coat of paint
-new couch cushions
-new legs (the left front leg is cracked pretty badly)

Obviously immediately after bringing the couch into the house I jumped on Pinterest and started looking for inspiration AND tutorials.  Because the most I have ever refurbished is this little stool.

So here are a few of my inspirations:

I especially love that last couch.  So that was the main inspiration I took with me, when we went to Hobby Lobby to officially choose the fabric and trim.  And I am so excited to show y’all what we picked out (ok well what Jenny picked out, homegirl has great taste so I trust her judgment!)

The fabric itself has this shimmer grey in it and I think it will go perfectly with the grey chairs I found from Marshall’s are a few months back.  I’ve also decided to paint the couch white because I love the look of the with the white trim.  (As you can tell from all my inspiration pictures!)

Since I’ve picked out the fabric, the next step was to create a schedule for getting the couch done.  I want it to be completely refurbished before I move into my mew apartment in late July/early August.

I’m using this month to completely strip it, May will be buying all the materials (fabric, trim, and legs) and getting it on the couch itself and adding the trim, and then in June I’ll get custom cushions made.  If I don’t follow that exact timeline it will be ok, I really hope to have it done before July 20th. That’s my goal.  

I know this is a HUGE task to take on but I am so excited.  I’m hoping to spend about $200 or less on the project.  But honestly I feel like if I spend anything less than $399 I will come out ahead because that’s how much I was planning to spend on a brand new couch.  Fingers crossed I come out WAY under that!

So tell me! What do y’all think? 🙂

Linking up with Jenn and Jess for What’s Ha-“Pinning”! 🙂

Confessional Thursday [Vol. 3]

I CONFESS……

// This is the first time I’ve sat down at my home computer ALL WEEK.  

// I haven’t been very inspired to blog lately.  Then I looked at my drafts folder and realized I have a bunch of ideas for posts…I just haven’t executed any of them.  womp womp

// I am SO glad Southern Charmed is back.   That show is drama filled craziness and I love every minute of it.

// I found the fabric for my couch and am very excited about it.  I had planned to do a post on all inspirations on Pinterest yesterday and didn’t.  But it’s already in the works for next week and then I’ll be sharing the fabric I’ve actually found! 🙂  I won’t be buying anything for the couch until May but I’m excited to actually have a vision for the couch.

// I’ve already failed in my “No-pril” quest.  Upon reflection I shouldn’t have made the pack for April….I have a friend coming in town this weekend and obviously we’ll be going to dinner.  But I have succeeded in the no spend on clothing, home decor, books….stuff like that , just not in the no eating out part.  

// I’m dying to go to the new color wall here in Houston.  It was created by Ashley and her team over at Sugar and Cloth.  I had the pleasure of meeting and hearing Ashley speak at the Thrive Blog Conference back in February.  I mean look at how fun this wall looks!   

Image via Sugar and Cloth! 

Thankfully Ashley from The Wandering Weekenders and I have made plans to see it in a few weeks!  We can’t wait to have a photo shoot in front of it!

// Someone keeps creating these “fan pages” of me on Instagram. I’m 99% sure they are being created by my students and it’s super annoying.  The first one was created on Oscar night and then it stopped for a few weeks and then they get created again.  It’s SUPER annoying.  Every time I see one like one of my pictures I just block it but someone keeps making them.  Again….ANNOYING. 

//  I’ve been slacking it on the reading front lately.  I’m STILL reading You by Caroline Kepnas…I guess that tells you something about the book though doesn’t it.

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And that’s a wrap friends.  Next week will be much better on the blogging from my neck of the woods! 🙂

Happy Thursday! Linking up with Jessica! 

Also linking up with Kristen from See You in A Porridge for her What’s New With You….because these are basically those too. 🙂