Weekly Intentions: July 15

• Design my own letterhead stationary (inspiration)

• Write my talk for Tuesday

• Hunt for 1.5" Burgundy ribbon for Gene & Jasmine's Invitations

• Finish the twins' blankets (inspiration)

• Enroll in a e-course (inspiration)

• Cook for the whole family most every night (inspiration)

• Stay focused on my diet ;)

Home Plans: The Bathroom Makeover

Our bathroom was the nicest room in our new house when we moved in. It had been remodeled for my great-grandmother in '09 to make it handicap accesible so everything was new and clean.

That being said it still needed some help...

Things I love Thursday: The DIY Edition

I am absolutely loving these DIY projects and cannot wait to try them :)

Router Disguised with a Book

Dry Erase Calendar

Poem Script Scarf

Sharpie Mug

The Smart Phone Diet: Week 1 Meals

So I have been on my new diet for a little over a week now. I have only lost a pound but I am feeling a lot better about myself. It's amazing how portion control affects us. At first when I finish my plate I think, "That was it? I am still hungry!" I wait 30 minutes and then it's like "Wow, I'm full!" Totally crazy! But I have really been enjoying my meals :) Here's some of my favorite things I ate last week...

Sushi

No Butter Shrimp Linguini

Green Salad Sandwiches

Taco Salad

Frozen Yogurt (Yum!)

For Breakfast Everyday

Another new thing with the diet this week is that we have installed the Evernote Food app to keep track of our meals and send each other photos. Absolutely love it and I'll share screenshots in my next update ;)

Improving my Productivity: Office Organization

Last Friday, I came home and spent a good 5 hours cleaning and organizing my office. Since then I have felt so productive and at peace when I come in here to work. I love when my environment is neat and orderly even though I hate the process of getting it there :-/
Part of what took me so long is that I wanted to arrange everything in a way that worked with my small area, looked good, and was logical to find and use :)

Home Plans: My Office Phase 1

Check it out... after 8 weeks of living in our new house I finally have a room that is for the time being done :)
When we moved in, the office was a pretty ugly ducking...

The Smart Phone Diet

So I have been talking about dieting for as long as I have been married but instead each month I have steadily gained weight. Now I am at my breaking point. According to my BMI I am officially obese and that is just ridiculous for my small framed body.

My Homemade Gift Exchange Gift

This month was the first time I ever participated in the Homemade Gift Exchange. I found it a nice way to do a craft project, I probably wouldn't otherwise. 

Hello Summer!

This post is underwritten by Old Navy. Whether you're looking for a tankini, bikini, or a one piece, Old Navy has you confidently covered at a great price.


Summer is officially upon us and with that comes swim suit season! Our move to the RGV area of Texas means we are only an hour away form South Padre Island and we definitely are planning to take advantage of that year round.

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Harlequin Teen (July 31, 2012)
ISBN-10: 0373210493
ISBN-13: 978-0373210497
416 pages
Ages 16 +
Buy Here for $11.74
My Rating: 4/5

Road Trip Wednesday #135: How'd You Spend Your Summer After Graduation?

showing off my diploma and tassel since I didn't get to walk

I have decided to finally participate in Road trip Wednesday over at YA Highway this week. There prompt today is: How'd You Spend Your Summer After Graduation?
I absolutely cannot believe that my summer after graduation was 6 years ago O_O That really makes me feel old when I say that, and I KNOW I am not old!

What's In Your Purse?

It's been a while since I've thoroughly cleaned out my bag and I have been in transition between a few totes since the move. Tonight I had finally had it and decided I needed to clean out my bag and move everything back into my long time favorite purse.
Of course this provided the perfect opportunity to share all the stuff I lug around on a daily basis...

Obligatory Outfit Post 1

So here is my first ever outfit post featuring one of the creative ensemble I put together for Project 15x2x2. I also styled my hair in a pretty braid bun... here's to the occasional dressy Tuesday.

One Moment by Kristina McBride

One Moment by Kristina McBride
Egmont USA (June 26, 2012)
ISBN-10: 160684086X
ISBN-13: 978-1606840863
272 pages
Ages 14 & up
Buy Here for $11.35
My Rating: 3/5

Weekly Intentions: June 10

So while I didn't get everything I wanted done last week I got to scratch off some big ones like going to the Chisholm Trail Roundup... whoop! whoop! :) My Instagram stream was load with fun pics from the weekend :) I have a lot of work this week but I want to balance it out with some simple personal projects and other responsibilities...

• Work on my Handmade Gift Exchange gift (inspiration)

• Finish Liam & Lianna's Mini Blankets
• Make some hand scrub (inspiration)

• Install a shelf over our bathroom sink
• Finally make some progress on my Spring/Summer 2013 collections
• Edit Kasey's Wedding Photos

• Write a personal styling post (inspiration)

Let's Talk Money

So I know I have mentioned that Luke and I live on a very tight budget. I know everyone has their own definition of tight and that's why after much thought, I've decided to share a glimpse into our finances. I hope this can help others in a similar situation see where they can cut costs and consider saving money.

The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen

The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen
Bethany House Publishers (January 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0764204807
ISBN-13: 978-0764204807
416 Pages
Buy Here for $9.67
My Rating: 5/5

Our 2nd Anniversary: The $25 Date

So Luke and I  celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary last Tuesday on the 29th. I knew I didn't want the day to pass without doing something special but living on a tight budget limited what we could do. I turned to trusty google for some date ideas and found a wicked sentimental and special idea for under $25.

Project 333 Update and 15x15x2

So it is officially June and my Project 333 is over. I am sorry I didn't post any outfit pics but I found life was just too hectic to remember to do so. But how did my challenge fair? Let's recap...

• I had only 33 articles of clothing for 3 months
• I felt incredibly liberated because getting dressed in the morning was a breeze
• I confidently knew everything in my closet would match, fit, and look good on me
• I never felt bored or restricted
• I did buy a couple new things but would swap them out for other items
• My last month had considerably less than 33 items because of our move
• I would definitely do this project for every season of the year :)

So there you have it, a complete and utter success! :) So now I want to try my hand at a 30 day challenge. There are lot of them out there but none really resonated with my fashion or lifestyle. So I have decide to create my own called 15x15x2.

Here are my rules:

1. Select 15 articles of clothing that will comprise of my complete wardrobe for one month.
2. Not counted to the 15 are shoes, jewelry, accessories, underwear, pjs/house clothes, and RBC clothes and gear.
3. I will begin this project and it will last from June 1st - 30th.
4. If I purchase a new item or decide to add an article to my closet than I must permanently swap it out for another article.
5. All my other clothes must be boxed up and out of sight.
6. I must pair my 15 articles into 15 different combinations of outfits.
7. I can only repeat a combination twice throughout the month.

Since this challenge require more creativity and detail to pairings I will try to have Luke take a photo of each combination I wear.
On Friday I sorted through my clothes, which was easy since most stuff is still packed. Over the last 3 weeks I have had to reassess and replace a lot of what I did own to fit our new climate. The weather here is in the 100's already and will stay that way through August. It has even been in the high 90's in December O_O Plus we have humidity that rivals Houston because of the Gulf and crazy high winds like the Santa Ana's. Basically I say it's like living inside a mouth, warm moist air constantly lapping at your skin :-/
This means my wardrobe has to consist of cool breathable fabrics. No polyester for me! Only 100% cotton or rayon. Linen is good to but we all know I don't iron so that's just not an option! So considering these factors here is what I selected for the month:

• 3 Solid Straight Skirts - Gray, Maroon, and Turquoise
• 2 Capri Pants - Both are dark wash denim but one has pockets and the other doesn't
• 2 Dresses - Pink Chevron A-line and my Brown Ethnic Sheath
• 2 Cover-Ups - Peach Sweater and a Brown Bolero
• 2 Camis - Black and Turquoise
• 3 Tees - Navy, Turquoise, and Gray Stripe
• 1 Swimsuit - TBD

Can't wait to see what combinations I come up with and feel free to join me in this challenge! :)

Weekly Intentions: June 3

I cannot believe how fast the last 3 weeks went by! Things have been insane and while I didn't accomplish everything I had hopped to, I did do other important things too :) Here is what I hope to accomplish this week:

• Finish Jaime's suite order
• Continue refinishing kitchen cabinets (inspiration)

• Design 2 new invitation suites for my Spring/Summer 2013 Collection
• Write our family mission statement (inspiration)

• Go to the Chisholm Trail Roundup (if we don't get called in for the RBC project) (inspiration)

• Read and review one book
• Blog about my new 30 Day Wardrobe Challenge (inspiration)

The Handmade Gift Exchange

So this year I have decided to participate in Craft Anonymous' Summer Handmade Gift Exchange. I have never doen so before, but it sounds like a very fun collaborative effort and I love the idea of having a personal, non-work related craft project to work on :)
Anyone is welcome as a participant. All you have to do is sign up through Elfster.
I'll share pics when I know who I am assigned to and what I'll be making :)

Home Plans: The Kitchen

Since I want to get back into regular cooking and baking I want a nice kitchen. The kitchen that is currently in our house is very rough. It has years of built up grease from my great-grandmother's daily tortillas and is in major need of a facelift.
I am happy to report that Luke got started yesterday and I can hopefully share pics within a couple weeks :)
But for now, I want to share with you all how we plan to remodel our kitchen for under $300. Yes that's right, $300! No, I am not missing any zeroes there. Remember we live on a super tiny budget and there's no way we could spend anymore than that per room. So here's how we are going to do it and where I am finding inspiration. And of course I will share a complete budget breakdown once we are done and all pennies have been counted...

So how are we going to do all that for just $300? Well for starters we are using what we already have!
Instead of buying all new cabinets, we are refinishing what we have with chalkboard paint we are mixing ourselves courtesy of Martha Stewart. The gritty texture will also help hide any imperfections and wear in the wood. Since my father-in-law, JD, is in construction, he was able to hook us up with all the brass door pulls we could ever need for FREE!
Moving down the wall, we are installing tin ceiling tiles for our backsplash. I've found a company online that actually makes them for backsplashes and we will do a nice clear coat of rustoleum over it to prevent any future rusting.
After much debate, we decided on white ceramic tiles for the countertop. This worked out nice since my dad had most of them and we just needed to pick up a couple extra and the trim tile.
The sink we had was a nice cast iron baby in a 70's avocado green color. I have decided to refinish it with Rustoleum's Tub & Tile Epoxy refinish kit. This will leave it with a nice glossy white finish. We are also looking into picking up a high arc faucet on ebay if JD doesn't find one sooner.
Plus we are getting a new to us fridge! My parents have just order a new one so they will be sending over their old one to us. Right now it is off-white, but a couple coats of appliance refinisher will help it match right in.
I can't wait to see it all done and together and share pics! What do you all think of our plans?
(sources: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.)

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard

Delacorte Books for Young Readers (March 13, 2012)

ISBN-10: 0385739370

ISBN-13: 978-0385739375

Age 14+

352 pages

Buy Here for $11.98

My Rating: 5/5

Welcome Home

So we have officially moved and have been working on settling in. Of course with my work and our pioneer schedule the remodeling plans and work has been slow going :-/ 

Craft, Inc. vs. Creative, Inc.

vs. 

As a small creative industry business owner, Craft, Inc. and Creative, Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco were at the top of my "to read" lists. But my big question before buying each was whether they were different enough to merit reading/owning both books or if they were interchangeable.

Weekly Intentions: May 13

So we have finally moved! Now begins the process of settling in and the audacious journey of house remodeling. More details on that to come. Here is what I hope to accomplish this week:

• Have lunch with Sofi
• Have dinner with Lyzette
• Work on invitation suite orders fro Jaime, Christy, and Meaghan
• Begin refinishing kitchen cabinets (inspiration)

• Start organizing/decorating my office (inspiration)

• Design 2 new invitation suites for Spring/Summer 2013 collection
• Get back into routine of cooking dinners (inspiration)

• Look for a farm cat to adopt (inspiration)

Surviving Our Lack of Internet Connectivity

So I don't think it's any seceret that a large part of who I am and what I do is based online. And for the last 2 weeks we have not had internet access outside of a measily 200 mb for work emails and crucial business matters O_O
So please forgive the absense but it has truly been impossible to blog. I wanted to steal a moment though while I am mooching off my Aunt's wifi to check in. We are alive. We head south on Saturday. And my internet down time has provided a great opportunity to focus on work.
I have finalized my Business Plan for this year and have some pretty exciting things up my sleeve as regards that. I just have to finally settle into a schedule again so I can work out kinks, marketing, and preparitions, etc.
I also hope to check in next week with the full story on our move, house and before pics so you guys can follow along as we venture into home remodeling :)
Well that's all folks! Thanks for sticking around ;)