This week’s photo challenge is In The Background. Sometimes, a quirky, unintended background makes the picture:
Friday Favorites: Instagram Edition


My love of Instagram is not letting up, and the new A Beautiful Mess app is only increasing my fun. Have you tried it yet? It lets you add text, drawings and borders to your pics – so many possibilities. Here are a few other favorites from my week:
- A round-up of 25 DIY garlands
- Planning to make homemade ice cream for the first time, so these definitely caught my eye
- This would be a great party theme for the upcoming holiday weekend
- Love these tips for photographing children
- An awesome cheat sheet for nature activities for kids
Happy Holiday Weekend!
Dinner Landscapes

It’s that time of year in Texas when dining outdoors moves to the top of my list of things to do. It only lasts for a couple of weeks in the spring and again in the fall, so I have to take advantage while I can. This year, I have the added excitement of attending an amazing outdoor dining event with Outstanding in the Field, an organization that travels the country hosting farm-side dinners featuring foods grown on-site. I’m heading out to Santa Cruz next month for their dinner at Everett Family Farm, but in the meantime, I’m trying to create a nice dining space in our own backyard. Here are a few things on my wish list right now:

Friday Favorites: Food Revolution Edition
Happy Food Revolution Day! In celebration of real food, I thought I would share a few summer recipes that I’m hoping to try soon:




Trend Making: Three DIY Projects

Statement Ring: Statement Ring / Statement Ring DIY
Tassles: Coach Purse / Leather Tassle DIY /
Bow Belt: Kate Spade Belt / Leather Bow Belt DIY
Weekly Photo Challenge: Pattern
This week’s photo challenge is Pattern. I love patterns, especially those created by the light of the sun as it casts its shadow. Here are a few of my favorite patterns of light:

A Hello Kitty Rainbow Flower Art Party

We celebrated Jenna’s 5th birthday this weekend. She requested a Hello Kitty Rainbow Flower party, a theme I found a bit difficult to tie together in a cohesive way. The chosen location – a local children’s art studio - added an ‘art’ theme to an already heavily themed party. But in the end, it all came together just fine. Lesson learned: don’t settle for one theme when you can have four. Happy Birthday, Jenna!
Here are a few scenes from the festivities:

