We went camping

Yesterday, my handsome man turned 24.

I'd been asking him the same, subtle question for a while. It went like this: "What do you want to do for your birthday?"

And he'd been giving me the same, blunt answer every time: "Nothing."

Nothing? 

Nothing.

Obviously, a real-and-true nothing just wasn't an option. But since his birthday fell on a weekday, I understood his desire to remain in a sans-streamers "chill mode" for the evening. 

The fun-tastic solution? I surprised him with a camping trip. In our living room.

 

 

 At our campsite, there was a botanical garden.

Okay, so this is really a commission series I'm working on that's pulling double duty.

And there were top-of-the-line ammenities.

A remote control for him, design magazines for her. And a kickin' dinner menu.

Complimentary water? Clearly, this place was 5-star.

S'mores: It's just not a camping trip without them.

As soon as the hubs walked through the door, he went to change into his "camping clothes." For the rest of the night, this happened.

This is my new favorite picture of all time.

He liked the fact that he got to play in a fort, eat hot dogs/baked beans with bacon/potato salad, and watch TV.

I liked that there were no bugs.

Our sprawling campsite. Don't you just love nature?

Overall, it was a great day at Kamp Kiker. He had a happy birthday, and I had a happy one-month wedding anniversary. Definitely a win-win—love that.

~

On a side note, I just figured out how to import my old blog onto this new site. This might give new readers the impression that this is a long-established, well-tended sort of blog. It's not (or at least it wasn't in the past...totally my goal to go into serious-blogger mode and change that). But it has sporadically documented some of the cooler things I've done in life, like my first day as an US Weekly intern, or the time I spent in Southern France working as an au pair. 

For the sake of some good ole' memories, reminders of what was on my heart back then, and probably lots of laughs, I'm going to share links to a few of my favorite older entries every time I post something new. Sometimes, it's not good to look into the past. In this case, I think it is. 

Two good ones to get this party started:

1. Madrid mishap—A disaster of layover in Spain. Warning: Reading this post may cause uncontrollable fits of laughter.

2. As fast as you can—Reflections on running—literally, around a track, and figuratively, away from things that are scary or uncomfortable.

Enjoy!

Making Myself at Home

7 things that have made my new space feel like home.

1. A simple craft lets me turn a cute shopping bag into a cuter display board for all the pictures I brought of my beautiful friends and family.

before

during

 

after

2. Showy necklaces + a sketch make the room feel like me.

     

                          

3. A clear compartment box from The Container Store works double duty as an organizer and a fun display case for my fancy-schmancy jewelry. 

  

4. The room wouldn’t be mine if it didn’t have books, magazines, and journals… everywhere.

5. A care package just has this way of making you feel so cared about.

6. Pumpkin spice latte mix, to take the place of all the Starbucks runs I’m missing. Je t’aime beaucoup, Maxwell House.

7. A cinnamon-orange scented sachet. I bought it in France, but it makes my room smell just like the candles my mom burns in our Texas kitchen during the fall.

And a few extras:

·      Sipping on coffee and tea all day yesterday while it rained

·      Building a tent in the living room with the kids

·      Letting the kids snack on popcorn and hot chocolate underneath ^^ tent

·      Making baked apples for dessert (okay, maybe I cheated and did them in a pan…)

·      Curling up in this fun guy to grab a coffee with a new friend on the boardwalk

Do we see a small connection between these two photos? Maybe? I’ll keep working on it. Back to the point:

“I long, as every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.” - Maya Angelou

1 Corinthians 2:7-9 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,”What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Being “at home” on earth is nice—especially when the air is crisp, you’re wearing a cozy turtleneck, the fire is popping, and something that smells like nutmeg and pumpkin is waiting to be taken out of the oven.

So thankful for experiences like that! But even more thankful for the eternal home that’s waiting for me.

Off to a mini vacay in Venice for the rest of the week. Be back soon though, with lots of fun stories to share. Ciao, bellas!

xox

DIY: Designer-tize It Yourself!

I’m aware that “designer-tize” isn’t exactly the traditional ‘D’ in DIY (or even a real word…), but I felt that it was a much more appropriate label for my recent fall fashion makeover project!

I recently purchased an amazing camel blazer from the new H&M at Northpark (see this blog entry) for the amazing price of $29.95. This is it, as-is:

Pretty cute, huh?

Needless to say, I cried real tears while standing on the plush red carpet outside H&M as I patiently awaited the moment the security guard would lift the velvet rope, allowing me to burst through the doors and snag something from the store on its inaugural day in Dallas.

But as much as I loved my purchase (not to mention the price of my purchase), I was tormented by a truth I couldn’t escape: the buttons looked cheap. Which is probably because the buttons are cheap, but whatever. You get what you pay for, right?

Wrong. Because in designer-tize it yourself land, we take things from off-the-rack to off-the-chain.

Here is where these guys come in:

Chanel. Earrings. This is why I love thrifting so much. I mean, technically I’m not a “real” thrifter, like the kind that’s always finding this amazing scarf, or that amazing vintage handbag at some hole-in-the-wall that would give most of us an an asthma attack if we spent too long digging through the dust for buried treasures. But there were a few shops off Wilshire that I liked to explore with a latte in hand after leaving the US Weekly office in LA. Which is where I stumbled upon those wonderful, antique Chanel beauties, which the owner told me (in broken English) he had acquired from an estate sale. Meaning I probably inherited them from a rich grandma in Beverly Hills, which I try not to be creeped out by. (*Sidenote: see this blog post for more finds from the shop + old US Weekly stories.)

Anyway, despite the fact that they’re Chanel, the earrings are a little, well, grandma-ish. I mean, they’re clip-ons. But still—I was dying to wear them! Unfortunately, I’m not enough of a fashion maven to rock the granny-chic look thing, so wearing them in the traditional way was out. DING DING DING! Cue the flashing lightbulbs that went off telling me to turn them into buttons.

With the help of pliers…

…and some tacky glue…

I was able to do just that! If you want to try something similar, the process couldn’t be easier.

Here’s how I did it:

1. Use a pair of hand-held pliers to pry off the clip on back (or the post of a regular earring).

2. Find a button in a coordinating color that will fit inside the back of the earring, and secure it to the earring with tacky glue. Allow to dry for at least 4 hours.

3. Remove the buttons on your blazer/jacket/vest/etc with a seam ripper and/or scissors. Whatever it takes to get the stubborn things off.

4. Sew your newly created button onto your blazer/jacket/vest etc by hand, starting your stitch from the front of the garment so that the knot in the thread will be hidden by your button (and not visible if your jacket blows upon on a breezy day/when you’re walking down the runway during NY Fashion Week).

5. Rock it, girl!

Before:

After:

CLASSY, baby. Seriously, this project took no time at all. And now I’ll be able to trick everyone into thinking I bought a Chanel jacket! Maybe. If they’re not familiar with the style, look, quality, or fit of couture…which I am totally banking on, 100%.

Have you ever designer-tized anything? Have any other great suggestions for spicing up your fall wardrobe on a budget? Let me know. I’m always up for craft time!

xo