so close (yet so far)

My friend Amber (who took my favorite photo of all time) gave me a little photography lesson last week before we met up with Loryn for happy hour.  While I don't know if I understand everything she wrote down (there are lots of numbers on that paper), I did figure out how to manually focus and adjust my white balance.  Baby steps, people.

I will always maintain that La Condesa has the best happy hour ever.  Really cheap, really good margaritas, great bar menu, decor that absolutely slays me...  It's a no brainer.

old lady cross stitch + apple products?!?!

As soon as I upgrade my phone, I'm totally getting this cover.  I don't want to buy a cover for the iPhone 4 I have now, because it is dying a slow and painful death, so I'll have to get a new one soon.  (first world problems, I know)

It's the Cross Stitch iPhone Case by Leese Design from Purl Soho.  All I can do is think about all the awesome things I could make with this AND that when you're bored, you just cut the thread out and start all over!  On the Purl Bee, their craft blog, they made up a few with both traditional cross stitch and embroidery stitches.  Spot on.

They suggest trying the "Fancy Stitch" from a handmade clutch they had a tutorial for earlier in the year.  

Oh... this is it.  

texas, our texaaaaaaaas...

I thought with a fancy new camera, I'd be blogging lots more.  For some reason, however, I haven't touched this thing in a while.  This time I've got post graduation and pre move-to-New-York-and-job-hunt-all-day-every-day has been really lazy.  While I love it, I need to get on some serious memory making, 'cause I've got about a month left in this lil' city I love so much.

stoplight instagrams

I spent yesterday afternoon sitting at one of my favorite coffee shops (Jo's), watching the cutest little sparrow eat my muffin,  (Don't worry, I was done with it.  I don't plan on eating after a bird.)  

The littlest sister met up with me for a little adventuring on South Congress.  We sat at Jo's and did a little prep work for one of the projects I talked about in this post.  I'm making a version of Wood & Faulk's wool camera wrap and I found the most gorgeous woven fabric to work with.

After a bit of fabric shopping and pizza (HOME SLICE! - an important part of the list), we walked along the bridge and up Congress to take lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of pictures.  (Don't ask me why Larisa made a to-go bag beard...)

capturing a master instagrammer at work... 

We walked around the Capitol for a bit and I remembered how much I love the building.  It makes me feel so Texan-y.  (Just go with it.)  The guards at the door got a kick out of our sister act and Larisa might have almost sneaked up a closed off staircase.

Nobody got caught.  Don't worry.

Old man loafers and moccasins.  We were meant to be.

i just need a few things to feel content

Red lipstick and my favorite royal blue grandpa cardigan.

Tom Yum from one of Austin's best Thai places and a good book.

Getting to check a place off my list and eating large amounts of peanut sauce? How do you get any better?  

these things I's been readin'

I'm a pretty fast reader, so the bulk of the reading I did during the school year was on my iPhone (yeah, ebooks!)  They were cheaper and it was easier to not carry around anything else with my already giant and heavy schoolbag, but lately I've been missing real live books.  There's nothing like the feel of paper and the heft of a book in your hand.

A few weeks ago, I spent a glorious hour at Book People, (the best book store in the whole world, y'all) and picked up an old favorite, a present for a friend, and something new.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is one of my favorite books of all time.  I let someone borrow it a few years ago and never got it back, so I figured I needed another copy.  Read it, people

A Practical Wedding by Meg Keene is a fresh, sane look at wedding planning.  Now, don't get all excited... I'm still very single, but my friend Angie is getting married and I think she'll love it.  I've been reading this website for a few years (why I read a wedding blog, I dunno...) and it has a great take on feminism and weddings.  Getting married?  Check out the site or buy the book, trust me.

How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran is (according to the New York Times) "a glorious, timely stand against sexism so ingrained we barely even notice it."  I didn't agree with every single word on the page, but it all made me think.  Love, love, love.

The prettiest book I've been toting around, however, is this notebook Evane gave me for Christmas.  It's got pretty (unlined! - which is important) paper and a sweet ikat cover.  I've been keeping it close for those moments when I need to jot down a brilliant idea.

Trust me, I've got lots of brilliant ideas.

things I think are awesome (the nature is freaky edition)

So, the other day, during a I'm-feeling-crappy-so-I'll-lay-in-bed-all-day internet romp, I started looking at weird animal videos and photos.  This went on for hours...

Guys, nature is amazing.

Seriously.

Look at this video of a goblin shark, (Melissa!  DO. NOT. WATCH. THIS. Or anyone else that is as scared of sharks as my dear, sweet best friend...) it has these amazing retractable jaws.  At around :30, you get a great slow-mo shot of them in action.  I've seen this a dozen times at least.

What about this creepycreepycreepycreepy fish?  It's the sloane's viperfish and it holds the world record for teeth to head size in a fish.  Sorry for the nightmares.

I meant it about the nightmares... via zoochat 

Creepo fish aside, we live in a world full of amazing animals.  Moonwalking bird?  Got it. (at 2:44)

How about gorgeous caterpillars that are pretty much made of Jello? I could go on all day with pictures of caterpillars.  It gets cray cray.

via Scientific American

Crazy fish that looks like a person?  Here.  Spotted unicornfish.  Even cooler, the thing can change it's color at will.  I'm kind of obsessed with this fish.  I feel like we could be friends.

via Stefan Koeder

How about another little bird mating dance?  Sweet moves, rifebird of paradise...

You're welcome.  

I wanna throw a dinner party...

I just need to find someone to cook... Any takers?

s

Apartment Therapy recently featured The Cream Event by design company Glitter + Rye and I'm super in love.  Now, I know, this is a lot.  A lot of patterns and colors and textures and finishes...  But, the black and white color scheme helps to keep all the patterns cohesive.  The wood and white boxes all serve as a neutral background for the colorful flowers and dinnerware.  I'm totally digging this. Fur-hur-shure.  (Won't my spell check just learn that word already?)

So, how could you do this yourself?  Well, besides the $25 Anthro plates (which for more than a few guests starts to add up) the rest of it is pretty doable with a few yards of cheap fabric, a piece of wood or two from the hardware store and some vintage/thrift store finds.

This polka dot, buffalo check, chevron fabrics are pretty much exact matches and I found them in five seconds on the internet.  I'm almost positive your local fabric store will have a version of every single one.  Next, go to the hardware store, buy one 4X4 and get them to cut it into blocks of various lengths.  A sheet of plywood (that they also) cut to 14 by 20 inches is all you need for the rest.  I'd buy a sanding block and make sure the edges are smooth and non-splintery.

Like I said, these Anthro plates will get pricey (compared to rest of it) but they're not the only floral plates in town.  They're beautiful though, aren't they?

Gold confetti?  Party City.  Cut glass tumblers?  Thrift store. Gold-rimmed wine glasses... Well, they aren't going to be as easy to find as the tumblers or the candlesticks below, but you should be able to get a set on etsy or eBay (61 and 204 listings, respectively...)  The gold flatware will also be a little harder to find for super cheap, but they are pretty common at antique stores and the table would also look just as pretty with an old ornate set in silver.

Brass candlesticks?  $1.99 at every thrift store in the history of the world.  Gold tassels, white tapers, and pillar candles?  Dollar store.  Bam!  These ceramic square vases are only $3 a piece and I know I've seen them everywhere.  Flowers this simple can totally be arranged yourself.  Keep a little inspiration close by, like this photo by Jemma Keech via The Sweetest Occasion. (I have this saved in my "someday wedding bouquet" folder)

So... who's cooking for me?