What to do with all those Instagram pics!? I'm into social media and by into I mean slightly obsessed. I think it's a great way to stay in touch with people you rarely see or talk to on a regular basis. For me, it's a way to let my family know what's going on since the majority of them live out of state or over an hour away from me.
Now the truly obsessed Instagramers are those who have accounts for their pets....let's be honest...I love my puppy (I mean this blog is named after her), but if she had her own account what the heck would I post on my Instagram lol Probably pictures of food and clothes ;) HA welcome to my world.
So what do we do with all those digital photos we keep in "the cloud"? Well here's a few projects to bring that aspect of your life into your home.
First, this Instagram wall...isn't it fabulous!? I love the idea of a collage in mini picture frames. Hoping to try it soon.
Next up...DIY coasters. I made these for my sister-in-law for Christmas and followed this tutorial using 4" x 4" tiles (purchased at Lowe's) instead of the mini ones. I purchased the printed photos through an app called PostalPix, but there are tons out there and I'm sure you could probably try the CVS and/or Walgreens app.
and why not keep it simple and use hanging wire to display your life!
I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing Memorial Day weekend and took time to remember all those who currently serve, have served, or lost their life for our freedom.
I don't know about you, but there's nothing like a 3 day weekend to feel refreshed. As I mentioned in my post on Friday a good friend came to visit. She and her husband moved to Austin last year and we don't get to see each other as often as we would like. Luckily her hubby was in town and was able to join us. Although he did have to put up with a lot of girlie conversations and mimosas. He survived ;) For those of you who don't follow me on Instagram, here's a recap.
I seriously couldn't pick one! They're all so gorgeous.
It's not a party without mimosas
and some wine and hammock time with the bestie
Sunday brunch made by the hubs
And that brings us to Memorial Day. Which started out with some hammock time with the family. How adorable is my puppy. I know I know...I'm biased. We had some friends over for hot dogs and laid out by the pool. Overall it was a relaxing day and I'm glad I was able to spend it with the hubs.
Before I go, all the recipes I tried from last Friday's post were a hit. Hope you get in the kitchen and try some new things! Until next post...xoxo Becca
While most of the fashion blogging world is chatting about the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale and other bloggers are talking Memorial Day I'm over here fantasizing about the 3-day weekend I'm about to enjoy. One of my best friends is visiting this weekend and we'll be enjoying a girls weekend with pedicures and mimosas.
So this week for Favorite Pin Friday I thought I'd mention some of the
recipes on the menu this weekend. Pinterest is one of those ways (like
Food Network) I find new things to try. A lot of the things you'll see
today are basic, but simple changes to items you already eat can add a
lot more variety to a menu (and maybe impress a few people...hopefully).
Check out the pictures below and follow the links to their sources for
the full recipe. Tell me what some of your go to dishes are!
Rain rain go away, come again another day. Does anyone remember this from their childhood? Our desire for the rain to go away probably stemmed from wanting to go outside to play or have recess during school. As an adult and homeowner I'm happy to see the rain watering my yard and flowerbeds. I will follow that statement with this one...enough is enough. This has been the rainiest season I can remember, especially during the "summer" months. Typically by this time of the year all us Texans are begging for winter weather. Instead, I just want to see some sun!
Somehow I managed to make it through 4 years of college with no rain boots. How? I have no idea because our campus has areas where water pools. On several occasions I remember walking across campus barefoot because my flip flops wouldn't stay on my feet from the water suctioning them off.
Fast forward years after college and I'm starting to think I need to invest in rain boots (or a boat at this point). The ever popular Hunter rain boots are outside my budget and I thought this may be the case for others. Here are a few budget friendly rain boots and because I'm from the south...where to get monogram decals for your new rain boots ;)
TGIF! Last week I shared a recipe for the Churro Cupcakes I made for our Cinco de Mayo party. Today I wanted to share a quick tutorial on making tissue paper flowers which I used to decorate our front door. So fun and festive!
What you need:
tissue paper (bought at Party City for $4.00)
scissors
pipe cleaners (optional)
stapler (not pictured)
Pick 5-6 pieces
Fold them together accordion style.
Staple in the middle. Since I was attaching my flowers to the decorative wrought iron on my front door I also added a pipe cleaner.
Cut the ends to give the flower some shape, then fluff! Be gentle or the tissue paper will tear.
I'm so glad I made these because it set the tone for the party from the start. To make the smaller flowers I cut the tissue paper in half before folding.
For the last few years, the university I work for has been a host site for Leadercast. Leadercast is an organization that aims to bring leaders together and inspire a new generation of leaders. We're not talking about CEOs, Fortune 500 company presidents, state governors, we're talking about being a leader in every day life, work, community, household (and of course if you choose to take on one of those titles I mentioned, good for you!) Side note, if I could figure out how to land a job with Leadercast I would be all over that...so if there are any insiders, let me know the secret to getting in! ;)
Leadership is one of the areas I love studying. Every leader has a different style of bringing individuals together and encouraging them to become leaders on their own two feet. During my masters program I was required to take a leadership course and loved every minute of it. Of course it was theory based and talked a lot about learning to lead through different styles, but I also had the chance to read a book I found motivating. Big Man on Campus: A University President Speaks Out on Higher Education by Stephen Trachtenberg, President Emeritus of George Washington University. If you work in higher education I recommend reading this book. He makes some really great points regarding higher education administration.
I digress, Leadercast is the one event I look forward to every year. This year thousands of people viewed from across the world as leaders like Ed Catmull, President of Pixar & Disney Animation Studios, Rudy Giuliani, 107th Mayor of New York City, and Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate and Founder of The Malala Fund spoke about their journey and advice for those of us just setting out. This years theme was The Brave Ones and centered around doing the brave thing. It takes a lot of bravery to rise as a leader or stand up for a belief. To become one of "The Brave Ones" means to cast aside trepidation and lead fearlessly.
Some of my take aways from the event:
Follow your broken heart (Andy Stanley): meaning follow what moves you. See a problem in your community? Step up and make a change. See video below.
Don't "how" an idea to death (Andy Stanley): I'm guilty of having or hearing an idea and immediately start "howing" it...how will we get funding? how will we make it work? how can I get people on board? Instead, say "wow"
Immerse yourself in fear to find bravery (Rorke Denver): This brings me back to my post about Why Blog; step outside your comfort zone, it's where great things happen.
Don't wait for someone else (Malala Yousafzai): What are you waiting for? Don't wait for someone else to take a stand. Speak up!
Find your place where you can improve the lives of others (Rudy Giuliani): For me, this relates a lot to follow your broken heart.
If that doesn't move you then I don't know what does.
Stand up, speak up, and follow your broken heart!
Thank you Leadercast for another great year! Looking forward to next year's theme, Architect of Tomorrow. Until next post...xoxo Becca
Who enjoyed some queso and margaritas on Cinco de Mayo? This girl!!! The hubs and I had a few people over for tacos and drinks. I'll be posting more about that next week. In the tradition of Favorite Pin Friday, lets get right to it. Today I'm sharing the dessert we had at our party, Churro Cupcakes. I found the recipe at Lady Behind the Curtain and modified it to save time (aka used a box cake mix).
Instructions
Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Follow directions on cake mix. Fill each cupcake liner (I use 1/4 cup per cupcake). Bake for 20 minutes.
Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Once cupcakes have completely cooled, brush melted butter on tops and dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:
In a mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until well blended. Mix in vanilla and cinnamon; add confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time until combined. If the frosting is too thick, add milk a few drops at a time until desired consistency. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes.
Since I didn't put a lot of frosting on each cupcake I could have easily cut that portion of the recipe in half. I've decided the leftover frosting will taste amazing on a warm bagel or homemade Belgian waffle! So this post is now a two in one lol Cupcake frosting+breakfast topping. You're welcome ;)
Until next post...xoxo Becca
Hello lovelies! How is everyone this Monday? This weekend was jam packed with sporting events. AND the Duke and Duchess have a baby girl!!!! Welcome to the world little lady! Let's be real...I'm more excited about that then sports.
My alumni association hosted a Day at the Races on Saturday. A group of us went, Kentucky Derby attire and all. It was so much fun to get dressed up and even put a hat on. Where else can you look this fab!? The food was really good and we may or may not have gone back for seconds on dessert. Shhhh don't tell anyone ;)
I worked with each of these beautiful ladies at some point in my career.
Obsessed with this hat
Between races we went down to the track to get closer to the horses. The staff was nice enough to let us pet a couple of the escort horses.
In lieu of Favorite Pin Friday I want to talk wedding season and share photos from a recent wedding we attended.
It's spring and that means lots of weddings coming up. Our good friends got married last weekend and I'm sharing a few pictures I snapped from their couples shower at our house, rehearsal, and wedding. Gorgeous professional photos can be found here.
Couples Shower:
Loved the DIY items!
Pies from Sam's Club, so delicious!
All the ingredients for s'mores
Drink station
Rehearsal:
The rehearsal dinner was at a local place called Cork This Winery. I had no idea they had a room for events, but it was a great venue and hopefully I will host a bridal shower or other event there one day because it was a lot of fun. Lots of great gift items too! If you're ever in the Conroe/Montgomery area you should really stop by.
Wedding Day:
After waking up to thunderstorms I was worried this outdoor wedding would have to be moved inside. Luckily the rain disappeared and the ceremony went as planned.
Mini mason jars filled with Mrs. Butterworth syrup
