one year wedding anniversary

yowza.. this year went by quickly! they say the first year is the hardest... and if that's true then i'm really looking forward everything that's in store for us.  here's a few shots from our wedding day..

just married

dogwood flowers from jon's grandmother's hometown

the delicious cake my mother made

white roses & honey favors all set up as the sun is setting

vino, vino, vino!

simple table setting

dancing!

i have to say, we had some serious dance moves on the dock

late night hang outs

and a super ridiculous photo from the photo booth.. caption contest?!

all about the fruites & veggies

it's saturday -- that mean's we're on our way to pick up our weekly load of food from rawfully organic.

jon signed us up this co-op a few weeks ago, and when he came home with the first load i was AMAZED by how much food we got for less than $50.  just see for yourself...

here's the box we picked up last week. it definitely lasts us through the week and encouraged us to eat more at home and get creative with our cooking (kale chips, juicing, fruit 3 times a day, more salads, cauliflower curry, etc.) plus, it's seasonal, local & organic.



here's a the pre-packed boxes.. $48 for one and it comes with spinach, kale, lettuce, tomatoes, pineapple, apples, cucumbers, strawberries, oranges and more. the stash changes from week to week depending on what is in season, but you get a heads up on what to expect.

a HUGE kale salad we made. (this is a serving bowl, not a personal sized one...)

if it looks like we won't be to eat all the fruit & veggies before our next load comes, i just juice the rest of it. this food below was juiced into two cups of vitamin goodness. (and just what i needed for my flu recovery).

ta-da! we are obsessed.

diy - tiny paper mache bowls

oh hey there. it's been awhile. we've been tied up with weddings, baby showers, the miserable FLU and some serious netflix & hulu marathons.


i've been on the hunt for some small bowls to help organize my jewelry drawer and when the usual places weren't hitting the spot (anthro! why are you so expensive?) i figured i could take a stab at some paper mache bowls with materials that i already have in my house.

here's what you'll need:

1. a balloon for each bowl
2. a jar to suspend the balloon
3. newspaper
4. flour + water for paper mache paste. refined flower works best.
5. glue for base
6. thick twine for a coil base
7. paint/stickers/tape/glitter for decoration.. whatever your heart desires.
8. mod podge to seal

here's some quick & dirty directions....

blow up the balloon to the desired size and start covering with strips of newspaper dipped in flour paste ( i use about 3 parts water, 1 part flour). you'll want to do several layers... it's hard to keep track, but at least 7 will do. be sure to make the bowl height taller than your final product, you'll trim the edges down later. let dry overnight.

after it's dried, i glue a base out of some twine i had laying around. i used extra glue to make the twine harden.

i trimmed one of bowls with a scallop edge...

 and i cut the other asymmetrical. painted blue with very wobbly gold stripes! [quick tip: when painting layers on the dry bowls, you may have to do this over a few days. every time i painted them with a blue layer the newspaper becomes soft and starts to warp a bit.]

and the scalloped one has big polka dots inside of them -- dotted with the eraser of a pencil. the scallops were great for keeping my earrings in place (i spy merah earrings!).

here they are together... they will be nice & happy in my drawer.

 

the non-game baby shower game

baby shower games are pretty black and white: you either love them or hate them. in my recent experiences as a guest and a host to many a' showers, the host is always looking for non-cheesy grown-up 'games' to keep guests entertained.

here's something i created for my soon-to-be sister in law for her baby shower. these customized cards are great for all the guests to fill out when they arrive and the hosts can read them throughout the party or while the guest of honor is opening her gifts. it gets interesting when guests write some seriously funny comments - don't hold 'em back! plus, it's a nice keepsake for scrap books and baby books.

if you want to order some of these for your next shin-dig, shoot me a message at charmandfig (at) gmail (dot) com.

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people who make things: stephanie toppin

i met stephanie this year when the downtown district teamed up with spacetaker to activate storefront windows in houston's historic district with local art. the installation was provided by stephanie toppin - and when she handed me her business card i got pretty excited and immediately thought we could be pals. (learn more about the window project here).

after googling (ahem, researching) her work, i found tons of colorful work that ranges from pretty paintings to plush crocheted sculptures and eclectic baked goods. plus, she’s a total catch when it comes to following her on pinterest. so much eye candy.

i wanted to learn more about her work, and lucky for me, she agreed to be interviewed in my first installment of 'people who make things.'

happy march (+ february re-cap)

oh hey, march! this month i'm looking forward to a good friend's wedding, some quality lady time and a few out-of-town visitors. plus, the texas spring is in full-swing so i imagine i will be snapping lots of flowers throughout the month.

here's what you missed in february...

tea time & sealing envelopes
take two - valentine's inspired nails
happy birthday jonathan
freebie: download these valentines
hand-carved stamps - pink & orange valentine's cards
love notes from creativity explored
orange forever
new year's eve wedding
stars & stripes & prisms & lights at settlement goods
going postal: snail mail-inspired stationery

....and a few more instagram photos from the past few weeks:

playing with textiles

boys being 'men' at lake travis

neon love

expecting a nephew

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