custom return address stamps now available at charm & fig

the shop is growing (oh so much more to come soon) but i had to get these custom return address stamps out ASAP. with holiday cards coming up, (you're sending them, right?) you can save some serious time and hand cramps with a return address stamp. 

AND it's a great gift for your best pen pal. i will undoubtedly be gifting some of these this year! xo

now available at charmandfig.etsy.com.

garden dreams in the texas heat

i've been totally inspired by rose moss. it's a hardy plant with succulent leaves that can withstand the texas heat and days without water. the bright blooms are right up my ally: neon shades of pink, poppy, yellow and orange. my iphone couldn't event register the brightness of these colors... #nofilter, y'all.

when we purchased our house, i had no idea how much i would enjoy gardening. i've been turning down some late night partying in order to get up early and hit the dirt. must be growing up. 

i pinned this photo a few months ago, and i keep going back to it. we're definitely going to spend the next few months trying to re-create this backyard. it's sustainable and just looks so damn cool. kudos to my good friend elyse who coined the term partio.

i'm torn between creating a modern, sleek backyard and an overgrown hill country garden. texas wildflowers need to 'planted' in september for spring blooms. i've been reading up on planting wildflowers and they just say to drop the seeds on dirt, don't bury them. how easy is that? you can order seed packets from wildseed farms.

here's a little peek of our backyard. blue agave, african irises and rose moss so far. still so much that needs to be done. can't wait to share the full picture.. when it's complete.

before & after : organization resolution { 2013 } nailed

we live in a tiny apartment, and with my etsy business.. it's only become more cluttered and messy. as i fill orders, it becomes a little stressful digging through the mess. i kind of knew where everything was, but all my paper, supplies, stamps, receipts, tape, glue and glitter didn't have a PLACE.

.. the heinous, stress-inducing before...

... after.... with all the cute christmas cards we received. huzzah for snail mail.

i've always been a fan of ikea's kasset box system, but i was thrilled to learn that they started making them in a natural, uncoated cardboard. these boxes fit perfectly into the expedit shelves that are always being hawked on craigslist. i jazzed up the labels with some neon tape to give the whole look a few pops of color. it's amazing how happy organization makes me. every time i look at my clean work station, my serotonin levels go through the roof.

ultra-light & modern thank you notes (with neon green washi tape!)

i totally forgot to post these neon striped correspondance cards i made for some friends a few months ago, now on sale at charm & fig. they can be ordered as thank you's, or just good old fashioned personal stationery.

...and what better to remind me than to have bri from designlovefest pin them on the etsy pinterest account during her stint as guest pinner for etsy? (thank you, by the way.)

i of course, tweeted my shop to her when she said she was looking for products...working in social media and being on twitter every now and then definitely has it perks. totally made my week. and i pretty much want to purchase thing she pinned on the board. christmas shopping is coming up and i see a few things for the peeps on my list.

 

bach party in the hills - neon and neutral invites & party pics

so excited to share theis post with everyone --- this has been a little pet project of mine for awhile. as mentioned before, andie & i share a love for all things neon & nuetral -- as apparent with our bottle project.

for her bachelorette party invites i took that mutual love to heart and created a fun invite suite to let the invitees know the busy and fun activities the bridesmaids cooked up. we were headed to the texas hill country, for a some relaxation, wine & lots of silliness before the wedding.

my right brain was thrilled to bring a detailed itinerary to the table. my left brain wanted it to fold up in a tiny envelope sealed with striped neon washi tape.

needless to say, we had a blast! here's a few photos from the weekend... 

one of my favorite shots with the bride, posing at hula hut in austin.

andie and her maid of honor, ms. lindsay.

this was a well-documented weekend. everyone snapping photos in the limo.

the bride & her bridesmaids - all great ladies that she's known very well. and sometimes the bully each other :)

my shoe shot. wearing 3 inch wedges on some hill country terrain. and not a broken ankle, hah!

and my favorite photos of the weekend.. morning after photos. thanks to all the ladies who humored me in taking this photo. there was not primping for these photos and they're still looking pretty hot.

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neon & neutrals moleskine journals

happy to announce a new product in the shop - these lined moleskine journals are stamped with hand-carved stamps, and embossed with neon yellow, pink & turquoise. 

at 3.5 x 5.5" these little journals are perfect for your pocket or purse. enjoy!

order here.

sweltering auggie (+ july re-cap)

i'm writing this august 12, but post-dating it to august first.. such trickery!

here's the measly july postings you may have missed:
indian summer engagement party
my apologies
july manifesto + june re-cap

but since i have been so out-of-touch online, i've been out doing cool things..like surfing. totally obsessed. prepping for our costa rica trip :)

july started out pretty rainy, but man, we needed it after last year's drought.

a collection of neon stuff on my desk. office supplies rule.

a peek into the upcoming OKRA charity bar. yup - houston's getting a charity bar. drink for good!

me & the surfboard board in port aransas. yeah, it was pretty big.

my friend andie & her pentax. no illusions here, this camera is LARGE.

gorgeous sunset at surfside.

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two (neon) pink projects

been inspired by neon pink big time. saw these awesome neon pansies over the weekend... (sidenote: i want a garden so badly. we had chardonnay mojitos with fresh mint at tiny boxwood's and that delicious cocktail really put my garden envy in overdrive).

i tried to transform these worn out flats into something a little more fun. i taped them off, painted them with neon acrylic paint, then sealed them with mod podge. i'm sure they will crack and last less than 10 wears, but i was planning on throwing them away anyway.

 here's the finished product.. and i swear i didn't turn up the saturation on the color, they are very bright.

next up -- my friend andie sent me a project she found on a wedding website. all it was was wrapping jars with rope and tacky glue. we picked neon pink and white. really liked they way they turned out.  

the wider jars will probably be used for citronella candles on summer nights and the bottles will be hold wildflowers.

now i'm infected with neon stripes. everything i see, i'm picturing a neon stripe on it...your dog? stripe. that wooden tray that holds my magazines? stripppppe. baskets, electronics, chairs...stripe. stripe. stripe.

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stars & stripes & prisms & lights at settlement goods

my friend amanda commissioned a congrats card for her to give to the owners of houston's newest store, settlement goods. she wanted a stars to go with the prism windows she created for their opening.

this was fun for me... a big departure from all the pink & girly stuff i've been doing lately.



a few weeks later i visited the store with amanda and was blown away by the careful selection of all the products. each product is made in USA, which is pretty amazing considering how many of the products we actually own are farmed out for cheap labor.

it drives me crazy that there's isn't a higher demand for american-made goods. but hey, i'm totally guilty of buying the cheaply made stuff from old navy, target, banana, outlet malls, etc. etc. (hey, these are some of my fav stores!) but i digress...

settlement goods is definitely a treat for cool jewelry and clothing...



a view from the top. tree trunk table made in brooklyn covered in awesome jewelry and housewares.



definitely digging the brass geometric light pendant.



the light coming in the store.. and a little peek of amanda's window installation (you'll have to visit settlement for the whole enchilada!).



some of the women's clothing selections.. stripes! i cannot get enough of stripes.



um, obsessed with this quartz-shaped ring.



there's so much more to see. men's and women's clothing accessories, candles, pillows.. on and on. check it out for yourself and welcome settlement goods to the 'hood.

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