Summer Wine

For those who now any little thing about me you may know that I enjoy a great glass of vino. Summer time in San Antonio is hot hot hot and that is an understatement. During the summer I have a hard time drinking red wine of any kind and I tend to stick to just whites. My favorite whites are chardonnays and sauvignon blancs. I am not a wine expert and I'm not going to tell you that such and such wine has a hint of pear and cleanses the pallet- I'm just going to give you some suggestions based on my drinking experience. Enjoy...

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1. Kyndal Jackson Chardonnay:: Sometimes there is nothing more refreshing and familiar than a glass of Kendal Jackson. You can find it anywhere and you can rely on it to taste delicious. It is the Coca-Cola of the wine world.

2. KungFu Girl:: I usually am not a fan of rieslings because I feel as though I am drinking sparkling apple juice but this wine is something different. If you're not a riesling fan I challenge you to give this one a shot. 

3. Columbia Winery:: Here is another riesling that I was pretty convinced I was going to like but one day I was so very hot and Brendan poured me a glass and I was instantly refreshed. There is something about refreshed by a nice glass of wine that has me coming back for more. 

4. Kim Crawford:: This sauvignon blanc is what threw me into the wonderful world of sauvignon blanc. It is delightful.

What are your favorite wines to enjoy in the summer? 

Why I Quit the Business

I started this little blog in 2010 when I first moved from San Antonio from Denver. I knew no one in San Antonio so I retreated to my computer, to the internet, to blogs. I loved reading blogs and looking at other's handmade businesses. I thought hey I could do that blog and make a living off a handmade shop. 

I started this blog around August 2010 and shared the link with family. I began by blogging about crafty things I was doing to fill my time up in San Antonio. I obsessed about reading tutorials on how to make my blog better, how to make money blogging, how to design my blogging and what not. 

After I started getting in the swing of blogging I decided to open up my own shop. Blogging and running a handmade shop ran my life along with a full time job and finishing my last year in college. It was what I loved to do at the time. 

I spent all day on the computer and trying to find ways I could grow my shop and blog. The truth about my shop was I wasn't very good at it. I wasn't producing a product that was 100% unique or 100% wanted. I struggled to succeed in this area. I constantly compared myself to others, beat myself up over other's success, took any comment about my shop personally and I wasn't happy. As much as I wanted to be a part of the handmade business I wasn't any good at it. It wasn't for me. Right now my shop is on vacation and I don't see it coming off vacation mode for a very long time (I'm not going to say ever because maybe someday I might change my mind). Right now though I like to admire those who are good at the handmade/indie business. 

My blog right now has transitioned from a place where I needed to post daily, about certain things, mention certain brands to a blog where I blog when I want, about what I want. I love writing and that's why I will continue to blog. I hope this blog becomes a place where people can come read stories of humor, entertainment and maybe I'll teach you a thing or two. 

Camera Help

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I need some help from all the photographers out there. I have a Canon Rebel T3i and I am fairly new to using it. I am reading every tutorial out there and attempting to get better with my photographs. I only have the stock lens on the camera now and I want to know what lenses you would suggest for someone like me? 

I Hate Road Trips

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Oh the open road... I hate it. I am the worst road tripper ever. I am miserable in the car for long periods of time (long periods of time meaning 3 hours or more). Brendan, myself and the two dogs will be heading on a road trip for 17 hours in a week and I am miserable thinking about. So I need your help! What are your favorite songs right now so I can make some CD's as well as your favorite comedians.....ready GO! 

Planning a Wedding: Blogs

Let's talk about inspiration for weddings these days- it is endless. Between Pinterest, wedding magazines, wedding websites such as TheKnot.com, and more. I could browse Pinterest for hours but one of my favorite places for inspiration is actually wedding blogs. I've found a bunch of blogs that I like to check on a weekly basis. On these blogs I love to see real weddings put together and what makes them timeless and unique. I have also found a few local wedding blogs for Colorado (where my wedding will be) and these have been extremely helpful because they feature Colorado weddings and they post the local vendor contact information for each featured wedding. So if I see a wedding where I love the photographs or the cake I can look up that vendor's contact information and see if they could possibly be involved in my wedding. I highly suggest looking for national blogs but also blogs that are local to where your wedding will take place. 


1. Style Me Pretty:: This is a very popular wedding blog that features stunning weddings and they also have a few blogs separate from the main blog that are specific to certain states. Most of these weddings are very over the top, but I love to take certain ideas from each wedding that I could possibly be apart of my wedding. 


2. Emmaline Bride:: This blog is great for all things handmade and DIY. It features ideas that you can create yourself but also where you can buy beautiful handmade items for your wedding. 


3. Ruffled:: This blog is great to look at weddings that are more feasible for my budget. There is also a place for people to re-sell items that they used for their wedding that they no longer need. On top of that they also have a vendor look up for your state. 


4. Tutto Bella:: The best part about this fun blog is that it is written by three sisters. It is not strictly a wedding blog but features a bit of fashion, home decor and DIY projects. The weddings on this blog are so fun and unique and that's why I keep coming back to read it. 


5. Couture Colorado:: Here is one of the lovely local blogs that I enjoy reading. I love this blog because I enjoy getting all the vendor information from each wedding but it is also a great source of inspiration even if you aren't getting married in Colorado.


Do you have an wedding blogs you like to read? 

Wedding Planning

So I am no expert by all means but after starting to attend wedding appointments with vendors and what not there are some things I wish I would have known and some things I've learned. I thought it might be helpful for someone else if I share some of those tips here on the blog. Check back periodically as I share some tips I've learned from wedding planning. 

Customize Your Cork Board- DIY

I've been observing a couple or cork board customization lately around the world wide web and decided I wanted to do one of my own for our kitchen.

Besides the cork boards that were bought at Target (for about $4 total)- the other supplies (tape, paint brush, and acrylic paint) were found around my house. I started the project by gathering supplies and taping off the boards how I saw fight. I did not measure (obviously) I eyeballed the lines and taped them off with some Scotch paint tape.

After all my tape was secure I simply began painting. I removed the tape right away (before the paint was dry) to prevent bleeding. I allowed the paint to dry and then rounded up some Command strips to hang up my boards.

I am happy with the way it turned out and even Brendan approved so I'm pretty sure that's a win! 

Check out where the inspiration for this board came from here. 

The Northwest

I've been a bit absent lately from this little old blog, but I apologize. Life has been getting in the way and I haven't try to disagree with that at all. 


Recently Brendan and I went to the Northwest (Oregon and Washington) to visit his family for about a week. It was fantastic! Here are a few photos from our trip. 

Some Fun Engagement Photos

Brendan and I visited some of his family at their home in Anacortes, Washington (a small island about three hours from Seattle). Since a lot of Brendan's history is on the Northwest coast we wanted to take some photos their for our engagement and they turned out fantastic. Vail Studios took our photos and we couldn't have been happier with the results. 

To see more photos visit our post on the Vail Studio Blog.