Buffalo Bayou Photoshoot, Part 1

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of doing a photoshoot with an actual photographer and model! This was a first for me. Usually it's me photographing and friends modeling, which is fun and they usually turn out good but this was just awesome. I LOVE how they all came out. I worked with this lovely gal named Rebecca and model named Gaby (SO pretty). Warning- photo overload! All of them were awesome, I had such a hard time picking out my favorites.... so here's most of them (:  Outfit: top, shorts Outfit: top, shorts 
     Outfit: top, skirt Outfit: bathing suit coverup
Questions: Would you guys rather I put pictures from photo shoots up like this or in an online magazine/lookbook type thing? 
Also, I will be putting the store on vacation mode tomorrow night for about 2 weeks. So if you want to buy something, do it now!! You can still use SUMMERVACA to get 30% off! 
And one more thing, Eliza turns 3 tomorrow!! EEeeeeeee

Cabin 2012!!

This is what I was up to this weekend. Well not all weekend. I was supposed to stay home and work all weekend which I did all day Friday. And then cleaned and cleaned and cleaned and did homework on Saturday. But as the day went on, I decided I just couldn't miss out and traveled up to the cabin where all my friends and Brandon were. 
This is like a yearly tradition. We started going here in 2009, my senior prom. The "cabin" was our after prom. And I was pregnant. (fun and not so fun at the same time)Then the next year, 2010, the seniors decided to go again and invited some of the veterans back ;) Now it's a yearly summer tradition! 
It's basically just this little house on a buncha land with 3 lakes. It's out in the middle of no where and is heaven. 
Anyways, here are some pictures.   This picture is semi-embarrassing but I look so happy! So I couldn't leave it out. No judging please (:   And I just liked this kid's get up. Like a hipster amish guy?   they killed ducks the day before in that boat.... boys.  Is this not the cutest pup ever?! I had a surprisingly relaxing weekend. Brandon and Eliza left early on Friday (Brandon for the cabin and Eliza to her Nanna's) so I was alone all through the night and the next day. So naturally I stayed up all night and made large batches of tomato sauce and raspberry jelly! Haha, I'm lame. 
I got to work all day Friday which was really nice. I usually only get about 3 hours a day so it was nice to just go all day without interruptions. And then Saturday I slept in (so awesome) and spent my morning cleaning my house and doing homework. Then later that afternoon I headed up to the cabin where I stayed until Sunday afternoon. 
I'm not going to lie, this morning was tough. I actually didn't go to sleep until after the sun came up (around 6-7) and then was awoken around 10 by everyone that had actually gotten sleep. Eventually we all parted ways, I picked up Eliza, and went to eat some mexican food to cure my sick tum-tum. We were running on a liquid-only diet all night and morning (if you know what I mean) so mexican was just what I needed! Stuffed avocado=best hangover cure ever.
And then I drove the hour back to our house and dragged our sleepy little baby inside where I was able to sneak in a power nap before she woke back up. 
All in all, great weekend. I got some much needed alone time, did some serious work, then got to see all my friends and do some serious playing. Just what the doctor ordered! 

Winning!

GUYS, one week from today we will be traveling to California!!! I can NOT tell you how excited I am. We've been saving and saving and stressing out (majorly) trying to make this trip happen and it's almost here!   source. 
We are going to Los Angeles to visit some friends, going to the Renegade Craft Fair (finally!), and then stopping in Arizona to see my sister-in-law and family. Also, a big reason why we're going is because we are actually considering moving there!! So this trip will be a big factor in that decision. I've never been to the west coast so I hope it goes well (: 
Oh! Also, the winner to the giveaway for a $30 gift certificate to Sam Wish is..... Zuley Blue! Congrats! Email me at samwish3@gmail.com for details (: 
And one last note about the store, the 30% off sale is still going on! I think I'll leave it until I go out of town, code: SUMMERVACA

DIY: Clothes Rack (Expensive Version)

Materials: 3/4 inch Galvanized steel pipe, 36" long ($12)3/4 inch galvanized steel pipe, 10' long ($18) Note: For the 10' pipe, I got it cut in half at the store (just ask a guy, they'll do it for you) and threaded making two 5' pieces which will be the sides of your clothes rack. You could buy 5' nipples but it's way cheaper to buy a 10' pipe and get it cut in half (like a $10+ difference!). (2) 3/4 inch galvanized tee fitting ($5.5)(2) 3/4 inch galvanized steel nipple, 4" long ($4.50)(2) 3/4 inch galvanized steel floor flange ($14.50)(2) 3/4 inch galvanized steel caps ($4.50)(3) 1"x6"x8' ($6.40/each=$19.20)1 1/4" screws (already had)Optional: Stain, paint brush or rag, paper towels or rag 
Total cost: $78.20

Measurements of mine: 

20" wide, 46" long on the bottom, and about 5" tall. 

Instructions: 

First, let's start with the base. 

I used 8 pieces of wood about 20" long. With the amount of wood I specified, you can make your pieces up to 23". You cut them all from 2 1"x6"x8' wood pieces. 

Then you need two pieces for underneath at about 48" long. (Cut one of the 1x6x8 pieces in half) 

 

I also sanded down all the edges to save everyone from splinter's! 

 

Line them up, place your two long pieces along all of them and screw it all down). 

Optional: Stain them for a darker wood. 

 

Next, you'll need to clean all of your steel pipe and fittings. My dad gave me this stuff- LPS Electro Contact cleaner but I think you can just use a warm, soapy rag to clean off all the gunk. 

Now it's time to put all the pieces together. My dad did this part for me (he kind of took over) but what you do is grab some wrenches and just tighten this stuff together as much as you can. Start off with the top piece and attach the tees. Then the side pieces, the nipples and caps. And last, the floor flanges. 

 

Then, measure out your top (from middle of one tee to the next) and screw floor flanges onto base accordingly. 

 

Done! Here are some close up shots (: 

 

It did cost a pretty penny but I LOVE it. It's *super* sturdy and will last a very long time. It also makes it sooo much easier to access my clothes now and I'm not so crammed for room.  We (and by we, I mean me) rearranged our bedroom for some simplifying and of course, to make room for my clothes rack (: I'll have to do another room tour but you can see how this wall looked here (there was a dresser there but I managed to shove it into our closet!). Wow, looking back I am realizing how much crap we had! There's a lot less stuff now. I'll definitely have to do another room tour. 
P.S. Last day to enter the giveaway! Ends at midnight! 

Life Lately

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been doing a whole lot of diy's lately. School has been keeping me really busy and besides work, I haven't had time to make anything! So for a little filler, here are some pictures of what we've been up to. Since it's summer, we've been taking full advantage of the beach!   But when it's not sunny, we play in the rain (:  I think she's trying to flex?   And gardening! This is kind of a messy picture but here's a corner of our garden! We've got tomatoes, some jalapenos, tabasco peppers, banana peppers, strawberries, and some zucchini. And then of course some other random bits like bougainvillea which you can see with the pink flowers (my favorite!), some succulents, potato vines, and some cacti.