New York City!!

I had SO much fun in New York City last weekend. I was recently working a fun content creation project for Skype, where I shared my Halloween Party Tips and DIY Ideas! This was my first time to New York City (we did visit years ago for like 2 hours, but this was completely different...)

So, the images I created for Skype can be found HERE. I had SO much fun creating some holiday content, as this was one of the first projects I have done of this nature. Halloween Tips and Tricks are some of my absolute FAVORITES, so I had a really great time! I also helped with a Pinterest Board (here), and I helped lead a fun, Skype Group Chat (search SkypeHalloween to find us!!). 

One of the best parts of this project came at pretty short notice. Skype personally invited me out to New York City, to help coordinate a Halloween party for The Lower East Side Girls' Club of NYC! Pretty incredible and practically unbelievable. What an amazing opportunity! I am still so fortunate I was the one chosen for this whole thing. I had an absolute blast, my hotel was amazing, I ate some of the best food in my life (and I've eaten food all over the country!!), met some wonderful people, and helped some really amazing kids have the Best Halloween Party Ever! 

 I also learned on this trip, that the earlier you get to the airport, the less stressful your whole trip will be! This really worked out so well, without really any problems!

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DAY ONE - Sticky Rice Thai Food + Top Hops

View more photos from Day One, below! I ate at StickyRice, drank craft beer at Top Hops, and stayed at The Holiday Inn - Lower East Side (it was super nice and newly renovated). 

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DAY TWO - LOWER EAST SIDE MURALS + ARIEL'S LATIN BISTRO + PARDON MY FRENCH

Check out the slideshow, below, to see my mural sightings and awesome NYC food! If you're in the area, I would definitely recommend Ariel's Bistro for lunch and a $5 strawberry margarita, and Pardon My French for a super fancy date night. The whole Skype team was so wonderful to take me out for dinner and cocktails after the Halloween party.

THE SKYPE HALLOWEEN PARTY

So, the main reason I was there was, of course, The Skype Halloween Party at The Lower East Side Girls' Club! The girls absolutely LOVED the party, there was a DJ that played spooky beats, I hosted a craft table featuring Tissue Paper Pumpkins filled with CANDY. Once the candy ran out, the girls practically disowned me :) The whole party will be made into a couple of short movies that will feature yours truly for a short bit, helping the girls make pumpkins, and also myself chatting with influencers from YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram! It all went super well, and I had a blast! It was incredible giving back to the community in this way, and hopefully inspiring the kids!

Until next time! NYC, I really had fun, and hope to be back soon! A very special thanks to HelloSociety and Skype for helping make this project an absolute success!!! 

Missouri Department Of Tourism

Super excited about this recent collaboration with Missouri Department of Tourism! They even posted my recipes on their blog (here). They asked me to submit ideas and then images of activities someone would do in Missouri in the Fall. I immediately thought about all the times we have camped, fished, hiked, and road tripped to Missouri! Bobby used to go down with his family to camp in Missouri a countless number of times when he was younger, and he was the one who really showed me the beauty of the state. 

CHECK OUT THE MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM BLOG HERE

Here are a few of my favorite images Bobby and I created for this amazingly fun and nostalgic project! View all the images in my Portfolio (here). 

VIEW THE WHOLE PORTFOLIO HERE

View This On Pinterest / View This On The Missouri Department of Tourism Blog

View This On Pinterest / View This On The Missouri Department of Tourism Blog

View This On Pinterest / View This On The Missouri Department of Tourism Blog

Emma Stine Limited

I have loved Emma Stine Limited for a LONG time. Their clothing and jewelry is gorgeous and would make any woman feel special. They recently asked me to model and photograph some of their items! I was so excited to collaborate with them. Below, you can see what I created! 

Below, I featured a few of my favorite images from the project. To view the whole photo shoot, please visit MY PORTFOLIO :) There are so many more photos to see! Enjoy! 

Learn more about these earrings - click here.

To find this dress, click here. 

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Portfolio Spotlight - FYI Style Unzipped - Cute Fall Ideas

FYI Style Unzipped was such a cute show, and a fun brand to collaborate with! I have always LOVED fashion, and you can see that in my pins I find daily. I also love TV shows where you learn about fashion, so when FYI approached me, I was beyond excited! I was asked to showcase my style in regards to scarves, ballet flats, and neon! These terms are pretty open-ended, so I did my best to try and figure out how these specific terms were most relevant to today's most current trends. Check out my FULL PORTFOLIO...

Whidbey Island - Langley, WA in September

Well, we are on one of our last stops of our BIG road trip, and this area is just beautiful! You can get a good taste of a small ocean-side town, that is not so focused around deep water ports, like some of the places we visited (like Port Townsend WA - where we hopped on the ferry, or even Newport, OR - where we visited Rogue Brewery). It's less fishy-smelling, that's for sure :)

I'm not saying we got the friendliest vibe from the people walking around the downtown area, or even at the place we hiked! We are generally friendly people and smile or wave at those who pass by us, but people seemed a little freaked out by this, and made sure to avoid even looking at us altogether. People also almost seemed bothered by us, and made sure not to move out of the way if we needed by them in a restaurant or on the sidewalks. Not sure why, maybe because we are about half the age of most of the people here, and maybe we look a bit out of place, but we don't live here, so we just take in all the beauty wherever we can. 

Don't get me wrong, we did encounter some very nice people, especially the store owners of three shops in particular, those being Kalakala Co. Mercantile, edit. gallery, and Music For The Eyes. See some of my photos from the stores, Whidbey Island in general, and Langley. 

KALAKALA CO. MERCANTILE 

Kalakala Co. Mercantile was probably my favorite of all the places in town. It is owned by one or two girls, who are super hip and really creative! The who place is ridiculously hip, actually, featuring air plants, awesome t-shirts, beer and kombucha on tap, Washington-made chocolate and caramel sauces, and more! I grabbed a couple of can glasses with their adorable logo on them, and they also offer taster glasses, half-growlers, and full sized growlers, all merchandised with their name in the most fashionable way possible! I loved the art and ambiance in this place, and I wish we had been able to drink a couple beers here, and get a growler filled. Oh well, next time! 

EDIT GALLERY 

edit. was amazing! It's not a very big space, and everything in the shop is sleek and minimal. No clutter, here! You can find more minimal and masculine gifts here, mostly home goods. I really liked the Juniper Ridge Trail Soap, the cap was made out of a branch! SO creative! They have a small set of product photos on edit's website, but items are only available in-store, so be sure to make a stop by this amazing shop if you are in Langley! I wanted everything :) 

USELESS BAY COFFEE CO. & CAFE

Useless Bay Coffee Co. and Cafe is named after one of the bays on this island. This place was packed for lunch, even in the middle of the week. The burger was really good, and although they forgot my cheese (which was $1 for a slice, so you know I went ahead back and grabbed some...), it was done just right and the shoestring fries were a great compliment! The BBQ sandwich was also great, with lots of flavor, topped with semi-sweet coleslaw. The hot cocoa was pretty good, but more light and milky than the one I had from the Braeburn Cafe just yesterday. Still, a great place to grab breakfast or lunch, sit outside with your dog, and enjoy the beautiful sights and vegetation of downtown Langley. You can definitely grab a lot of different sandwiches or pastries to go here, too. Isn't the signage at this place cute?!

HIDBEY ISLAND AGATES + THE BEACH

The beach was right at our back porch! The Whidbey Island Agates were mixed in with the normal rocks and sand, and were definitely easy to spot. They ranged in colors from green to red, orange, blue-ish, and more! We even saw a huge Man-Of-War jellyfish, it looked like Amber. What a site! There were also tons of clam shells, still in tact, and super purple inside. We also saw playful sea lions, that Cabbie wound up really taking an interest in, and also crabs and jellyfish in the water. 

Our VRBO house was located in the Fox Spit area/neighborhood. We were RIGHT on the beach and water, and the sunsets were absolutely gorgeous! Cabbie LOVED being able to swim every day, and it was hard to get her out of the water. Such a difference between low tide and high tide, because when we arrived the first night, the water came right up to the property, and we could't even see a beach at all. The next morning, we had at least 3-4 feet of sand behind the house, and we were SO happy! There are such beautiful homes here, all looking like they belong in Coastal Living Magazine or something. The house we stayed in was a newer home, two stories, that both had great views of the water. 

Lavender Lemonade - Bacardi Inspired

One of the coolest projects I have ever done is working with Bacardi to show my readers how to create summer party-ready drinks with two of their flavors - Limon and Tangerine (a new one). 

I was asked to pretty much create whatever I wanted, and below you will see some of the goodness I thought up.

Actually, the main reason I thought this recipe would be great, is that the VRBO house we stayed in while we were in the Tahoe are a couple of weeks ago had some wild lavender growing nearby. I technically borrowed some clippings from the neighbor's yard, and WOW, did it smell incredible! The other wildflowers in the photos were also sourced from the neighbors, and I will tell you, I didn't even make a dent in their landscaping :) 

I made a simple syrup with the lavender, some sugar, and water. This way the lavender infused properly into the drink. But, I actually added it into some pretty glasses with Simply Lemonade and a shot of Bacardi. Below, you will find the recipe if you want to make it from scratch, with real lemons. 

LAVENDER LEMONADE VIA SIMPLYRECIPES.COM

The sugar/lemon balance will depend on what types of lemons you are using (Meyer lemons are less tart than regular lemons), and your own preference for sweetness. While all varieties of lavender are edible, English lavender and Provence lavender are most often used for culinary purposes. If you use fresh, garden flowers, make sure they have not been sprayed with pesticides. Do not use florist flowers.

Ingredients

• A small handful of freshly picked and rinsed lavender flowers or a tablespoon of dried lavender flowers
• 1 cup white, granulated sugar
• 2 cups of boiling water for the infusion
• 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups or more of cold water
• Ice

Method

1 Cut the lavender flowers from the stems (no need to strip) and place in a medium bowl (a large pyrex measuring bowl works great because you can pour easily from it). Pour the sugar over the flowers and use your (clean) fingers to gently rub the flowers into the sugar.

2 Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the lavender sugar and stir with a spoon until the sugar has melted. Cover and let infuse for 30 minutes (or up to several hours).

3 Strain the lavender-infused simple syrup and pour into a serving carafe or pitcher.

4 Stir in the lemon juice.  Add another two cups of water. Taste and adjust for tartness. Add more lemon juice if too sweet.  Add more sugar if too tart. Add ice and more water to desired level of concentration. Note that the ice will melt eventually, further diluting the drink.

Add some thinly sliced lemons and a few lavender sprigs to the serving pitcher for presentation.

DogVacay - What's In Cabbie's Bag?

Sometimes, we are lucky enough to take our pups on vacation. But, sometimes, it's just not feasible. Next time I travel without my baby girl, I am considering using DogVacay! It's a service tat enables you to hire a dog (or cat) sitter to come to your house, or you can actually bring your pet to their house. There are thousands of sitters in the country, which is pretty cool, so most likely, someone close to your home can help you out. 

Cabbie + DogVacay  - Get a FREE day or night of Pet Sitting! Click the image to learn more!

In honor of New York Fashion Week, I wanted to show you what's in Cabbie's Bag! These are some of the items I would pack for her for a weekend away at a sitter's house. 

Water and food bowl, toys, poo bags, lots and lots of treats, rawhides, leash, collar, E-Collar with remote, A blankie that smells like home, and her new dog bed. 

Cabbie + DogVacay

HOW DOGVACAY WORKS

• DogVacay is an online community that connects dog owners with our 20,000 vetted and insured pet sitters across the US & Canada, ready to care for your dog like a member of their family in their home or yours.

• All reservations include pet insurance, 24/7 customer support, and daily photo updates of your pooch enjoying a "Vacay" of his own. You can finally travel with peace of mind--at prices half the price of the local kennel.

• How it works:

  • Type in your zip code and find a PAWesome sitter in your neighborhood.

  • Schedule a meet ‘n greet to meet your Host, then book your pup’s Vacay and pay online.

  • Receive photo updates showing how much fun your pup is having, and rest assured knowing each Vacay is covered with our free pet insurance and 24/7 customer care.

• Featured in the Wall Street Journal, the NY Times, Forbes and The Today Show.

BECOME A DOGVACAY HOST:

• Who can Host? You! Whether you're a professional dog sitter or just a regular dog lover, DogVacay makes it easy to earn money watching pups. Simply create a free profile, set your own rates, decide which dogs to take and when to take them. We do the rest!

• With over 1 Million doggie nights booked, our Hosts rest easy knowing each Vacay is covered by insurance and 24/7 customer care.

Cabbie + DogVacay

Cabbie + Her DogVacay Tote Bag

Use code WANDERINGGYPSY for a FREE day or night of pet sitting on DogVacay!! 

Cabbie + DogVacay

Cabbie + DogVacay

So, remember, if your fur baby needs a sitter while you are away, DogVacay has you covered! Get a FREE day or night of sitting with code WANDERINGGYPSY. 

Oh My Lily

Last week we lost our best friend ever, Lily The Wandering Gypsy. She was definitely the very best dog ever, and I don't know what we are going to do without her. She lived to be about 11 years old, and was loved by so many people. She will be missed forever, and I will remember all the wonderful times we had with her. I cried uncontrollably when we made the decision that it was her time. Her last days were spent in Colorado, which is much better than back home, I think. What a swat little pit bull. I hope to be reunited with her in Heaven again some day. I hope she is looking down on Bobby, me, and her sister, Cabbie and smiling. Now, this blog will forever commemorate the BEST DOG EVER. Love you, Lily!!!!!!

Ulta Hair + Nails Collaboration

Recently, I was contracted by Ulta Beauty to share some of the ways I would style their nail polish. This dark denim color was really nice. I usually wear lighter colors, but I just loved how the dark indigo color complimented most of my clothing. It looked great with different shades of brown, especially leather. I was also offered a complimentary hair appointment to test out one of their new hair color services for Fall. The hair trend is bronde, and I like it a lot! It is a nice mix of brown and blonde, and my stylist made it look so natural! I am very happy with the results.

I hadn't colored my hair in about ten years, and I knew they were trustworthy enough to make my hair look natural, but elevated.

Our Big Trip!

We have been having an absolute BLAST this past week on the first leg of our road trip. I have also been gaining lots of amazing followers on Flipagram, and you can see all of my stories here - 

I just love Flipagram! I have been an active member for less than two weeks, and I have had an amazing response from their community. I have been wanting to venture into making videos and multimedia projects for some time, and this app is the best way I have found to incorporate photos, videos, and music. They make it easy to share your story with the world.

Below, you can see some of my Flipagrams from our trip so far. If you have a company and would like mw to create you a Flipagram and share it with my followers, just contact me, or comment below! I would LOVE to work with you! 

AND HERE ARE A FEW MORE STORIES I CRATED

Have a wonderful day! See you soon!

Summer Fun!

I recently tried White Cheddar Skinny Pop, and Hubert's Raspberry Lemonade and I am in love!! They're actually a good combo for summer! I would definitely take this to the park or beach for a summer picnic. The flowers are from my new, favorite place near Carbondale, Chautauqua Bend Flower Farm. 

I also love this blanket by Domain, it's super soft and perfect for summer. I grabbed this bag from Sole Society a while back, and it has held up really great.

Those sandals, though! My favorite part of all of this is the Sam Edelman Studded Asbury Sandals. They're comfortable, very chic, and look amazing with everything I have paired them with so far. 

This popcorn is addicting! 

What are your summer picnic essentials? 

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L'Oreal Infalliable Makeup

Recently I was asked by L'Oreal to help promote one of their new Infalliable makeup lines that is perfect for summer. It's definitely more challenging keeping your makeup looking fresh when it's hot outside, and this makeup really stays put. I created this Dedicated Board to show you more!

I'm not usually one to wear much makeup, especially the full-coverage kind, but wow, it makes such a difference in my appearance! It's so fun experimenting with different color combinations, and it was also fun learning some makeup application tips from Katie at Fringe The Salon, who is a local salon-owner. She does amazing work and it was a lot of fun working with her. 

L'Oreal Infalliable Lip Colors 

The tutorial (below), was created by using some of the L'Oreal Infalliable products like foundation, powder, and of course, their Lip Colors. There were so many colors to choose from, and this stuff really stays put! Below you can see some of the content we created for L'Oreal! 

And below, you can check out the other photos we created for the project. This is one of my favorite projects to date! Check out my Dedicated Board Here. 

When I first learned about this project, I was a bit nervous because my face would be on full display for these. I had no clue how well these photos would turn out thanks to the help from Bobby and Katie at The Fringe Salon. Throughout this project, I also learned that makeup makes such a difference in photos, and this was the perfect project to break me out of my comfort zone. 

This content creation was sponsored by L'Oreal, and all opinions are 100% my own. Thanks so such a wonderful company for collaborating with me! 

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VISIT THE DEDICATED BOARD HERE

AZ Sunshine Lemonade

Earlier this year, we visited my parents in Cave Creek, AZ. It was a great time of year to visit, as the days were only mildly HOT and the nights were somewhat cool enough to wear lightweight pants or a long sleeve tee. The other great thing about being there in early Spring, was that their lemon tree was in full production mode, and even had a few blossoms still on it. I wish we could have taken home boxes of their organic lemons, so we could enjoy them at home, but they really only stay good for a few days after they are picked. So, we made as much lemonade as we could handle until our teeth hurt! We had a pitcher a day addiction going on!

INREDIENTS:

1 Part Lemon Juice (We used about 7-8 lemons for this)

3-4 Parts Water

1 Part Sugar (You can make a simple syrup at first if you want, although we didn't)

HOW TO:

We picked 7-8 lemons straight off the tree, cut them in half, and used an electric juicer to get as much juice out of them as we could. We then added the lemon juice to a pitcher, added the water, and sugar, and stirred. If you wind up making a simple syrup first, this is supposed to reduce the sugar from sinking to the bottom. Taste a bit to see if it is sweet or tart enough for your liking. Fill your glasses with ice, and pour the AZ Sunshine Lemonade on top! Enjoy!

I never grew up around fruit trees, and I love them! They do attract lots of bees, because of the little lemon blooms, but my step-mom made us a fresh batch of lemonade almost every day we were there! She has an electric juicer, which really does make things much easier for this whole process. Since we drank her super fresh lemonade, nothing from a bottle has tasted anywhere near as good. It all seems so bland, not tart, and loaded with more sugar than humanly possible. 

I like my lemonade a little bit sweet, and a little bit tart. Feel free to add more sugar if this is way too tart, but I do hope you enjoy the way we make our fresh squeezed AZ Lemonade! 

My little girls always helps me with my photos, poolside preferred! 

Look What's New! Baby Quote Tees

I love the fact that graphic tees are so popular. They're so instagram-worthy and one day while looking at Jawbreaker's Tumblr site, I got super inspired to make some of my own. Not for myself, though, for kids and babies!!! So excited to introduce my newest creations. If you are in need of one of these tees or onesies, for now, please comment below. I will make it so you can purchase them soon! (Please leave your email below so I can get back to you), just let me know what size. The prices are marked below the images. Thanks!!!

To explain my process, I actually iron on each and every letter individually! The letters are old school flocked letters. If you need a different quote, I may be able to accommodate. 

I Woke Up Like This Baby Tee Or Onesie $25.00

Happy Camper Onesie $18.00

Mornings Are For Cuddles Tee or Onesie $25.00

But First, Milk Onesie or Tshirt $25.00

If you are interested in a cute Quote Onesie, just leave a comment with your email below. Thanks!!!

Farm To Table // A New Market in Carbondale, IL

Last week, Carbondale saw the start of a new Farmer's Market! It's super close to our house, and it is organized by one of my friends, Courtney Smith. This market is super convenient because it runs from 4-7 pm on Wednesdays, which is right before I would be making dinner. We ate all of the veggies right after I got home from my market visit, and had an amazing vegetarian dinner of mashed potatoes, green beans, and raw carrots for the appetizer! The reason I named this post Farm To Table is because I spoke with a couple, from Homer Grown, who were vending at the market. They grew most of the vegetables pictured below, and they seemed so incredibly passionate about what they do. They knew so much about each and every vegetable and bean picked, and would even grow you something you request! 

These organic carrots were so good! 

We chopped off the ends of these green beans, and then fried them in 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil, some chopped red onions, and one piece of bacon we had baked the day before for Bloody Mary's :) I didn't get a great photo of the potatoes, but we chopped up the red potatoes and white potatoes and boiled them with a little bit of salt and onion. After they were soft, I strained them, and added a splash of milk, more salt, and some butter. Just taste as you go, and see what you think tastes best. They were amazing with the beans! Beans (above) and Red Onions (below) from Homer Grown.

I also found myself some beautiful flowers from Flora Bay Farm. They're also from my friend Courtney, and she is great with floral arrangements. It's so fun to see what she grows each season, and I will definitely be making this new Farmer's Market a weekly thing! 

And, some super fresh BASIL! What a beautiful smell :)

Catnip by Flora Bay Farms

My Free People Reusable Shopping Bag and my market finds

Garlic Scapes by Flora Bay Farm

Isn't this the cutest Farmer's Market Stand you've ever seen? They built it and are proud that it helps identify the market to people who pass by and hope it makes them want to stop. Homer Grown has some of the best veggies around! 

If you're in southern Illinois, please visit the newest Farmer's Market in Carbondale!! 

Classic Stripes - Free People Denim - Brown Accessories

I love how classic a striped shirt looks, and I have wanted to try out some stripes for the longest time. I received this adorable shirt from Bikini Luxe, and it's super comfortable! I decided to pair it with my new jeans I got at the Free People store in Water Tower place in Chicago a few weeks ago. I have also been using my Sole Society purse quite a bit lately and thought it really fit the classic look I was going for. I also threw on my Lucky Brand Flats in a lighter brown color. 

The shirt is super comfy, and while it's long sleeve, I liked the look of it pulled up to a 3/4 sleeve. It's very loose and forgiving. The jeans are great! I got a lighter pair in Aspen Free People about 2 years ago. They are my absolute faves! They have held up really well and no other jeans fit like these do. I have shorter legs, so the cropped length is also perfect! When I came across a darker pair in Chicago, I bought two pairs, in two different sizes, and am so happy I now have three pairs. 

This purse is from Sole Society, but is no longer on the site! Shoot, sorry about that but you can find similar purses on their site here - http://www.solesociety.com/bags.html - I have had several purses from them, and they hold up super well! The Flats are from Lucky Brand, but they were on a super sale at Dillard's, and unfortunately cannot find them online either :( Check out these other options from Lucky's Website. They're more comfortable than the Born flats I got at the same time, actually! 

The black bracelet is actually from JCPenney, and the rings are all thrifted and vintage! 

VSCO - My Image Was Featured!

I got word that one of my very first VSCO Cam images was featured today! So cool, as I really love their app and available filters. I have been running every iPhone pic through the editor before either posting it to Instagram or even my blog. Check out all the featured images here.

CHECK OUT MY VSCO IMAGES HERE...

It's funny, because I believe VSCO attracts a certain type of person. Your follower count isn't visible to anyone, you can't comment on photos, and you can't even really like images, from what I can tell. I think it would be fun to have access to your metrics, but for now I'm fine with VSCO Cam just the way it is! It's SO very different from Instagram, that I think someone who immerses themselves into the world of VSCO is really utilizing it for themselves above anyone else. Your images actually display as a really nice portfolio, though. It's very genuine. You can either post photos to your grid, or do photo stories as "journal" entries, without any text. 

Have you ever used VSCO? If so, tell us what you think, and feel free to share your link below!

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My Week In Images

We had a really fun time this past week and a half (give or take). We went to Louisville and St. Louis for two Mike Gordon concerts, stayed in great hotels, and drank our fair share of Bloody Mary's and Tequila Drinks :) I'd say that's a good start to "summer" if I do say so myself! 

We used to travel to way more shows a few years ago than we do now. When Bobby and I first met in 2005 (yes, this year marked TEN years, and I'm so happy!!), we used to go to concerts every weekend or two, mostly in St. Louis and Chicago. We would see bands like Widespread Panic (75+ shows!), and lots of bluegrass shoes, and attend lots of festivals every summer. 

We have been going to far less concerts lately. The music scene here in Carbondale just isn't anything that is sparking my fancy. We used to get a few good bands through the area (mostly bluegrass), playing at out favorite venue in town, The Hangar 9, but it seems like the better the music, the smaller the crowd. It's sad to see less than ten people attending a concert, I'm sure it would be hard to survive on ticket sales when there's no one there! 

It's also harder now to leave the dogs home with a friend watching them, with Lily not in her best health, and we do realize how expensive it gets to see a show for just one night. The hotel can easily be $100 + Tickets + Drinks = $$OUCH! So, now that we do these shows less often, they are even more special! 

A SHOW + BRUNCH IN LOUISVILLE, KY

The Mercury Ballroom in Louisville was a great place to see a show! 

Gordo Show was rockin'!!! So much fun!

We stayed right next to the Mercury Ballroom at The Hilton Garden Hotel The rooms were incredibly nice.

We brunched at Wild Eggs in Louisville before we went home, their Bloody Mary was not super strong, but really really good. Hot Chocolate (below) was good, too!

The second best waffle ever, second only to the Passion Pie Cafe, in Truth or Consequences, NM. 

ON TO ST. LOUIS

A couple of nights later, we headed to St. Louis to see the boys again! We stayed in the hotel right next to the venue, where the band also stayed, which is always cool. The Moonrise Hotel is also dog (and cat) friendly, and so we decided to bring the dogs along for some fun.

See, our dogs LOVE the Moonrise Hotel!

Round TWO, We had a little fun mixing drinks for ourselves before the show at The Pageant. 

The Pageant is a place where we have been many times. It's usually PACKED beyond belief, which makes is hard for a short girl like myself to see the stage if we want to dance in the GA area, in front of the stage. But, we were pleasantly surprised to see the place less than half-full. This was one of the first times I have ever been able to get up to almost front row for my favorite band, ever! They put on such a good show, and the vibe of the crowd was also great, also not always the case.

After the show, I visited the merch table and met the band. I even chilled with them for a bit, an experience I will never forget! The poster from STL was one of the best we have seen for Gordo, also, and were super happy to pick up two copies of the poster, and had Mike sign the poster that wasn't already up in the room :) Wow, what a fun night. 

AND MY BROTHER GRADUATED...

My brother also graduated high school and I am SO proud of him! He also turned 18 yesterday! Time flies...FAST

It was nice to spend time back home last weekend. Springfield (IL) has grown quite a bit. Their downtown area is much nicer than it was when we lived there about 10 years ago, and there are more small businesses downtown than there used to be. My mom visited the Farmer's Market, Urban Sassafras, Vintage Pop and the connected antique furniture stores, and Shabby Shack - a shop with hand painted furniture. We had a great time and I will post about those fun businesses soon! 

My Newest Creations - Applique Onesies

I have been uber inspired by the summer, and have created some 100% ORGANIC Onesies for the hippest babies around! Babies smile when they see my work, and I hope you do too!

I take great pride in everything I create. I am so happy with how these onesie turned out! If you would like to order a custom size, please comment below with your contact info, and I will get back you right away! If you have an uber adorable baby (and you know you DO!), and would like to help me spread the word about my organic onesies, also, just let me know in a comment below! I am looking for models in exchange for free merchandise! 

These Camper Baby Onesies (and Peace Hand Onesies), are so fun! The onesies are super soft, 100% Organic, and the appliques are made from linen. So happy with these babies!!!

My Steller Stories!

I absolutely love the Steller Stories app! It is a super fun way to make a little digital scrapbook of images, videos, and text and the stories last forever. I love creating the stories for either vacations or places I visited, as well as DIY projects and recipes. You can only make them on an iPhone at this point, but they're really fun to create. 

I had a lot of fun putting most recent this story together, showing some of my favorite places to eat in Moab, Utah. Looking back at this, I realize we got to test out so much amazing food and drink, and it was so fun getting to know Moab for the week we were there. 

And, in this story about a day in Chicago, I loved placing text right over a video, making it feel like the intro to a movie! You can upload 20 images or videos at once when you are creating these stories, making it pretty quick and easy to be creative! I had such a fun time shopping in Chicago and exploring while the guys were at a Cubs game. 

Below, you can check out our time in Capitol Reef National Park in Utah! Wow, this place was incredible, and the park isn't crowded like almost EVERY other National Park we have visited! 

This Saguaro National Park story was a lot of fun. I love cacti and the beautiful aridness of the dessert. All the plants are shrubby, sharp, and so opposite of anything I'm used to from Illinois. 

We had a great time in New Mexico also! Truth or Consequences is a beautiful, tiny town, that is full of colorful architecture and a really fun vibe. You can see some of the food we ate as well. 

And, speaking of FOOD, here is my most popular Steller Story, about how to make peanut butter cookies. 

And, my very first Steller Story, ever, was this awesome post about Scratch Brewing in Ava, IL. This place is incredible, and you can learn a bit about it below. 

Check out all of my Steller Stories HERE. And, if you have a Steller account, feel free to leave the link in the comments below! Have a good day :)

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