Feeling adrift my friend and I planned a girl’s night…to build vision boards. After a stop at Target for supplies, we ordered Postmates and got to work cutting, pasting and dying laughing; but as the evening progressed I began to lean into the exquisite cheesiness of combing magazines for pictures and words that reflect my aspirations. You know I LOVE a mood board so it was delicious to focus on a positive future, limitless goals, and setting my intentions, so why did stating (or in this case pinning) my desires feel greedy and uncomfortable? It was an impulse I had to push against, again and again- has my real life trained me to aim a little lower and want a little less? As young people, when we dreamt about adulting we didn’t let our aspirations get tangled up in the realities of mortgages and commitments, yet here I was tamping down each desire before I even cut it out. I began to realize that creating a vision board is an exercise in nurturing your ambitions, revisiting why you are on the path you’re on, and where you’re going. Can it also help manifest your desired destination? I’m going with yes (because my positivity has been revitalized, ideally for more than a week).
Read on for my modern vision board guide, to help you embrace your huge, unspoken, audacious vision for what your life could be.

Garden statues are a tricky item. Give me pagodas for days, metal, concrete, wood, but a whimsical animal, tread carefully lest you wander into gnome territory. One has to be bold to accept a decorative animal onto the lawn, but if done right, there is no more enviable find, spied across a friend’s grill-out or poolside party: “wherrrre did you get thaatttt??” jealousy barely concealed. This project is not for everyone, which is good because it’s one of a kind and a personal reward for a decade of saving (boardering on hoarding). Read on for my super simple, slightly strange (let’s go with avant-garde?) garden statue creation.

With the whole city officially back-to-school today and an unprecedented cold front in Dallas this weekend, for the first time all summer I find myself mourning summer.

It’s Friday, and down here in Dallas it’s a hot one! According to iPhone, we’re topping out at 102, but with my car claiming 105 and my plants jumping ship, I knew we needed to end the week with a sweating glass of a summertime classic. Last week I escaped to the air-conditioned inspiration of the rock store, today I’m beating the heat with frosty cocktails! This spiced cherry cola cocktail, our “Hometown Hero,” is an homage to our original hometown hero, Dr. Pepper. Though Dr. Pepper was created in Waco, Tx (and you can read all about it here), it moved to Dallas in the 1920’s and is headquartered here today. In the 1940’s my grandmother lead tours at HQ, always ending with a frosted glass of this unique soda.

Though Dr. Pepper did inspire this icy, rum-optional treat, I did not crack their top-secret formula, and super fans should not be disappointed when their first sip is not 100% duplication. Wacoites, to preserve the peace, you may also consider this your hometown hero, so crack open the rum and let’s start cooking!

When I ventured out to The Rock Barrell last weekend, I was stoked to see some gorgeous mineral specimens and escape the heat (hello 100 degree days Dallas!). What I didn’t expect was to find was bold, eclectic jewelry components that make this local Dallas shop a cut above the average bead store. What I found most inspiring about The Rock Barrell’s selection was that it had an undiscovered, self-unaware, quirky vibe; I find that now that the craft stores are fully immersed in the Pinterest culture, unexpected DIY ingredients are hard to find! Read on to see what I selected to make my oversized, “a lot of look,” DIY statement necklaces!

I experienced the perfect storm of FOMO this weekend after viewing and liking all my friend’s surf spray Instas and then stumbling across this cerulean dream of a vintage postcard at Lula B’s West. Whyyy didn’t we plan a beach vacation this summer?? The sad answer is, we’re saving it for the new year when we can hop down to Belize for our first long, no kids allowed vacay. So mood board I must, and, after pilfering my collections for inspiration, I found the perfect theme, Sun, Sand, and Sequins!

Hello, Friday, where ya been? After this week, we need a drink straight out of the coconut, and cocktail or mocktail, I’ve got you covered. After all my talk about piña coladas and cabana boys, I knew this weekend needed welcoming with a tiki drink. My trip to the Asian Grocery last weekend yielded two coconuts and a can of mango juice, and since it’s Friday, I’ll put it to good use (with rum). Put the lime in the coconut and jump to the cocktail recipe!

A quickie collection inspired by Chihuly’s personal (epic!) collection of American trade blankets that kicks off his fantastic, long-term exhibition in Seattle. If you have a chance to visit the show or one of the traveling exhibits, please treat yourself to a ticket. The glass sculptures are arranged by theme and period, in two-story, blackest black rooms, and the impact is epic. Of course, the color, scale, and technological logistics of his works are what Chihuly is known for, but what stuck with me was the narrative it painted by pairing the artist’s collections of pottery and trade blankets with his iconic glass works to convey both process and realization.