Make it sweet continued...

Here we are again at Make it Sweet. As promised I was able to snap a few photo's while in between making awesome French Macron's. Mandy of Nestled in Nostalgia and I got some hands on experience and learned a few tips on these delicate little pastries. It was pretty fun to say the least. We experimented with different fillers such as Chocolate Ganache and Lemon Curd.... which to our surprise is actually easier to make than we anticipated. We found out a lot about egg whites and their molecular structure as well. Sounds intimidating doesn't it? Well I have to say the class was very informative and don't even think about making Macaron's when it's raining! Ha! 

This is the point where we play "angry baker". It's a little tip that our instructor gave us.... after you pipe out the circle's for your Macaron's you then bang your tray on the table flattening and spreading out the mixture. It helps to get the air bubbles out and makes perfect circles. As you can see, mine are less than perfect.

These guys our instructor made beforehand... the class was only 3 hours long so we didn't get a whole lot of time to bake but she still wanted us to be able to take home a variety of different flavors. The class actually made the lemon and pistachio ones. Aren't the gorgeous? If you all are wondering why Macaron's are so dang expensive it's because of the cost of the ingredients.... the almond meal which is used costs a pretty penny. 

Here's my finished product! They are so pretty and were oh so delicious. Sadly, I ended up giving most of mine away.... I'm on a calorie restricted diet right now. Sigh.....

Mandy and I also got to take a quick peek at there store. Look at all these pretty pearls! Make it Sweet is the largest retail supply store in Central Texas. They have everything you could possibly imagine in stock for bakers. It was a fun filled day and now I know the mystery behind making these delicious pastries. It may be awhile before I invest in trying to make these bad boys at home.... but next time I bite into a Macaron I will appreciate it that much more knowing how difficult it is to make them. 

xoxo

Make it sweet!

I'm super stoked about this French Macaron class that Mandy of Nestled in Nostalgia and I signed up for! I love french Macrons and have always wanted to make them.... now is my chance! 

Make it Sweet is an Austin based retail supply store for baking supplies, products and accessories. They are the largest cake supply store in central Texas and have staffed with professionals to help you with all your questions and needs. It's a hands on course that will demonstrate technique and we'll work with assorted fillings and flavors.... and will get to leave with our lovely treats we created! Eeeeeeep!

Here are some images for your to drool over.

Of course I'll be documenting our little adventure and will update you with many wonderful and yummy pictures.

xoxo

The art of being girly....

Happy Monday! How was everyone's weekend? Mine was jam packed with loads of fun! I literally had no down time this last weekend and the fun still hasn't ended. Saturday I took that very neat class 

"Crash Course in Sewing" at The Stitch Lab with my gal pal Lisa of feto soap. Then Sunday I learned how to make French Macarons at The Sweet Shop with my other dear friend Mandy of 

Nestled in Nostalgia. I came home and jumped right into staining plaques for my taxidermy heads. Whew!! The fun doesn't stop there.... tonight I'm meeting some old work buddies at Barfly's for a good old fashioned Birthday celebration. 

This little fun number I scored at the thrift store a few weeks ago with a bunch of other awesome dresses. It was my lucky day... what can I say? This frock fits me like a glove. I just adore the pattern and cut. It even has little hidden pockets! 

I'm trying to "mix it up" as the kids say and left my boots at home for a change. Change is always good.... not as easy to walk in but still good. I love my little woven hat... I picked it up at Forever 21 years back but break it out for special occasions. Oh and my black cat eye sunnies go with everything.

Va va voom! Okay.... I wasn't trying to be sexy here. It just happens when I least expect it. I actually would rather not be "sexy" at all and just stay in the "cute" category but I'm just gonna go with it. Honestly, this image makes me a tad uncomfortable. I'm working on accepting my body more and it's hard sometimes because I just wanna cover it all up. 

I chose to wear a little shrug with the dress. I'm not ready to bare my arms just yet....I'm working my way up to that big step. Ha! I don't think you'll ever meet a more self consious person than me. True story. Baby steps......

 

Things seem to be going pretty swell lately. I've got Etsy orders to fill and I'm crocheting a bunch to keep my stores all stocked up. I'm also trying to get some stock ready for The Austin Flea and 

The Renegade Craft Fair. I applied for both so keep your fingers crossed. Hopefully I get accepted into both. Life is pretty good right now. I'm trying to workout everyday and am eating right. I even gave most of my French Macarons away so I wouldn't get off track and eat them all! 

   

The weather has been kinda funny lately.... this weekend it was just lovely then snap! All the sudden we get another cold front and its windy as all hell. I can't complain too much.... most days I run around in dresses and rarely need a jacket. I'm counting down the days till Spring... when I can lay out and soak up the sun at Barton Springs. I plan on being out doors as much as possible this Spring and Summer. It's nice that I can just pack a bag of yarn and work outside if I so choose to. I'm a lucky gal!

I hope everyone has awesome plans for the Spring and Summer like I do. The Mister and I are gonna try and get in some Beach action here soon! I'm actually looking forward to bathing suit shopping this season. You'd never hear me say that a year ago! I'm in the market for a "high waisted"vintage two piece. More on that later..... Hope you all enjoyed this little post. 

xoxo 

Dress: Thrifted

Shrug: Target

Sunnies: Target

Shoes: Target

Earrings: Claire's

Hat: Forever 21

Crash course in sewing continued....

Here's some fun photo's Lisa and I snapped at The Stitch Lab while learning the basics (crash course) of sewing and creating our first Tote! Turns out I need to invest in a better sewing machine.... mine crapped out on me as I was sewing the handles for my bag. Ha!

Lisa helped me choose my fabric. The Tote is reversible so on one side I have foxes, deer and squirrels and the other is brown wood grain. Lisa went with a muted grey wood grain and a solid grey for her tote seen below.

Here's a close up of me sewing away... well trying to at least. This cool strong but little magnet helps you stay on track. 

Here's my inside lining and outside all complete... now to sew the straps!

Adding the pocket. My first mistake... making sure I sew the pattern on the pocket right side up. Lol.

Here I am "birthing" my Tote lining. Thanks for snapping this image Lisa!

This image cracks me up. I've got major "duck face" going on. Our awesome instructor Niku snapped this one for us. I can't wait to go back and take the oil cloth class. This time I'll be renting a machine. (Don't buy a Singer Simple) 

It was a fun filled day and the 4 hour course was packed with information. 

Are there any projects that you all have been working on lately? I would love to hear about them.

xoxo

Crash course in sewing

I'm super excited to be taking my first "Crash Course" in Sewing at The Stitch Lab today with my good friend Lisa of feto soap. I've had a sewing machine (Singer Simple) for a few years now but can never seem to sew a straight line or sew without my machine getting all bunched up (yes I checked the tension). I know the basics but am in dire need of a refresher course to get me on my way. 

Of course I'm going to document my sewing lesson so be ready for many pictures and fun details! In the meantime you can check out their swell blog full of fun pictures of classes here.

xoxo

Orange you glad to see me?

A lot has been going on in my little corner of the world lately. I've been spending a ton of time on "working on myself". It's much needed self improvement. I'm giving myself a makeover.... inside and out. After 3 years of uncontrolled seizures and severe headaches I haven't been able to really focus on working out and treating my body right. I know I talk about this a bunch.... but 3 years is a huge chunk of my life! Well since I found the source of what was ailing me (my job) I have since then made huge positive changes in my life. The first step was quiting my job because it was making me sick. No joke! My job was stressing me out to the point that I was having multiple seizures throughout the day. Stress can really do a number on your body... heck it can kill you. High blood pressure, heart attacks, you name it. Since then I haven't had one seizure to this day. I started eating better and adding a workout routine to my everyday life..... which includes a lot of dog walking. I'm not on any type of medication whatsoever now and am doing just fine. The walking and being "out and about" in the sun help a bunch. 

I lost a few pounds just by cutting out alcohol and eating the proper portions. I'm not gonna lie.... I'm hungry pretty much all the time. It's working though and I realize that I don't have to "feel full" all the time. It's okay to be a little hungry and empty. I've also joined My Fitness Pal which is a free app that's a lot like Weight Watchers. I didn't have any luck with WW the second time around. They changed their whole point system and I just couldn't get motivated. My Fitness Pal counts calories instead of points.... so no more 0 point veggies or fruit! Everything has calories and little old me only gets 1,200 for my height and weight. It's not much at all but it really helps me look at what I'm putting into my body. Portion control was a big factor that I was having issues with. What can I say.... I love food. I joined My Fitness pal this past Monday and here we are on Thursday and I've already lost 3 lbs! I've been coming in under my calorie intake for the day because I've been working out and eating Progresso soup (WW approved) and basically all salad with little to no dressing and steamed veggies. Not really exciting but you know what is exciting??? Watching my pant size go down! 

This dress is one of my very awesome thrift store finds. I love baby doll dresses because they fit and flatter me just right. I'm a shorty so baby doll dresses aren't really baby doll dresses on me. Ha! I wasn't expecting to like this dress as much as I did... I wasn't sure about the pattern at first but turns out it works on me. I'm a girlie girl and love the ruffles and the way it moves in the wind. I'm trying to be better about documenting my "daily wears" on a regular basis. I love fashion. Check out this cute bird cage necklace my sister in law Cindy gave to me for Christmas! Isn't it cute? Everyone knows I love birds. Put a bird on it! Lol. It was pretty chilly this day so I wore boots (big surprise) and a sweater. I can actually wear my wedding ring again. It was super embarrassing... I had gained so much weight that when I crocheted my fingers would swell up like little sausages and I couldn't get it on or off so I had to stop wearing it for the time being. Now that I've lost a few I can wear it again like a proper married woman! Ha ha.

There are a few other cool things going on besides getting in shape again.... 

I've applied for two upcoming craft fairs. It's good to have goals. I'm keeping my fingers crossed because one of them is a big one! I've been busting my butt to keep my stores stocked and I also had a new store in Midland contact me about possibly consigning with them. Etsy sales are pretty steady as well. Life is good! Hopefully me and The Mister can get away for the weekend in the Spring to Port A. I miss the beach so much and I can't wait to take Sophie (our new pup) and see what she thinks of the sand and sea. This Summer my dear old friend Anna is tying the knot with her long term boyfriend/best friend Tellis. I can't wait to celebrate their union back in Ohio with them and their family. I have so much to look forward to. 

Dress: Thrifted

Hat: Thrifted

Sweater: Old Navy

Necklace: Gifted

Boots: Thrifted

xoxo

card catalogue diy

This was truly the most fun I've had with The Mister making our own DIY. Here's a little background information before we "jump into" the DIY.....We requested this old card catalogue from Matt's Mother a few years back. We spotted it in their barn while we were exploring one afternoon in Ohio. It was in pretty bad condition (being in a barn all those years) and we didn't think we could restore it to what it once was, but we held onto it and kept it in our living room not sure what to do with it or 

how to repair it. One day after cleaning the entire house (closets and all) Matt decided to take the little guy outside and hose him down. You see.... we hadn't even cleaned it out since we got it and with it being in the barn all those years with all the rodents and "what have you" it needed a good scrubbing. 

It sat outside for a few days drying...  as we were putting the drawers back in we decided it would be a lovely idea to make it into a "living card catalogue".  I'm sure you've all seen those awesome 

"living wall" diy's on Pinterest.... essentially this is the same concept. So we made a trip to our favorite Garden spot The Great Outdoors.

We knew that the card catalogue would remain outside in the shade so we chose plants specifically for little to no sun. We also wanted to have plants that would grow longer and hang lower over time. 

We wanted a variation so we picked up some succulents and cacti to mix it up a bit.

Here's a close up after the cleaning and before the planting. We lined the inside of the drawers with foil... just to prevent them from further damage due to watering. The great thing about the plants we chose is that they don't require that much watering or attention.

The Mister did most of the work while I documented every step. 

One little cacti and air plant remained. (I bought the air plant for the inside of our home). 

We spaced them out just enough to fit each plant in according to height. We used rocks to weigh down the back side of the drawers to balance out the weight of the plants and dirt in the front portion. 

We even threw in some old sea shells we had collected over the years from Mustang Island. Awwwww.... the memories.

Here it is all planted and fixed up.

That's it! Our lovely card catalogue diy..... pretty simple and fun. It turned out better than I thought and is so beautiful sitting outside on our deck in front of the studio. It was a great weekend in Austin and the weather was amazing. 

Is anyone creating any diy's of their own? 

I would love to hear about them..... comments are always welcome.

xoxo

Instagram Lately....

For those of you guys that don't follow me on Instagram this should be a treat! I've been in a super creative mood for the past few weeks and have been crocheting a lot more in preparation for some upcoming shows that I've applied to be in. We'll see if I get accepted. After Christmas I thought it was going to be slow.... but sales have actually been quite steady. I did take a week off to enjoy life with The Mister which was so overdue. We had so much fun sleeping in and running around in this gorgeous Austin weather! Here are some little buddies I've been working on. Everyone loves the Foxes. 

Speaking of the gorgeous Austin weather.... we've been enjoying the most beautiful sunsets.

These guys are always by my side as I'm crocheting. It's been awesome working from home. I've never been happier.

Another great thing about working from home is getting to be outdoors more. Sometimes I spend all day out in the sun staining plaques. It's such a hard life. Ha!

More sunny days calls for Sunnies. I've been collecting quite a few for this upcoming spring and summer.

Poor baby Lucy is getting older and can't walk that far so we bought this pet carrier. 

These are our crazy chickens Lola, Betty and Molly (from left to right).

I was super excited about this outfit post. I found this dress at Target for $8! What a steal.

I bought these sunnies at Urban Outfitters while walking downtown to meet The Mister for lunch. I just popped in and picked them up.

These were some lovely signs I was working on for Toy Joy and Parts & Labour.

These adorable pigs I just made today. I'm trying to keep everyone updated on what I've been creating lately.

These Googly Eyes were giving to me as a gift from Lisa of feto soap. She knows me oh so well.

This is my little corner of the house that I constructed. The table was found and the typewriter is thrifted along with the teacup that The Mister made into a candle. The lamp was from a garage sale. 

One of my new "thrifted" dresses I scored on the most awesome thrift day I've had in the history of thrift store purchases. 

More lovely sunsets.....

These little darling mice I made as gift's for Valentine's Day.... because what says "I love you" more than crochet Taxidermy? 

Here's a new pattern that I've been working on for a customer.

I love my sweet baby Lucy.... when the light hits her eyes and whiskers just so.

My just chillin' while I wait on my plaques to dry. Like I said.... it's a hard life.

That about wraps it up on all my recent adventures. I would love if you would follow along with me on Instagram @nothingbutapigeon. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

xoxo