Spring time is the right time for wearing bibs!

 It's official! No, it's not Spring time yet.... even though it feels like it already here in Austin. I've officially lost 10lbs! It may not seem like that much but to a shorty like me 10lbs makes all the difference! Basically the difference whether you fit in your clothes or not! Ha! It's a little something I've been working on these past few months. It's been hard... really hard! Some days I feel like giving up and quiting but I have a goal set in my mind and I want this so badly! 

I actually got a lot of flak for this image when I posted it online. Apparently people really hate bibs. Sheesh! Honestly, I think they are adorable and I feel cute in them so that's all that matters. I've started to learn to care less about what people think nowadays. I mean... I put it all "out there" for people to comment on so I guess I gotta learn to roll with the punches. 

I found these little fellas at Dots. Random... I know! Seriously though guys.... Dots has some fun stuff in there. I found this awesome hat at Texas Thrift on the east side of town. I love fun little whimsical accessories... they make me happy. 

This shirt is super old but a "classic" through and through. You can't go wrong with a black and white striped shirt. Lastly.... my outfit wouldn't be complete without my HUGE sunglasses.... they are a must have in the Austin sun! I'm really into round sunglasses right now.... I have serious collection goin' on at home. I must find a way to store all of them in a cute yet functional way.... hmmmmm. I sense a diy in my near future.

Yup... these are new shoes I snagged at Target last week. My new rule is if I buy a new pair of shoes I must in turn discard an old pair that are old and beat up. It's actually been working out pretty swell. I needed a new pair of tan wedges for the summer... I mean they go with everything right?

I've been such a happy girl lately! The Mister and I planned our Garden for the Summer and even planted a few things already. I'm so looking forward to a fresh Herb Garden! It was a pretty good weekend here in the Hart household.... life is looking up! Is anyone else planning a Summer Garden?

xoxo

Bibs: Dots

Shoes: Target

Sunnies: Target

Shirt: Old Navy

Hat: Thrifted

Mueller Farmer's Market

It's Spring time... and you know what that means! Spring time is the best time for Farmer's Markets in Austin... which I do love to visit if you don't already know that about me. The Mister and I just "happened" to stumble upon this weeks Market. We were taking a walk with our new pup Sophie at Mueller Park when we came upon their Sunday Market (which we've never been to yet). 

Apparently it's been open since 2012 but we've never happened to be there on any particular Sunday before. Hmmmmm... seems strange in all the years that we've lived n the east side that we'd never come across the closet Farmer's Market to us. Ha ha! That's so typical. So now that we know we can venture out there to buy some fresh produce. I think it's so important to shop locally and support our hard working Farmers! Johnson's Backyard Garden has the freshest vegetables... no joke! You can sign up for a CSA membership and they even have their own veggie guide and recipe's available online.

Bring your pups but they have to be "leashed". Mueller Park is a privately owned park... not owned by COA however there is a leash ordinance.

Check out Oh-Kimchi. 

Local seasonal Kimchis and Korean side dishes handmade in Austin by the Lunde family and co. Inspired by Korean traditions, family recipes, and you!

Get some fresh hand made tamales by Tamale Place! They have pork, chicken, Tex-Mex beef and even vegetarian tamale's. Take a Gander at their menu here.

Next time I'm so gonna try these Watermelon Radishes grown by Harrison Creek Farm! Supposedly they taste like regular radishes but are more mild and without the "heat". Aren't they beautiful?

Get beef free of antibiotics, steroids and added hormones... raised by George and Amy Greer in Brady, Texas.

Winters Family Beef.

They even have wonderful melodies for you to listen to as you shop and eat!

It was an over cast but warm Sunday here at The Farmer's Market. We didn't come "prepared" for this event with bags, money or empty stomachs but I'm super glad to know that it's close by. Hope you've all enjoyed this Farmer's Market post and remember to shop local and buy handmade!

xoxo

Meet our Chickens

Our baby chicks! Molly on the left and Lola to the right.

The girls are all grown up!

Molly (on the far left) is a Silver Laced Wyandotte... she will lay tan or brown colored eggs.

Lola (on the left) is an Ameracauna. They have signature "fluffy cheeks" and typically lay blue eggs.

Betty is a Dutch Brown Leghorn she lays brown eggs.

Lola on the far left, Betty in the middle and Molly is the speckled white and black one on the left.

Busy little bee.....

Howdy everyone! I've been a busy little bee lately.... which is good. I've been crocheting up a storm over here and sales are pretty steady on Etsy too! It's hard to believe that just four months ago I quit my full time city job to start up my own little crochet company. It's been an amazing adventure so far. I've met so many new and interesting people along the way. I joined forces with Austin Craft Riot and started blogging for Pop Shop Houston in my spare time. I am truly blessed to have a Husbear that was so selfless.... as to allow me to quit my job to pursue my dreams. Four months ago.... when I turned in my "two week notice" I felt a huge weight lifted off my chest. Yes owning my own business is a struggle sometimes but my health and happiness are worth it. I feel great and by business is thriving as well. Since I work from home I also get the pleasure of spending time with our pups all day and tending to the garden and even catching up on some fun fashion posts on my bloggy. Speaking of my love of fashion check out this adorable green frock I scored at Texas Thrift! It was one of seven dresses I found one glorious afternoon in East Austin. The Thrift Store Gods were on my side that day! 

As you can see things are starting to turn green here in Austin! Yippppeeee! It feels like Spring and I'm so excited to be able to spend my weekends outdoors with The Mister and the pups. We are planning our Summer Garden already and have even planted a few Heirloom tomatoes. More on that later! 

I've been trying to mix up my wardrobe lately by wearing different shoes. I'm a boot gal but I don't want to keep wearing the "same old thing" over and over again. I appreciate a good flat in my life. Ha!

I purchased these studded flats with Anna one beautiful afternoon last Summer at Strut in San Marcos. 

I do love Strut... they are one of my favorite local boutiques. The ring is new too! 

I purchased this Native Indian Head ring at Francessca's... another of my favorite hidden gems.

The black blazer is by Lauren Conrad available at Kohl's. Yup... her clothing line is super cute and she has some really awesome "basics" like this black blazer that you can pair with everything!

A close up of my new hairs! Ha ha! I just got my hair cut a week ago and it feels so much better. I took a few inches off (much needed) and added tons of layers. Now my hair actually has some shape to it. This was a good hair day.....

Woosh!

I'm super stoked because I have all my posts planned out for the next few months and they are packed full of fun! I can't wait to share them with everyone... this Summer is going to be full of wonderful adventures. If you wanna stay updated on new patterns and projects I'm working on follow along on Instagram. Hope everyone's week is going great so far! 

xoxo

Dress: Thrifted

Blazer: Kohl's

Shoes: Strut

Ring: Francessca's

Instagram lately.....

 

I've been snapping a ton of photos of Sophie lately.... she is so photogenic unlike Lucy. Lucy hates to pose for the camera. Sophie loves to sunbathe... it's really adorable..... she found the last ray of light before the sun went down. 

A great show I had last week at Opal Divine's. The family came out to see me... it was really heart warming to see them supporting me.

What did I tell you.... photogenic.

I started crochet smaller more affordable taxidermy heads. The result.... cuteness!

The last few days have had amazing weather and the most beautiful sunsets to go with it. I really do love living in Austin.

My favorite past time.... playing dress up.

A trip to Petco results in this.... photos of fish.

The plants are all finally outside getting the sun they deserve. I love our little garden oasis complete with a hammock.

Follow along with me in my Instagram adventures @nothingbutapigeon.

Liebster time!

So I was recently nominated by the cute and Oh so adorable blog duo Katie and Amanda of June Bugs & Georgia Peaches! If you haven't checked out their blog by now... you are really missing out. These two girls are women after my own heart. They are book reading, vintage loving bottled redheads like myself so it's no wonder why I follow them avidly. So basically the rules of the game go like this: You get nominated (yipppeeee)... answer the following questions (and try to add in some images to spice it up a bit). Then in return nominate 12 other bloggers and ask them 11 questions. I think that's how it goes....

1. What is your favourite non-fashion related hobby?

Gardening for sure! I love to dig in the dirt and spend time outdoors. I love watching things grow! It also is nice to harvest your own food and be self sustainable. It gives me and the Mister a sense of purpose.... and it impresses the hell out of people when they come over to your house and see your kick ass Garden! Ha! I actually have a special page on my bloggy dedicated to our garden. Check it out here. it's about time for us to start planning out our garden for this summer... we may get one more frost this February but then it'll be time.

2. If you had a super power, what would it be?
Geez.... I haven't really thought about this all that much. Um, I guess I'd have to say I'd like to have the gift of "self healing". That would be pretty cool... since I'm so clumsy it would really come in handy. Ha!

3. What is your favourite place that you have ever visited?
Gosh, I really enjoyed camping on the Beach in South Carolina with The Husbear. That was so long ago and before we were married. It was a beautiful State Park called Hunting Island located in Beaufort South Carolina. We camped underneath wonderful pine trees and hung out on the beach under palm trees and there were some beautiful old plantation homes with huge oak trees with spanish moss hanging from the limbs. It was the most relaxing place with friendly people that spoke Gullah! No joke...it was amazing to hear. The friendliest people you'd ever meet!!

4. What is your favourite thing about yourself? 
This is a tough one.... if we're talking "physically" I'd have to say my cleft chin. It's pretty cool if you ask me....
I have the awesome pleasure of inheriting this trait from my Mom. It's actually a defect in fetal development.... caused by the incomplete fusion of the jaw bone or jaw muscle during growth. Yikes right? Well, it looks cute. If your talking personality.... I'd go with my dry sense of humour. My ability to make people laugh in uncanny. Seriously..... I'm funny. Check out my chin!

5. Do you have any pets? If yes, what are they?
Yes! I loves animals... I have two dogs. Lucy is the oldest. She is going to be 11 this summer. She is my #1 baby and I love her to death. She is a tiny ass Min Pin. When I say tiny .... that means she is 6 lbs of love. Sophie is my #2 baby. She is a red Dachshund mix. She is a little bit harder to love sometimes... but she's a puppy still. They estimated her to be about 6 months when we adopted her. Not sure when her actual doggy birthday is but she's probably a year old about now. We also have 3 chickens. I consider them our pets...we love them and eat their eggs but we would never eat them unless there was a zombie apocalypse. We named them Betty, Lola and Molly.

Sophie

Molly and Lola (Betty not shown)

Lucy asleep on the Beach.

6. What is your favourite makeup product?
I'm gonna go with just your standard liquid foundation. My skin is very uneven and blotchy so to look normal I have to at least wear foundation. That sounds horrible to say about myself .... but I wasn't blessed with perfect skin. I'm not brand loyal or anything... sometimes I just buy drug store makeup but when I'm feeling fancy I love Benefit. 

7. Do you have a hidden talent? What is it?
Hidden? Nope.... I like to flaunt my talents whenever possible. Ha ha!

8. What is your favourite piece of clothing?
I'm a dress lovin' type of gal. I actually find dresses to be more comfy than pants. It's also a heck of a lot easier to just throw on a dress and go and not have to think too hard about matching things up. I have a few dresses that The Mister has bought me from my favorite Boutique SoLa. They are sentimental to me and I adore him for picking them out. He has a knack for choosing dresses that compliment my frame. In general I love short dresses with long sleeves... I feel super comfortable in them and don't mined showing off my gams. I've never felt more beautiful than I did in one of my "what I wore" posts called Fist full of Flowers. I found this little frock at a thrift store... it was meant to be.

9. If you could go back in time and attend a party (think Cinderella), whose party would it be?
I think I would go back in time to nineteenth century England and go to a Ball with Mr. Darcy. What can I say..... I'm a cheese dick. I adore Jane Austin Novels and Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorites!

10. If you could erase one fashion faux-pas from your teenage years, what would it be?
Remember those horrible pleated acid washed jean shorts in the early 90's? Imagine those on a chubby pre- pubescent awkward girl. That's all the visual you'll need. I think I tried to burn all those images from my childhood and memory. Ugh.....

11. Favourite book or author?
Whelp... you know that one of my favorite Authors in Jane Austen. Love all her books..... I'm a hopeless romantic at heart. One favorite book is "Cold Mountain" by  Charles Frazier. It's beautifully written and the movie actually is good too. The book is always better though.... Emily Bronte comes to mind...Leo Tolstoy, Vladimir Nabokov. "Lolita" is my all time favorite. People think I a sicko because I think it's romantic. Sorry! Sheesh.

That about wraps it up for my answers.... now to choose 1o lucky ladies. I'll have to think about whom to choose and the questions I will pepper them with. More on that later. Hope everyone is having a great week so far!
xoxo

Happy Love Day!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Valentine's Day! It's nice that it landed on a Friday this year. The Mister and I don't really do the whole "Valentine's Day" dinner out and flowers etc..... honestly, I would rather be surprised on a random day with such gifts. I'm not one of those "It's a greeting card conspiracy" people either.... I just don't really care either way. Ha! It's a normal day for the both of us. We will still work and come home and eat a regular dinner together and probably watch some Netflix. 

I do however love all the pretty outfits that are whirling about on the internets for this occasion. Yes, I said "the internets". Lol. Hope everyone has a great weekend.... I'm looking forward to spending some well deserved time with the Mister as we enjoy this fine Austin weather. 

xoxo

The perfect gift for your loved one...

I don't know about you guys but it's always hard for me to find the perfect gift for my friends, family and loved ones for Valentine's Day. Usually I like to make the gifts fun and colorful... you know. Pink, red, purple... all the colors that go along with the Holiday. Most of the time I end up making the gift, which to me is always the best kinda gift you can get. Now that I'm so busy with my new business I'm finding it hard to get anything else done. I searched online Etsy and found a bunch of way cool art and beautiful findings that would be perfect as gifts. Check out what I chose....

Art and People

Pelemele

Lana Pelana

Little Lost Things

Parada Creations

Lucy Darling Prints

The Motivated Type

Lili Di Prima

Hope this post has inspired you! All these gifts I'd love to give and own myself! Nothing is better than getting a gift for your home. Something you can frame and hang up... or the pillow to add a pop of color. Anyone would adore a personalized pet portrait! I wish everyone a wonderful Valentine's Day and remember to shop local and buy handmade!

xoxo

The hair cut.....

Oh hello! So I thought I would show off my new hair do.... It may not look like I got that much chopped off but it sure feels a lot lighter now! I didn't take more than and inch or two off the length but got some major layers now. I love it! Sometimes a girl just needs a new look... spruce it up a bit. 

Make it new! I needed a wee bit of a change since everything else in my life is changing... why not? 

What is changing you say?? I am.... or feel as though my life is shifting in a more positive way at least. 

I'm changing the way I view the world.... the way I view myself... my friends and family. I don't want to stand still or be silent anymore. It's a little scary but I consider it self development. I'm taking care of me now.... my physical health as well as mental health. Some people may think it selfish or uncaring but I'm learning to care less about what other people think. Wow... right!?! Trust me, it's necessary sometimes. I just want to be happy and surround myself with people that truly care about who I am as a person and value me as an individual. I'm learning to trust my feelings a little bit more everyday.  

Coco Channel once said: "A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life."

She also said: "I don't care what you think about me. I don't think about you at all."

Smart woman!

Thought I would break out my old pink blouse that I got from the thrift store years ago.... it's almost Valentine's Day and it seemed appropriate. I'm also showing of my pink mani and my adorable new ring I purchased from The Gem Junkie. It's a skull cameo ring. I like a little bit of darkness to balance my pink sweetness. Ha!

I'm so looking forward to this Spring and Summer! This cold, drab weather can really get a girl down. I plan on spending as much time as I can this summer outside enjoying the world. I can't wait to get out on Lake Travis and tube down the Guadalupe with Matt. Or to lay out at Barton Springs and soak up the Sun's warm rays. I'm actually looking forward to bathing suit season this year! Can you believe it?!? I'm also looking forward to taking a trip back to Ohio for a very dear friends wedding. It's going to be good to see some old friendly faces. There is a lot to look forward to this year! 

xoxo