Creative Life on Growing

This feels like a season about growing... in all kinds of ways!

I've been super interested in growing my own veggies and herbs. I feel like there's such a disconnect between farm and table for me..... as in my idea of a food cycle is "food comes from HEB and then we eat what we can, then we throw it away and it disappears".. ha ha! I know how silly that sounds, but that's how I've lived for so long! I want to know what it's like to grown something myself and eat off the vine. I want to see the miracle of how God provides first hand. I'm really excited about starting our own garden this summer!

I feel like I'm seeking to grow in knowledge.This is a season I'm eager to learn, ask for advice from experts (like my dear friend Danielle who's a champion gardener!) and check out books from the library to read up on whatever I want to learn.

This is a season of growing relationships with friends, family and my sweet Jeremy. I've loved getting to spend time with both of our siblings lately and bonding with local bloggers. These pics are from our date night last week... it was full of lots of sweet conversation! :)

Is this a growing season for you? In what ways are you growing or seeking to grow? Tell us in the comments!

Creative Life is FUN!

What's been happening lately? Well... my sister was in town & oh the fun we had! My mom and sister created beautiful quilts while I started my own pair of painted Toms! My Mema is the coolest around and she was trying her hand at candy crush! Ha! My sister taught my whole family amazing meatless meal recipes and we even made vegan coffee ice cream. Yum! It's always so fun to just spend time together creating and just hanging out. :)

What's been happening in your creative life lately? I'd love to know! Share with us in the comments or on Instagram @specsandwings

My First Herb Garden

So... I've had some pretty bad experiences with little plants and flowers. Sadly, they usually don't make it very long! Despite past failures, I have been really interested in natural things lately, including gardening. So, when I was walking through the nursery and came across this lovely hanging planter, I decided to be brave and give an herb garden a try!

You may laugh, but I did read the instructions and tried to figure out what I was doing before I got started... sort of. When I took my herbs out of their tiny containers, the roots were tightly wound around the outside and all throughout the dirt. The instruction said to remove the bottom inch of dirt and even rip away the ends of the roots..... Hmmm.... okay. So, that's what I did...

Here's where a little bit of creativity comes in! I had three pots to plant in and the instructions said I could plant more than one per pot. They said to consider what would make a pleasant smell together and what might look nice visually together....

So, once I decided, I planted rosemary with sage, basil with peppermint, and the chocolate mint plant alone (because let's face it, that thing is giant and out of control! ha!) I just put a little dirt in the bottom of the pot, separated the dirt and roots around the plant a little, and added a little dirt around them.

I kept the little name tags to remember how to care for each of them, and I'm keeping a close eye on them. They've been planted for a little over a week and so far so go! Well... the peppermint was a little touch and go, but I think it's doing okay now! ha!

I'm hoping for the best with these little guys and as soon as I find a hook I plant to hang them up! It's really exciting to see them grow and change each day and to learn how to use each one. I'll be sharing more about how I'm using them coming up!

Are you a gardener? If not, I hope you'll try it out with me this summer! Did you try planting something new this year? Have any tips for me?  Please leave them in the comments or send me a pic #bebravecreate !

Local Bloggers Coffee Talk!

(Continued from Friday)
Well, as you can see, we had SIX local bloggers show up! All different styles, all different reasons for blogging, some knew each other, some didn't... but we were all bloggers. I was so excited and nervous, I had no idea what to do! ha! Thankfully, these sweet friends jumped in and started some great conversations...

We talked about why we started our blogs in the first place. Some had been blogging for years and some had just started, or started again. Some blogged about their family and adoption, some about community or photography, fashion and travel.... and it didn't matter that our blogs were so different! It was such a comfort to hear that we all struggle with what to write, technology disasters, and even discouragement when we don't have the response we'd hope for from our readers.

We talked about how to deal with mean comments and even planning out blog posts! I felt so understood and encouraged when we parted ways. What a blessing this little time was! Sure it was a little quiet and awkward at first, but once we started to open up and talk about our lives, even beyond blogging, it felt easier to share..... and yes, they all had grace for me being so shy and socially awkward.. ha!!

Do yourself a favor, and plan one of these as soon as possible in your own town! I hope I've used up all of your excuses about being to shy or nervous... you can do it!!! You'll be so glad you did!

If you can't imagine hosting a Local Bloggers Meet-Up by yourself, grab a friend or a group and make it fun! I can't imagine doing this without Alison! I'm also super excited to writing more tips in the next issue of Artful Blogging Magazine. :)

Doing something brave or need some encouragement? Comment below or connect through Instagram #bebravecreate !

*All photos by Alison Holcomb Photography

A Shy Girl's Guide to Hosting a Local Bloggers Meet-Up!

One of the most brave things I feel I've done lately is host a "Local Bloggers Meet-Up" along with my friend Alison from Sass & Crafts Blog! Just a little back up story, in case you don't know me very well.... I'm VERY shy and a total introvert. Ha! So what made me want to gather up a group of people I don't know very well for coffee talk? Well... 

I have seen big cities host these kinds of events and I always thought it seemed like an awesome idea! If you live in a big city full of bloggers, it would be a great chance to meet people and find a community of support. But then I just sort of thought, "Nothing like that would ever happen in my tiny town."  

And I was right.... except that I could change that fact. I could find the few lovely bloggers in my small hometown and host a little get together! I'm no party planner and I am certainly not the life of the party, but I decided that this was something I needed to just be brave and do! I wanted to have a little time face to face with other bloggers in my city... no screens or keyboards or comment sections in our way this time... just a lovely time of coffee talk. 

So what did I do? I immediately asked someone to help me! When Alison agreed to throw this meet-up with me, I was completely relieved! We got together and chose a place, time, planned decorations and treats, and sent out e-vites with our fingers crossed that someone might catch our vision. 

Yesterday you saw how we made this cute coffee filter banner! Plus Alison brought her adorable pom-pom banner (DIY here!) Alison made delicious salted chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (I die. I may have eaten three...ha!) and I picked up a few bundles of fresh flowers. We each brought our own decorations from home and made it all work! I couldn't believe how cute it turned out... now all we had left to do was wait for someone to arrive...

You would laugh at our nervousness, but we were both a little worried that we might have decorated this downtown coffee shop for just the two of us to have a fancy coffee! It was 2:00 and no one had arrived yet. My husband had so sweetly told me that even if no one came, it was a success that I tried something so far out of my comfort zone. (How sweet is that?!) But I really wanted someone to show up...

Come back on Monday to see how everything turned out! 

Until then, enjoy our pretty decorations and tell me something brave you've done lately on instagram #bebravecreate .... you just might see it here on the blog! 

*Photos by Alison Holcomb Photography

Coffee Filter Banner DIY

My dear blogger friend Alison agreed to host a Local Bloggers Meet-Up with me! This was a really big step in being brave for us two introverts, so what's the best way to cope? Why not an awesome, easy DIY project to decorate the event?! So, here's how we made it....

Supplies:
-White Coffee Filters
-Watercolors
-Paint Brush
-Water Cup
-Twine
-Scissors

1. Fold each coffee filter in half twice.
2. Choose a color and watercolor the bottom of your filter. (the paint will spread on it's own!)
3. Create as many as you'd like and let them dry.
4. Cut a piece of twine the length you'd like your banner to be.
5. Cut smaller pieces of twine (maybe around 4-5 inches), the same number as filters
6. Pinch the top of each coffee filter and use a small piece of twine to tie the filter to the long piece of twine.
7. Hang up your banner and enjoy!

Share how you were brave today on Instagram, #bebravecreate and you may see it here soon!

#BeBraveCreate

Gardening? I can't keep anything alive! Sew clothes. Are you serious?! I've never been good at cooking. I'm a domestic disaster.... but lately I've been feeling a little different. I want to be brave. I want to be creative in new ways and keep a journal of it all right here on my blog. 

Why am I doing this? Well, I find myself often making excuses instead of bravely creating. I don't want to play it safe. I want to really live and try things I never thought I could do! When I think about what I want this place to be for you,.... I can't get away from wanting you to be inspired. Leaving this blog feeling like you could do those things you've always wanted to do, too.

Y'all! So, I'm VERY excited to introduce a new series for Specs & Wings Blog... "Be Brave, Create"! I'll be sharing my journey of being brave and trying new ways to be creative and I'd LOVE for you to join in the journey with me! I'll be sharing photos, tips from the things I tried, and DIY projects as I figure them out too. :) I have a few special guests and collaborations to share too!

I'll also be sharing my journey on Instagram. You can follow me here: @specsandwings and share your journey of being brave by using the hashtag #bebravecreate Then I'll share a recap of your photos on my blog each month!

Thanks for letting me share this journey with you. Let's go be brave, cheer each other on, and create something today!

Creative Life

It's Spring-time! Although we had a gross windy dirt-storm over the weekend I can still see the signs of spring in the bright blue skies and everyone getting excited to work in the yard. There's a freshness within! Do you feel it?

Well, for a sneak peek at creative life lately...

- I finished a pair of custom painted "Vintage Vineyard Wedding Toms" last week! I can't wait to share more soon!

- I went with my mom and grandma to the nursery this past weekend and LOVED seeing the pretty colors of spring flowers! This little "t-shirt planter" had me intrigued and cracking up! I love it. Spoiler alert!- that cute little hanging herb garden will be hanging in my kitchen soon! More soon on that...

- I quick trip to Target for printer ink turned into an hour of looking for cute ways to spruce up the studio... what do y'all think of these rugs?!? They match my logo perfectly, but I still haven't decided... :)

- Coffee date with my sweet friend Alison to catch up and work on some really cool plans...I'm SO EXCITED!

This week I have some pretty awesome stuff to share.. see ya soon! Happy day!

Currently

Remembering....a sweet coffee date with my love!

Celebrating... Jesus is ALIVE! :)

Drinking... Coffee Coffee Coffee!

Dreaming.... up a season of paintings and possibly re-opening my shop!

Painting.... finishing up a pair of wedding Toms (sneak peek of those tomorrow!) and a personal painting I started over a year ago! (I'll share that one too!)

Planning..... on writing my next article for Artful Blogging in the next week or two! SO excited!

Reading..... I just got my library card and checked out a book on vegan crockpot meals and The Daniel Plan. I'm excited for my next trip to the library (nerd alert!)

Eating...anything that I can create in a crockpot plus mangos daily. ha!

Loving...this time when tax season slows down and I have more time to focus on painting and blogging- YAY!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend! I'm excited to get back to creating and sharing stories with you here! Happy Monday!

Fresh Perspective Guest Post!

I'm so excited to share a guest post on one of my favorite blogs today- The Beloved Society! They are exploring "New Things" and I'm sharing my journey with a fresh perspective on food. :) Check it out here! You can also follow my other foodie adventures on instagram @specsandwings

Happy day!

Creative Life

Sorry for the silence lately, life has been busy! It's been a great season and I'll share a little peek into creative life lately...

- sweet cards from dear friends (snail mail is my fave!)
- A fun trip to Austin to visit family! We stopped at this cute place "Coffee People" for a sip of tea- YUM!
- She & Him Volume 3 is the best pick-me-up while I do dishes
- Dove dark... need I say more?
- lunch "bowls" are as pretty as they are yummy!

In other news, I'm currently working on custom projects, secret sewing project, experimenting in the kitchen and crashing after work since this is our busy season at work. :) Thanks for being so understanding during this season, y'all are awesome!

Creative Life Goes Healthy

So, ya know how this year I'm focusing on the word "Intentional"? Well, that's a really broad word. I had so many things that I really wanted to be intentional about I got super overwhelmed this month. So I decided to change up my plan a little bit. Instead of trying to focus on everything (bad idea, & typical me- ha!) I decided to choose one area per month to focus on. (phew!)

In February I was being pretty intentional about learning how to eat healthier so I decided to stick with that. I shared a little from my journey in this post. It's a fun and exciting adventure so far and I'm learning so much (with a lifetime of learning ahead!). I had never really understood about pH balance or why eating raw greens is so important or even how the things I eat effect the way I feel! I am "eating up" all of this great information but also having so much fun along the way! I'm certainly no expert and I don't have it all down, but I'm taking little steps toward a healthier life. :)

God reveals Himself in so many ways and shows His love! Over the past month, I've felt so loved as I understand more about the artful food He's made and our intricate bodies. It's so beautiful! 

So what's up for next month... learning about finances/home management. It's not sounding too exciting yet, but I'm excited about seeing God reveal Himself in these places as well! Have any great resources for me in this area? Leave them in the comments!

Thanks as always for your support..... you guys are the best!

Your (Adorable) Store Front!

When my sweet Jeremy and I were in Dallas a few weeks ago, we wondered around the beautiful Bishop Arts District! (more pics here!) There were SO MANY amazing store fronts with awesome window displays and signs... they each had me dreaming...

So when we stopped at a cute little 50's style diner for a turkey burger I asked J.... if you had a store front on this street, what would do with it?!

As we talked, I dreamed of what I might do with a cool store front like this. Maybe a cozy coffee shop with a lovely gallery of local artwork? Maybe an art studio filled with little nooks that artists could rent out and create their masterpieces together? Maybe a paper goods shop filled with letter pressed note cards and pretty art prints?

Although, if I worked in this neiborhood, I'd probably spend most of my time at one of these two places!(above, Dude, Sweet Chocolate & below Emporium Pies)

How about you? If you had an adorable store front, what would you do with it? Tell me in the comments. ;)

And it was GOOD!

(a few lunches lately... isn't God's creation gorgeous?!)

About a year ago, I remember walking through the produce section of the grocery store with new eyes... all of these beautiful vegetables and fruits are so colorful, full of unique textures and shapes, and each one offers different nutrients and good stuff for your health! I really felt like God opened my eyes to see the beauty in what He created and why. I excitedly started researching veggies and fruits as I bought them... what does this flowered broccoli have to offer? How do you cook an elegantly deep purple eggplant? What vitamins are in these tiny clustered blackberries?! The more I researched, the more I discovered how amazing God made all of these little wonders! A colorful variety for each meal gives you all you what you need to be healthy. Why had I never realized this before?! God could have created a little pill that we could take each day for all that we need, void of beauty, flavor or enjoyment. Instead, God made these beautiful ways to enjoy food and get what our body needs each day.

This slowly began a journey of discovery for me. This year when I chose the word "intentional" as a focus, I knew that eating more healthy would be a big part of it. I've started doing more research and find more recipes that highlight plant-based foods and I'm excited to learn more and take charge of being healthy, enjoying these foods & celebrating God, the true Artist! I want to be informed so I can make better choices. :) I'm not sure where this journey will take me but I'm excited!


Just a few fun resources I've found....

Beautiful Food Blogs I'm reading:
minimalistbaker.com
choosingraw.com
naturallyella.com

Books I'm enjoying:
Crazy Sexy Diet
Crazy Sexy Kitchen
Forks Over Knives Cookbook

Documentaries on Netflix:
Forks Over Knives
Engine 2 Diet

I've got some great stuff for you this week! I can't wait to share some new Toms (and the story behind them!) and a new DIY project! Happy Monday!

Currently

(One of my favorite pairs of custom Toms from last year!)

Finished.... my next article for Artful Blogging and took some pictures for it too. So excited!!!

Getting.... snail mail! My favorite!

Reading.... A Million Little Ways by Emily Freeman & The No Brainer Wardrobe E-book by Hayley Morgan

Eating.... LOTS of veggies and salads! YUM!

Drinking.... green tea called "Zen". (so good!)

Planning..... to blog, but it's a crazy season... Sorry if I'm a little quieter for a little while!

Thinking.... about trying new vegan recipes :)

Forgetting..... to start my laundry. The closet is looking bare!

Excited..... about spring time! I need more sunshine in my life :)


Hope your week is going great!

Creative Life: Anniversary Trip!

We had the best anniversary trip a few weeks ago! To celebrate 5 years of marriage, we went to the Bishop Arts District in Dallas (and a few other fun places too!) Every time we take a trip I get inspired, but this time was different. This neighborhood was full of little independent shops, artists, pie bakers, galleries, a florist, boutiques, and lovely home shops! Every store front was unique and full of creativity. Each shop we entered had the artist standing right there to explain with passion how they create their product or do their design (or bake their pies... YUM!) This inspires me so much because this neighborhood is filled with creatives living their dreams! The air was filled with possibility and the vibe was so authentic and meaningful... because everything was done with a full heart!

Here's a little peek from my phone pics, but I actually took some with my "real" camera too! Hopefully I'll get around to sharing those too, but I couldn't wait any longer to share this awesome experience. I hope it encourages you today too!

Favorite stops... Cafe Brazil, Home Bishop, Neighborhood, Dude Sweet Chocolate, M'antiques, We Are 1976, Simply Austin, Just Add Jeans, Dirt & Emporium Pies!

Creative Life: 29 Is Just Fine!

Over the weekend I turned 29! It's been lovely far with some sweet celebrations, sweet messages from friends, lovely cards and lots of dessert! It's been busy around here trying to keep up with custom painting orders and keep this space fresh. :) The BEST kind of busy! I'm also getting pretty excited for Valentines Day!

Oh! and I was so honored last week to be interviewed by The Beloved Society Blog! You can check it out here. It kind of explains why I call these posts "Creative Life". :)

How's everything going with you? Hope your week is so happy!

Artful Blogging Spring 2013

I was so excited to write an article in the Spring 2013 Edition of Artful Blogging! This magazine is so beautiful and I'm so thankful to get to share another fun "how-to" article.

 After lots (and lots!) of research, I have SO many great iPhone apps to share with bloggers on the go! Really I think these apps could be helpful for anyone. :)

I found some really great apps for blogging from your phone, taking and editing photos, keeping track of your social media, getting your web stats and staying organized. Most of these apps are either free or just $0.99! Why not check 'em out?

You can pick up this issue of Artful Blogging at your local Barnes & Noble or order it online by clicking the link in my sidebar. Thanks as always for your amazing support! Happy day!

I'm still sorting through photos from our trip... more on that soon! :)