Play Time!

We've had rainy mornings and gorgeous, sunny afternoons in Houston. There's talk of a picnic at the Menil lawn that will include cheese, wine and the boyfriend's homemade chicken salad.. which involves cranberry sauce and brie. Life is good-- I have no complaints.

As these long summer days approach us, I fantasize about play clothes, sandals and sunburns.... hope your weekend is sunny, funny and happy.

Zimmermann Babushka floral playsuit
TOMS-Classic Plain Canvas Shoe
H81 Giraffe Tee
Converse Chuck Taylor® Garment Dyed Sneaker
J.Crew chino short
Sass & Bide tee
Tory Burch grass green flats
Black Stripe Beach Short
Missoni Fortaleza woven jumpsuit
Bottega Veneta Gladiator flat sandals

Westheimer Block Party

The Westheimer Block Party was so much fun! It's basically seven to eight venues, usually former houses, set up with bands on every floor or parking lot, playing all day. Bring your own beer, paint your own face, enjoy the wonderful Houston weather. for the record, everyone's favorite band of the day was Ringo Deathstar, a pop band from Austin.

I loved all the cute families that came out-- my favorite was the little boy who proudly wore his wolf hat. It doesn't get any cuter than that. (And he kind of looks like what I imagine my boyfriend looked like when he was little. I have a adorable photo of him dressed up as a bunny to prove it; will save it for an Easter post). The colors, clear skies and action of the block party set up the perfect opportunity for me to play around with my camera for the first time.

Anvil Bar & Refuge

So last night I headed out to Montrose's Anvil Bar & Refuge, a cocktail bar run by Robert Heugel, Kevin Floyd, and Steve Flippo-- a couple of cocktail freaks who also manage Drink Dogma, a cocktail blog dedicated to art and seduction of quality spirits.

My first drink was adorable and delicious. Gin, honey and lemon. Named for something related to a bee. I don't remember, but it was good. Didn't want to drink it too fast good. My second drink was a drink that involved egg whites and tequila. It was okay. Kinda frothy and didn't sit right knowing the two were mixed. The atmosphere was great, the clientele was a little more upscale than one would expect, but I think that will balance out as time goes on.

Jacked pictures from Drink Dogma and someone's flickr account, who obviously has some stake in the bar. Both sites provide lots of neat photos and information about how the the bar came to be.

Sidenote: I hate that I ended two sentences on this post with prepositions.

Small Houses X9

The 2009 Rice Design Alliance Architecture Tour will highlight innovative examples of small houses, under 2,000 square feet. This year's tour will be held Saturday and Sunday, March 28-29, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m

Cy Twombly Weekend/ Melty Rainy Days

As promised, I finally got a new camera, a Nikon D60. Hooray!

That kind of thing will do me no good when taking inconspicuous pictures in the Cy Twombly Gallery of the Menil Collection in Houston last weekend. Thanks iPhone. BF and I hit up three different museums because the weather was so crummy and we were dying to do something.

P.S. the gift shop at the Contemporary Arts Museum is incredible.

All photos taken be me except for the one with CT in it. NY Times.

Pupz be Breaking Me Down.

I'm *this* close to adopting a dog...

it was so hard to walk away from this adorable, sleeping puppy showing off hiz grilllll at the Highland Village Pet Adoption store. Sad face.

True Blue French Bakery in Houston

Thierry Andre Tellier Cafe & Pastry Shop

Can I tell you how thrilled I was when we found this place last weekend? Well, I was VERY thrilled. Especially since the amazingly delicious pastries were LESS THAN the price of cupcakes. I love me some boutique cupcakes, but knowing that they are more expensive than a gourmet mango mousse cake and a hazelnut cocoa pyramid, I pretty much will be going here every weekend for my sweets fix.

And I know I continuously apologize for crummy iPhone pictures. Too lazy to bust out my old digi. One day I will have a real blog with clear photos. I'm seriously considering spending some of my tax refund on a digital SLR. Probably going to buy a used one from Craigslist. If you know anyone selling, let me know!

Yeeee-HAW!

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Cook-Off is this weekend! ( The world's biggest rodeo, biggest BBQ cook-off..biggest deal in Houston). One of the perks of my job is free passes to the cook-off from various radio and TV stations. Also, Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears are playing tomorrow night at one of the big tents! Double bonus points.

Wish I could have a reason to buy these cherry blossom boots from caboots.com and wear them more than once a year. So pretty and not cheesy cowgirl style--which always is in abundance at Rodeo.

Weekend..

Breakfast I made for my Valentine:) (he got me flowers, replenished my my tea & chocolate stash! perfect.)

Abandoned Cupcakes from Aerosol Warfare Gallery :(

Our Place

Pictures are from realtor web site... I'll have better ones in a few weeks.

Okay, so we signed a lease for a cute four-plex in Houston. My amazing BF found the place last week and within 24 hours it was ours. We move in on Friday and I cannot wait. We'll be out of Sugar Land in right between River Oaks and Montrose, two great Houston neighborhoods that have amazing restaurants, shopping, parks, you name it!

I look forward to visiting these places and sharing them with all of you :)

Lawndale Art Center

In the space of absence | Kathy Kelley

John M. O'Quinn Gallery

“This project is composed of a series of visual explorations toying with the ideas of continuous consumption, the stunting of growth via unending wanting, the never ending suckling of consumer goods without fulfillment, in conjunction with some of Melanie Klein's object relations theory on personality development, envy and gratitude or lack thereof, her referencing of the experience of breast feeding as being determinant in much about who a person becomes (old theory coming on the heals of Freud but interesting). The work is a visceral response to this dissection of the incessant wanting of consumer culture on the self with each element becoming referential of the shadow self.” – Kathy Kelley

found sound (Public Music Reconnaissance) | Patrick Renner
January 23 – February 28, 2009

Mezzanine Gallery

Patrick Renner will present an installation consisting of found telephone poles with attached sound-harvesting devices. These mechanisms, based on the function of the standard music box, will be activated by all the leftover nails, staples, and hardware used to hang public notices of garage sales, lost pets, property listings, et al. The random melody the devices produce is the reinterpretation of imbedded information that we see all the time as we pass through the urban landscape.

The President

Barack Obama

Photography by Calle Shell

Frock Your Closet

When I was in college, I came home one summer and worked at Frock Boutique in Houston. Frock carried pieces from smaller, foreign designers that became a huge hit with River Oaks ladies (both young and old). I LOVED working in such a calm space with the most friendly customers.

This past year, Frock closed it's doors but its owner, Marianne Mayeux has come up with a brilliant "GO GREEN!" idea for anyone who wants to keep up their look without spending a fortune.

Here's her new plan, straight from the horse's mouth:

Who says your wardrobe has to be in a recession, too?

Not I! Times are tough but we still want to look and feel great without breaking the bank. And those who really understand fashion know that a lot of money is not necessary for great style or an enviable closet.

Most of you know me from my boutique, Frock, which I closed recently. I am happy to announce that I'm venturing into personal styling and wardrobe/closet consulting. Although I'm no longer buying for a store, I'm now available to you personally and at an affordable hourly rate.

I started my first fashion business over 7 years ago, importing up-and-coming designer's creations from Milan and then in 2005 I opened Frock. These valuable endeavors, which taught me so much, along with my fashion expertise and organizational skills make this a natural fit.

In times like these it is ideal to optimize what you already own by repairing, altering or remaking garments, or by simply filling in some pieces to make your look current. Even adding a statement piece of jewelry may be all that's needed for a lift. You will be amazed at how far your wardrobe (and dollar) can stretch! But the absolute best thing about getting organized is how your mind also becomes clean; our closets and drawers can be symbolic of what's going on in our heads and in our lives.

I am pleased to offer the following services:

* Closet cleansing/wardrobe consultation
* Personal shopping
* Travel wardrobe shopping and/or packing
* Special event outfit coordination and/or shopping
* Outfit coordination

My fee for closet/drawer reorganization is $50 per hour with a 2 hour minimum. For all other services the fee is $40 per hour with a 1 hour minimum. I am flexible, with availability during the week and on weekends. Please feel free to pass this on to your friends and family.

Happy New Year-

Marianne Mayeux
Mobile: 713-412-7623
Email: mariannemayeux@yahoo.com

Reject, repair, recycle, renew!

Cool huh? I can tell you personally that she has a phenomenal sense of style and will make you flourish with your own.

Always In Great Taste

While BF and I were apartment hunting last weekend (Houston, Seattle, Chicago? Where am I going to live in six weeks????), we came across the adorable Sugar Babies Cupcake Boutique. Okay, so the uber-girly decor may nauseate your male companion, but you can get the cupcakes to-go!

You must check it out if you're in the Kirby/Montrose Area. It's also next to a fantastic design shop with plenty of stationery goodies that will tug on your letterpressed heart strings.

Sugar Babies Cupcake Boutique
3310 S. Shepherd
Houston, TX 77098

And It Was Love

A couple week ago when Chelsey was in town, we stepped into Kuhl-Linscomb, the amazing lifestyle store in Houston that will have everything you could ever want to put into your home, kitchen, office, etc. There was this gorgeous desk that we pretty much died over.

You're probably thinking it looks like an air-hockey table but it's quite divine. It can be found at Herman Miller which means it's expensive but worth it and not in my near future.

Thank Heaven for Little Dogs

1. Boyfriend is back in town.. we made our first stop at Japaneiro's, always the most amazing food!

2. Went to Houston ArtCrawl, had a great time drinking wine with friends. We didn't get to too many studios, but I really liked this one. Patrick Medrano is the name. That's the sweet dog who inhabited studio TwentyTwenty. The painting in the very right hand corner of the dog picture is called Pig Toss. The full version is the sea foam green photo. It must be 10' x 7'? Massive.

3. Tried a new restaurant, Bluefish sushi in Houston. I was surprised to find that they had fried ice cream! I only noticed this as we were leaving, so I will have to go back.

4. I'm dog sittng a big hairy dog named Scout. He's going to get me back on the working man's schedule.

5. I got a LOT done with my little project. Still keeping it on the hush.

This Weekend in Houston....

Retablo Exhibition
October 20 - November 8, 2008

Lawndale Art Center is pleased to present its 21st Annual Día de los Muertos series of programs, a celebration of the art, music and practices of Mexico. Lawndale invites Texas artists to create their own interpretation of the traditional tin devotional painting practice in Mexico known as the retablo in this annual exhibition.

I woke up with the power out, not really somethin to shout about.

Still no power-- walked out of the apartment this morning with my shirt inside out. It's not easy getting dressed by candlelight. I don't mind the non-electricity JUST yet. The only thing I'm missing is TV and cooking(ahem....or someone cooking for me). But really, I'm surviving just fine without TV.

The picture, is my room with the candles. I think once winter starts rollin' in I'll be turning off the AC/Heater and lights--given that I have power--and start using candles at night. It's kind of nice. I don't have any babies or pets so it's relatively safe. I started thinking about how everyone used to live by candles and how necessary it was for a town or village to have a few candle makers.

There's a small town near the ol' alma mater, Texas State University, called Wimberly and there's tons of candle makers. My statistics teacher lives there and said "You can't swing a dead cat in Wimberly without hitting a candle maker or massage therapist." Well said, Dr. Caldwell, well said.

YIKES! Hurricane Ike.

Wow.. sorry it's been so long since an update. We've got a little situation down here in Houston called Hurricane Ike. Fortunately, there's been no structural damage to myself or my family, just power outages.

For many others, they've lost their homes. The past few days have been stressful and chaotic, but things are starting to come back together. It doesn't hurt that the weather has been cooling down, allowing those without power to open their windows and let their houses breathe. (For anyone who doesn't know Houston weather, there's rare opportunity to open your windows before the end of October).

It's been awesome to see the humanity that comes out of people in situations like this. Some are just itching to run around and help. I've spent some of my time in Jon's parents' neighborhood where one man was going house to house repairing strangers' fences. Others are going around to the houses without electricity, gathering the perishable food and dirty laundry so they can give back a hot meal and clean towels.

Galveston County has seen the worst of it and still needs lots of help. Please donate to the Red Cross- Houston Chapter!

Monosaccharide Overload

Unfortunately, I think I'm going to develop diabetes. This past weekend was filled with SUGAR!

1. margarita cupcakes and raspberry sorbet from Jon's Mother's birthday
2. chocolate flan from The Chocolate Bar(also of West Alabama fame)
3. crème brûlée from Whole Foods
4. peach cobbler from Hermann Memorial Hospital (Mommy got her appendix out, is doing A-OK)

All I can think about right now is that I want fish and veggies for dinner, no dessert. Give me bland bland nutrients please! Note the hugeness of the chocolate cakes from The Chocolate Bar-- that is an 8x10 sheet of paper to the right of the cakes.