stationery kits from ph design shop

With the summer approaching, lots of kiddos will be headed to camp and I wanted to share these adorable stationery kits from ph design shop. These kits are seriously adorable and the perfect gift to give you child that's about to go off to camp.



Each kit comes with:
25 loose sheets of personalized paper
15 envelopes
15 postage stamps
15 return address labels
3 matching icon buttons
1 bull clip
1 clipboard backer
2 #2 pencils with eraser



No wee ones? or just want a stationery kit for yourself? They also have K.I.T. (That's "Keep in Touch.) It comes with all of the same pieces but in a more adult-friendly version.



You can get one for the campster here and one for yourself here.

Gorgeous Design :: JUXTAPOSED : Power

I stumbled across this gem while flipping through the newest issue of Dwell magazine and am absolutely in love. There is no price on the website, which could only mean that is costs a fortune! But a girl can dream...

spring clutch from b.bags

Every first Saturday, the Heights goes nuts. Lots of shops have great sales. Pet adoption foundations come out and line Heights Boulevard with puppies. And over on 19th Street, the First Saturday Arts Market is going on.

I try to make it every month as there are always new vendors to scope out. A couple of months ago, b. bags founds its way into the market. Her products were absolutely adorable (and SO me,) but of course, I could not spend any extra money at that time.

To my wonderful surprise, b. bags was back at the Art Market today!

Needing a new spring purse, I decided to help out a fellow crafter and purchased the little goodie below:

Adorable, right?

Not only is this cute little bag handmade and locally made, but all of her products are made from upcycled materials.

I'm pretty keen on my new find.

You can check out b. bags on etsy and you can also visit her blog.

mini garden

About three weeks ago, I started a tiny little itty bitty garden in my back yard. I wanted to start growing my own veggies and herbs, especially since fresh herbs are so dang expensive at the grocery store! After adding up all of the vegetables that I wanted to grow, I had to do a serious cut back and just start with a couple of pots.

I've planted summer squash (in the large pot) and basil and catnip (in the smaller pots)

Since I know absolutely nothing about gardening, I did a little research and found this super handy guide. From everything that I read about growing vegetables is that they need adequate draining. I added rocks to the bottom of the pot to help with the draining.



Soil was added on top of the rocks. I used Micracle-Gro Organic Choice Potting Mix.

Then I planed all of my seeds and waited....

A week later, this is what I have!

This photograph was taken this past weekend. The squash is shooting up, growing about a half inch everyday. The basil and catnip are sllllooooowwwwwlllly coming up and may not be as successful. One is growing more than the other, but I have no idea which pot is which any more!

I'm thinking about adding a few more veggies soon, but I'll have to see if I get anything good to sprout first!

welcome to my neighborhood: buchanan's native plants

Part of moving to a new part of town is getting out to explore. The Heights is FULL of cute little mom and pop shops, locally owned jems, and unique finds. Just down the street from me is an adorable nursery called Buchanan's Native Plants. This place is HOPPING on the weekends with lots of young people and families. It is the perfect destination for all of your plant needs (when you choose not to go to the giant box stores.)

I love that Buchanan's has a whole section of cactus! I'm dying to get one but am thinking of a place where the little kitty will not get injured trying to play with it...

As some of you may have read on my twitter, I have recently started a small little garden in my backyard (a post about that to come.) Buchanan's was a great place to get started. Once my plants grow, I can't wait to reward myself with a little treat like the uber-cute beehives below!

Besides a full nursery, Buchanan's has a great gift shop. They carry everything from candles to books to jewelry to decor. There are lots of fun finds in the little yellow house buried behind all of the plants!

my new home in houston's historic heights!

I moved to the Heights at the very end of March and have been settling in quite nicely. In comparison to my last apartment (which I hated) this new apartment is AMAZING. It is a one bedroom, lower unit in a four-plex. The kitchen is quite large...and yellow! How perfect?

There is hardwood floors throughout the house, except the kitchen and bathroom have black and white checkered tiling.

I still have a lot that I want to do/buy/make in my new house, but for now, this is what I have come up with!

Living Room:


This mini-door in the living room leads to an enormous walk-in closet, with shelves lining two of the walls.



The best part of this house: the windows! They are huge and they are everywhere! Tilly has never been so happy to watch all of the birds and squirrels play outside.

Bedroom:



This dresser is one of my favorite pieces of furniture that I own. Surprisingly, all of my furniture that I have now was a part of my very first "big girl" bedroom. I just gave it a nice bright coat of turquoise paint to update the look.


A second dresser, part of my nursery! I refinished this a few years ago.

Bathroom:


Cutest bathtub ever.

Kitchen and Dining Room:


A detail of my bar. I love the grey laminate with the yellow walls!


My little dining area. Perfect for a couple of friends for brunch!

And that is a snapshot of my new place! I learned some new photoshop skills and am a little obsessed with "aging" my photos, so I hope that it's not too distracting!

You can visit my flickr to see a complete set of photographs around my house.

Color Career Counselor: I'm a Doer.

I found this nifty quiz via The Order of Things (I believe, but of course, I cannot find the exact link.) This quiz has you choose your favorite and least favorite colors and by doing so tells you what type of career would suite you best.


According to this quiz, I am a Doer and an Organizer. I don't think I really needed a quiz to tell me that.

The keywords of a Doer: Emotionally Stable, Reliable, High Energy, Practical, Thrifty, and Persistent.

Duh.

It's pretty fun. Take the quiz yourself here!