Engineered Style

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend!  Sunday around here was pretty rainy, but who doesn’t love a chance to relax and listen to the rain outside the window?  Due to the large and delicious brunch I consumed, the afternoon was spent doing just that.  We tried out the Saturday night Easter service at our church (this song was amazing…and probably my favorite part) and hosted a small relaxed brunch on Sunday morning.  At which point I decided that we really should not wait for Easter again to have brunch.  Truly the best meal of the day.

{Target Skirt and Sandals, Gap Tshirt, Charming Charlie’s Necklace}

P.S. The bluebonnets are blooming, and I love it.

A couple weekends ago, 3 friends and I threw a baby shower for our good friend, Jennifer.  Jennifer has decorated the baby’s room with a Dr. Seuss theme, so we couldn’t resist throwing her a Dr. Seuss themed party.  I thought you may enjoy seeing a few snapshots from the party.

Create-your-own Goody Bags

A one-of-a-kind cake

Themed Food and Decorations

Name Blocks for the Little One

Planning a shower in the age of Pinterest is so inspiring.  For the name blocks above, I was struck by this pin (sorry that I can’t trace it back to the original creator–it looks like this particular items may not be sold on Etsy anymore) and decided that I would try it out for myself.  In retrospect, the prices I found on Etsy for similar styles are just as good as what I paid for in materials, so unless you have the materials laying around, I may suggest buying the blocks from Etsy.  BUT, if you’re feeling crafty, stop by your local Home Depot / Lowe’s and have them cut up a 2×6 or 2×8 into random sized pieces.  Then all you need to do is sand the edges, spray paint the back and sides, and then use a little ModPodge to adhere scrapbooking paper to the fronts of the blocks.  Add a few embellishments, and you’re set!  I happen to own a Cricut that I used for the letters, but other than that, it’s easy-peasy!  However, I do not recommend tipping the container full of ModPodge onto the carpet.  Spouses tend to frown upon such behavior.  If you have any other questions about the decorations or food, let me know–the ladies that planned this with me are ahhhmazing party planners!

And so it begins.  I think I may be the only person in Texas who felt the 80+ degree heat over the weekend and just groaned.  It means summer is coming, and with it, temperatures climbing steadily into the upper 90′s and 100+.  The only plus are the long hours of daylight, although that means the heat sticks around that much later into the evenings.  I did manage to take advantage of the sunny weather with an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday morning.  I’ve never seen so many children gathered in one place at one time.  Overwhelming to say the least.  I (of course) took a nap in the afternoon to recover.

{Thifted Dress – similar, Banana Republic Shirt – similar, Target Shoes – similar}

Okay, so perhaps summer dresses are in normal rotation in your closet, but in case they’re not, you need to check out the selection at Old Navy right now!  Many are $15-$20 and super cute!  Plus, you know Old Navy–they have deals going on all.the.time.  Summer dresses are a must in Texas, especially for those of us without a fondness for shorts. Here are a few of my favorites (can you tell I like red and blue?):

Ruffle Jersey Dress (Old Navy): $15.00

Crepe Tie-Belt Dress (Old Navy) $25.00

Striped French-Terry Shift Dress (Old Navy): $15.00

Striped Tie-Waist Dress (Old Navy): $19.99

Belted Pocket-Jersey Dress (Old Navy): $27.50

Women’s Color-Block Keyhole Dresses (Old Navy): $30.00

Happy Weekend!

So while I didn’t intend to take a week and a half off, it was a much needed break in the midst of 3 busy weeks, including 2 trips out of town and a baby shower for a friend at my home.  Yeesh—I don’t consider myself a homebody, but seriously?!  How do people work AND travel every weekend?  I’m so thankful my sweet husband offered to clean up the house for the baby shower and that he doesn’t mind that I still haven’t unpacked from our last trip…

Here are a few photos from the last day of the Texas Style Council (taken by the lovely Jill of good life).  The symposium was wonderful.  I learned so much from the many great speakers.  Here are a few of my favorite take-aways: (I apologize in advance for not crediting everyone–many of the topics were discussions between several speakers, and I didn’t write it all down quickly enough!)

• Live a great life, not a big life (from Kendi on why you shouldn’t be too concerned about how big your blog is)
• Networking can grow your blog, but it also creates good friends (I met SO many great people that weekend, and it was fun to be able to talk about blogging with others so passionate about it)
• Become a trusted and unique source for your readers
• Take a step back and prioritize your blog and life, evaluating where your blog is, and what you want it to be

That last one is my current focus, and it may not be a few days (or even a few weeks), but I have many ideas swirling around in my head for this blog!

{LOFT pants-similar, LOFT blazer-similar, Fossil Watch, Fossil Necklace-similar, F21 Necklace-similar}