Shiny Things...

via Pinterest

Well...its true.
I started on a really fun pair of shoes tonight for myself (wearing my Discotoes is hands down the easiest way to advertise!!) and I CANNOT WAIT to wear them out!


I'll share the original shoe and inspirations soon!

Feature on "The Bride Suite"!!

I now understand the magic of fall.  Obviously, I've experienced 26 fall seasons myself, but this is the first one in my life that I've seen the leaves really change.  I am beginning to understand the purpose of wearing sweaters and gloves and tall boots and oh my gosh leg warmers!  I'm looking forward to spending this Thanksgiving with my older brother and friends (dubbed "Friendsgiving") and it actually looking like Fall.

What else looks like fall?  Take a peek at this stunning photo shoot featured on The Bride Suite!  Organized by Sara and her crew at Urban Style: The Wedding Network, the shoot was created to inspire a Thanksgiving Rehearsal Dinner.  It is simple and rustic and cozy but also oh-so-elegant.

Check out two lovely posts filled with stunning pictures:

The Bride Suite Blog

Urban Style Blog

I contributed a beautiful pair (seen below) of brown leather pumps with copper, gold, and silver metallic stones for the day and they fit right in with the beautiful decor!  The shoes were custom made for New Bride Caitlin to be worn to her real rehearsal dinner and I'll share that story with more photos very soon!

Please check out all of the vendors who contributed to the shoot, especially if you are a Southern California Bride!

Urban Style the wedding network- Styling & Coordination Camellia Wedding Flowers- Floral & Decor Siegel Thurston Photography - Photography Sessions Public-Restaurant Paper Scissors Print-Menus, Tags Tessa Kim-White Flower Headpiece Amanda Moore  -Hair Pow Wow Vintage Rentals-Goblets,Chairs Tailored Sweets-Dessert Table White Wedding Day Events-Chargers, Napkins, Candle Sticks Disco Toes -Shoes Worn by Bride to Be Mimi & Lu-All Jewelry on women The Bridesmaid Boutique-Brown Cocktail Dress worn by Bride to Be Cady Briar Handbags- Carried by all women Classic Filmworks-Videography

Featured "Lucky Find" on Eventipity

I am SO excited to be featured as a "Lucky Find" on the brand new Eventipity website!

From their website:

"As event industry professionals, we found there was no site that allowed consumers to find quality vendors with last minute deals on un-booked dates. Thus, we designed eventipity.com to fill that void.
What makes us unique is we can help you no matter what kind of event you're planning: wedding, anniversary, baby shower, sweet sixteen, graduation, birthday, corporate or any other event you can think of. The site allows you to browse local vendors through "eventipity listings." Once you find what you are looking for, or something new you didn't know existed, all you have to do is contact them, mention our site and you'll be on your way to creating an unforgettable event!
We also offer "lucky finds" voucher deals. These irresistible timed deals allow you to purchase vendor services or products at a fraction of the original price. Available in each city, you buy directly through our site and redeem your voucher with the vendor."

For the next 6 days, you can purchase a $175 voucher for only $100!  Click the banner below to go to the offer:

Home is where you keep your toothbrush

A few years ago, while working in Illinois at a summer theater festival, I met a really amazing friend, Al.  She and I got along very well from our first meeting and we often had long chats about any number of interesting and random things.  During one of these chats, she said to me,

"Home is where you keep your toothbrush."

Its been over four years since we met, but I have never forgotten those words.

Lets look at some numbers:

13: Number of dorms/houses/apartments I have lived in the past 10 years.

4: Number of states I've lived in (Texas, Illinois, San Diego, Ohio)

1: Number of foreign countries I've lived in (Italy)

23: Number of different roommates I've had in the past 10 years.

1 3/4: Longest number of years I've lived in the same house.

Those are some pretty crazy stats.  I have good memories about all of them and each one has taught me everything from patience and cooking to respect and love.  Though I am SO OVER moving so much and I dream of the day that I move to a home that I know I'll be staying in for a longer period of time, ultimately, I feel blessed.  I have 'homes' all over the country.  I have lived with some really great roommates (and a few quirky ones as well).  I have found the joy in making my home wherever I keep my toothbrush.  Its hard and challenging and scary sometimes, no doubt.  But, I can say with confidence that I can make my home anywhere and be happy.    

I've been living in Cincinnati for 3 months.  THREE months, already.  I can't really believe it and yet I feel as though I've lived here for years.  I've settled in quite quickly here and I have really fallen in love with the city and all it has to offer.  I look forward to spending an extended amount of time here, to calling in home for a while.  

So tell me,

What does "home" mean to you?

What do your housing numbers look like?  (I'm curious if anyone can beat mine!)

San Diego to Cincy Roadtrip

This is a (mostly) picture post of my road trip adventures from San Diego to Cincinnati this past August.  I really enjoyed the vast changes in landscape from state to state and I think you'll see that in the photos!  This is Day 1 (of 3)...

"OMGeeee I'm moving to OHIO?!"

"Ok, I'm moving to Ohio!"

 On the road...it was early but we had plans to make it to Albuquerque by nightfall.

The rainstorm was really beautiful because of the wide open views we had!

And as the sun was setting, we pulled into Abq. for the night.  The sunset cast the most beautiful coral glow onto the mountains!

Days 2 and 3 coming up next...

Happiness is...

I getting around to sharing a new Happiness is... post finally.  This covers the last few weeks of things that are making me happy!

Happiness is...

Sleeping until you wake up on your own on the weekend.  And that lovely extra hour thanks to Daylight Savings Time!

Monster marathons of "Lost" with friends, food, and beverages.  We've got 10 episodes left in the final season and should finish them all today.  I remember from when the series originally ended that a lot of people were upset that many of the questions were not answered regarding the mysteries of the island.  It is quite nice knowing this so that my expectations are low for the finale.  Then I'll be pleasantly surprised when they share more than I, right?  (Does reverse psychology really work when you do it on yourself?)

Rosie the Riveter

I recreated the id badge the women wore, I though it was so cool!

Having NO WAIT at Joanns fabric store to get yardage cut the week before Halloween.  Joann's is a handy place, it really is.  Unless its the weeks before Halloween when everyone wants to be a Costume Designer.  Or it is a weekend.  Or it is any time you need to have fabric cut and pull a little number and wait 20 minutes.  Anyone who has to go there regularly will tell you that Joann's takes forever and the people behind the cutting counter are mean or incompetent, or both.  I feel very lucky to say that the Joanns in Mason, Oh was so so quick AND the woman behind the counter was downright NICE...it was a moment I'll never forget...for at least a month.

A Friday night hanging out with friends playing Giant Jenga at a Neons.  A large outdoor bar area is great in the summer, but not so bad this fall either.  They have pool, shuffle board, giant jenga, and bocce ball plus little fire chimneys dotted about to keep you extra warm.  My favorite part about knocking the jenga blocks over is joining in with half the bar yelling "JENGA!"

Countdowns to reunions...31 days till sibling Thanksgiving and 59 days till Family/Boyfriend Christmas!

Seeing your best friend marry their best friend.  I've been in four weddings between March and October and I couldn't be happier about it!  Seeing my dearest friends so happy makes me so happy.

Embracing cold weather because it means wearing a purple pea coat and cloche hats.  So far, I'm handling the 'cold' weather well.  I think the lowest temperature has been just above freezing and I did not freak out.  I know the ice is coming (I think we get very little snow and a whole lotta ice) but I've got my industrial sized ice scraper, so I'm ready!!

Happiness is...

Happiness is...take 2

...A reunion with my love after a month and a half apart and having so much fun we forgot to take pictures.

...Beating your boyfriends brother at fantasy football. Soundly.

...A respite at work after a rush of notes to open a show.

...Using your skills in craftiness for a good cause (more on sparkles, bras, and the Susan G. Komen foundation soon).

...Upcoming weekend road trip to Chicago with the roomies and visiting familiar faces.

...Best friend's wedding in 10 days and counting.

...Roommates leaving bananas to go bad so I have an excuse to make banana bread muffins.

...Growing your hair long to wear it curly (favorite!)...then cutting it all off and still loving it.

...Starting the count down to Christmas in October because it makes it so much easier to know when you'll be with family and friends again.

What is bringing you happiness this week?

Meet Hana

Meet Hana:

She is an incredibly talented Artist who does beautiful things like this:

www.hanashoup.com

and this:

www.hanashoup.com

and this:

www.hanashoup.com

See?  Told you they were beautiful!

Hana also has an incredibly quirky/classic/glamorous/casual style.

Exhibit A:

  

When she told me about the Discotoes she wanted, I had no doubt that she would totally own them!

Halfway through the stoning process...

Finished.  

I can't get over how dreamy the clear crystals look agains the black satin shoe.  So gorgeous, so classic.  I cannot wait to see what Hana pairs these shoes with, I have no doubt it will be fantastic!

Seychelles...say what?

If today you told me that I had to pick one brand of shoe to wear for the rest of my life, it would be these:

www.seychellesfootwear.com

They are vintage but modern, romantic but strong, and oh so delicious...

My favorites (for the moment at least)

Jungle
$165.00

Cream of the Crop
$90.00

Witness
$100.00

Spycam
$90.00

I just love that they have a shoe for every occasion!  Each of these shoes has a very different personality and function, but I can easily imagine that they all come out of the same closet!

Which of the shoes are your favorite?  Do you like one of my pics or is there another pair on the site that caught your eye?

Ask and you shall receive!

I've been having a minor panic attack since moving to the Midwest (Southwest Ohio is the midwest, right?).
Apparently it gets cold here.
Real cold cold...or at least as cold cold as I care to experience.


So what is this southern dwelling gal supposed to do when it gets cold?  I have been slowly pocketing the wise tidbits of information about living with snow/ice/cold over the past few weeks.
For example:
Don't buy the stupid little triangle snow scraper, instead go for the big mamma with a brush and a handle. Sounds easy enough, though the action of scraping my car windows might take a bit o' practice.


I will be the first to admit that I am incredibly naive about live in the frozen tundra, but I do know that if I am going to be a Megan-cicle, I want to at least look good frozen!


So what else would I do but reach out to Ashlee Mello of "A Mello Style" for some fashion guidelines for dressing cute in the cold!  I asked,

”[I] just moved from San Diego, I have NO winter clothes…how do I dress cute, warm, AND on a budget?”

And her answer?

Click HERE to read what she has to say about functional fashion in the Midwest!

Thanks, Ashlee for your helpful ideas!  

Do you have any suggestions for dressing warm in the cold?

Happiness is....

In case you are not acquainted with the most adorable song ever, let me introduce you to "Happiness" from You're A Good Man Charlie Brown...

Its easy to forget sometimes that we should appreciate the little things in life, to find happiness in a chewed on pencil and two types of ice cream...so I'll share my "Happiness" and would love to hear yours as well!!


--Happiness is...new curtains so the creepers can't look into my window at night


--Happiness is...clean laundry-and not having to go down to the dank, scary basement where I'm pretty sure the furnace (if there even is one) is going to start glowing and talk to me.


--Happiness is...Being organized and having a 6 page 'to do' list at work with the pink hilighter that I use to mark things off as I finish the task.

--Happiness is...beating your football obsessed boyfriend at Fantasy Football over the weekend and being smart enough to bet Ice Cream over it.  GO SPARKLY SPARTANS!! (yes, that is my team name, and yes, I will be very sad if Michael Vick does not get to play this weekend as it will wreck my points!)

--Happiness is...Hulu and being able to watch all of the new fall premieres without cable!


--Happiness is...Finding home wherever you go.  I'm connected with the Cincinnati Area Texas A&M Club and so far have gone to a Football Game watch party and a concert with Robert Earl Keen!

--Happiness is...stopping by the garden on my way out the door to work for fresh tomatoes to nibble on with lunch.

--Happiness is...my first out of state visitor (aka Boyfriend) coming in two weeks!

--Happiness is...an College/Aggie Player Reunion in 4 weeks at My Best Friend's Wedding!

What is YOUR happiness lately?  

Don't be shy, let me know!!

Purple Pretties

My muse and best friend, Lindsay is getting married in EXACTLY ONE MONTH! (...deep breaths, Linds!) This means I get to work on her incredibly fabulous Discotoes!  Her colors are purple and chartreuse, two of my favorite colors together.  Her bridesmaids are all wearing adorable purple dresses and she did not want to be left out of the purple fun.  We designed these fun and chic shoes for her to wear for her very special day.

I custom painted her pumps to give an ombre effect which will transition from purple at the heel to silver at the toe!  By painting the shoe with the colors of the stones, the colors and coverage of the stones looks even more vibrant.

Then came the beginning of the stoning!  I used three different sizes of Swarovski crystals (10ss, 16ss, and 20ss) nestled together in "Purple Velvet".  The accent up the back of the heel as well as the toe of the shoe will be "Silver Shade", and very classy silver!

Of course, these are still in process, more pics to come!

Another side project I've been working on this week is a cute and quirky garland for my new room!  The walls are so bare but because I only brought the bare essentials and I don't want to buy a lot of things right now, I found this project.  

I used a multi colored purple pack of cardstock, cut out different sized circles, and stitched them into a long chain!  It was quite simple but has a really great effect.  I'll be hanging them this weekend and I can't wait to see how it looks against my bright blue walls.

The Discotoes website will be up SO SOON (squeeeeeeel!!) and I can't wait to share it with you!!!!  

Extreme Blog Makeover!

Photo by Spencer Selvidge at

http://spencerselvidge.com/

Just a quick Sunday morning "Hello" and a first look at my new layout and beautiful LOGO!!

A big THANK YOU to Sara at Mackenzie Marketing & Design for the great logo.  Next we're moving on to the website and I can't wait to see how it turns out!

What do you think?  Leave a comment and say hello, let me know you're out there reading!

Next week, I'll be sharing more photos from the first official Discotoes wedding!  For now, another sneak peek at those darling shoes custom made for Logan!

Photo by Spencer Selvidge at

http://spencerselvidge.com/

Welcome to Cincinnati!

Hello Friends!

Just a quick update to let you all know that I have arrived and settled into my new home in Cincinnati, Ohio!  For those not familiar with where I am located on a map, wonder no more:

I am way down on the bottom left on the border of Ohio and Kentucky!  In fact, many people live in Kentucky (I believe it is a little bit cheaper) and drive into Ohio (and vice versa) for work, etc.  A river separates the two states, but it is easy to just hop on the bridges that go back and forth over it.  (Side note: this may sound weird, but the most crossed state line for me have been Texas/California to Mexico, making it much more complicated to cross, which is why I find it amusing that it is so easy).

Even though I have only been here two and a half weeks (it feels MUCH longer), I feel like I have a pretty good grip on the city already.  Its not a giant city and it is broken up into many smaller communities making it easier to recognize for me.  I live in Northside and I really love it.  It has a reputation of being the 'artsy' community, which I've always wanted to experience.  Just a few blocks away is a miniature downtown with restaurants, bars, shops, and other storefronts and I find myself walking there at least once if not more times per week.  There is also a weekly farmers market on wednesday evenings that is perfect for getting farm grown fruits and vegetables.  Early in the summer, my roommates planted a garden and now I get to reap the benefits!

Cherry tomatoes!!  There are a hand full of new ripe ones every day and they never sit for more than a day before being consumed.

This plant is a bit of a mystery but I *think* it is sprouting little brussle sprouts.  Can anyone confirm or deny?

 

When the powers of our garden combine (tomatoes, basil, and eggplant) with some other fresh goodies, we get an awesome homemade pizza!!

While I'm sharing all about food (which, I have a feeling I'll be sharing a lot of as Cincinnati is alllll about good food), I have to share my first "Skyline Chili" experience.  Skyline Chili is a fast/casual restaurant chain all over Cincinnati (and possibly beyond) that is 'famous' for its chili over spaghetti.  Yes, chili and spaghetti.  I had it "five ways" which means it has cheese, onions, beef, beans, and probably a 5th ingredient that I can't remember.  It is was all piled on top of overcooked spaghetti and topped with a pinch (if a pinch is a mound) of shredded cheese.  You also get a bowl of oyster crackers for good measure.  

I didn't love it...but I didn't hate it either.  It seems to be the kind of place that most people love or hate and I can see why.  I would go back and try the chili cheese hot dog sometime but I won't be getting the traditional chili any time soon.

I have much more to share about my trip across the country ( with a LOT of scenery pics and a super fun pit stop) as well as other adventures around the city so far.  I feel SO blessed to be led to a place that I feel so at home it.  I know the winter will be a little rough for this warm weather loving gal, but I am really looking forward to getting to know the people and the city of Cincinnati.