A Fall Instagram Weekend

Happy Monday everyone! How was your weekend? I had a great, productive time at home. My weekends are now fully dedicated to day-long knit and crochet sessions, but I still had fun as I....

- Crocheted mugs of hot chocolate and listened to Christmas music. (Wait...what's today again??)
- Baked a tray full of pumpkin cookies.
- I even unclenched my knitting needles long enough to put on some makeup, go outside and enjoy the cool weather in my horse sweater. I think it's official that fun sweater collecting is going to be my "thing". I'm addicted. ;)

I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween! What is your favorite candy? For me, it's a toss up between candy corn and those caramel apple lollipops. Mmm!

Weekend Plans 10/28 - 10/30

I'm afraid my weekends are going to be a bit boring from now until the Jingle Bash. It's all knitting and all crochet all the time over here. Good thing I love it so much! My hands started cramping up really bad the other day...whew.

Here's what I have planned for a yarn-filled weekend...

1. I'm so excited to bake these chocolate chip pumpkin cookies again! I saw Naomi of The Rockstar Diaries baking them up all the time and had to give them a try. They are probably the best cookies ever. No. Definitely.
2. Knit, knit, knit, crochet, crochet, crochet and repeat until my hands go numb!! ;)
3. Since it is Halloween weekend, I'll definitely squeak in some candy corn snacks and an annual viewing of It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, my absolute favorite!

I'm a little bummed that I don't have a reason to dress up this year. What are you wearing for Halloween? I'll try to live vicariously through your cute costumes! Haha. ;)

Have a great weekend!

DallasMADE - Handmade Jewelry by F is for Frank

Monday afternoon I was lucky enough to get a tour of the F is For Frank studio thanks to one of the designers, Casey Melton. After seeing Casey's and Shannah Frank's work at the Dallas Flea, I was hopeful I would get the opportunity to take a closer look at their process for making jewelry. Casey was extremely sweet as she and her two dogs showed me around the studio. (The pups even have their own side yard for running around!) 

Casey showed me into their open and airy workspace where they make every single piece of their beautiful jewelry. All of the sudden, Casey took me by surprise and actually started the process for making a pewter medallion. She placed one of their many molds into the centrifugal casting machine and poured the 500 degree, liquid pewter into the top. After a few minutes, she took the mold out and voila, a set of pewter medallions ready for jewelry making. I guess I never really thought about how their beautifully crafted and architectural pieces came to be...maybe they carved them or something? I was completely fascinated by this machine. I have to admit, I was also pretty amazed by how the shiny, liquid pewter resembled the grey, bubbling metal used on Wolverine's bones in X-Men. That's where my nerd mind wandered and I'm not ashamed to admit it...ok?

Casey and Shannah have been making jewelry for around 3 years, in addition to their work in housewares and designs of custom architectural elements. F is for Frank jewelry has expanded beyond Dallas and is in shops all across the country. They also go to a lot of large trade shows in addition to the smaller craft shows. As a result of my general craft show cluelessness, I had to ask her thoughts about doing craft shows. She said that they enjoy doing local shows, like the Jingle Bash, because...

1. It helps them test their product so they know what to sell.
2. They are able to promote themselves locally.

Sounds like great tips to me! Thanks Casey for showing me your beautiful jewelry and how it's made!

I just love sharing other great Dallas artists with all of you. I hope some of you are able to see what an awesome handmade community we have. It's finally setting in on me! ;-)

When the things I love become stressful...

I take a step back and...

- pray

- scream into a pillow

- cry into a pillow

- punch the pillow

- ...put down the pillow...

- take a walk

- call up a good friend

- watch a funny tv show (Parks and Recreation at the moment)

- laugh

- breathe

- pick up my needles, hook, pencil, laptop, or all of the above and remember why I love this so much

Now that college is coming to an end, I'm faced with so many decisions about the future that I'm not ready to make.  So, you could say it was "one of those days'...

But I have to admit, this system for de-stressing is highly effective. Just follow the steps, rinse, and repeat if necessary. :)

50 Bows Finished for the Jingle Bash Bags!

Whew! All 50 of my bows for the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash bags are finished! One of these beauties will be in each of the Bash bags given to the first 50 people in line, along with a lot of other awesome swag. So if you are coming out to shop on Nov. 19 try to get there early for one of these highly coveted goodie bags. I wish I could stand in line for one! But no...I will be inside...frantically setting up my booth. Eep! 

Oh my goodness. It's only 4 weeks away. I don't like energy drinks, but if I did now would be the time to start chugging. I'll just stick to coffee, thank you. ;) 

Thanks for all of your sweet words yesterday, my sinuses are feeling much better. I guess the tea really did help! Time to refill my cup and get back to work!! 

A bit under the weather...

{ "A Cup of Tea Solves Everything" by Nikki McWilliams and Brett Manning Drawings }

Dallas finally gets some cooler weather and I end up with a stuffy head. Thanks to a roaring case of sinuses, I spent the weekend drinking tea on the couch and missing my ability to smell. Even after multiple cups of Sleepytime tea, watching Funny Face, and reading my favorite magazines, I'm not feeling much better. On the bright side, it did give me the opportunity to stay home and get a lot accomplished, like finishing my 50 crochet bows (more on that later!). 

To everyone else suffering from sinuses, I raise my mug to you. Feel better soon! :)

This and That #4

A little This & That...

This: To continue the fun sweater trend, I was so excited when I found this floral beauty at H&M the other day. I've decided that this is going to be the winter of colorful sweaters, all to be worn without fear. ;-) (Thank you for all of your amazing and thoughtful comments yesterday. Seriously. Wow.)

That: In addition to sweater weather, the cooler temperatures bring out my love for tea and honey. It looks like I need to get a new honey bear before the weather really turns chilly!

I think I will make myself a cup of tea right now as I finish typing up this paper for class. I hope everyone is having a great week. Happy Almost Friday! ;-)

DallasMADE - Dowdy Studio Wagon Tour

I saw Pam and Dylan's Dowdy Studio Wagon in person for the first time several weeks ago at the Dallas Flea. Due to crowds and time, I couldn't explore their handmade shop as much as I wanted to, so I knew that I would have to go back and pay them another visit. Thankfully a journalism assignment prompted me to visit them even faster and on Saturday afternoon I went out to do an audio story about this adorable couple.

After getting married, the husband and wife duo brought together their individual talents (He: music inspired, screen printed shirts, She: wooden necklaces, art prints, illustration) and decided to fulfill their dreams of opening up a mobile shop. Since their grand opening in March 2011, the Dowdys have set up shop at markets all over Dallas and beyond.

For such a tiny space, their wagon is so warm, colorful, and welcoming that shoppers couldn't help but come inside and explore. Every inch of usable space beautifully displays their unique, handmade items. My favorite of their display techniques is the use of little desk drawers to hold their art prints on the wall. Brilliant and adorable! The detail they put into making their wagon beautiful perfectly mirrors the handiwork put into their creations. It's just a fun space to browse some really cool stuff! Plus, the fact that I was able to maneuver my 5'11" frame through the wagon without hunching over (and only hitting my head on the doorway once) is definitely a success.

So basically what I'm saying about the Dowdy Wagon is...when can I move in?? ;)

Have you had a chance to visit the Dowdy Wagon yet? Check out their events calendar and answer the age old question "Where's That Wagon" so you can see this awesomeness yourself.

Blogging for Confidence #8 - The "nerd" word...

{ two & three }

Yesterday it was cold enough to wear a sweater. (Yay!) So what did I choose? A nice hoodie? A cute cardigan? Nope. I went with a swan sweater...a sweater with a swan on it. It is cute, comfortable, and one of my favorite colors, so what's the big deal right? For reasons unknown to me, most people in this city wouldn't choose to wear a sweater with a you-know-what on it. So when I went to my classes I suddenly became extremely aware of how different I looked from the other sorority t-shirt wearing girls. I started tugging at the sleeves and nervously crossing my arms in an attempt to cover the bird. I convinced myself that some of the other girls were looking at me funny and probably thinking, "Where on earth does that "nerd" shop?". As I gathered my books to quickly escape the embarrassment happening in my own head, a couple girls stopped me and said, "Meredith, I really like your sweater!" I was shocked and stammered, "Oh, thank you. Oh! Thanks!".

This same sad little scene happens whenever I tell someone that I like to knit and blog for fun. At first I feel like that superhero knitter, suddenly revealing my hidden talent. However, all too quickly that strength weakens and the only thing I can hear bouncing through my head is "nerd. nerd. nerd. you are a nerd." until my face turns red. The worst part about this is that the only person who has ever called me a "nerd" to my face is...me. (Minus a few cootie-ridden boys in elementary school who called me "four eyes" and then "three eyes" when I had to wear an eye patch...) I'm the one who still isn't confident enough to wear what I want and be interested in something just because it is different.

The fact that I even wore that sweater to class shows me that I'm slowly getting over this self-conscious stuff. For me, I think it's easier to assume that everyone else thinks I'm this weird, awkward, nerd girl who doesn't fit in, instead of coming to terms with the fact that I'm the one who thinks all of those things about myself.

Until I stop putting myself down, I'll never appreciate the unique little quirks that make me, me.


* I know it's been awhile since my last Blogging for Confidence post, but this was something that I really wanted to share. I'm going to try to do a few more before the year is up and I hope you do too. :)

The Blush List - A Little Red

Red is always inspiring, perfect for fall, and a great warm color to craft with as the temperature drops outside. I couldn't help noticing somewhat of a "Little Red Riding Hood" theme happening as I put all of my finds together. Haha. Enjoy! 

Knitting //  I love these gorgeous, knitting Eames wire chairs. 

Crochet // What a warm addition to a morning cup of coffee. I love Kate's coffee-cozy creations at Knit Storm. 

Etsy // The perfect compliment to any cardigan. Little Red Riding Deer wood framed brooch by The Storybook Rabbit

Style // Ashley's red cape is simply stunning. 

Art // "Girls Like Superheroes Too..." by Gemma Correll. It's true! My favorite is Batman. ;)

Food // Mmm mmm. I'd love to warm up to a bowl of this cajun tomato soup any day.


I know this is a day later than usual, but I spent yesterday getting ahead on homework. Now I'm just looking forward to a week of knitting and studying in the much anticipated 60 degree weather coming to Texas! I can't wait!! :)

Happy Monday everyone!

Weekend Plans 10/14 - 10/16

Even though it was a short week, I still had one last midterm to study for, so Friday can never get here fast enough...can it? Here's what I have planned for the weekend:

1. Go to the pumpkin patch. Check! ;-)
2. I got a shipment of yarn in the mail today so I see a lot of granny square cowls in my future...I think I will start one now!
3. I got this pretty copper, sparkle nail polish from Sephora last week, but couldn't decide how to use it...until now.
4. I'm really excited to get the opportunity to merge homework with my blog! In my journalism class we have to make an audio slideshow, and I chose to do it about the Dowdy Studio Wagon. They will be set up at the Deep Ellum Outdoor Market tomorrow afternoon, so I will be snapping pictures and recording audio for my project. I will share the pictures here for another DallasMADE post so you can see the ins-and-outs of their super cool wagon. If you would like, I will try to post the finished project on the blog too!

Well, that's about it. What do you have planned for the weekend? I hope it's a great one!

This and That #3

This: I'm always working on bows in between studying and class. I only have a few weeks before I need to turn in 50 bows for the Bash bags! Yikes!

That: I love the Fifi Lapin postcards that I bought from her Etsy popup shop a few weeks ago. Could they be too cute to use? ;-)

I hope everyone is having a great week! I'm having a little trouble getting back into the swing of things after the long weekend, but hey, tomorrow's already Friday! Yay!

*As always, if you want to give This & That a try, leave your links here. :)

DallasMADE - Food & Crafts at The State Fair of Texas

I've made the now nostalgic journey to visit Big Tex and the State Fair of Texas every year since I was in kindergarten. Our school district gave us a "Fair Day" and a free ticket to miss a day of school and enjoy the fair. Suffice it to say, this four week spectacle is a big deal in Texas. I would say (but don't quote me on this) that it is one of the oldest Texas traditions that continues to uphold the handmade movement. From the homemade pies to the cable knit sweaters, the fair oozes good ol' southern craftsmanship. The fair may not be as hip and trendy as Etsy Dallas or We Are 1976, but seeing that it has been around for over 100 years, they must be doing something right. 

My family took advantage of the long weekend and decided to see what we could see on the fair grounds Tuesday afternoon. Our first find was a stand giving out free mini ice cream cones. Not a bad start to the day. Then we just ogled the food for a little while, preparing our growling stomachs for our glorious, one and only corny dog of the year. I don't even like corny dogs, but this one is the ultimate exception...

Ah, Fletcher's Corny Dogs....where it all began. Believe it or not, this is where the original corny dog was invented in 1942. The stand is still operated by the same family to this day! Talk about a handmade tradition. The fair wouldn't be the fair without these corny dogs. It's just a fact. 

Now aside from the corny dogs, I'm not much into the fair's famous fried food. I think it gets a little over the top. I mean, just look at some of the new items on the menu this year. Fried Pineapple Upside Down Cake? Fried Bubble Gum?!? Oh, say it isn't so. I gladly avoided future heart problems and chose to indulge in a belgian waffle covered, chocolate dipped strawberry. It's just a strawberry so it's good for me right?? Haha. I had to try. 

Then we went to the Creative Arts building to see all of the prize winning crafts on display. The incredible detail put into each piece is always impressive. These people work so hard every year to win the blue ribbon. The Creative Arts contests include food, quilts, scale modeling and everything in between. There is just so much talent to see in one room! I love it! 

As always, I had the best time at the fair. Its sticky benches, sweet smells, and unfortunately steamy October temperatures never cease to bring back the days of my childhood.

The fair is only open until October 23, so make sure you don't miss your chance to visit!

Does your town have a fair like this one? What are some of the traditions you love to take part in every year?