Tattoo Inspiration

Firstly, let me state for the record (and for my poor dad's wellbeing) I have only one, very small tattoo and I don't plan on any more in the near future. With that said, I wanted to share some beautiful tattoos I stumbled upon by Amanda Wachob. These are so unique and beautiful! I just can't get over it.

The last one across her upper back is my absolute favorite. I'm just in awe of how she's made tattoos look like paint strokes. It's really amazing. Just a little something to ogle over today!

Love, 

Magpie

Weekend DIY!

Earlier this month, I moved into a lovely little house which I share with my sister. I am definitely a homebody and I love to nest and make my living space comfy and cozy, and I aim to make it as much a representation of myself (and now with a touch of my sister) as I possibly can. The first thing I did was so pop some cookies in the oven, which was partly because I was craving baked goods, but also to give the house a deliciously homey smell. One of the next things we decided to do was paint our guest bathroom.


I found a link on Design*Sponge to a woman's entryway that she painted with a herringbone pattern and the sister and I decided to be brave and give it a try.

The first thing I did was to measure of vertical sections. I chose to do 8 inches across and taped it off floor to ceiling.

 Then I marked every 3 inches going down the tape. 

Next, we taped on an angle from one mark to the one below or above it on the next section.

Finally we painted! We love bright colors, so we went with a salmon (or Pepto Bismol, as my mother calls it) pink. When we took the tape down, we realized we'd had a little trouble with the paint bleeding under the tape, but it was nothing major and certainly nothing that couldn't be touched up.

Being the older sister that I am, I chose not to tell my little sister that we had a large paint roller until she was about 3/4 of the way through with job with her small paintbrush. The weekend before, I spent 5ish hours with 2 dear friends painting our living room and thought she could stand a few hours of painting herself. I'm sure this snide act of sisterly vengeance will come back around to bite me in the butt sometime soon.





Over all, we are extremely pleased! It was kind of labor intensive (the taping alone took 6-7 hours) but the end result is really neat and totally unique to our space!



Hope you feel inspired now!
Love, Magpie

PS I apologize for the poor lighting and quality of my pictures. However, I shall offer no explanation, nor do I promise that pictures quality or lighting will improve. That's just who I am.

Doing That Thing You Do..

One of my all-time favorite movies is That Thing You Do.  When I was little, my brother and I would watch that movie all the time.  And of course it was always the chosen one for road trips up to Grandma's house.  I used to love each of the band members for different reasons and spend equal amounts of time envisioning how my future husband would resemble or act like one of the characters.

I recently watched the movie for the first time in a long time with a friend of mine who is equally and substantially obsessed with it.  In fact, he happened to have the extended version of the DVD, which I've never watched and it changed my life.  So now I am into it all over again.  There is just something about that time period that makes me feel right inside.  The early 1960s are my hands-down favorite time period.  I am not a hippie child and I don't necessarily enjoy that end of the 60s, but the early part of the decade when the elegance and nostalgia still existed from the 50s and the mod, individualistic element of the later half of the decade is starting to creep in is simply perfect to me.  That Thing You Do takes place in 1964, so naturally I love the costumes, the music, the jokes, the attitudes, the decor -- everything.  I mean, seriously, who doesn't love a man in a slim-cut trouser, skinny tie, and blazer?

So, with That Thing You Do fresh in my mind, I'm feeling super inspired by the early 1960s and I have been actively working to include them in my everyday life.  I'm talking cat-eye sunglasses, cigarette pants, and officially transferring my cosmetics into a vintage train case.

Enjoy the finer things of the 1960s everyone! It's a glorious thing. 

-- Eagle

Mad Men Monday

Lately, I've been channeling Joan Holloway Harris, and by lately I mean since the show Mad Men first debuted. She is fabulous- witty, smart, voluptuous, and gorgeous, and though our tastes in men differ, I still aspire to be like her when I grow up.
This weekend, I decided to scope out the territory near my new house and found myself in Old Town Spring, TX. This is a cutesy little community of antique shops, art galleries, coffee and sweet shops, and of course- vintage clothing shops tucked back from the highway. I am such a sucker for any and all things kitschy and cute, so naturally I loved Old Town Spring. And I had some success on the dress-like-Betty-and-Joan front too! I found two fabulous late 50's dresses- the first of which I wore to work on Monday-declaring the theme for the day 'Mad Men Monday.'

Once I had the dress on, I realized that my hair needed to match the decade of the rest of my outfit! I pulled out the back-comb and got to work. I wish I had a better picture, but my trusty photo assistant was out of the house. I ratted and fluffed, and ratted and fluffed, and finally wrangled it all into a very high, very poufy bun on the top of my head. I was quite pleased my faux beehive (though the cashier at Home Depot on my way home from work didn't quite know what to make of me). With some sweeping black eyeliner and bright red matte lips, I think I did quite well.

Now that I've been building up my vintage wardrobe, I think it's time to start on the underpinnings. I need a crinoline to give my circle skirts the right shape. And while I realize that feminism undid the necessity for wearing those other highly restrictive undergarments, it's my opinion that there's something ultra feminine and sensual about the figure and curves they helped you accentuate. I'm for it- for now, at least. Ask me again after I've been wearing stays and panty hose for 8 hours!

Au Revior!
MagPie

Pink Lemonade and a Pretty Picture

Today, all I've got is a cute little picture to share that hopefully makes your insides warm and fuzzy. I went on an excursion to the cake supply store with a friend/coworker and after gathering our supplies, we stopped for a falafel sandwich at a cute little Mediteranian market. It was such a pleasant afternoon outing.

Also, I heart Instagram. Props to Alicia for putting up with my technology/iphone phobias and forcing me into the modern world.

Love,

Magpie

Inside a Lady's Purse

Ah, the purse. I love my purse. Apart from being the finishing accessory to most of my outfits, it's the most useful article of clothing (or accessory) I possess. While many women collect purses and change them out to match their mood or the season, I find one purse- a perfect purse that matches everything- and wear it till it fall apart and I am forced to find another. It's a very serious relationship-me and my purse.



My purse is one of the few things parts of my life that I am usually reluctant to allow people to rifle through. Generally, I'm an open book- I'll tell you whatever you ask, you can dig through my closet or medicine cabinet, no big deal. But my purse is a different story. I think it's because of all things, my purse is my lifeline. It's the key to girl scout style-preparredness and must be stocked in the most efficient way- with the things you must have with you at all times and a few other things that you know would be handy should any assortment of events take place. It's also possibly the most brutally honest representation of yourself. Your closet can be stocked full of clothes representing a style or image you are hoping to portray. A kitchen cabinet can be stocked full of foods that represent the way you would really like to be eating. A bathroom counter might be covered in make-up and beauty products that you aspire to using regularly. But a purse is you through and through-no fronts

The purse size a woman chooses, what she carries around, how it's organized- all glimpses of her personality. Today, for some reason, I feel compelled to share the contents of my purse with you. Make of me what you will!

First off- I carry a very large purse. I recently tried to downsize because my bag was so heavy that it was hurting my shoulder and back. I bought an adorable little cross body, 70's style brown leather bag with fringe. I worked with it for a week or two before I determined that rather than cutting back what I was toting around, I was really just cramming everything from my big bag into my now bulging little bag which makes it next to impossible to find what I'm looking for in a reasonable amount of time. In the last few weeks, I have given up and am now carrying my small purse in a larger tote bag that carries everything that wouldn't fit into my small purse. It's now a glorified and extra large wallet of sorts. Ridiculous.

Just call me Mary Poppins, but I have a lot of very useful stuff with me at all times. I always have my pocket knife, cell phone, and credit cards. Should you have hair fiasco, I have bobby pins, hair ties, and a comb. Wardrobe malfunction? I have safety pins and fashion tape. Beauty emergency? I have chapstick, handcream, neosporin, lipstick in two shades, mascara, nail polish, tweezers, and a compact. Not feeling well? I have a handkerchief (it's clean, don't worry) and Ibuprofen.

Less problem specific, but equally as useful, I almost always have these items with me:
- stamps (both foreign and domestic) and postcards for notes on a whim
- a small note book for writing thoughts and recipes
- a head scarf to protect the hair from drives with the windows down
- a paper fan because this is Houston and I try to keep my sweating to a minimum
- my kindle (you never know when you might have time to kill) AND a paperback book (you never know when the kindle battery might die!)
- a spare pair of earrings

I also have a list of items that are not always in my purse, but I happen to be carrying today (I admit that I'm not sure how some of these ended up in there):
-a hot glue gun and extra glue
- a packet of instant grits
- a bright yellow bandana
- my computer with it's charger
- a large wad of straw wrappers and reciepts from Cracker Barrel, Panda Express, Kroger, Smoothie King, and Sprinkle's Cupcakes
- paint swatches
- my cat's toenail clippers
- a boot shaped cookie cutter

Anyone of my friends will tell you that I've always carried a much-to-large purse full of things I didn't need and junk. And it's true. I always have and try as I might, I'm sure I always will. But someday if you find yourself out with me and in need of a sewing kit or an allen wrench, it's very likely that I'll swoop in and save the day! Keep that in mind. But perhaps, now having admitted to the ridiculousness that I've been carrying around with me, I should clean things out....  we'll see how long that lasts....

Love ya more than my luggage,
Magpie

Pies in the morning!

Good morning! Here are some delicious strawberry hand pies I made to kick off your cravings for the day!

Side note: I love hand pies in part because they make me think of 'Little Women.' Beth would send Meg and Jo off to work each day with a hand pie. Jo notes that aside from just being breakfast, they also served to keep their hands warm during the cold winter months. Oh goodness, do I love those little ladies...

Love, Magpie

Feed Your Obsession

Eagle is having a particularly French day today so I thought I'd follow up by recommending a great read. 'Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl,' is one of my favorite books of all time. I bought it on a whim when I worked at Anthropologie and I'm so glad I did. I've had it for 3 years now and it still lives on my bedside table as my go-to read when I'm between novels. And every time I pick it up I'm inspired to adjust my living habits to those of the Fraçaise! *Le Sigh. Such understated elegance mystique. Go get you a copy, tout de suite!

http://www.amazon.com/

Bonne Nuit!

Magpie

Je ne sais pas...

Some mornings I wake up and have an obsession -- not a long-lasting obsession, but one that feeds my inspiration for the day and then passes on ever-so-gently like a little, puffy cloud bobbing around the sweet, blue sky.

This morning I felt very French.

One of my favorite parts of the (stereotypical) French aesthetic is stripes.  There is something effortlessly chic and modern about stripes. They are geometric and yet easily unobtrusive.  Of course they can easily make as bold of a statement as we desire, but they are vintage and current all at the same time.

I've never been to France, but in my fantasies women walk around in bright red pencil skirts and snug, black-and-white striped tops with a pastry in one hand and a leather clutch in the other.  They effortlessly embody what a "woman" should be:  sophisticated, put-together, confident, and infused with a sense of undeniable taste and style.  

One day I will go to France and settle in at a different cafe every day and sip my coffee and eat my croissant and live my little French fantasy.  But until then, I shall revel in the pictures of my future French life and settle for my cup of Starbucks instead. 

- Eagle

mmmmm, baked eggs...

Good morning, sunshine! Let me state that I am most definitely a morning person. I would rather get up at 5 in the morning and get things done than stay up till 10 at night, so I think it seems only natural that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, especially breakfast involving eggs. I'm not the most inventive cook (now baking, that's another story!) so I am constantly looking for recipes to spice things up. One of the bloggers I am most inspired by and read daily is the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond thepioneerwoman.com. Part of her blog includes a cooking community called Tasty Kitchen and a few days ago, she featured a very unique egg recipe on the site, a baked egg in spicy tomato sauce. I just though I'd share it with you! Because of a crazy work schedule I haven't had a chance to make it myself, but you can be guaranteed that it's on the menu for my restful weekend!
Here's the link: http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/07/baked-eggs-in-spicy-tomato-sauce/

Bon Apetit!

-Magpie

Old Gold Boutique, I die....

Get ready yall. Let me present some of the most adorably inventive jewelry designs in quite some time. I'm obsessed. Like, literally, already trying to budget them in. Take a gander...

Was that enough of a sample to wet your appetite? In addition to absolutely adorable rings, the rest of the jewelry selection falls right in line. Their clothes aren't to shabby either! Go check 'em out!

http://oldgoldboutique.com/

Credits

Backdrop credits given to illustrator Kate Wilson, www. littledoodles.net

This is beginning of something epic! Just you all wait!