Friday, November 23, 2012

Catching up... State Fair of Texas

I am Thankful that I have a fabulous new blog... I'm sad that I have neglected it.. so I'm determined to build a blog following and post regularly. So rather than wait until the New Year and make a resolution to post regularly.. I am going to begin my resolution today! I will do my very best to post regularly and post some helpful tips and advise for other Artists, Imaginative Souls, Fashionistas and anyone who is willing to read my daily happenings.
So here goes.....
                                                 State Fair of Texas~ October 2012.
 I entered quite a few Art entries into the Fair this year. I placed with 10 ribbons!! I got my first BLUE ribbon... I was over the top excited. I always wonder how the sweet ladies choose their winners. My Blue Ribbon.. 1st place was not the project I would have choosen for 1st place but I'll take a Blue Ribbon anyway I can get it.... I always love going to the fair but since I had Art showing this year.. I had to go. Fall was very busy for us with shows and life... so we went on the very last day of the fair and to top it off the week before Big Tex had burned down :( So we did not get to tell him "Howdy!" We did get a picture in front of his spot and took a few pictures of his memorial.. never seen a corn dog memorial but hey.. It is the State Fair of TExas! The pictures of my projects turned out kinda blurry.. but I'll post a few...
                                                       xoxo, Jennifer
Mimi & Grandad love to go with Lexi and I to the Fair each year. Grandad also does the pick up of my stuff for me....
 
Where is Big TEx??
 
Lexi and I ... Our usual Big Tex picture spot....Big Tex is missing..

Big Tex' memorial site.... The Corn Dog bouquet.. makes me laugh.

Mimi and our Texas Nachos.. one of our favorite fair food.. You have to have Texas Nachos, Fletcher's Corn Dog, Fried Bacon & Cotton Candy.
My Blue Ribbon project.. An altered Christmas Tree.
 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving Day at Gig's... Family dinner!

Thanksgiving Day 2012.....
I love family get togethers. Our family is quite small with me being an only child and only grandchild. Many years its just Gig, Mom, Grandad, Lexi, David , Tommy, Stephanie, BJ & me. Our extended family is large but we don't usually see them at Thanksgiving and not so much at Christmas these days.. everybody has such busy schedules and crazy lives and a few are just crazy :)
This year we had a few additional family members join us so we had a full table .. Jaffee, Jarod & Ron joined us. Jaffee went shopping this morning and arrived with an armload of Thanksgiving decor for us to decorate with and create a festive holiday table!
I'm thankful for our family... (Yes.. my hubby is here.. he is the photographer!)


 We had food coming out of every nook & cranny of Gig's house. The table was full, the side tables were full and the kitchen was overflowing. We are very blessed to have more than enough food.



The dessert table had to become two tables.. Lexi is working on a school project and baked 3 goodies to include in her project.. a chocolate chip, orea, brownie mixture that was fabulous, a salted toffee mix pie and a butterfinger pie so yummy! Stephanie brought her famous Fruit Pizza and candy cane brownies. Mom made cherry dump and coconut pie. Gig made lots... Strawberry shortcake, pecan, pumpkin pie and more. Jaffee brought Key Lime Pie.. one of my favorites.. Wow.. the desserts were incredible.
It was a fabulous day of family, friends, food and lots of good fellowship! So glad everyone could be a part of this special day.
A few pictures of our special Thanksgiving Day~~ 2012... Thanks for sharing in our memories.
                                                               xoxo, Jennifer



Mommy & Lexi.. ..Thanksgiving 2012
The Girls... Mimi, Lexi, Me, Gig, Jaffee & Stephanie
 
 
 

New York! New York!

My little girl turns "Sweet 16"........
I can't believe my baby just turned 16. It feels like she was just "driving" her little pink Barbie jeep around Bop & Gig's driveway and her Barbie Harley motorcycle! I thought that was stressful but that was a piece of cake compared to her driving a real car!!! I can't believe she is already 16 and a Sophomore in High School.
Lexi got a pink car from Mimi & Grandad... she's trying really hard to act sweet and not disappointed!
She was beyond excited to walk outside and find her "real" new car! It's not pink.. but it matches her outfit so she's happy!!! David & Grandad are at the top of her list!!
 
I had decided that a girl's trip to NYC would be much better than a car (David overruled the no car :)) But the trip was beyond fabulous!!! We had so much fun. We shopped till we dropped.. Tiffany's on 5th Avenue on her Birthday, Forever 21 that was open until 2:00AM.. and it's 4 stories~ amazing!, Eating at the most unusual and fantastic restaurants that the city has to offer, Little Italy on her birthay, China Town and bubble tea, more shopping, Hell's Kitchen, SoHo, Tribecca, FIT~ a tour of the Fashion Institute, in the audience at Kelly & Michael show, more shopping, Central Park, Broadway on her birthday night to see Mary Poppins, Serendipity for Frozen Hot Chocolate & Chocolate Cake for her actual birthday dessert, more shopping, Statue of Liberty, the Pier, the list goes on.. we packed a lot into 4 days!
(Just a few pics of our Girl's Weekend of Fun)
Mimi & Lexi enjoying shopping in the city.
The cutie Italian waiter singing Happy Birthday to my girl on her Sweet 16 lunch in Little Italy... They brought her out Chocolate Covered Strawberries to celebrate!
Serendipity after Mary Poppins on Broadway.. Frozen Hot Chocoalate & Chocolate Cake! Yum..
Lexi at her favorite store... Headed in for a Birthday treat! Nothing beats a blue box!
Our last day in the city.. we are trying to get a few last hours of fun ~ shopping and a bit of sight seeing before we head back to Texas!
We had a fabulous weekend. Lots of great memories were made and I think mom & I made it back to the top in Lexi's eyes... what more could you get for your Sweet 16.. a car & a trip to New York City!!
Thanks for sharing in our Birthday memories!
xoxo,
Jennifer
 
 
 
 
 

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

Happy Thanksgiving 2012
I am thankful that Lexi and I have the week of together to celebrate the holiday. We pack lots into the week that we are on vacation. Yesterday we enjoyed a "spa" day with Gig... getting our nails done. I was also able to get my bonus closet cleaned out, my laundry room redone and Lexi's bathroom redecorated.. I felt like we accomplished tons yesterday. Today was our "Dallas day!" Mommy daughter day at our favorite mall~ Northpark! Lots of Christmas shopping done.. for one special person :) Lunch at our favorite salad stop and a Bubble Tea to top it off! Tomorrow will be errands, hoping to purge and reorganize my Art Studio, baking and lunch with Gig. Thanksgiving Day will be filled with the Thanksgiving day parade watching, family time at Gigs and lots of eating! Black Friday... more shopping and putting out the Christmas decorations. A free weekend to fill with fun and hopefully lots of Creative time!
I hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving week!
xoxo, Jennifer
 
Had a fabulous time on Sunday... I taught a private Art lesson on Collage to an aspiring Artist. One of the local Art teachers had given her my name & number. It was great fun creating a collage for her Art Portfolio.. it turned out fabulous.. but my picture didn't :( Hopefully she will post one soon.) She had asked me to think of a nature theme.. we ended up going with a Bohemian/Nature theme. The colors are great, we incorporated a fairy image, a bird nest and great bird that matched the colors perfectly. I also taught her how to incorporate Beezwax into her work... she loved the new technique. Added some flowers to finish it off and ta da... a fabulous piece for her portfolio. I can't wait to do some other lessons.. what a fun new avenue to explore.
Happy Creating!
If you need some one-on-one lessons.. send me an email!
xoxo,
Jennifer
 
 
 
 

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Road trip with the girls... (Gig,Mom,Me & Lexi)

We headed out for a fabulous girls weekend! Lexi wanted to see the Olympics of Awesome Concert in Oklahoma and mom & I had been wanting to visit the Paper Crown... so a road trip was in order. We loaded up the SUV and headed North!
While we were gone.. I got word that my new blog was ready.. Isn't it beautiful.. I love Karen's work!
It was quite the adventure... I had chosen a hotel (hmm. I use the term loosely) because they were having a great renovation special price! Mom kept asking me if I was sure it was a "nice" hotel. Well.. of course it is! It's the Biltmore. Really Jen Hayslip had an event at the Biltmore in North Carolina! Just for the record.. All Biltmore's are NOT created equally :)
So we arrive and I think.. hmm.. doesn't really resemble the pictures on the website.. I enter.. there is no air conditioning.. I think it's like 110 outside! 2 things that set my asthma over the top.. smoking & animals! Well they not have one but both.. in the lobby. So we cancel and head out on an adventure of finding a new & improved hotel.
((Did I mention there are lots of road closures due to all the Wildfires in the area...))
But all is well.. We call and book our night at the downtown Colcord Hotel... super nice complete with fuzzy robes and room service! So we were happy girls!
Mom and I had been wanting to visit and shop at the Paper Crown Scrapbook Store in Oklahoma City! Since we were in town.. We found it and did our shopping. They had a huge selection of new product. We got a few new goodies to creat with when we get back home. I'm totally in to creating mini books and journals.. so lots to create with. Loved getting to see Girdie~ I read about her often on their blog.
Next stop... the reason we are even in OKC... The concert! 3 upcoming musical artists
are on tour.. The Olympics of Awesome.
Another adventure in Jennifer travel adventures. Did you know that OKC has more than one library. This concert was at a library... They have a concert tomorrow night in Deep Ellum~ much closer to home.. but not the best neighborhood or venue for a 15 year old. Oklahoma was much better & warranted a road trip. So we drove around for a while, a long while but got to the concert~~ early!! Did you know people just hang out in the library, play on the computer, have family get togethers... the people watching was fabulous.
The concert finally got started and it was Fabulous! I had no expectations because I had never listened to them.. but they were really good. I had just as much fun as Lexi. They all played their music and then had a meet & greet at the end. Such nice guys!

       
Lexi all ready to meet the guys.



Jason Munday


Alex Carpenter


Landon Austin ((shh.. Lexi's favorite))

Next stop.... dinner! I had Facebooked about our Road Trip and found out about a fabulous Mexican restaurant.. Ted's... It really was one of the best Mexican food we have had.. and we've had alot! They bring a fabulous light queso, the tortillas were fabulous... a great meal!

No Road trip is complete without a lot of nighttime driving around a town you totally know nothing about... but it sure is fun. We drove all around OKC.. found a great area.. Bricktown.. really close to our hotel. I did miss the cupcake store that I was searching for until the next morning.. but we saw lots of great buildings and an IHOP for breakfast the next morning. Back to the hotel it is....
not the greatest lighting but the only picture I got of Lexi, Mom & Gig together.
We had a great nights sleep and I got to enjoy the warm, fuzzy robe.. Love this hotel!
The next morning we geared up for another day of adventure. First stop~ breakfast at IHOP~~ yummy! Then off to see the Memorial downtown.
Lots more driving around downtown. I had no idea that OKC had an "Asian town" complete with signs that read "Asian town".. very similiar but much smaller than NYC's China town! I really wanted a Bubble Tea but didn't find one.
 Another one of my FB friends mentioned that we should visit a great boutique in town.. Cloverleaf! Oh my.. My kind of store and then I found out they had two locations.. Wow.. The displays are great. I took a ton of pictures....
1st Cloverleaf.. downtown OKC~ lots of great clothes. We got quite a few things for back to school!
Everything is PINK!!! I love it.....
Next stop.... Turner Falls! I have always wanted to visit Turner Falls... So we decided to make a stop for me to see it.. Really wish we had our bathing suites. It would have been a great way to cool off from the heat. The falls are really low on water it seems.. But still very pretty. My driving on the small mountains (or large hills) scared Gig & Lexi pretty good!!! :)
The falls (lacking lots of rushing water!) Mom & I were the only ones who braved the heat for a photo op....
After hearing on Facebook that CloverLeaf had another store on our way back to Texas with lots of cool furniture.. we decided we had to stop! The front yard was a hoot... so cool! You couldn't miss it that's for sure.
The first thing you see from the street.. a huge PINK ice-cream cone! Yummy
a sea of beautiful PINK bikes... Love!
a doll on a PINK bike.. greatness
a man on a PINK bike.. weirdness.

a great vintage PINK trailer...
a fabulous PINK chair fitting for a Princess. It could be yours for the low, low price of 900.00
CloverLeaf... Just wait till you step inside. (No pictures allowed inside)
Mom & Lexi.. look at all the greatness before you even step inside!
The trip was a fabulous success even with a few of my crazy blonde travel moments!! We had a great time, made great memories, ate yummy food, heard great music, shopped at some great new stores, got some fabulous new school clothes, enjoyed a fabulous hotel (with fluffy robes) & enjoyed seeing some great sights.
Hope you enjoyed traveling along through the pictures.
xoxo,
Jennifer
















Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Beach Vacation~ Summer 2012

Enjoyed a fabulous time at the Beach! Love Florida each summer~ we always alternate between; Pensacola, Panama City, Destin or Ft Walton on our way to Disney each summer. This year we spent extra time at the beach and skipped Disney. I know Lexi is getting to old to go every summer but I think Mickey missed us! The weather was fabulous and we had a low key vacation of beach time, wave time (even with my Jaws comments non-stop.. Lexi loves the waves!)reading, journal making, shopping & eating! We had a fabulous time. The journal mom and I created to document our vacation is super cute. Mine isn't quite finished but I'll add the pics when it is. Some of our fun included: Dinners out....
The waves....
Great seafood...
Junkin... ((Loved the wall outside the fabulous but pricy antique shop!))
Still time for a few more summer adventures! Be on the lookout.. my blog is getting a facelift! So excited that Karen Valentine is giving it an updo!!!! Sometime in the next few weeks! I have a few new teaching dates and vending events set up for August, October & NOvember! I'll be posting about it and my new adventure soon! xoxo, Jennifer

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Where Bloggers Create .. Part 3... (Last post)

Had a few more photos.. I really wanted to share.

The top of my favorite cabinet. Love this doll...

One of my many birdcages filled with laces & LuLu crown and wand that was featured in Create With Me.

My vintage doll carrier that holds lots of vintage cabinet cards & photos. Love this storage idea!!

Have to have a TV.. even though it's not vintage. I love General Hospital and Gilmore Girls to create with. My new addiction is creating with CSI late at night.. so I DVR lots of episodes.. I keep more laces below my TV and a letter B that I'm in the process of decoupaging with our marriage certificate (Pinterest idea). Thanks so much for looking at my room!!! xoxo, Jennifer