Make this, don't buy that: Skull tee shirt

I'll confess. This post happened in a sort of backwards kind of way. Instead of seeing the finished product and looking for a cheaper alternative, I first saw this tutorial on how to make this super cool skull tee shirt on Jennifer's blog here. But she took it from the Hurley blog and you can find their step-by-step instructions here.

Later as I was searching through Urban Outfitters website I came across said rad tee shirt here and was immediately like "no way!" So I decided it merited a 'make this, don't buy that' post since the tee shirt is in fact $39 and I know you guys can make it for a lot less. I seriously have to put this DIY project on my to do list!*

*If you're like me and you aren't cool with showing that much of your back (and ahem, not wearing a bra) then I'd suggest wearing a tank top under it.

What to pack: Road trip to Indianapolis

Here we go. I'm off on another road trip! This time to see my long-time friend Natasha, who I haven't seen in a truly ridiculous amount of time. In fact, I don't even want to think about when the actual last time I saw her was because I think it will make me mad at myself for not visiting her sooner!

The reason for this trip, aside from catching up, is to celebrate her recent marriage to Greg with a reception/party (you might've seen that pretty fab little invitation we created together for this event). There will be parties and brunches all weekend, which I think will be a fun time. And I actually was with Natasha when she met Greg for the first time when we stopped in Indy on another road trip many moons ago, so I know that I like the city of Indianapolis. It reminds me a bit of Birmingham, which you know I am partial to :)

But as usual, mostly I am just excited about seeing an old friend and getting to stay in their home so that I can get the first hand knowledge of what her life as a newlywed truly in Indy is like. I expect lots of late night talks and giggles, good food, adventures around town, cute clothes wardrobe changes and a lot of fun.

So above is what I am taking with me to ensure that I am dressed for the part at all times! Hope you all have a fun & friend-filled weekend as well!

Plated: Put a bird on it

With all the cute bird images on clothing, jewelry, furniture etc, it wasn't too hard to gather some inspiration for a bird invitation that my coworker wanted me to design for her daughter's first birthday.

However, the spin was that it couldn't be too girly since it was also a surprise party for her husband Sae. I figured I could just keep the pink to a minimum and throw in a blue and a green color, add a funky and not too girly background to the mix, and boom, there was a little bit of cute bird magic.

I guess those crazy kids from Portlandia we're right. Put a bird on it!

Grooveshark picks for July

Artist: Typhoon
Album: Hunger and Thirst
Why I love it: The horns. They give the
band and the album such a cool, unique sound. And yet somehow it's still super mellow.
For fans of: Quiet Corral, Local Natives

Artist: The Mowgli's

Album: Sound the Drum

Why I love it: It's sing-songy, fun & upbeat. My fav songs are of course the ones that have 

the entire band chiming in on the singing.

For fans of: Damion Suomi & the Minor Prophets, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros 

Artist: Trampled by Turtles

Album: Blue Sky and the Devil

Why I love it: Um, who doesn't like tapping their feet to some good ole bluegrass from time 

to time?

For fans of: Bluegrass, The Devil Makes 

Three, Yonder Mountain String Band

Artist: The Wood Brothers

Album: Smoke Ring Halo

Why I love it: It's kind of country meets 

a little bit bluesy.

For fans of: Justin Townes Earle, Anders Osborne

Artist: Lissie

Album: Catching a Tiger

Why I love it: It's a little bit girly rock, a little bit singer/songwriter and a little bit near pop radio type of music. Sounds strange maybe, 

Lissie makes it work.

For fans of: First Aid Kit, Brandi Carlisle, 

KT Tunstall

What to wear: Garden Party

What the heck exactly is a garden party you might ask? Um, a party in a garden? Right?

Honestly ever since my friend Natasha informed me that if I wanted to attend the "garden party" when I
arrive in Indianpolis on Friday night I could, I immediately thought "what constitutes a garden party and
what the heck do I wear for such an occasion?"

I figured maybe since I was questioning this, some of you other girls are, too. So I pulled some ideas from a
few well-dressed leading ladies based on the idea of my above description that it's just a party in someone's
outdoor patio/garden area.

I think as long as I wear a dress or something nice, I'm doing ok. But since I still think there should be some
defining criteria to what to wear to a garden party, my choices involved items that were pretty pastels or
neutrals or flowy dresses or floral patterns or long dresses and skirts. Because those are things you'd wear to a
garden party, right?

Right?

Life lately

Plated: Company lake party

Some days at work are just more fun than others (and honestly some aren't very much fun at all, but thankfully those are few and far between). For me, a good fun day at work is when I get to be a little more "creative" with designing something. So a month or so ago when my boss asked me to whip up an invitation for our company lake party, I was totally game.

I had complete creative reign so I wanted to make it cute and fun and not at all corporate. So basically I just conjured up everything I thought of when I thought about the lake, added a smidgen of our company's branding color of purple and boom, here's what I created.

I feel so lucky to work for such a great company that will take the time and spend the money to show their employees how much they appreciate them and want everyone to get to know each other better by throwing a big party like this. It was a super fun day. Hope you guys get to make it to a lake party as well sometime this summer! 

Guide to Birmingham Dining, vol. 1

Just in case anyone out there is planning on visiting or moving to Birmingham anytime soon and you need some food for thought, I figured I'd throw out some of my favorite restaurants I like to frequent. And yes, this is just volume one because there are so many good places to eat here. So expect a volume two, three, four later down the road.

{one} Rojo
Cuisine: Mexi-American
Address: 2921 Highland Ave.
What to expect: Hipsters and country clubbers—believe it or not. Oh and dogs.
Pricing: $10±
You should try...to get there early or late. I'm a firm believer that the only way to really experience Rojo is by sitting on the patio and to do this you have to find the "perfect" timing.

{two} Niki's 

Cuisine: Soul food (southern meat and three)

Address: 1101 2nd Ave. N. (& niki's west is at 233 Finley Ave. West) 

What to expect: A lot of vegetables to choose from in the buffet line.

Pricing: $10±

You should try...to go on your lunch break and know what you want before you get to the counter to order, they are usually in a hurry!

{three} Dreamcakes

Cuisine: Cupcakes and other desserts

Address: 960 Oxmoor Rd.

What to expect: A cute bakery with beautiful, creative delicious dessert concoctions

Pricing: $3±

You should try...the wedding cake cupcake. It's simply sugary deliciousness. 

{four} El Barrio

Cuisine: Mexican with a twist

Address: 2211 2nd Ave. N.

What to expect: Fresh, unique Mexican dishes and a long wait. This place is still hoppin, so get there early.

Pricing: $10-$20±

You should try...the vegetarian tacos. I'm the least healthy-type-of-eater out there and I love these. Omg, AND the cheese dip with chorizo. Do not leave without getting that!

{five} J. Clyde

Cuisine: Bar food/American and Southern fusion

Address: 1312 Cobb Lane

Pricing: $10-$20±

You should try...the chicken fingers and sweet potato fries. I know there are other things on the menu, but I honestly haven't made it past this option or the burger. 

{six} Davenport's 

Cuisine: Pizza

Address: 2837 Cahaba Rd.

What to expect: A kid-friendly restaurant with the best thin crust pizza ever. 

Pricing: $10-20±

You should try...the meat lover's special. (unless you're against eating meat, that is.)

Bon appetit!

The dish on being injured

In short? It sucks.

I could honestly probably leave it at that, but let's count the ways how much I hate being injured.

1. I can't run
2. I can't climb
3. I can't shower (ew, gross. I know you probably could've done without that, sorry!)
4. I currently look like a half storm trooper (no more purple cast, I've got a new fancy brace gadget)
5. Since I'm pretty much stuck with strapless dresses, it means I'm also stuck with strapless bras (ugh! seriously! do you feel bad for me now?)
6. And clearly I can't post new blog photos b/c who wants to see pics of someone who can't do the above things?!

The pluses? (is that a word? is it even spelled correctly?)

1. I have a cool story (I fell while rock climbing....even if it was in the gym)
2. I get to "sleep in" since there are no early morning runs
3. I have amazing friends who do sweet things like cook me dinner, wash my hair, send emails & texts to check on me and buy me little presents to make me feel better when I am completely bummed out by all of the above (seriously, you try wearing a strapless bra for 3 weeks straight and tell me what kind of a mood you're in! :)

All in all, I am trying to be positive and patient. Throughout this process the most positive takeaways I have is everything that I am learning. I have discovered who my friends are/how awesome they are, how much exercise plays a role in my happy daily attitude and (sadly/quite honestly) the extent of my vanity. I've also discovered just much I really do need to work on that whole "patience" quality! And I've found out I'm pretty stupid resilient, because I totally plan on climbing again as soon as I am all healed up and ready to go.

Of course I might get on the rocks and freak out...we'll see. Hope yall stay around for the rest of the ride!

Splurge on: Printed Pieces

I can't seem to get enough of printed pieces these days, particularly anything aztec or geometrical. Oh and floral, too. Okay, I just really like prints in general. And lucky for me they are easily found everywhere. (psst: lucky for our pocketbooks, I've found some of the cutest, price-conscious printed items.)

1. Necessary Clothing Fiesta Belted Dress, $36.99
2. Urban Outfitters Plasticism Colorblock Risky Sunglasses, $14.00
3. Mossimo Supply Co. Brown Prsphn Atlas Wool Clutch, $16.99

4. Fioni Knot-It Cork Platform Sandal, $27.99
5. Forever 21 Crochet Back Floral Tank, $17.80

6. Old Navy Printed Twill Shorts in Nutmeg, $18.50