Monthly Archives: January 2016

Creative Minds: Ashleigh the Wanderlust

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Let me start by saying some creatives can NOT be tamed! I enjoy meeting people with wild hearts and it’s even more of a pleasure when you get to know a free spirit. My sister is the epitome of what I just described so a traditional “interview” for my creative minds series just didn’t happen. Lol However, she did do her magic and give some wonderful insight about who she is. Enjoy!

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What am I passionate about?
Oh that’s simple! Traveling, books, photography, food, writing, Supernatural, Dr. Who, Sherlock(on every aspect the RDJ movies, CBS Elementary, BBC Sherlock and of course the source Sir Arthur Conan Doyle series).

How do I travel?
I usually pick a place with the most affordable airfare and build around it. I’m a backpacker, so I pack lightly. You know, no wheels, on my back. How much do I really wish to carry as I run(upstairs, crossing the street and my personal favorite through the airport)? I stay in hostels and load up on the complimentary breakfast. I eat with locals, seriously always follow the locals!! I take public transportation and walk A LOT(it’s kinda off sets my love for food hahaha). Most importantly, I save the word “no” for dire situations. If I’m offered food, drinks, an invitation, the answer is “YES!” Why? Because I have comfort at home and I do not travel for comfort. I travel for the love of the unknown. I travel to sit next to strangers and listen as they speak to me. I travel to learn new words and phrases, in a language I don’t speak. I travel to trust myself and humanity.

Reading?
“Reading gives us someplaces to go when we have to stay where we are.” -Mason Cooley
I’m quite keen on all genres

Where does my photography inspiration come from?
Family. My family means everything to me. I enjoy focusing on candid moments between love ones. When I do a shoot, I like for everyone to carry on as if I’m not there. I typically get the absolute best shots from children. They tend to easily forget about my presence and I’m able to capture their exuberance.

Food?
Everything, I will try a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g ☺ How else will I know what I’m fond of?

What am I writing?
Mostly my own thoughts in my journal. Recently I’ve taken on the role of travel contributor on AuthenticallyB.com blog. You can find me in the travel section.

Am I a fangirl?
OF COURSE! I didn’t choose fangirling, fangirling chose me. Honestly I am unfaithful to all fandoms. There’s Marvel, DC, Harry Potter, Star Wars, LOTR. I mean just to name a few more hahaha.

What’s next for me?
You know, in a perfect world I would be a travel writer and photographer. I would also volunteer at schools and orphanages as a way to give back. All of this in hopes of perhaps, spreading my love of the camera, and overall eccentric nature with others.

Find Mischief,

Chris Signature

 Small work sample from Ashleigh the Wanderlust

 

 

Toddler Room Inspiration

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Once I got the bones of Grant’s room corrected, I starting building my Pinterest inspiration board for his décor. Not only was Grant going from baby to toddler, but we were going through a transition of buying our first home. Of course this meant we were super excited to really have a place to call our own.

I have grown very fond of minimalist colors like gray, black, and white because of its understated elegance. I think using a basic color scheme will make future transitions easier as well. I searched around for the perfect pop of color for quite a while before I found it. I tried to think of a color that matched Grant’s personality and finally came up with yellow as the accent color for his room. I mean, what’s more vibrant and loud than Grant and the color yellow?!?!? Ha ha.

This collage contains most of my pins from his room board. Having this helped me to stay focused and DIY with things I already had. This kept the budget low while yielding the same aesthetic results.

If you or your little one is going through a transition, (baby to toddler or toddler to school age) it may be time to start thinking about adjusting the space to match the growth. Begin with collecting inspiration and go from there. If you start with the right base and get creative with things you already have you can keep your $wallet$ intact in the process.

Enjoy!

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Modern Cottage|Grant’s Room

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Our cottage was built in 1929 with 1 bedroom, 1 living area, 1 bathroom,and the kitchen. Somewhere along the line the previous owners added an addition(2nd bedroom) and a detached single car garage to the house. The second bedroom is now our son Grant’s room. Since our total space is about 891 square feet we decided that using one continuous color through out the house would make a big difference in making the space feel open.

Grant’s room was being used as a dining area previously and needed lots of love because of the salmon colored walls and horrible pink tile. The first order of business was to paint the walls. After looking at paint chips for days we finally got some samples and tested them in the house. (Boy was that exciting!!!!) We chose a beautiful Behr Marquee Natural Gray paint in the perfect tone. It wasn’t too dark or too light, and most importantly, not too brown. (I hated the idea of having any brown/tan paint in the house at ALL!) Behr Marquee paint is a bit pricey but it saves you some time, energy, and mental anguish by knowing that all you need is ONE coat. That was important to us because every room in our house needed to be painted.

Next, I tackled the floors.The rest of the house has hard wood floors that we refinished. The tough part was finding flooring to match the original refinished hardwood in the rest of the house. We ended up finding a really good deal on laminate floors in the perfect color at Lumber Liquidators. I was able to put down the floors by myself over a few days but I must admit, the first day was the toughest because I wasn’t prepared. If you ever plan on putting down floors start by taking an entire day to just watch installation videos on youtube. (seriously,Lol) Also, be sure to get a complete kit with spacers, rubber mallet, etc. Have the proper tools to cut boards with as well. I found that a circular saw worked much better than a jig saw in this case. Never the less, I got it done.

Another important note is to remember that if you are using a flooring product that goes over existing floors, it will affect the doors. I wanted the flooring to go inside of the closet as well so I had to remove the doors while I was installing the floors. Before reinstalling the doors, I had to trim some length from the bottom of the closet doors so they would fit the new space.

It was a ton of hard work but we saved some serious $money$ by doing it ourselves. After completing this project I felt like I could take on the world! I hope this will inspire and encourage you to spruce up your living space however you see fit. Just know in your heart that if I can, YOU can D.I.Y. (Do it yourself )

Enjoy!

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Gray Paint-Behr Marque Natural Gray Semi Gloss

Floors-Lumber Liquidators Dream Home Chrisma African Rosewood

 

Exclusive BTS from Kaleidoscope Houston 

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Kaleidoscope Houston is a multifaceted 3 day event showcasing art, music,film, and fashion. The venues are amazing and the creative vibes going into the show are even better! The first night is Urbanity, followed by Jet-Set, concluded by Imaginarium.

What is so very special about Kaleidoscope Houston is that all of the talent involved are local creatives with international flare. Every single night you can expect art exhibits, dancing, live art, silent auction, pop-up retail shops, musical performances as well as runway shows.

You get the best value with a 3 day pass but if you have a hectic schedule and can only make it out 1 or 2 nights you will not be disappointed. It’s going to be an event like non other. Here are some bts (behind the scene) photos of some of the creatives shooting some Kaleidoscope Houston promo videos. Be on the look out for them soon. Enjoy!

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Matte Nails

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I have been wanting to try almond shaped nails for the longest and I finally did! (I think I love them. Lol) The icing on the cake is the matte finish. The good news is you can get trendy matte nails at home! Even in the nail salon they just use a top coat to create a matte nail look. If you have a polish that you love and want to make it matte go to your local drug store and pick up your preferred brand of matte top coat. Apply it and give it enough drying time and you’re done. Enjoy!

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