Old shoes turned new shoes

Lola and I took on a little project this past weekend and we turned some old shoes into new shoes.  How did we do this?!?!?!? By using a can of gold metallic spray paint. Love it!

Now, I must say, this was not my original idea.  The inspiration came from my very creative sister-in-law, Molly, who spray painted an old pair her shoes a while back.  I loved the idea so I decided to give it a go.

I used a pair of shoes I got from good 'ol JCP a few years ago.  I love the style of the shoe but I'm not crazy about the color so don't wear them as much as I'd like.

 The process went a little something like this....I taped the heels / inside of the shoe and just started spraying away with the metallic gold paint.  Easy stuff here!!!

Lola decided she wanted to spray a pair of hers too.  Why not?!?!?!

I grabbed some laces from American Apparel and I absolutely LOVE the result!

 

They're fabulous with jeans too...

So there you go!  I took a pair of shoes I really never wore and turned them into a shoe I'll wear like crazy!  I even got a few pair of laces which I can switch in and out depending on the outfit.  The great part about the laces is I'll put them in other shoes for both me and Lola.  If you don't want to go all the way with the spray paint, a new lace is another great way to spice up an old pair of shoes.

If you like this, you should also see where my inspiration came from via Smmidge.

Oh, and guess what?!?!?!  I have more fun projects up my sleeve.  Hopefully you'll see the result shortly.

Happy weekend all!!!

A baby is born!

I'm thrilled to announce my brother Adam and his adorable wife Brana (a.k.a Beans) had a little baby boy - Porter Davis Rope - on Tuesday evening around 8:00 p.m. He's a cutie isn't he!  I absolutely can't wait to get to Dallas to meet this new addition to our family!  More to come...

Enamored by...

This bright living room featuring bold patterns galore.  It doesn't get much better than this!  I mean...the green couch....the rugs...the aztec/stripe chair...there are no words!

Via  Oracle Fox  

I'm absolutely in love with this jean silleoutte by Olivier Theysken.  Need I say more...

Via  Vogue.com

How A-dorable is this handmade Halloween costume????  I wish I had talent like this!

 Via Tiny Dallas

Finally, what about these knitting Eames wire chairs.  I DIE!!!  I'm adding this project to my "to do" list.  How fun will this be?!?!?!?

Via Flickr

More good news!  I know many of you like the fashion, music, art posts on this blog and some family members just want to see updates on the kids so I've found a solution to all the madness...I'm starting a new blog titled The Bolder the Better (my motto) which will feature all my fashion inspirations!  I'm excited and hope to launch it within the next 60 days.  Then Hola Lola will go back to being all about the kids and the "madness" in this household.  More to come!

Coffee table turned chalk board

I hate our coffee table.  For years I've been on a hunt for a new one but haven't found the perfect fit for our living room yet.  I really want a mid-century modern vintage table but anytime I find the "perfect" one, it doesn't fit in our budget.  So, we continue to keep the same table in hopes that one day (soon) we'll find "the one" that is within our budget.

Since I don't care for this coffee table much, I typically don't fret when the kids are drawing and just so happen to run the marker, crayon, pen, etc onto the table.  There are days when the entire table has marks all over it from the kids.  And then there are those days when I can't handle it anymore and I scrub the table clean...only to stay clean for a few hours of course.

One day when I was scrubbing all the kids marks off, I had an epiphany....instead of constantly asking the kids not to draw on the table, why don't I make it to where they can draw on it?!?!?!?  At the very least, it's one less thing for me to scream at the kids about. Hmmmm...now that's a thought.  So here's what we did.

Before...

Please disregard all the clutter that slips under the couch. I guess I need to get under there and clean that out!  That's a good job for Clay. 

The process...

G ran out and went straight for the table before we could catch him.  Oops!

After...

Kind of fun huh!!!!

Free People + Austin Style = Fashion Frenzy

I'm certain all my fellow blog readers know exactly how obsessed I am with Free People.  If not, you can see some examples of my obsession here and here and here and this outfit here.  I think we all get the point!  So, when I saw Free People was putting on a contest to show your "Free People style", I couldn't resist.

The contest was to submit a picture showing yourself in a favorite Free People fall fashion look (easy) and write a quick something noting why you love Free People (even easier). Despite the fact that I'm not too keen on photos of myself, I just went for it...

Free People denim shorts, Free people blouse, Free People shawl, Sam Edelman boots via Free People.  Did I mention I like Free People????

So there it is! I would like to say this was a blast but unfortunately it was not all fun and games. The submission was due at 10:59 p.m. tonight and I hit submit at 10:51 p.m. only to realize I did not submit all the pictures.  I immediately tried to resubmit but it would not allow me to do this so I quickly set up a new Facebook page then submitted again with all photos.  Unfortunately, I didn't get it all in on time.  STRESS!  At least we tried.  Thanks to my fabulous hubby for helping with the photography and putting all this together and also for pushing me to go for it. Keep your fingers crossed!

Utopia Fest Recap

We had a fantastic time at Utopia Fest with the kiddos.  What's better than camping in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, hanging with groovy people and listening to phenomenal music???  Here's a little recap of the fun!

The campsite had breathe taking views!

Lola quickly met friends which she ran around with all weekend (thanks to our strategic scoping of where to set up camp...always by another tent with kids). BTW...we were obsessed with the tepees around the venue!  We plan to build one right in our yard.  Too cool!

Gaines chomping down on a banana. He felt like a "big man" in his little chair.

Hanging out day after the shows.  About to go in for a kiss right on this lovable little boys cheek!

The music scene! 

Have I mentioned that I'm ABSOLUTELY OB-SESSED with Blitzen Trapper.  I loved them before but seeing them live took my obsession to another level. I was front row joe and in hog heaven listening to their fabulous tunes.  TO. DIE. FOR!

Gaines with his headphones getting ready to hit the sack.  He slept great in the stoller while we rocked out despite the loud music!

Lola also sporting her headphones getting ready to jam out with the other kids.

 As much as we didn't want to, we all had to go to sleep in our snugly tent. 

The day and night went so well, we decided not to push it.  Instead of spending another night out at the fest, we went out to explore the hill country.  Here's a setting we loved. 

There is really nothing not to love about the Texas Hill Country and everything that comes along with it!  SUCH a great trip that will go down in the memory book!

Dots + Blitzen Trapper

I have a double whammy for yall!  I have to do Fashion Friday of course because it's Friday (FINALLY) and I must debut one of my fave musicians! Today is a "Fun Friday" for a change.  We're getting geared up to head out for a weekend full of camping, music and friends at Utopia Fest in Utopia, Texas.

First off FASHION!  Right now I'm pretty obsessed with stripes and polka-dots.  This is really nothing new as I seem to always lean towards bold patterns (My motto: The bolder the better!) and stripes/polka-dots fit right in there.  As I went into my archives of "looks I love", I found a plethora of both stripes and polka-dots and had a very hard time narrowing it down so today's Fashion Friday will be very "dotty"...

Via Atlantic-Pacific (a fave fashion blog right now) Blouse: MinkPink. Skirt: ASOS. Blazer: Zara. Boots: Givenchy. Bag: YSL Muse (similar here). Sunglasses: Karen Walker. Jewelry: David Yurman (bracelet c/o), Michael Kors, Pomellato, Gap, BR, Rings c/o Stella&Dot, Max&Chloe. Lips: Make Up For Ever Professionals. Nails: Pop.

Seriously, love this look! I love it so much that I couldn't resist this shirt and it will be delivered to my front porch steps next week. Now, I got a less expensive version at Zara...I'm all about bargain shopping you know!  I also love the watch with stacked bracelet look (more on this to come on this).

 

Via The Satoralist

I was all about tights last year and I'm waiting patiently for the weather cool down here in Austin so I can pull out my tights again.  This year, I'll definitely add in more bold patterns. You can find a tight similar to these at Nordstrom. 

Via Pretty Stuff

I was obsessed with this dress the minute I saw it a few weeks ago.  I would wear the living heck out of this!  Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time locating it and/or something similar.  I'll continue my search!

 Via Anthropology

I absolutely love this shirt for so many reasons.  The dots. The bold colors.  My mind spins thinking of all the things I could do with this shirt.  It's on sale now.  Check it out!

Now onto music.  We're very excited about the festival this weekend.  We're most excited about seeing Dawes, Cowboys and Indians and Blitzen Trapper.  If you haven't listened to Blitzen, this is a must.  I'll leave you with this Blitzen video to help kick off your Friday and soon to be weekend!

Life is a present...

Such a sweet video which inspires me in such a great way! We all have struggles throughout life. Seeing something like this makes me feel we can make anything work at anytime! 


Present from StyleLikeU on Vimeo.

A visit to the Fair!

Well, I promised to do better this week but haven't done so well.  Sorry! Clay left town this past weekend and I made a last minute decision on Saturday to head to Dallas to visit family and didn't get back until yesterday. We had a great time which included time with Tia Molly, Tio Ben and Cousin Doss along with time with my family.  Nice to squeeze it all in one big swoop!  It was also nice to take a day or two break from the lovely job. Of course, now I'm behind so have to get back but here are some pics from our trip to the Fair.

Did I mention Aunt Brana (a.k.a Beans) is 8 1/2 months pregnant and was lugging herself around that Fair.  I'm also always amazed at how little she complains.  I mean....you remember my state of mind - EXAMPLE and another EXAMPLE.  There are more but I'll stop there.

Lola has lost some of her "no fear" attitude.  She only rode one ride and we were off to the games
.

Gaines scoping out the animals.  It was pretty sad seeing all the animals in the small cages.  I had to walk away pretty quickly.

The best part of the Fair...FOOD, FOOD and more FOOD.  I felt sick to my stomach after scarfing down a corny dog, a VERY greasy turkey leg and some brew...YUCK!!!

And finally, the butterfly garden.  Such a sweet experience.  I'm actually excited to go back and go through the entire garden after the Fair is over.

Believe it or not, this is the first time I've been to the Fair since high school I think.  It was fun but I got my "Fair fix" for now and it should last until next year.

Fashion Friday - 100 Years/Style/East London

Once again, things are bit crazy around here so I haven't had much blog time this week which I hate since this is my personal psychologist.  I'm hoping next week will be better...I feel it will be already!  Updates on kiddos and all!

In the meantime, although it's not necessarily a "Fun Friday", I'll throw another "Fashion Friday" out there.  When I saw this video, I loved it for so many reasons.  One being the styles.  Although it is East London, it's pretty interesting to see how style has evolved over the past 100 years.  Even more interesting, is seeing how certain styles have come back in different ways.  So many pieces in this video I have hanging in my closet now....a modern version of course. 

The second reason I loved this video is for the dancing and music.  Watch it!  It will help pep up your Friday.

The Happiness Project

Goodness!  Sorry I've been a little out of the loop this week.  I guess several things kind of got me off track.  One being the scream-fest that took place in our house this past weekend.  It's really taken my head/nerves until today to recover. Yes, we finally had a weekend at home to enjoy our time as a family and do whatever the hell we wanted and it ended up being BEYOND chaotic...IMAGINE THAT...we are the Odom's...isn't this just expected!?!?!? Of course, the chaos seemed to be mainly driven by a little 14 month old who has really discovered his personality and definitely has his favorite words he likes to scream out over and over and over and over....more on this to come...

Anyway, in addition to this, I hit a point.  Don't really knows what it means but I hit "a point". HMMMM!?!?!? I got out of my "funk" (Thanks Goodness!) but then moved to a new phase ("a point") and I'm trying to figure out how to work through it.  Okay, I'm even confusing myself now as this is all kind of hard to explain so I'll just move on to how I'm working on this new phase.  It's called The Happiness Project!

Now I know what some of you are saying...something along these lines "Yeah, Yeah...we've all heard of The Happiness Project" but there's more to this whole thing....I truly believe it and it didn't take me long to fall for it.  I had only gotten to Page 2 of the book when I found the author describing what happened to me last week when I hit my "funk" perfectly.  She described something I was unable to translate from my brain to paper (a.k.a. blog). Yes.  I marked up the page and must say I'm a little embarrassed to admit but there ya go...I'm admitting it.   

For those of you who don't know what The Happiness Project is all about...Well "it's an approach to changing your life"...it's about being happier.  Simple right!  This book is not directed to those who are unhappy or depressed (I'm none of these BTW) it's more for all of us who are happy but think we can be happier.  How do we get there???  You may think that you can't be any happier but just read a few pages of this book and you'll quickly realize you can...A-MAZING!

So, I'm off on my "Happiness Project" journey.  I'm only just starting this book (and my personal project) but I know the first step to becoming happier is by making my (our) life more manageable which translates into de-cluttering all!  No joke.  I'm using this month to get rid of everything I (we) don't need and get things organized/clutter free!  Just the thought of it already makes me feel happier although it will be a huge undertaking.  I'll continue to walk yall through my "journey" (literally HATE this word not sure why I keep using it) on The Happiness Project.  It's a 12 month process so will take time but we'll get there!

As for now...this moment...I need to go fill up my very hungry belly and I know I'll be much happier!