FIESTA! (Part 1)

It's Fiesta time here in San Antonio!  And while I normally pride myself on being "Texan," I must admit, I had never heard of the festival until we moved here.  My first impression were the house decorations the folks in my neighborhood started installing.  All the colorful and bright streamers and wreaths really became a welcome beacon of spring time.


And so, I delved a little deeper into the tradition.  I had no idea that it's been around since 1890 and getting bigger and more elaborate every year.  There is a Fiesta culture built around the city of San Antonio and giving back to the local community is the core of the festivities.  Of course, it's as good a time as any to enjoy good food, good drinking, and good company.  This website gives a really good overview of the history of Fiesta.

I don't want to fight the crowds too much with Little Mister in tow, so we try to stick to the relatively low key events.  Our first was the Fiesta Arts Fair at the Southwest School of Arts and Crafts. It featured a juried selection of artists from around the country on beautiful campus grounds.  I am seriously considering taking a class or two there.  Here is a view of the fair with Ricardo Legorreta's San Antonio Public Library in the background:

It was just a beautiful day.  

And although we left empty handed, I was especially drawn to the work of one artist by the name of Debra Smith.  The beautiful textures and subtle colors of the overlapped vintage kimono fabric were thoughtfully constructed into art that I wouldn't mind having in my home.

Our next event was The Alamo Heights Kings Party where Little Mister got to meet King Antonio LXXXIX Bill Mitchell

Why Can't All Concert Tickets Look Like This?

Look at what came in the mail the other day.

Holy moly, have you ever seen a concert ticket look so cool?  The whole concept of the Railroad Revival Tour is a complete throwback to a different era of music and how it is experienced by not only the concert-goer but the musicians themselves.  These guys are traveling by train and stopping in a few select cities all along the southwest.  We were fortunate to score tickets to the Austin show (although Marfa seemed tempting, I couldn't validate a 7 hour drive versus a 1 hour drive). 

The tickets have an air of authenticity and it really makes me look forward to the event.  My name is even on the tickets - how cool is that?   Matt's secretly jealous.  Little Mister won't be joining us, but don't feel too sorry for him - he has the Austin City Limits Music Festival to look forward to this September. 

On top of that, they released the very limited edition concert poster designed by Luca Zamoc available only to those who purchased the bundled ticket package.  

Man, I wish I shelled out the extra dough to get this print.

New Digs

It's been awhile, yes?  I'm back and geared up to hit the ground running.  I'm sure you are wondering, why the absence?  (Well, you probably aren't thinking that, but for giggles, I will just pretend you are).  In a nutshell, life has been happening and the hours are short.  This even with Daylight Savings time.  So I thought I'd take some time to gather my thoughts and bring some fresh new material.  Let's do this!

First off, check out my new digs!  Do ya dig?  Thanks to Powered by Pasteries for providing such an awesome layout.  I am truly amazed at all the great talent out there feeding my whim of new blog attire.  I'd love to learn all the technicalities someday soon.  I think that it might fulfill my need to geek out while creating something beautiful at the same time.

Also while on my hiatus, I took a great online blogging course.  It was, in a word, fab!   Check out my Decor8 Blogging Your Way badge.  I wear it with pride.  I loved every minute of the course and learned so much more about my purpose on the blogging joy ride.  Thanks again to Holly, Leslie, and Thorsten!

Okay, how's that for a re-introduction?  And believe you me, there is lots more to come.   I can't wait to share with you.

Cold Weather Cravings

It's cold here.  I mean, it's really cold.  South Texas is experiencing winter-like conditions and it's not expected to get much warmer today.  All we are missing now is a nice dusting of snow and it'll feel like the Northeast.  I do miss living in the Northeast sometimes but mostly, I miss bundling up in coats, scarves, hats and the like.  Layer any of that on here and you might overheat at any given moment.  The weather is just too erratic and it's not sensible to go too overboard on winter gear.  Oh, but on days like this the temptations come a-calling: 

Which leads me to another cold weather activity I miss:  knitting.  Again, the Texas climate is not conducive to a hobby such as knitting.  Not for me, at least.  But I still have my lovely yarn stash in bins stored neatly away just waiting for the perfect project and the perfect weather.  I stumbled across this pattern via Purl Bee and wonder if I should whip out the needles for old time's sake:

Grown-up Furniture

I've long been an advocate for Ikea furniture.  The lines are clean and the prices are right.  But it finally came time to invest in some "real" furniture.  It's a slow process for me since I am now spending more money and I like to believe that it is a more permanent fixture in our home.  The perfect coffee table is out there.  Where do I begin?

All the typical stores kind of fell flat for me.  I wasn't really finding what I was looking for.  I needed ample storage, durability (especially with a baby who is starting to pick himself up) and most of all, style.  I feel extremely fortunate that in my profession, I come across and meet so many talented and creative people.  All of whom are more than willing to share in their creative passions.  Such as this, my path crossed with Patrick Winn who I commissioned to design and build this coffee table and television console:   

 

Isn't it lovely?  The powder coated steel frame is inlaid with Ipe wood (talk about durable!) and although these pictures don't do it justice, storage is abundant.  It is above and beyond what I asked for and I couldn't be happier with the finished product.  I encourage you and everyone you know to check Patrick out.