around us // a video

hi guys! hope you're having a good day. it's hot here (whine, whine), so i thought i'd stay indoors and re-live a fun summer memory from when it was actually kind of cool in june.

i kept my nieces for the night and it's become a tradition to make a video of them playing and (hopefully) having a good time! enjoy!


June 29, 2013 from Megan Charters on Vimeo.

music by my love jonsi. (you can see the video from 2011 here)

so long, 2011

i moved from a tiny, cramped apartment to a perfect (for me) little house that i love.

i listened to so much good music with really awesome people. there really needs to be more squares for this.

i had the best thrift store and estate sale adventures.

i had the best time laughing with my family and friends.

i tried more things. making is my favorite.

i snuggled with this cutie.

and i felt thankful for my amazing family.

i hope you had a spectacular 2011 - see you next year!

tinsel + tonic

i had a holiday "tinsel + tonic" party this weekend, which is, of course, the perfect excuse for going overboard on vintage glass ornaments, kitschy santas, and crafty fun.

i made homemade christmas crackers (directions here) and yarn pom pom garlands (directions here). homemade touches were complemented with thrift store finds and fun finds from bake it pretty.

pinterest played a big part, too. make-ahead mason jar cocktails? such a good idea. also? i never want to have another drink without a festive paper straw (purchased here).

even the portraits were decked out in holiday finery (can you tell who the subject of the portrait is? a good story post coming soon).

it was so much fun to get my house ready for the season - i don't think i put a single decoration up last year. the party was a success with lots of laughing and talking into the wee hours, vintage records, good food (and so much of it, my goodness!), amazing friends, and a bit of mischievousness for good measure.

i had a super awesome saturday night with my sister and niece at the dfw food truck festival. despite it being crazy hot (i think my right to complain about the heat, especially in texas, is just about revoked, but just know... HOT), it was so much fun and we got to try a lot of good grub.

chicken, pistachio & apricot, spicy rice & asparagus, beet, and pork tacos from three men and a taco.

pulled pork grilled cheese from jack's chowhound.

grilled pork banh mi from nammi cruisin' vietnamese fusion. the pickled jalapenos were wicked spicy. also amazing? the basil mint lemonade. it made the 60+ minute wait totally worth it (yeah, it was crowded).

i was slightly obsessed with the trailercakes airstream trailer. it was adorable and it made bubbles. what more do you need?

the cupcakes were delicious - we actually started off with these!

did you try anything tasty this weekend?

in rainbows

making rainbow cupcakes has been on my culinary to-do list since last september when i first saw a tutorial on the dainty squid. to be honest, i'm not much of a cake baker unless it's for quite a few people, so i knew the best time to make these cute cuppies would be when i had my nieces for the day.

i watched the girls this past weekend and lined up a few fun activities for saturday. in addition to baking the cupcakes, we also got rainbow manicures, took a trip to a converted opera house used book store, enjoyed homemade ice cream at an old fashioned ice cream parlor, went to the park, and had a fun movie night (fantastic mr. fox is fantastic).

i made a concerted effort to film snippets throughout the day in the hopes of making a cute video for the girls. i was completely inspired by bleubird vintage's iPhone videos this past week and i've always wanted to make a family video with she's a rainbow by the rolling stones, so...


She's A Rainbow from Megan Charters on Vimeo.

i shot everything on my iPhone and used the 8mm app to post-process the clips before editing the film in iMovie. it all came together really easily and i think it turned out pretty sweet. if you look closely, you can spot a cameo of my oldest niece (who was at work all day - boo) dressed as a pirate. classic.

i hope you had a fun weekend!

plans

hellooo three-day weekend! i don't know about you, but i am eagerly awaiting six o'clock, for then i shall be free from work for a glorious 72 hours. here is what i plan on doing:

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biking. a morning bike ride with my mom at arbor hills nature preserve is on the schedule and i'm actually quite excited to get up (very early) to do this.


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reading. keith and i started a vintage book club, for which we've decided to read older books and classics. the first selection is the perennial classic to kill a mockingbird by harper lee. i haven't read this since ninth grade and i'm really enjoying it. and let's be honest, i'm actually picking up on its beautifully crafted symbolism and themes this time around, too. and i've decided that if i ever have a son, his name shall be atticus.

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knitting. i realized the other night that i haven't cast on a single stitch in more than a year. this is crazy and must be remedied!

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hunting for treasure. there's a small chance that i'll be driving almost two hours to pick, à la american pickers. if this actually pans out, i will be one happy girl. we have family friends whose 90-year-old grandfather owns acres and acres of sheds and barns filled (filled!) with stuff. i can only image what treasure there is to be found.

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shopping. if you like mid-century anything, you should check out mid2mod. besides being an extremely informative source for mid-century designers, furniture, gardening, etc., on the internet, there's a physical mid2mod store in downtown dallas. this weekend they're having a great memorial day sale and i'm totally drooling over this buffet. the piece is reasonably priced to begin with, so i can't wait to see what type of discount is being offered. maybe it's time i purchased my first investment piece? ha, that sounds so odd and grown-up to me.

and in between all of this? i plan on doing absolutely nothing. what are your plans?

sweetness

"today you are you, that is truer than true. there is no one alive who is youer than you" -- dr. seuss.

happy 5th birthday to my niece melana, a sweet, hilarious, and spirited girl who can dance like no one else, dress like no one else, and who is, without a doubt, her own person. 

♥♥♥

(see? funny even when i purposely foil her joke)

little (vintage) house on the prairie

i knew we'd be staying in a pretty great house in fredericksburg just from the photos on the reservation site...



what i didn't anticipate, however, was how i would be driven to the point of giddy shutterbug insanity (has this ever happened to you?) by its cluttered and rustic vintage style.



everything about the exterior of the homestead was charming and relaxing.











you had me at gnome.



the interior of the house, though... it was fantastic. i am determined to have a bright apple green door at one point in my life. 







i think i might be the only person i know who would take pictures of cups and glasses. these are the small things that make me happy ♥









hello, vintage thermoses! i was happy to note that i had similar ones in my own collection (and i bought two more at a thrift store while we were there - my type of souvenir)



i found this exact little clock at an estate sale yesterday! it made my day.







i was most smitten with all the embroidered samplers and linens around the house.







but the thing that made me happiest and that i took at least ten pictures of? this amazing embroidered work. i look at this and think, "that would make an awesome tattoo."