Laura Dro Designs

Good Morning!

I had so many questions about the floral print I featured on my Instagram a few weeks ago, and I’m so excited to finally be sharing about it, and the gorgeous lady who made it, with all of you! Meet Laura, the artist behind Laura Dro Designs. Laura’s art is very bright, fun, and energetic, and she clearly does not shy away from colors (a girl after my own heart!) All of her art is easily transitioned from room to room, and can be layered with other art to create the perfect gallery wall, or stand alone as the spotlight of that space. Laura also designs an amazing collection of lucite trays that have me swooning big time! You’re gonna wanna add one to your christmas list, trust me.

I met Laura through Lindsay from Hattan Home, and she graciously offered to send me one of her prints, and I immediately jumped at the opportunity to style (literally ANY of) her art! I decided on her 8×10 “Peony In Coral” print because it played well with the colors in Harper’s nursery where I was hoping to use it. It ended up being exactly what the room needed. I had geometric fabrics, “word art”, and quirky animal prints, and the florals really added the touch of feminine to the space that was missing.

Again, you all know how much I love beautiful packages, so when this arrived I was so stinkin’ excited!

Laura Dro

Laura Dro 3 Laura Dro2

You may remember seeing this gorgeous print paired alongside the darling glass piggy from Hattan Home, but this is not its final home. I updated Harper’s nursery board for you to get a sneaky peek at where this print will live, but you’re gonna have to wait until the room is finished before seeing it in its entirety. :-)

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Art always seems to be the hardest thing for people to choose when decorating their homes, so I also designed a chic bedroom board as inspiration. Just because you’re using florals doesn’t mean the entire room has to scream “girly”. Pair the prints with blacks, whites, greys, and golds for a masculine touch, and cheeky pillows are always a fun touch! The best thing about this print is the vast color palette it allows you to design around. The print also comes in 2 sizes, so play with scale and decide which would be most fitting for your space – I would use the larger size over nightstands (you’ll typically have lamps on your nightstand, so consider their height when choosing), but smaller when pairing it with another piece of art, like in the nursery. The best thing about Laura’s prints are their affordability. You don’t have to break the bank to get the wow factor!
Screen Shot 2014-10-15 at 1.45.39 PM Where would you use this beauty?

Thank you again to Laura Dro Designs!!

XO – Samantha

Talia Handler Art + A Peek at My New Hair!

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I met the sweetest, and most crazy talented artist, on Instagram. Her name is Talia Handler (@taliahandlerart), and she went to Parsons School of Design, and dreams of being a childrens wear designer. She draws and paints the most beautiful portraits using photos straight from your IG feed if you want.

I followed her for a couple days, and knew quickly that I wanted her to paint Camryn, so I e-mailed her and let her choose any photo from my Instagram. About a week later, the first sketch popped up in my feed, and then the painting, followed by a close up. I was dying; they turned out even better than I had ever imagined. The painting is so detailed, and rich in color, and blows my mind everytime I look at it. I was so happy that she chose a fun picture of Camryn, and know that it will forever be a conversation starter when people see it. I’m calling it “The blue mustache lady”. :-)

My husband has already claimed it for his office, and it’s currently being matted and framed. I guess I’ll just have to order another picture for myself. :-)

If you are interested in commissioning a piece from Talia or just want to see more of her awesome work, check our her Instagram feed, and her website. You can also e-mail her at trhandle@gmail.com. She’s super nice and will gladly answer any questions you might have. She also offers multiple size options for portraits, and will paint your animals or anything else you might like. These portraits would be an amazing gift for family, and friends, brides, and especially for a new mom. I’m pretty sure my sister-in-law is getting one of these of my teeny tiny nephew when he arrives.

Go say hi, and oohh and ahhh over her art! She also posts pictures of her clothing designs, which look awesome, and I can’t wait for her to launch her line.

In other news…

I had my hair done yesterday! I started posting sneaky pics on IG, but wanted to save the “big reveal” for all of you today. I went to milk + honey salon (and spa) and spent wayyyy too much time showing my stylist pictures and trying to explain what I wanted. Yes, I’m that girl…you know, the one who says stupid things like “I want my hair ombre, but I want it to look really natural”, or “I want to cut my hair, and change things up, but I don’t want to lose any length”…helpful, right? She had me pull up my “hairspiration” pics, and pretty much knew exactly what to do from there. My hair is crazy THICK and LONG, and it turns into a giant knot if you even look at it the wrong way, so she had her work cut out for her.

She started by back combing my hair (I knew right then she was going to have a hell of a time getting those knots out), and then applied 3 different colors/bleaches (I dunno what they were, sorry!) to the ends. I looked like a tin foiled lion for awhile. After she rinsed the bleach, she had to brush out all the knots…she had to call in reinforcement, and it still took awhile, and did not feel awesome on my scalp. I joked that it was a form of torture. ;-) I do not think that madness happens to most people, so don’t be scared to try this, it’s just my hair.

Because I was so nervous, and scared of anything too dramatic, she blended the color really well and kept most of the color to the very ends. I’m in love with how it turned out. IN LOVE.

I made my hubs take pics for me last night, and it was dark outside already, so crappy, indoor (flash) pics are just what you’re gonna have to live with. Ready?!

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Pretty close to my inspiration picture, right?! …and here’s a picture without flash. ombrenoflash

The lighting was creating a red-ish shadow (you can see it on my face and arms too) so my hair looks slightly more auburn/brassy in this pic than it does in real life. She faded the color in so well that you can hardly notice how blonde the ends are, but if I hold them up to my roots it’s a HUGE difference in color. I’ll post more pictures on IG for you all soon. I’ll also update with a photo of our framed blue mustache lady soon.

I hope you’re all having a great week!

XO – Samantha

Weekend Recap

Via

Let’s pretend it’s not Monday, and instead talk about the weekend, shall we? My weekend was fairly low-key, but we did venture out on Saturday to the SprATX grand opening. The space looks amazing, and is the perfect balance of industrial (think brick walls, and exposed ceiling pipes) and modern. It’s obviously a labor of love by all the many local artists, one of which is my BIL. Here’s some pics of the store, art, and my sister and BIL.

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If you’re interested in knowing more about the story behind the artists, and how this awesome company/collaboration came to be, check out this video.

I bought a piece of art that I’m just a tad obsessed with. I’ll post photos as soon as it’s framed. I’m thinking it will be the perfect addition to my office space…if I ever get around to designing it. What’s that saying that rolls off my tongue far too often?! Oh, yeah, “add it to my to-do list!” (Worlds longest to-do list. Ahhh!) With that said, all of you Moms that also have full or even part-time jobs and still run your household like a boss, I applaud you, and I don’t know how you do it all.

Next door to the new SprATX shop were these train tracks, so I shot this picture of my sister helping Camryn walk the tracks for Day 4 of my Camryn Daily project.

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After hitting up the SprATX opening, we accidentally ended up at In-N-Out, which recently opened here in Austin. Losing weight and eating healthier weren’t on our New Years resolution list, although clearly they should have been.

firstinnout Camryn had her first In-N-Out cheeseburger and, my little bird who hardly eats anything in large quantities, chowed down and finished half of it. Less surprisingly, she helped polish off my chocolate shake.

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On Sunday I took Camryn to the farmers market, a Sunday tradition for our family, and she had her face painted as a puppy. We always buy breakfast tacos, pain au chocolates (chocolate croissants) and choquettes. Camryn had to bring her little doggy to show Miss Melissa, our friend who paints faces at the farmers market, for face-painting inspiration. It was really windy and cold out, so we hurried home and spent the rest of the day relaxing, cleaning the house, and I might have watched some Gossip Girls…which by the way, NONE of you admitted to having watched. My husband now believes he’s won this war, and is 100% convinced that the show is for teenagers. I thought we were friends!? Friends don’t let friends-husbands win battles over chick tv!! ;-)

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What kind of fun did you all get into this weekend?

XO – Samantha

Lust List: 12/6/13 & On The 4th Day of GIVEAWAY!

Well everyone, we survived the week, and now we get to enjoy a little R&R this weekend. Wahhooo! You know what I love most about Fridays? Knowing that I get to sleep in tomorrow morning because my husband will be home and will get up early with our daughter. I volunteer him for morning duties every Saturday. He’s a gem. :-)

Let’s kick this Friday off right with my Lust List, and then Day 4 of my “12 Days of Giveaway”!

Lust List Image

1.|| How Kids Decide Who To Marry (Short & Sweet Article that is sure to make you smile!)

2.|| I love this gift topper tutorial from the blog “The House That Lars Built”

3.|| I was sent a sample of an exfoliator that has officially stolen my heart. It’s the Microdermabrasion Paste from Rodan + Fields. It smells of citrus, warms as it exfoliates, and leaves your skin feeling softer than a babies bum. You guys know I love my face masks, and I will gladly put this in my top 5. It reminds me of Kate Somerville’s Exfolikate, but not as stinky, or green. I’ve had the opportunity to test a few Rodan + Fields products, and I’m really enjoying them. My favorite (daily use) products so far are part of the Redefine line, which are targeted at aging skin. I really appreciate the emphasis on using SPF, and that the package includes an eye cream focused on fighting wrinkles, which sadly, I have. :-( I’ll do a full product review when I’ve finished sampling all the lines. For reference, my skin is combination-dry, and does breakout on occasion. I have a lot of freckles, which make my skin look discolored the older I get (I swear the little bastards are joining together to become one giant freckle!) I love exfoliating products, and brightening products, or anything that helps fight wrinkles. I have deep set eyes, and in the last 2 years I’ve developed fine lines around the inner corners of my eyes, so I’m always on the hunt for a good eye cream. A special thank you to Paula for allowing me to try all of these products out and give my honest feedback and recommendations to all of you. My opinions are my own, as always. :-)

4.|| The perfect appetizer. These make my mouth water just looking at them.

5.|| Speaking of things that make my mouth water…Anyone want a Kahlua Hot Chocolate? Go check out this recipe from Damn Delicious.

6.|| Danielle, from THE EVERYGIRL, shares her fabulous Chicago Apartment.

7.|| My friend introduced me to the amazing world of Pinterest Fails. My husband and I cried laughing in bed the other night looking through them. My favorite part? “Nailed it!”

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8.|| Beautiful new “Influence” art by Jen of MadeByGirl would be the perfect addition to any gallery wall, or inspirational piece in your office, or closet. I love that Jen’s art is always classy, and clean, and always adds a touch of glamour to any space.

9.|| When you let your kids play ball inside the house…amazing things {sometimes} happen. Watch this video until the end. Very inspiring.

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10. Day 4 of my “12 Days of Giveaway”!! Win this eclectic collection of holiday gifting items, like a gold glitter journal (great for keeping in your purse and making notes or lists), a gold polka dot bag, gift tags, gold polka dot pillow boxes (perfect for gift cards), red and white striped twine, magnetic to-do list, thank you cards, all occasion “&” cards, and fun pens. I want you to recieve these goodies with plenty of time to use them, so this giveaway will only last 5 1/2 days. All entries will be verified. This entry requires to follow Playdates + Pearls (by e-mail, or on bloglovin’) AND follow Playdates + Pearls on Instagram. All additional entries are optional. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Oh, and HAPPY FRIDAY LOVES!

XO – Samantha

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