Friday Is For Friends: Sometimes Sweet

Hi all, Danielle here, from Sometimes Sweet! When Katie asked me to contribute a post here for her Friday is for Friends series, I was really excited. I've loved seeing all of the lovely ladies' fun posts and DIYs.  I thought long and hard about what I wanted to contribute, and then this past weekend, it came to me! My husband works during the week, so weekends are a really special time for us to have fun and connect as a family.  And we take that fun very seriously!  Every weekend I try and plan something exciting and adventurous for us to do, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to share some simple ideas for having a fabulous and extraordinary weekend.

1. Play tourist. We all call somewhere home, but most likely we all haven't really explored our towns and everything they have to offer through the eyes of a tourist.  I bet if you look around, there are a ton of different sights and destinations to check out right outside your doorstep.  My little family and I live in a small, Northern Arizona town that is a popular tourist destination for its beautiful scenery, Old West/Cowboy history, and its small town charm.  I recently visited our town's website and realized there are a million things to do right here that we'd never considered. Hello, haunted tour of downtown! Amazing. And I bet you'll find some pretty neat things in your town or city, too.

2. Make going out to dinner an adventure. If you're anything like us, you probably find yourself going to your same favorite restaurants over and over again.  I do have to admit that I love the predictability of eating at the same places week after week, and really, what's better than having a tamale plate named after you? (Answer: nothing!) But truth be told, a little excitement is good sometimes, especially when you want to have an extraordinary weekend. Why not check out Yelp and try the first restaurant that catches your eye?  Or drive down an out of the way street and pull over at the first place you see? Maybe you've never tasted Vietnamese food, or perhaps you've been wanting to try your hand at the spiciest wings in town...this weekend is the time to do so!

3. Plan a stay-cation. Locals often get great deals on hotels in the area, and a stay-cation can be the perfect remedy to a normally ho-hum weekend. Think big, comfy bed, a pool, and feeling like you're worlds away, when you might be just down the street. There's something fun about little travel size toiletries, room service, and taking the elevator all the way to the top. Sleep in, pretend you're in another country, and just have fun. It's a great, inexpensive way to "escape" without really escaping at all!

4. Take it in. It seems silly that we should be reminded to "take it in," but I know that more often than not I get so wrapped up in doing this or that, that I forget to take a step back and just notice things. Notice the way the clouds make those great big fluffy shapes on a September afternoon, notice how the smell of a tomato vine can take you to a different place entirely. Pay attention to the way a hummingbird seems to float in the air, take time to sit back and breathe, taking notice of each breath, in and out. It's good to slow down, and sometimes for an extraordinary time all we have to do is sit back and relax. Just be. Perhaps this weekend you want to designate a night to "just be." Pull some chairs out back and look up at the sky. Drink tea, and really taste it. Order a slice of pie and eat it slowly, savoring the way the flaky crust compliments the tartness of the fruit. Get an extra-thick milkshake. Catch fireflies, put your feet in the water. Slow down, and just truly enjoy. Whatever you decide to do, I hope it's a good one! Happy weekend-ing, everyone!

************************************************************
Well, I couldn't end "Friday is for Friends" without including Danielle. She is one of my very favorite bloggers and has been there for me when I needed a little bit of encouragement and perspective. I love that girl.

We are off to spend some much needed "friend time" with some friends before they leave for vacation for a whole month. I'm totally jealous, but in the "happy for you" sort of way. ;) I hope you have a great weekend! xoxo Katie

Friday Is For Friends: Oh So Lovely

Hello lovelies! We are Stefanie & Erin of the blog Oh So Lovely Vintage and we are so thrilled to be doing a guest post for you this Friday! We have been following Katie's blog for quite awhile now and we are huge fans of her work, so we were totally flattered when she asked us to participate in her weekly Friday is for Friends feature!

If you have seen our blog before you probably already know that we are huge fans of past eras and are totally obsessed with all things vintage! Right now we are eagerly awaiting the airing of the new television series called 'Pan Am' which is based in the 1960's and follows the love lives of fashionable female flight attendants (which sounds a lot like an airline version of Mad Men to us!) So in honor of that, we decided to make a fun do-it-yourself post on how to personalize your vintage luggage!

 This is a very simple project and a great way to add a cute little touch to your carry-on!

What you will need: an old suitcase, a cute fabric in a complimenting color to the suitcase, mod podge, scissors, and a sponge brush.

First, decide on what shape or design you would like to use. We are both suckers for hearts, so we decided to go with that!

 Next, cut out all the shapes that you will need to cover the front of the suitcase (or if you want to cover the back too, then by all means, go for it!)

Now you're ready to start mod-podging! Apply a thin layer to the back of the shape to stick it down to the suitcase and then apply a thin layer over top of the shape as well, ensuring that it is thoroughly covered on both sides.

Continue doing this with the rest of the shapes until you have your whole suitcase covered! Yours will probably look something like this when you are finished... but not to worry, the glue dries totally clear! After you wait about an hour you can check out your finished product....

...and voila! A charming, fun, personalized suitcase! You will never have trouble keeping track of your luggage at an airport again!

*******************************************************************

Eeeeep!  I just love those Oh So Lovely girls!  You can't beat beautiful AND talented.  :)  I hope everyone has a great weekend.  If you are out celebrating Labor Day, please be safe!  xoxo Katie

Friday Is For Friends: Mucho Mucho Bueno Bueno

Sea Salt Spray
Hair Spray
Hair Tie
Bobby Pins
Teasing comb or Bristled brush

Most days I love my long locks, but sometimes they can have a mind of their own. I've been going to the beach and doing a lot of swimming in pools this summer and I wanted to find a cute way to wear my hair up that was simple and stylish. After fiddling around with my locks, I've created a topknot that I absolutely love!

Begin by braiding three small, random sections somewhat near your hairline.

Taking either your hands, teasing comb or a bristled brush, tease your braids a little to give them a rough edge.

Roughly gather hair on the top of your head and create a messy HPT (high ponytail)

I like to pull some pieces of pull back hair to create a messier, carefree appearance. 

Grab your ponytail section and spray sea salt spray throughout. This helps create and hold texture giving your hair that summer/beachy style.

Take threes to five SMALL sections from your PT and tease them a bit. Doesn't have to be fully teased. I'm just trying to create volume and the hair will be easier to bobby pin later. If you have finer, silkier hair, tease 5-7 sections at least.

Take a few bobby pins and start pining hair in a circular motion around the ponytail. Feel free to twist section if you want to get extra creative with the look. Keep it loose and wild.

 

Keep going...

Take a small section from the front of your topknot, braid, tease...

and pin it back.

Lightly mist hair with a flexible hold hair spray.

Then have fun accessorizing it!

Two of my favorites are the Neut headband and 

the feather dangle. You can find them in our Bueno Bueno Shop.

*****************************************************************
Aaaaahhhh... I just love those Mucho Bueno girls! These are the last weeks of my "Friday is for Friends" posts. Thank you to everyone who has participated!

I'm leaving town (again) this morning to shoot my brother-in-law's wedding. I'm pretty nervous about it-- I never really liked shooting weddings in the first place (too much pressure), but now I'm really out of practice. Wish me luck!

xoxo Katie

P.S. The winner of the Cookoorikoo giveaway is Liz @ the blue eyed owl. Drop me an email, Liz, at skunkboycreatures@yahoo.com!!

Friday Is For Friends: Create*Loves

Ello, I'm Holly, author of Create*Loves blog.  I've known Katie for about a year now, and had the privilege to visit with her during 2 of my latest trips to Missouri.  I am happy to call her friend, and I'm looking forward to seeing her in a few weeks!  (**Actually, it's this weekend!)

For this post, I wanted to share something that I enjoy doing in the summertime, and turn it into an outfit post!   Every summer, we love to go to local drive-in's whether it's for lunch or supper, or just for a treat.  There's a cute drive-in in most of the towns around where I live.  Jenna and I were on our way to the city for the Katy Perry concert, and stopped at Syl's Drive-In for a quick bite-turned-photoshoot. ;)

My Record Store Jumper is so fun for summer.  I won't be fitting it much longer ;) so I'm glad I got to wear it to the concert.

 Jenna's shorts are my favorite part of her cute outfit.  The pop of green is perfect.

Thanks for having us, Katie! Happy Summer, Skunkboy readers!  XO holly

*********************************************************************
Thanks so much, Holly, for popping by!  I'll actually get to see this pretty lady for a bit this weekend and I'm so excited about it!  Have a great weekend, friends!  *hugs* Katie

Friday Is For Friends: SRSLYLIZ

Well hello there, Skunkboy Creatures readers! My name is Liz and I blog over at SRSLYLIZ. Katie & I have been "e-friends" for a couple of years now{!} and as you all know, she's quite the beautiful & talented gal and I'm so happy she's asked me to share a little something with you today.

Growing up as a Latina, one of my favourite childhood pastimes is chasing down the paletero, or ice cream man with my sisters to score a summery snack. For those of you who have never had ice cream from Mexico, they come in delicious flavors like Nuez {walnut}, Fresas {strawberry}, Chicle {bubble gum--my fave!}, Limón {lime} & dozens of other delicious flavors.

Is your mouth watering yet? Sorry about that :) But don't fret because below I've linked up some phenomenal homemade popsicle recipes to tide you over until you run into the next paletero.

 recipe

 recipe

recipe

 recipe

Thanks for reading & thanks Katie, for having me!

****************************************************

Thank you, Liz, for sharing!  I know what my family will be treating ourselves to this weekend!  Happy weekend, friends!!  xoxo Katie

 

Friday Is For Friends: My Girl Thursday

I'm SO happy to welcome my dear friend Thursday here for this week's edition of Friday is for Friends! 
***********************************************************
Hello and happy Friday everyone!
My name is Thursday and I’m the girl behind a funny little blog called My Girl Thursday (a place where you can laugh with me or at me, so long as you’re laughing I’m pretty happy). My turn-ons include marathon thrifting, baking pies, succeeding at craft projects, graphic design and being a mom (although it does feel pretty wrong to list that as a turn-on). My turn-offs include Comic Sans. That’s it. I just really hate Comic Sans.

Something that I’ve been obsessing over lately is vintage hairstyles; more specifically pin-up girl looks. I’ve been watching one particular guru on YouTube and something she loves to do is add a flower to her hair as a finishing touch. I love it! A pretty bloom always seems to add the perfect finishing touch to many of these retro hair-dos.

So today I thought I’d walk you through a short and simple project so that you too could make your own pretty hair flower. This was my first time making one for myself and now I can’t wait to make a bunch in different colours!

 *********Thanks again, Thursday, for this super pretty DIY!  I can't wait to try it out! xo. Katie

Friday Is For Friends: Food Coma

I have a new feature here on my blog called "Friday Is For Friends".  You're going to hear from many talented people each Friday, and I'm so pleased to have Emma as my first guest.  Her blog Food Coma is one of my VERY favorites, and I think she is seriously one of the coolest gals I know!

 

Hello Skunkboy readers! I'm Emma and I'm the gal behind the Food Coma blog. I love baking, cooking and mostly importantly: Eating. Yes, I capitalized Eating. And I meant it. 

It's been really hot in my neighborhood lately, so I've been focusing a lot of summer cooking efforts toward cold treats. The colder the better. Here's how to make Frozen Pink Lemonade, its a delicious and SUPER easy treat to make for hot summer night dinner parties on the back porch.

 

All you need is a can of frozen lemonade concentrate (think Minute Maid, and it can usually be found in the frozen section at most grocery stores). In a large bowl combine the concentrate with about 1/2 of the water the directions call for. You want to use less water because we are making a dessert and not a beverage. Taste the mixture and if it seems too tart to your liking add sugar or other sweeteners that you prefer, and mix well.

Now freeze the mixture in the bowl for several hours (or over night). You want your lemonade to be a slushie consistency. Not frozen solid, but not a liquid either. Once it's ready use a fork to loosen up the mixture into tiny icicles, like a snow cone. Serve with a little lemon zest and a garnish with a lemon wedge. Easy, cold and yummy. xo. Emma

 

***Thank you again, Emma, for this recipe!  I can't wait to try it out this weekend.  hugs, Katie***