You Amaze Me, Barton Springs!

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Yesterday we (hubby and friends) spent all afternoon at Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park. It's fed from natural springs and is 3 acres large. It's also an average of 68° (read: COLD). The only way we could get in was by jumping!

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After a couple minutes we could feel our arms and legs again. We swam up and down the length of the pool, trying to avoid the grass and algae. So much fun! I can't believe that in 5 years of living in Austin this was my first time to swim at Barton Springs. It definitely won't be the last!

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I think I'll go during the next full moon - everyone howls at the moon! I think that's an experience worth braving the cold water for :) I also still need to see the Barton Springs Salamander! It's endangered and only lives in Barton Springs and surrounding area. Neat :D

For your beautiful and fun environment, you amaze me, Barton Springs!

You Amaze Me, Pentagram

Pentagram is a design firm with offices in London, Berlin, New York, and AUSTIN! Their office is actually right next door to my father-in-law's (I believe they helped design his logo). But that's not why they amaze me. They amaze me because they make beautiful designs!

They create products, identities, and packaging...

They offer signage, architecture, and interiors...

And they design print, publications, and books!

(You may note that the last one is published by Phaidon ♡ Also, all photos from Phaidon's website)

And they are all beautiful. One day I'd like to be as talented as they. And that is why you amaze me, Pentagram!

Etsy Finds: Austin

This week I want to feature some members of Team Etsy Austin! These are a wonderful group of people, and I couldn't be happier that I joined the team last year. Austin's motto is "Keep Austin Weird," which means "Support local businesses!" So if you're local, you should definitely give these ladies a look! You can find them on Etsy, or at many markets and locations around town :) Without further ado, here are some colorful creations of my fellow Austinites!

First up is a set of Upcycled Crayons by lpfdesigns (from whom I won this headband!):

Second is a Water Pistol Safe by the ever-cheerful pommesfrites:

We have an adorable Magnet Pack by my Craft Academy partner-in-crime's shop Robo Roku:

Who could resist this Sweet Yellow Bird Ring by fiftyacorns?

Followed by this great Cycling Cap by Maggie913 (I want it the purple one!):

I love this Limited Edition Print by leah duncan!

I may have to buy these Texas Cuff Links by AmeliaBeth (..for my husband):

How CUTE is this Mod Car Shirt by BabyBolt?? I need an adult size.

I'll wrap this up with Elsa the Elephant by SnuggleHerd:

Check out more items in my treasury, or search for TeamEtsyAustin on Etsy!

Look what I got!

Remember me mentioning those giveaways I won last week?

This is what I won from the lovely Bridget of lovepeacefamily! Isn't it adorable? I wore a red shirt today to match :D I eat an apple a day, so this is perfect. And my hair was really annoying me today...;)

Go check out Bridget's awesome shop!!

And also go check out her feature on the Etsy Austin blog!

You Amaze Me, Fireworks

Every year I start getting really excited...for fireworks. I dance around and squeal like a small child. And I'm ok with that. Because fireworks are awesome. And this year I'll get to see TWO shows!! On Friday Alex went to the Concerts in the Gardens 4th of July celebration with my parents. It's an annual event that includes a couple hours of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra playing patriotic music with a fantastic fireworks finale! I hadn't been in a few years, but it was just as good as I remember! There's nothing better than eating watermelon in the Botanic Gardens while listening to live music and watching FIREWORKS. Am I right? (A: YES.)

Now I'm off to my in-laws' cookout. They live close to downtown, so we can watch the Austin fireworks show from their front lawn! While eating. I love eating ^_^

Happy Independence Day!!

PS: Also check out my colors of fireworks post on Birds of a Feather :)
PPS: And I'll be uploading more photos to my Flickr :D

Texas Summer

I don't like the heat. Anything over 78 is really just too hot unless you're in water. However, there are some beautiful things about Texas summer that I just love. This weekend I walked around my neighborhood to photograph some of those things. Do you have any favorites?

Cool grass between my toes

Swimming day or night

Warm stones beneath my feet

The sound of cicadas singing

And of course, the biggest clouds I've ever seen

Ah, Texas summer ♥

On a Personal Note

I know I get tired and down when stressed, but I didn't realize just how much my job was affecting me until I went away last weekend. The administration doesn't care about their employees, and in turn the employees complain. While it's definitely not the worst job I've had, it is the most negative. But I'm an optimistic person! So, having taken a small break, I've reset myself :D I would like to say:

It's not the way I want to be, so I won't be that way any more ^_^ This weekend I'm going to kick my job-searching into high gear! If anyone knows of a good job opening in Austin, let me know ;) Hopefully I'll finally get my new website design up, and apply to several jobs! AND, with my new-found energy, I'll be finishing my new products and updating the shop. Wish me luck!

It's going to be a great weekend!

(images from weheartit)

You Amaze Me, Knit Graffiti

KnittaPlease has long held a special place in my heart. And recently Magda Sayeg "yarn bombed" Austin - covering a $40k work of "art" with yarn, a vast improvement in my opinion ;) [Check out an interview here.] I love seeing knitting in unexpected places!

(via google images and KnittaPlease)

 

Thank you for the gifts, knitting artists. Hopefully one day I'll join in :D

Can't wait to see more :D

BIG PLANS

I'll admit, I was feeling a little discouraged as of late. I think it happens to all of us, although I hope there are people out there who always feel confident and optimistic ;) Anyway, after tasking it easy for two weeks (and by that I mean having a couple nights off and actual lunch breaks), I'm ready to get back to work! A lot of things are in the mix right now, and I can't wait to see how they work out!!

Lately I've been working with Renee (of Robo Roku) on a super secret project! SO super secret that I'm going to tell you a little bit about it {hehe}. It's called CRAFT ACADEMY, and it's going to be awesome. We'll be open for the summer session! And our summer classes are going to be ridiculously fun. I've also been working on a logo, and I think it's pretty cute! But not too cute. I'll be working on it more tonight.

Also, I just signed up for the 78704 Artist Market for Saturday, April 17th! I'll be sharing a booth with Maggie of Assorted Musings by Maggie. Luckily I still have [most of] what I prepared for the market a couple weeks ago (ya know, the one that basically got cancelled due to 40MPH winds). Yay for no last minute stressing out! Of course, I can always make more for it ;) Anyway, cross your fingers for low winds! And if you are in Austin, come by and say hi :D

I've been stepping up my drawing, too, and I think I'm getting a lot better. I haven't yet decided what to do with them... They may appear in my shop :)

April Fool...for spring

Yesterday was wonderful. I'm so glad I had Good Friday off of work.
Did you do anything special?
You can see my list on yesterday's post ;)
Here are the photos from my bike ride, when I left behind all my worries.
It was beautiful.

I then picked up a smoothie from the Daily Juice.
(I needed the nourishment.)
And headed to my sister's to dye Easter eggs.
(Check out my post on Birds of a Feather...
and my video tutorial on Robo Roku!)

And there are a million more photos on Flickr.
It was the best way to start a weekend.
Today was really busy too.
I had a great lunch with Renee, catching up and scheming ;)
I ran a couple errands.
And I've done lots of photo editing!
Happy Saturday, all :-)