Christmas at Brownstone

Michele's Lucky Find

 It's the most wonderful time of the year...and Brownstone has turned into a Winter Wonderland!  We love the hustle and bustle of the holidays and wanted to share a few of our Holly Jolly Holiday Finds with you!  

Annie's Metal Outlet

Haute Socks

Metals 'N More

Redfish Studio

The Pepper Patch

Outfitters of Little Fork Ranch

The Lily Field

Vella Nest

Happy Holidays!

Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas

This time of year I am constantly hearing Tom Hanks’ voice in my head from the movie You’ve Got Mail saying:  “Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” 

Well it might not quite feel like fall yet here in Texas, but it is the time when the kiddos are driving us crazy, and we can’t think of anyone we appreciate more than the teachers who will soon be taking over the day-shift.  And a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils just doesn’t seem like enough. So with that in mind we’ve found a few cute ideas to help show the teachers in your life how much you love them.

(www.blackberryvine.blogspot.com)

(www.hauska.puujumala.com)

(www.amandaparkerandfamily.blogspot.com)

(www.brendawritesablog.com)





8th Annual Beat the Heat in Pink

Last Thursday, July 26, 2012,  the Shoppes at Brownstone Village was proud to host the 8th Annual Beat the Heat in Pink charity benefit!  We raised a lot awareness and funds for Pay it Forward: A Hopewell Foundation and had a good time as well!  We hope all of you did too, and wanted to post a few photos from tha night!  Thanks for all of you who came out to show your support, and we hope to see you again next year!

 

Thanks Again,

The Brownstone Girls

Made by Little Hands {Father's Day Ideas}

Does anyone really know what to buy their father?  I know I spent years not knowing.  That’s why as a kid I fell into the same gift pattern many do and bought my businessman father ties for every gift giving holiday there was. 

At first I tried to find nice ones, but later when I was old enough to realize he only wore them because he had to and not because he wanted to...I got a little cruel.  I would find ties with the craziest prints or the ugliest color combinations and give to him with a straight face and innocently ask if he liked them.  The poor man would gush and wear that ugly tie at the breakfast table the next morning and surprisingly was still wearing it when he walked in the door for dinner.

Years later, when I finally started to get to know my father as a man with interests outside me and my brothers, gift giving became a little less formal, but I often kept the tradition alive by wrapping his concert tickets or DVD box set in a hideous pink tie.  Last Christmas he even started giving them back.  Each one of my brothers and I got a tie in our stocking.    My brothers were going to give theirs away but I took them home instead.  I figure with a few more holidays I’ll have enough of those old ties to make something like the tie wreath I recently found on Pintrest.

But until then I need to find a way to incorporate a tie into this year’s father’s Day gift.  And while I found tons of cute ideas including one where children paint their handprints on a white tie, my favorite was a simple greeting card made from scrapbook paper.  Using a legal size patterned paper, fold to look like a dress shirt then adding a knotted piece of paper for the tie.  (The exact instructions can be found on marthastewart.com). 

Just remember, no matter what you give him, your dad’s sure to gush and use it proudly, but it just wouldn’t be Father’s day without a little bit of patterned silk.  Even if you just use it to wrap a six pack.

Love you Dad!

Jenn.

Landscaping Diva

As a new homeowner I think I was a little clueless about the work in takes into making a flower bed. I had been looking up landscaping and had in mind what I wanted and my dreams of the front yard that would welcome guests to our home. Lots of flowers and potted plants and an overabundance green, something like this......

So when my husband told me that he would like to add some landscaping to our BARE front yard, I was thrilled to add a little color, and to finally add some yard art from Annie's Metal Outlet! Here is a little look at what we were starting with....

Within 5 minutes of shoveling up the grass that was DEEPLY rooted, I was over the color and adding yard art. I was okay with the bare, easy, and pain free front yard that we had started with, but with my DETERMINED husband by my side we were getting it done! And boy did we, 7.5 hours and one horrible sunburn later we now have a flowerbed. It is not pinterest professional garden, but it is definitely a start, and hopefully in the years to come I will develop some sort of green thumb!

Robin :)

5,000 Pesos Winner!

We love all of our Brownstone fans!!! The winners of the 5,000 likes 5,000 pesos contest are Britney Le and Phuong Ka for the referral, you each have won a $181.58 Gift Card to Brownstone Village that is now available at the front counter. Thank you to everyone who participated and make sure to look out for more contests later this month!!

I am easily one of the least creative people in the entire world.  I always have some big idea and then never have the means to actually do it…or the patience.  Like a pretty large majority of the population, I have fallen victim to Pinterestitis-the belief that I can be crafty and make something wonderful out of a paper cup, some thread, and a little homemade Mod Podge!  Not really, but I was feeling “inspired” the other day and saw about 10 random vases just sitting in our house.  They are currently serving no purpose and we are trying to redecorate our bedroom so I figured they would be perfect on our shelves, which are also being refinished, but that project isn’t going quite so well J.  Anyways, this is super easy for anyone!  I bought three different acrylic paint bottles from Hobby Lobby that coordinated with my bedding.  I squeezed 6 big globs (2 of each color but make sure you alternate them) right in the bottom of a vase.  When I flipped it over, I started to slowly turn the vase to give it a slight swirl effect and then just turned it upside down onto a piece of cardboard overnight.  Super easy and quick!  The next morning, I had my own “artistic” pieces to put on the shelves.  I did each one a little different and even finished one off that had a lot of bare glass by spraying metallic gold spray paint inside of it.  So while I may not be creating any masterpieces anytime soon, I am pretty pleased with my cheap, fun, easy, pizzazzed vases.  Also, sorry about the low-quality pictures…Maybe I will have better ones when I get the shelves done and put the vases up J

Tara

Tissue Garland

Most of my DIY projects come about while I try to find creative and new display ideas for seasonal merchandise.  Recently I started browsing around the web trying to find decorations for graduation season.  One of the cutest ideas I found was for a tissue paper tassel garland.  All you need is some tissue paper, tacky glue and a rope. 

Simply stack up a pile of tissue paper (remember the smaller the stack, the easier it is to cut uniform lines) and cut into ½ inch strips.

 Take hold of about 20-25 strips between your thumb and index finger and begin to twist from the middle of the strip.  Twist about 4 inches in the center of the strip and then you can fold it over the rope. 

Now twist both ends of the tissue around each other to form a tight bond around the rope.  You will need to liberally apply some tacky glue, remembering that is might look messy when wet, but it will dry clear.

Once the tassel is secure, just fluff a bit and pull the individual strips apart to poof out the tassel.

Playing with the tassel, I added some rubber bands around the top of my tassel to make it look a bit more like it belonged on a miter board.  The same effect could be achieved with some gold thread. 

I love inexpensive and simple decorations for any event and as now’s the time of year when we all seem to have parties and showers to plan for.  This garland would look darling in any color scheme (baby boy blue!?) or add some tassels made of mylar or metallic colored tissue to add a little sparkle to a bridal event.    I found several photos of garlands made using the same technique only with patterned strips of cloth instead of tissue.  The possibilities are endless!

Jennifer

Mother's Day is just a few days away. So we thought we would give out some great DIY ideas, that can be done in a time crunch and are great on the wallet! Many of these ideas would be great for Grandma, or even perfect to forward to Dad so that he can help the kiddos get them done for a Saturday activity......

This is by far my FAVORITE! All you have to do is get your child's hand print. Then you simply write down all the things they enjoy doing with their hands with their mom or grandma.....
Some ideas are: I love to sew with grandma, I eat pancakes, I love to plant flowers with Grandma, I like to hold hands with mommy, I like to tickle. Print out the words on some plain white paper, and then all you need is a cute frame and ONE piece of scrapbook paper to make this one-of-a-kind give all moms would LOVE!

I'm sure every dad could handle this gift! All you need are 12 Manila envelopes and 12 ideas to make mom smile and give her a little break. If you are a dad giving these you can have a surprise date night in each envelope, or if the kiddos are giving this gift you can have a task that mom normally handles taken care of by each of the kiddos that day, week or month!

Last, but not least are these sweet hand cutouts. You can make them as modern or simple as you wish, but just cut out each child's hand on the paper of your choice. Then, write their name and Mother's Day 2012! Simple, classic and this will definitely make all moms smile!!

Tomorrow we will be highlighting some great gifts available for mom at Brownstone Village!!

Happy early Mother's Day to all you fabulous moms!!!
Robin

Marathon Mishap

Randomly, two Sundays ago, I decided to run a marathon.  Maybe that’s a slight lie…  My Aunt Sally actually asked me to run it with her well over 2 months ago.  I agreed considering she had just walked one.  I figured I would train over the next two months since she decided she was going to have to up her game for the Big D Marathon since it was timed. 

Despite my usually on-target time management skills, I never was able to fit it in.  I am guilty of always putting work and school before myself unfortunately and those runs I so badly wanted (and needed) did not occur.  Plus, we moved during that time too so there were always boxes to pack/unpack instead.  I continued to make excuses and kept putting it off until finally the night before the marathon, I realized my only running had been playing with my precious babies (also known as my dogs).

Morning of the marathon, it was pouring rain.  On the ride to Fair Park, Aunt Sally was vehemently expressing her lack of enthusiasm for having to participate in the rain.  She kept hoping they would postpone, but I already knew that was not going to happen.  We were amateurs (perhaps I was even a little below that but nonetheless…) and most of these people were practically pros.  We suited up in rain jackets and walked to the starting line.

We started off at a great pace, jogging and making the times we would need to gain a leg up if we slowed down a little towards the end.  Then, at around mile 8 or 9, we stopped for the restroom.  All of a sudden, I felt sharp shooting pains in my ankles.  I was sure this was a sign of my lack of training.  I slowed down quite a bit while Aunt Sally kept trucking on.  At about mile 14, I could not stand it anymore and accepted the fact that I was not going to be able to do the full, but took solace knowing I was able to finish more than the half.  The ride back to the starting line was tough knowing that I had given up which is nothing like me.  I was excited for the likelihood of my aunt finishing and beating her previous time.  When the emcee announced her finish, he even said he was going to have to check her birth certificate because he didn’t believe her age.  (Fab at 57).

While she had worried about finishing in the time allotted, Aunt Sally was able to finish with 11 minutes to spare and over an hour better than her last marathon.  Being there to see her cross the finish line was almost as exciting for me as it was for her (granted I had to leave the nice firemen paramedics who had been tending to my ankle for the two hours or so before she finished).  All things aside, my aunt is proof that you can make up your mind to do something and not let anything stop you no matter what your age.  She has walked every single night for as long as I have known her and never had a health issue despite the delicious Cajun fried turkeys her husband makes for the holidays.  Maybe we can all take a note from her and remember that taking care of ourselves should always be a priority.

Green Thumb Gene

My Grandmother has served multiple terms as the National Garden Club president and has served as a judge for garden shows for over 40 years.  She “quit” the show circuit a few years ago (around her 80^th birthday) but wasn’t able to leave the garden for long so she started volunteering to create a Wildscape Garden behind the clubhouse.  She will no doubt be immortalized by the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens once she is finally able to let it go. 

So while it’s been quite a few years since I followed her around the garden pruning and playing, but in the back of my mind I always thought that green thumb gene was there; that when I had a use for it I could activate my horticultural heritage like a super power. 

This didn’t happen.

I moved into my home in mid-summer 2 years ago, and broke my foot last spring, so this was the first year that I started out determined to make a yard out of the weeds surrounding my house.   I started as everyone does, by pulling out all the weeds I could.   It didn’t take long before my actual super power activated: Hayfever! 

In between sneezes I’ve managed to clear 4 flowerbeds and made a birdbath out of old terra cotta pots that have been hiding in the undergrowth. I managed to break my hoe, {insert your own dirty joke here} and I only had one truly girly moment involving a garden snake and an undignified shriek.

So now I have a few freshly mulched flower beds and a beautifully mowed lawn.  I did flashback to a few hot Julys in my childhood when grandma taught me how to prune roses and to “pinch” my chrysanthemums so they are full and strong by fall, so I’m confident I can keep my yard going through the summer, but the reality of just how much work is involved is daunting.  Not to mention that scary greenhouse in the back corner of the yard that is so overgrown it looks like a jungle.  I might wait a few weeks to tackle that one.

Green Thumb Activate!

Jenn.

Lily & Laura

I have always loved items that go to a great cause. So when I first heard about Lily and Laura bracelets I was hooked from the start. If you don't know the story about Lily and Laura here is the run down, all of their bracelets are hand crocheted by women artist in Nepal, each women is paid per bracelet, and these bracelets allow the women to live above the poverty line in Nepal, so yes these gorgeous colorful bracelets improve the quality of life for these women and their families.

The other great thing about these bracelets is that they roll over any wrist, I have always had a hard time finding bracelets that fit, so this is one of the reasons I LOVE my Lily and Laura bracelets. They are also great because you don't have to fumble around trying to find a clasp, which is why my grandmother loves them too! With Mother's Day right around the corner I could not think of a better gift to give, something gorgeous to wear that also gives to a great company!!



You can find Lily and Laura bracelets at Brownstone, as soon as you walk in on the front counter. Mention this post and get 3 bracelets for $33. (normally 3 for $38) This blog special will expire on Friday, April 27th.

Party People

I love to throw a party.  I love to brainstorm about throwing a party.  I love all the details and the random thoughts that come to me when I should be sleeping.  We have had a circus party with a kid’s parade, a chef party with custom recipes, movie night with a concession stand and a gymnastics party with personalized medals for the party goes.  I always had intricate invitations, custom cupcakes with handmade toppers and party décor that brought the whole party together.

It is time to plan yet another birthday party for our oldest.  I was ready to create an extravagant scavenger hunt for her and all her friends.  I asked Emma what she thought and she told me that would be great, but what she really wanted was a mud party.  I thought I heard her wrong.  Mud.  Dirt and water together.  She said she just wanted to be able to play in the mud with all her friends.

I realized that while all the other parties were fun and full of details, she really just wanted to play like a kid.  So this year as she turns 8, she will get her mud party.  I sent an email (not even an evite) to the moms and the party was set.  No crazy planning.  No stress and I am actually looking forward to the stress free party!

I will post pictures after the party.  I am sure I will be smiling and not stressing and the kids will be knee high in mud and fun!



Taylor

Fashion Basics Brownstone Style

Haven’t you had at least one outfit that you stumbled across years after wearing it and thought, “What was I thinking?!?!?”  No matter what age you are, you know you’ve experienced it.  Probably one of my most memorable fashion faux pas was a pair of SILVER Limited Too pants.  Granted I was still a pre-teen, but I thought I looked fly.  I have also always been on the curvier side so skin-tight was not exactly the most flattering style to begin with but I was determined to rock them.  I am all for everybody interpreting fashion their own way, but here’s a little cheat list to keep you from having one of those “oh no” moments.

Wear the size that looks right, not the size the tag says.

Just the other day, a mother and daughter were in Groovy’s shopping when the daughter picked out a shirt that was running smaller than the size on the tag.  She was easily a traditional small, but went with the large because it looked best on her.  When explaining this to her mother she responded with, “That’s why the tag is on the inside-so nobody will see it.”  She’s right.  We all have in our minds what size we think we are supposed to be, but we really need to wear what is right for us.  I know I am guilty of it at times too, but nobody else will even notice or care.

Dress your age.

Think about the friend closest to you in age.  If you do not think she should wear it, neither should you.  We live in a world that creates styles and trends for all ages that you cannot possibly go wrong if you just dress age-appropriately.  Congratulations that you can still fit in your skin-tight leopard print mini skirt from high school even though you are 45 now…just don’t show it off in public.      

Follow trends without overdoing it.

Bright colors are obviously making an appearance this year, but that does not mean you need to look like a deluxe pack of highlighters.  Stick to a similar color family or shade.  You want things to flow, not look like you put on every color in your closet.

Flatter yourself.

All in all, wear what looks good on you!  So what if you have a thicker bottom and cannot comfortably fit in the same pair of jeans as your less curvy friends, embrace all that you have to offer.  Wear clothing that shows off what you are proud of while drawing attention away from the things you’re not. 

Ninja Knitters

Have you heard of yarn bombing yet?  Guerilla knitting?  I’ve heard the phrase before but only recently started paying this new form of urban art the attention it deserves.  Now I know many of us can be very old fashioned fuddy-duddies when it comes to urban art, believing spray paint belongs in the in the hands of professionals, not in the hands of kids tagging whatever wall they come across.  But this new urban experiment is not about vandalism or expressing despair at one’s lot in life.  On the contrary, it is about livening up our sometimes cold and sterile world with the warm, personal touch of a hand-made cozy.

Yarn bombing is thought to have started as recently as 2004.  Like most forms of urban art, this textile tagging was often done anonymously and under the cover of darkness.  Knitters had code names and were known by their unique style or a signature stitch.  However, as the projects became larger and more ambitious, knitters began to join forces and small communities were formed.

While yarn bombing is still technically illegal, many groups of grandmothers and hip moms have developed all over the world, knitting and crocheting their personalities into public spaces.  While the most common items to be bombed are trees and lamp posts, my personal favorites are the public statues of stone and metal which are given new life through a scarf or a pair of socks.  I love the woman who knitted a red sweater for the statue of Mr. Rodgers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  After all, who is Mr. Rodgers without the red sweater?

Like almost everything else, yarn bombing is taking it’s time getting to the more suburban areas like Arlington, TX.   Personally, I have every intention of aiding the cause, by finally listening to my grandmother when she tries to teach me to knit.  It should only take a few years for me to learn enough to tag the Brownstone right?

Knit one, Purl two…

Jenn

Finding "ME" time at The Salon at Brownstone Village

I am always down for some spa time and relaxation. So when Kelly Cole, The Salon at Brownstone Village's newest member, asked me if I wanted a facial I didn't even have to think twice about saying YES! The facial started with a fabulous cleanse, then went straight into a exfoliating acid peel and then after some extracting a relaxing massage! The products that she used were also phenominal, they called Yonka and she even gave samples so that I could try them at home for a while and see how well they worked on my skin {needless to say I'm hooked}.

If you have yet to visit The Salon at Brownstone Village you are definitely missing out! They have amazing manicurist, a fantastic masseuse, 2 estheticians {one that also does electrolysis}, a permanent make-up artist and of course several hair stylists{one of which Brian Miller who does my hair regularly}! Many of the salon staff also offer discounts to first-time customers.

I have listed the salon staff below along with their contact info:
Janice Stewart {nail technician}- 817.275.3320
Beverly Meuth {permanent make-up}- 817.975.5327
Brian Miller {hair stylist}- 817.925.7989
Ana De La Rosa {hair stylist}- 817.371.1124
Becky Mireles {hair stylist}-817.705.4247
Duane Fetsch {hair stylist}- 817.925.1269
Christine Alphin {hair stylist}-817.274-3680
Thu Nguyen {nail technician}- 817.526.1682
Kay Watkins {masseuse}- 817.456.4424
Kelly Cole {esthetician}- 817.422.2697
Effy Sternfeld {esthetician/electrolysis}- 817.999.0479

Find some time for yourself and book your appointment with one of the salon and spa staff today!

Robin

Yarn Omelet

To make an omelet you must first break a few eggs.  To make a yarn egg, you must first break a dozen balloons, an entire bottle of craft glue, half a gallon of liquid starch, multiple balls of yarn, some flour, sugar, and a lot of time and patience.  Or maybe it’s just me. 

Recently I’ve seen many yarn and twine balls used as party decorations and had some very happy childhood flashbacks of making a similar craft with my scout troop.  I thought if I could do it as a child, it must be simple and could make for a fun Sunday afternoon.  So I trolled the blogs and craft sites and to my surprise, found that debate on the best way to go about making the little buggers was varied and passionate.

 Well maybe I’m a little lazy, or maybe it’s because I already had the glue, but my first attempt at yarn eggs involved soaking the yarn in a glue and water mixture and covering the balloon in small strips.  The balloon looked GREAT!  And it was only slightly messy.  However, when the glue dried and I tried to deflate (make sure you deflate the balloon, don’t pop!) the balloon the entire egg deflated with it.  At first I thought maybe I didn’t let it dry long enough, so I waited to free my other remaining eggs from their balloons another 24 hours.  It didn’t help.

My next step was to try the liquid starch method.  I tried the Heavy Duty formula and once again draped my yarn strips on the balloon.  Again it looked great, but the best part was that the starch was far less messy than the glue and made the entire room smell like clean laundry.  My faith was restored but I chose to wait and let the yarn dry a little longer than they probably needed.  Unfortunately this didn’t help much, and while one of the six eggs I tried to make did retain it’s egg-like shape, it wasn’t strong enough to hang.  I took to violently stabbing the last few balloons in frustration.

But there was NO WAY I was going to be beaten by yarn and balloons, so I pulled out the big guns: a recipe for paper mache glue.  (Boil 2 cups water; add ½ cup flour and another 2 cups cold water; BOIL; remove from heat and add 3TB sugar; COOL)  This was by far the messiest and smelliest of the three methods.  But I dug in, turned on some good music and got that goop everywhere.  I saturated the yarn in small sections but didn’t cut the yarn this time.  It was much easier to work with this way.  But it took days to dry and the smell got worse the drier they got! 

So finally I got the courage to deflate and remove my balloons and HALLELUJAH!  It looked like an egg!  And it only took me 2 weeks to get it right!

So, while my suborn streak has been satisfied, I think I’ll be sticking to making my omelets with the smaller more delicious kind of egg from now on…maybe adding a  little spinach…and cheese…oh and mushrooms.  

Yum…

Jennifer

The Bigger the Bow the Better!

As the financial manager, I am in the office alot and don’t get to look as much as I would prefer.  Today I had a great time shopping for the perfect baby gift, and boy did I have a hard time choosing between all the cute things that I did not even know our boutiques had brought in!

Like the bow that makes their head tilt a little bit, from Outfitters of Little Fork Ranch!

Or the new giraffe Wubanub, from Carried Away Baby, that becomes the baby's favorite lovie!

And of course we can't forget the cute socks that cover their footies, that I had no idea came in this great gift set of 3!!

Yesterday, my niece had a baby girl named Addy Kate and I am going to meet her tonight.  She is a tiny little thing and I needed to get some fancy pink things. So hopefully all three of these precious little gifts, because little girls are our specialty, we now have six of them to keep dressed and the Shoppes at Brownstone Village can help us kept them in style.

Love,

Becky "GG"

One of the greatest selling points of my current home was the small room off the garage that was going to be perfect for a craft studio and painting space.  I had romantic dreams of painting masterpieces while sun flooded in through all the windows and I found myself surrounded by bright colors and the perfect kind of creative chaos.  

In reality the room has sat mostly unused for the last year, full of half empty boxes and random craft supplies.  When I do start a project I get frustrated as I’m unable to find any of the random things I need to finish it.  All my paint is present but the staple gun is in the garage, my brushes are still in the kitchen where I last washed them and after searching all sensible places for almost an hour I find the scissors have for some reason  found their way on to the front porch.  I need a spring cleaning plan!

So now my practical dreams are of plastic tubes and Elfa shelves.  Mason jars full of buttons and random beads all divided by color and shape.  I’ve searched high and low for ideas on how to turn my small converted garage into the artistic haven I picture in my dreams.  After all how can I expect to create in a cramped space where I’m constantly tripping over that box of Christmas decorations that never made its way to the attic?  I welcome any and all suggestions for making this happen and I’ll keep you posted on all my progress!

Keep Crafting,

Jenn

Sweet Baby Bedding Giveaway Winner

Congrats to our winner of this sweet baby bedding Mrs. Sarah Peznowski Miloud! We will have your baby up here waiting for your by the end of the day today!! Stay on the look out for one more giveaway of baby bedding later this month.

Style It Up With a Scarf!

I have been on the scarf bandwagon for a couple of years now, and I am so glad that they continue to come out with bright and bold patterns season after season! I always get asked about how in the heck you are supposed to wear scarves, and technically there are TONS of different ways to make them fit both your outfit and personality! Several of our boutiques have been bringing in new scarves each day, so I thought I would share a few of my favorites here with ya'll!

From Left to Right: Coral Crinkle Scarf from Windward Trading, Black Lace Scarf from Flax Legacy, Bright Tribal Scarf from Grae, Black Floral Scarf from Faux Pas

Now for all of you scarf rookies out there don't be afraid to push the envelope and try something new every time you wear a scarf! I find it amazing how just changing how you wear your scarf can completely transform an outfit! Here are some tricks and tips on how to wear all your fantastic Brownstone scarves!!

Robin