Posted on by |

Some Happy News

.

I guess the the news is officially public now and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be expecting a little one around the first of the year. I’ve had some pretty strong opinions about parenting or actually in my case, not parenting. You can read my rant from a few years ago, if you like. I’ve always thought that you shouldn’t become a parent if you weren’t ready and no can really tell you when that time is right for you. Every person and every situation is unique. We certainly had our reasons for waiting, but we’re confident that now is the right time for us.

Now that we’re on the fast track to parenthood, there are so many things to think about and so many decisions to make. I’m battling intense hunger every two hours and I’m more sleepy than I can ever remember. Other than that, I seem to be feeling fine. I’m just focusing on treating myself kindly and listening to my body.

I’m excited to share this new part of my life and embrace this journey with open arms.

SaraSig

Posted on by |

Printable Mother’s Day Card Roundup

 

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mamas out there! If you’re the one who waited until the last minute or forgot to pick up something special for your Mom and you dread the idea of sorting through the remains of the card store only to find a bent card with a foot print on the back, don’t worry. There are plenty of beautiful printable cards out there that are sure to make your Mom feel special. Here is a round up of my favorites.

 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

SaraSig

 

Posted on by |

Back in My Day- Vol. 3

.

I love this feature and I’m so happy we’re continuing it with my Mister’s Grandma Devota! It’s a common thing to hear older people say “back in my day” or maybe no one really says that in normal conversation anymore and we all use it as a joke. Either way I was wondering what does ‘my day’ really mean? When I’m sitting around with my grandchildren and I say “Back in my day,” which day exactly will I be referring to? Is it now? Is today my day? I think it is different for everyone and so I thought it would be nice to capture a glimpse of ‘days’ that aren’t mine, generations never experienced, and lives not lived.

Name: Devota Rose Bledsoe Chambers            

Age: 77

From: Kansas City, MO

What would you consider to be ‘your day’?

Back in the day, life was much simpler than today. You could go anywhere you want on a cheap tank of gas. I also could as a young girl, ride my bike to the theater and see a movie without me or my parents worrying that someone “evil” would kidnap me. I also could go on the streetcar by myself an even ride a train to Illinois without either of my parents to stay with my Aunt and Cousin. Unlike today’s fast past society, we listened to the radio, had no TV, played games, danced, sang, went to church, and enjoyed a lot of family activities  Life moved a lot slower than it does today.

What was your favorite outfit to wear?

My favorite outfit was a long skirt, fluffy blouse and saddle oxfords. I loved those shoes!

What was going on socially during this time?

My social activities included bike riding, roller and ice skating, and going to the local dinner with my Dad for a roast beef sandwich and Buttermilk. These are still my favorite memories and to this day, I still love Buttermilk!

What special events stand out in your mind?

Special Events that we did was the soap box derby, Starlight Theatre, and I was on a float with my 4 best girlfriends.

What is the biggest difference you see between then and now?

The biggest difference between then and now is  that you were not scared to do things. You have to be more cautious and bad things happen more. It’s not safe to go to school, leave your kids alone and there are less family get togethers.

What were your hopes for the future?

My hopes for the future was to be in love, getting married, having a family, and taking care of my Mom, Dad and Brother since I loved them so much.

Is there that one thing you wish you would have done differently?

The one thing I wished I had done differently would have been to finish high school and wait on marriage.

SaraSig

 

 

 

If you know a special lady or gentleman that you’d like to feature on ‘Back in My Day,’ please email us at chickswhogiveahoot@yahoo.com

 

Posted on by |

Thrift Store Score | Vol. 1

.

It’s no secret that thrifting is by far one of my favorite hobbies. I love the thrill of the hunt, I guess. I also love finding little treasures that are one of a kind. I used to do Thrifting Thursday, but I’ve sort of transitioned away from that as I really don’t need to be buying new things every week. That sure was a fun excuse though. Now I’d really just like to share from time to time as I find things. We were out looking specifically for a lamp shade and we happened across this little guy. He’s obviously a wooden robot, but the best part is how he can move and change by sliding the pieces around.

I also stumbled upon this floral embroidery. If you would have showed this to me in high school and said I would fall in love with it 10 years later, I’m sure I would have laughed. Man, how things have changed. I’m going to make the best old lady!

 

Posted on by |

ABC 13 Recap

.

This past weekend I joined The Phoenix Style Collective at the 2nd Annual Arizona Blogger Conference. I love seeing the evolution of this event. I first met all these gals two years ago when there was the first Arizona Bloggers Meetup and then last year they moved it into the 1st Annual Arizona Blogger Conference. This year, The Phoenix Style Collective really stepped up their game. There were fantastic speakers, great pop up shops, plenty of prizes to win, quality networking, and of course the coveted goodie bag. Also, what is a blogger event without a Photo Booth?

SaraSig

Posted on by |

DIY Text Sign

.

I know that this isn’t the most original DIY on the internet, but I’m still really excited to share it with you. I’ve been searching for the right painting to make this work for quite some time, and I feel like every trip to the thrift store leaves me empty handed, until today!!! I happened across this one in our garage! That’s right. We had the perfect size, color, framed canvas just sitting in our garage among other to-be projects just waiting for me to get my hands on it. Someone call Hoarders already.

This is how I did it…

Find a painting of some kind that has a color scheme you like. Choose a size that fits the phrase you want it to say as well.

Purchase vinyl letters in the appropriate size. I chose 3″ as I like the look of larger letters, but once again it depends on the size of the painting you’re using and the length of the phrase.

Figure out the best way to arrange your letters and measure. Draw lines across your painting so that all your letters end up straight and lined up.  This may take you a few times. It did for me.

Begin placing your letters on the painting making sure to press the edges down the best you can.

Once you have them the way you want, cover the entire painting in one color. I prefer black as it has a huge contrast to the color and makes the text easy to read, but I’m sure there are other options that would work also.

Don’t look at this photo too closely as I kinda hurried the last step, which is to touch up your letters with colored paint. You won’t have to really do this if you’re a magic unicorn and for some reason your letters didn’t bleed. If they do in fact bleed, just take a little paint in a similar color to the painting and touch up the letters over the unwanted black paint.

I love how this looks in our bedroom now. It really is a great statement piece.

 

Posted on by |

Co-OPhx Clothing Swap

.

Source

Last weekend I had the wonderful pleasure of joining a great group of people to be a part of the Swap Team for the Co-OPhx Clothing Swap. Remember when I posted a preview about one of the items I was bringing to swap?

The event centers around building community as well as promoting sustainable living by giving new life to a used piece of clothing. The Swap Team was on site to do everything from merchandise the swap areas for easy shopping, check people in and out, as well as help with the several DIY and vendor booths. This event took so much to put on and the team over at Co-OPhx pulled it out again. I met some amazing people and took home some great pieces myself. This event was an amazing display of community and really drove home another reason I’m so honored to be a part of it.

I at least managed to capture one good shot of the action from my iPhone. 

Source for the two above photos

Source for the two above photos

Did you make it out to the event? If you’re not in the Phoenix area, does your city host any clothing swaps?

All photos not already credited are borrowed with permission from the talented and lovely Chanelle. 

 

 

 

Posted on by |

Photography | Actor Head Shots

.

I have the great pleasure of working with actors all of the time in my day-to-day work with the theatre. Every now and again an actor will get cast who doesn’t have a head shot for one reason or another. I usually offer to snap a few photos of them so that we have something to use for the playbill and the head shot wall. It kinda hit me that I should be intentionally doing more head shots. So, I put it out there and so far I’ve had the pleasure of shooting a few talented actresses here in Phoenix. It was fun getting to know what they were hoping to achieve from new head shots, what kind of roles they really wanted to be cast in, and what sort of mood they were hoping to portray. You may recognize Dawn from her periodic posts here on urban farming and knitting.

Both Dawn and Trisha (also pictured here) have been the perfect catalyst to doing more and more photography and I’m grateful they let me be involved in such an important part of their career.

If you’re an actor in the Phoenix area who is interested in head shots, feel free to email me at chickswhogiveahoot@yahoo.com for more information. 

Posted on by |

Earth Day DIY Roundup

.

Source 

Happy Earth Day! I love this day as it seems everyone is on board with caring for our precious planet. I’m not as great as I could be about creating sustainable habits, but one way I know I help out is re purposing old items into something new.  I thought it would be nice to do a little round up of some of my recent favorite projects that upcycle old things. Enjoy.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6