Magic Time Machine and Packing

This weekend we started packing up our beautiful house in Richardson. We had help, though. My brother returned with us to help out, and our friends Andrew and Bill came by and helped pack for a couple hours. We got a lot done! I would say we're around 70% done now - and the rest should be easier before our move-out date of the 30th.

After our two friends had to leave, we cleaned up after a hard day's work and went to the Magic Time Machine restaurant in Addison, TX. I'd been there before, years ago, for an orchestra trip. It's a fun place where the waiters and waitresses dress up in various characters. From Red Riding Hood to Wednesday Adams, Spiderman to Captain Jack, the fun is to be had pretty much right when you step through the door. 

My husband and I both got yummy Magic Bubbling Potion, a tasty concoction of orange juice, pineapple juice, Sierra Mist, and a splash of Malibu Rum. It really did bubble! The food was excellent there, and our waitress, Harley Quinn, was really friendly and funny. 

She was really nice, and provided great service! I would imagine it's one of few restaurants where the workers have as much fun as those who eat the food! 

I couldn't resist having my brother take a picture with Harley Quinn. 

Hopefully the rest of our packing and the move will go smoothly. Soon we'll be in Houston!

The Fort Worth Stockyards

This past Wednesday my husband and I went to the Fort Worth Stockyards. It's a great place full of old-time charm. Older buildings, lots of antique shops, and it's chock-full of Texas and Western themed novelty shops. 

Plenty of funny sayings, cows, horses, and the Texas flag was everywhere! It was a lot of fun seeing all these interesting things. I had gone once before with my best friend, Meghann, but this was the first time going with my husband, Don. 

I managed to capture him in the store, and plopped a cowboy hat on him, too! 

One of the more interesting things that happened was a Cattle Drive! There were guys dressed up in their duds, horses decked out, and longhorns walking the streets! They do this every day at 11am and at 4pm. People were lined up on the sidewalks to watch!

Another part of the attraction was the Stockyards Station. A Railway ran through the middle of it, and there were plenty of other shops and restaurants. All of them containing barbeque, hamburgers, tex-mex, and all sorts of novelties as well!

My favorite shop that we happened to stop by was The Spice & Tea Exchange. There were all manners of salts, spices, blends, and plenty of amazing smelling teas. 

We got a packet of dried rose petals, which my husband plans to use to make his own Mead. 

All along the sidewalks was a Trail of Fame, which had the names of various cowboys, pioneers, lawmen and women, and more! 

The trip was well-worth the drive from Dallas, and we had such a fantastic time! 

We'll definitely be going again.

The Culturemap Stylemaker Awards

Those who have been following me on Instagram or Facebook know that I've been preparing for this event for a while now. I worked on 100 cards for the swag bags! 

Well, the event came and went, and I must say I had a blast! Tootsie's definitely is a great place for a great event! Culturemap Dallas threw in all sorts of awesome goodies. Food, wine, entertainment - it wanted for nothing. I saw familiar faces and plenty of new faces and there was plenty of fabulous to go around! 

The highlight of the evening for me was a sketch artist named Benjamin Vincent who drew your portrait. For once I got to be the model instead of the drawer! He did wonderfully, and I loved watching him work! We got to chat about the industry, and I suggest you go check out his website right now: http://www.benvincent.com/

I look so fab!

The nominees for the Stylemaker Awards put together 2 outfits, one for a party and one for brunch, and all six put out some awesome outfits both for men and women! I was stunned by how awesome everything and everybody looked! 

Everyone who came out to the event looked their best, and it was definitely a Fashion Night Out!

The Winners of this event were Melissa Rountree and Maleiah Rogers, and rightfully so! Their looks were unique and fresh, and both utilized one of my favorite designers right now: Lublu KP

After the stylemaker show, Tootsie's put on a show of their own. It featured plenty of warm knits, fur, fringe, boots, and more! I loved every bit of it! It was awesome seeing such high-end fashion at work, and I made sure to get some sketching in for myself! 

I can't wait for more events this Fall season especially ones at Tootsie's. I also can't wait to use and utilize the amazing goodies I got from my swag bag! 

The card I got I gave away to a friend who didn't get one, but I hope the other 99 people who got bags enjoy my illustration cards!

I wore one my recent favorite dresses from Target, and a pair of heels I found at Ross. Budget-friendly meets fashionable - who knew?

The blazer originally was going to be worn in case it got too chilly, but it never did! 

The Northpark Center - a Mall that inspires Creativity

Over the past few weeks, I've been visiting a wonderful mall called the Northpark Center in Dallas.  It's full of high end stores filled with amazing pieces of clothing. Passing the windows and perusing the stores is a great way to inspire me for new artwork. Usually I walk the look around the mall, then I stop at the Starbucks, get an iced coffee, then start painting. 

The images below are some examples from what I've painted while visiting the Center. 

The next set of pictures is a look at a couple of the amazing displays I've seen. They all show amazing style and promote wonderful brands that think outside the box each season. 

I hope to eventually be a part of brands and companies like these, illustrating their displays, their designs, and other amazing clothing items. 

The mall itself is wonderfully set up, with fountains, a beautiful courtyard, sculptures, artwork... it's a wonderful place to promote art and creativity! Any artist who loves fashion would definitely feel inspired by this place.

Speaking of art, while I was visiting today, I happened upon a pretty little setup full of art from the Business Council for the Arts. There were fashion displays, mosaics, paintings, and other beautiful creations from different artists. If you're in Dallas, I suggest going to see it!

To finish this post, here are some more fashion displays. Just fabulous!