When we moved into our house nearly 4 years ago (wow) I was ecstatic that we had a dining room with wall length HUGGGGE windows, lots of natural light and large enough to actually have my dream dining table. Fast forward to today, we still have our tiny little table that seat 4 people and all this space left in the dining room (that may or may not be slowly getting filled with mannequins, vintage luggage and craft supplies). Not to mention the hefty pinterest board I have devoted to this dream dining room. Eeek.

My fall fashion inspiration is all about being bold with unusual and interesting details. I love color. I also find that I'm very drawn to unusual patterns, textures and prints and am seriously happy to see that this is a huge trend this year.  I'm loving the color blocking I'm seeing on sweaters and dresses and the quirky collars and pockets.  I love that suedes, denims and leathers have made a comeback in the past few years with a vintage vibe. This fall should be all about being comfy and unique as well as being creative with mixing different fabrics, textures and prints. Denim jeans, suede & faux fur vest and leather oxfords? Does it look like antique wallpaper? Then I'll wear it. Yes please!
 I'm also on a personal mission this fall to rock my rompers with tights. Because tights are life in the fall. Just sayin'. What trends are you loving for fall? I've also been making it a point to bring in more sophisticated looks to channel my inner boss lady. The struggle there is real to be true to my own style, but also look professional.

If you haven't lived under a rock the past few years, you've probably seen a mobile shop of some sort, whether it be a food truck at the flea market or fair or a full out mobile boutique. When they started popping up I loved the idea of having something like that to travel with my shop! Now it seems like everybody and their mom has a tiny vintage camper for novelty or business.

It's been under 85 degrees nearly this whole week and I'm loving it! But with it being Texas and all, chances are it won't be staying that way long! A girl can dream though right? I'm aching for sweater weather! The recent loveliness has had me digging out my hoodies, sweaters ( and yes tights!). I decided to share some of my rad vintage sweaters with you. I'll be posting even more soon so if you love a vintage sweater as much as me, then stayed tuned. If you want to be the first to see what's new, follow my shop on Instagram. I normally post everything new there first or share sneak peeks before an item is listed in the shop.

Head over to my shop to see them, and all the other beauties!

Hey all! If you follow my personal Instagram or Facebook page for Kat Curling Design Co, (Which you should if you aren't already because you like me enough to read my blog right?) you've probably seen me mention that I've been revamping the web site for Kat Curling Design Co.  over the past two months. If not, well now you're up to speed haha! Well in my last post  I mentioned that I'm on the cusp of taking the plunge into full time freelance life! Eeek! I'm pumped and equally terrified of course, but I've been prepping mentally and business-wise for the past few years to be honest.

I already know before I even type this post that the title is going to be misleading. I've spent the morning listening to podcasts while working, which is what I do when I'm feeling BLAH and more pessimistic than usual about my current work situation. This usually always leads to the same result; I get really pumped about pursuing my dreams and then wanting to quit my job and create my own dream job and then getting bummed because reality sets in a bit because of worry about money, stability or "adulting". But this time, I knew that I really had to do it. I can't do this anymore. My "job" is getting in the way of my dream at this point. All the time I spend stuck at my office, is time taking away from growing my business. It's getting in the way of me meeting with clients, stopping by the printer or working on the work I have so much passion for. So I don't know what's happening or going to happen in the future. I don't know where I will be in the next 3 months, 6 months or year. I don't know how long it will take me to make that leap into freelance, but I have to do it.  I can't keep putting it off out of fear or other people's fear for me.

So yes, amazing things are coming. I'm not positive what they will be, but failure is not an option. I may shift gears or end up evolving into a business I would've never dreamed, but failure is not something I can do. I believe in myself too much, my passion is too strong and I want to set an example and prove all of my own fears wrong.

It's time for our summer sale! Take 40% off your purchase with code "SUMMERVIBES". This is for this weekend only! Head over and snag your summer favorites you've been on the fence about!

Katherine Ferguson is a prominent attorney in the Hunt County area. When she decided to run for judge, her campaign manager knew that a great web site and social media were the way to stand out and voice her message. We decided on a custom Square Space web site so that it be launched quickly, could accept donations and could be easily updated by her campaign staff. We were up and running in just a few weeks and her web site was patriotic, clean, functional and sophisticated.

So I photographed my first wedding a few weekends ago. No big deal. >< It was a hot and humid day, but it was a beautiful wedding with two people who I am over the moon excited for.  I was in love with all of the vintage details and the adorable photo spot set up. I was definitely feeling the Peaky Blinder vibes. Congrats Amanda & Ryan!!

 A friend of mine asked me to design a custom Star Wars birthday invitation for her son Kyle's first birthday. Obviously I was all over that! It was really fun to get to do something like this. I scored major points from my own son who bragged to his friends that his mom could "make anything Star Wars".  HA!

This past week, my whole family and I spent a few days in the Oklahoma woods and it was lovely! My parents have been wanting to get my grandparents out of the house so this was a perfect trip far enough away to feel like an adventure, but close enough that it wasn't a hassle. It rained a good deal of the time so Conrad had a bit of the 'ol cabin fever but other than that it was fun.

A lot has been going on lately! Wow! Okay so Conrad and I both made it out of school alive with most of our hair UNpulled. Freelance design & photography has kept me insanely busy the past two months... so it's been a lot of work, but also a lot of play. The harder I work, the harder I get to relax, travel, play and enjoy life. Also, I got a new laptop and if I've ever had a "bae", he is it. Haha!

Ellis & Rose is a custom monogramming Etsy shop based out of Fort Worth, TX run by the lovely Mrs. Megan, who just so happens to be my cousin! She has the cutest custom gifts! I was excited to be on board to do her branding for her shop. With dreams of scripty logos and a hint of nautical, I knew this would be a fun project.

If I could sum up Instalife Lately in 3 words they'd be: spring, school and design.

I've been spending all of my free time lately doing genealogy and I'm so obsessed. I've been taking mini trips out to cemeteries and towns where my ancestors were born, lived and died and it's been very cool. Finding where you come from and putting faces and names together is very surreal. I highly recommend to anyone to start! Once you do, you'll be hooked!


The rest of life has been filled with family shindigs, design work and school. My parents decided to finally get rabbits at their house so now Conrad is super attached to them. <3 I've been helping a friend with all of her wedding invites, print materials and what not so that's kept me busy. I also have some really amazing design projects going on. I'll share those as they are completed. School is going really great and I'm excited to finish the semester out.

The leaves are all over the trees in the yard and I'm loving it. The bluebonnets are everywhere and everything is just thriving... and I'm sneezing of course. I'm excited for Spring and Summer. I've got good feelings about it. Adventures and new things ahead. 

 

Well hello there! Its been a few weeks. I have to admit, I almost dread the posts now because of my lack of progress and actually effort into losing weight. Ha! I've had some revelations though. In case you've missed it, each (most) Tuesday I'm writing my goals and recapping the previous week's goals in my journey towards mental and physical health/happiness. You can find the previous posts here.

Last weekend was Fleastyle! It was chaotic and busy! Soooooo many people! It was such a blast though! It rained most of the day during setup and even on the day of the market but it still went as easy as it could. I finally have a good process down for loading in. EVERYTHING in my booth fits in the back of my hatchback coupe!

I met lots of lovely new people and saw lots of old friends again. One of my favorite parts about these markets is getting to see all of the lovely vendors that I've had the pleasure of selling along side of in the past. I can now say I have friends all over Texas because of markets like these.

The location and set up was amazing at Fair Park. The ladies behind Fleastyle really outdid themselves this time. Shout out to my friend Jenn coming by and letting me get lunch and use the bathroom... otherwise I would've never been able to get out of my booth for even a minute!

Until next time......

Let's get personal again.

This is an open letter to everyone to encourage you to try to push aside your preconceived judgements.  Don't just me based on only my appearance. Do not judge anyone solely on that. Give everyone a chance. That guy you've been brushing off because he doesn't look trendy enough... take him up on coffee. The quiet girl working alone... she's probably nice..maybe its just resting bitch face... The girl who isn't skinny enough or blonde enough that would give you the world... give her a chance. The best of us are quick to judge, it doesn't mean we are shallow or bad people. It does mean that we can make a decision to not let it effect our decisions. 

The last time that I really put much thought into creating a work space, it was with my old brick and mortar location in mind. Now, I'm working with my house and aiming for both a design / art studio. Luckily I have an actual designated office space. One of the perks of older homes that I like are the quirky layouts. My office is a long room the runs almost the whole length of the backside of the house. It's like an over sized hallway that connects 3 parts of the house. One entry leads into the back yard / laundry room, one leads to the master bedroom and the last leads to another hallway where the other bedrooms are and another entry to the living room is. The office space is very convenient and has built ins and two closets! It was definitely a selling point for me with the house.



Currently my home office (below)  holds two desks (one computer and one art desk). It's also holding a portion of my shop inventory! The weather is finally nice enough to paint so my wheels are turning with inspiration. It's time to have a garage sale and simplify! I'm really loving the green, pink and gold. It's very Wes Anderson to me. I may do something similar with my built in book shelves. I love the idea of room length desks, but I don't know if that's possible in my space. Excuse the clutter haha!


I can't wait to turn this space into some gorgeous! Thanks for looking!

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This weekend is FLEASTYLE, one of my favorite markets that I pop up shop at. I have to admit, I'm a bit scared this time. Not because I'm nervous about my booth or anything... but because I'm worried I'll come home broke after buying all the amazing things from the other vendors. I'll be honest, some of the markets I've participated in haven't exactly had the crowd / vendors I was hoping for. I sell vintage clothing, not shabby chic furniture or bedazzled things. Not hating on that, but those are two different demographics. NOT THIS MARKET! Fleastyle has a carefully curated selection of the most unique and stylish vendors. They have vendors that you only thought existed on Pinterest or Anthropologie blogs. I decided to share a few of my favorites that I saw last year as well as new ones that I've been crushing on via Instagram.

Do you ever have those friends or people you knew from back in the day that you just genuinely care for and hope their lives turn out wonderful? Meet my friends Mat & Jenni. These two are just that for me. Mat and I ran around in the same circles in high school and he was always kind of a brotherly friend. So when I saw that he had proposed to this beautiful soul I was so ecstatic I teared up. Getting to know her has been a real honor and I'm so happy to be their friends. This past weekend we got together and did an engagement shoot for them. Afterwards we explored downtown Mckinney and ate at this fantastic Irish pub. It was so much fun! Now I can't wait for their wedding!

Hello beautiful people of the interwebs! Its a rainy and chilly day here in East Texas. Normally these kind of days make me want to curl up and stay in bed and finish season 5 of The Walking Dead. But instead, I put on my brightest mustard yellow sweater, because I always gravitate towards yellow when its a rainy day. Life has been INSANE! So I've been slacking on the Fit & Happy posts, and most posts in general. Today I can finally breathe a bit so I wanted to recap how things have been lately. I'm focusing mostly on mental health and happiness today so get ready for some heavy stuff. In case you've missed it, each (most) Tuesday I'm writing my goals and recapping the previous week's goals in my journey towards mental and physical health/happiness. You can find the previous posts here.

Ever since we first moved into our house I've been puzzled with what to do for landscaping in our front yard. We live on a corner lot on a very, very, very (did I say very?) busy street. I do not possess the green thumb gene at all. Every plant I've ever had has died, apart from my cactus. I need low maintenance and commitment lol! So when I started thinking about something that would be easy to take care of, but be quirky enough to fulfill my need to be unique and visually appealing I came across all of this dreamy xeriscaping inspiration! And I'm so in love.

 

 The weather was so lovely this past weekend I had to get out and do something! We ended up pulling together this fun little Valentine's Day inspired shoot. I'm loving the metallics, pinks, reds and purples. It was a super fun day that made for some dreamy photos. Most of the items you see in these pictures are for sale in the etsy shop!

I'm sitting here pinning beautiful, dreamy Valentine's Day inspired things today. I'm thinking about the idea behind the day and brainstorming how to style an upcoming Valentine's Day themed photo shoot. I'm thinking about making Valentine's Day card printables for the blog.Yes. My mind is constantly racing with ideas, inspiration, colors, textures and about a million other things.  All of you can relate to that right? I hope so. haha! Anyways... I came across a blog with pretty Valentine related printables in lovely calligraphy and watercolor styles and I was just overcome with the melancholy that so plagues hopeless romantics like me. What I wouldn't give to just receive a love letter that is handwritten and thought out by someone who truly cares for me and all of my flaws.

Fit & Happy where have you been? I've been slacking lately! Truth be told I've been insanely busy with school starting back up and launching the new Gypsy Beard web site! Also, I been getting swarmed with questions and new design clients, which is so so exciting! This is my busiest season to date and it's only January! Anyways, in case you've missed it, each Tuesday I'm writing my goals and recapping the previous week's goals in my journey towards mental and physical health/happiness. You can find the previous posts here.

So here's a recap on my recent goals and how well I followed through.

- Incorporate Goals Into A Daily To Do list. I cannot tell you how much this helped! For the most part, every goal I make that doesn't get accomplished is because I forget to pursue it! I set an alarm on my phone for several important tasks such as the days I want to work out, plan meals, set aside time for painting or music etc.


-Studio / Shop Room I made small progress here. But there's still a lot to be done. Ideally, I'll have a full functioning photography studio that I can break down and reassemble quickly.

-Continue To Make Healthy Food Choices I caved again and have eaten fast food a few times since I quit. :-( I regretted it as soon as I ate it too! I felt so horrible! I felt like my body hated me for it. I felt tired and gross and heavy. It's important to listen to what your body says, and mine was definitely telling me "Screw you for eating that cheeseburger! What are you doing to me?"

-Get out! Sadly our trip got pushed back due to our schedule. Oddly enough though, I have one class that I have to drive an hour away for that has really done wonders for me mentally. When you have a job with very little physical human interaction, go to school online and most of your friends live across the country it can be lonely! Getting out and interacting with likeminded people has been healthy for me.

-Organize The Adult Things I've made big steps here recently with taking care of business. I've got a long ways to go though.

-Spend An Hour A Day Playing Piano / Painting / Drawing I've overcompensated here haha. I've been painting and drawing like crazy! I started an art challenge where you draw or create something everyday. I've been sharing on Instagram with the hashtag #2015yearofart. There are a few other people I know who are participating and are doing a much better job at keeping up than I *cough cough* but its still fun. 

Also, I bought a UKULELE! I'm so excited about this haha. I've been wanting one for awhile and when Santa disappointed, I took it upon myself to get one. I can play a few chords so far but I'm learning! I'm having trouble with tuning it just right but hopefully I will get the hang of it. Maybe I'll be brave enough to share me playing one day. 



I feel pretty good with where this year is going so far. I need to exercise more as always but I'm doing better than I was. Here's are my next goals.


- Learn To Tune & Play A Song On My Ukulele!  This is self explanatory but hopefully I'll have time to really work at this week.


-Just Get Stuff Done & Don't Lose My Mind If I make it through the next few months without a breakdown, that will be a huge accomplishment. With how crazy I expect this semester to be with school and freelance work, I've got to just focus on getting stuff done. I'm not going to stress about much else other than spending time with family. I just want to make it through the semester in one piece haha.

-Continue To Make Healthy Food Choices I'm doing well apart from the random fast food nightmares. Ugh. I want to drink even more water and eat even more fruits and vegetables and plan out our dinners a little better. 

-Get out! After missing our trip to San Antonio & Austin, I've got a serious travel itch! I've been dreaming of Colorado or the desert. Maybe I'll be able to get away for a day or two in between the work/school madness. I'm sure I'm going to need it. Spring break anybody?

-Get Lots Of Sleep This goes without saying... I'm going to need it. No more late night Netflix binges and getting up early for work. 

I've learned something about my happiness lately. Doing the work I love, staying busy painting & drawing and making progress whether in school or work has really contributed to my mental happiness. A huge source of my unhappiness has been being stuck at a day job that doesn't feed my creative soul. I'm still working there during the day, but I don't dwell so much on it now that I have other outlets that are keeping me so busy. Have you noticed something in particular that adds to your mental happiness? Or do you do anything that really relieves stress for you?

 I'll be tracking my journey on Instagram & Twitter with hashtag #fitandhappytues


 

Part of the reason why I started blogging was to connect with wonderful people and potentially help them in some way if I could. Whether it was by showing them cute cat pictures (like in my early days) or sharing with them how to style a vintage dress, I like to think that they and you are here because you all like what I write. (Even if it's just to join in on my sarcastic comments.)

When I first started blogging, I wouldn't have imagined that I'd be opening a brick and mortar store and then closing it and then going on adventures selling across Texas. Nor did I think that I'd be sharing with you tips for starting a business or using social media. So I am here today to ask you: