My friend and I are planning a mini adventure.  We've talked for a long time about how neither of us have ever been to New Orleans. She's been to quite a few places on the west coast and other places but I've never been ANYWHERE other than Oklahoma and Arkansas. So I figured its time to get to traveling, even if it is just an over night trip, now that my schedule allows it. When I start thinking about traveling, I usually end up thinking of places with amazing architecture and food. If I can't go to Paris yet, New Orleans will do for now hah!

My love for New Orleans started when I got hooked on to Anne Rice's novels. Most, if not all of them, are set partially or completely in New Orleans or Louisiana. I fell in love with the New Orleans she writes about... the french influence... the swampy landscape... and of course the vampires. haha. And not the corny twilight vampires... like.. the real killing, remorseless vampires. *SIGH* Lestat... haha

SO anyways.. I've been doing some research trying to find what I want to do or where I want to go while I'm there. I'm honestly a get there and "go with the flow" kind of girl but I don't want to miss anything. Obviously I plan on seeing the French Quarter and I know New Orleans is notorious for haunted places and graveyard tours. And I will definitely eat a lot of food.

Any suggestions other than stay away from the voodoo shops? haha

kat

p.s. these photos i got from pinterest, i just dont remember where. =\ 

 How can I begin to describe my trip to New Orleans? Gee. It was completely different from what I expected it to be.  Bare with me, this is a lengthy post.  The drive there on the major highways was pretty dull. It wasn't the lush swampiness that I had in my mind. We made a stop off in Lafayette for lunch and had our first Po Boy experience. It did not disappoint.

When we finally got into the city itself we headed straight for our amazing little cottage in the mid-city part of town. It was pretty perfect for us because the decor was all from the 70's and earlier (Our hostess owns an antique store! Go figure.) We decided to just drive around a bit to explore before deciding to hit up Frenchmen Street for some music, drinks and to see how the locals of New Orleans enjoyed the city. Our first impression was a group of jazz street musicians performing for a large crowd of people of every age, race and class. The first thing that stood out to me was the sense of community. It was sort of like everyone was all in it together.  



We browsed the French Art Market where we saw lots of of handcrafted jewelry, oils, sculptures, wooden bow ties, art and photography.  We checked out a pretty incredible band called Bon Bon Vivant at The Maison (second video above) and tried fried alligator. We then were drawn into a Japanese bar called Yuki by authentic French music by Norbert Slama & Raphael Bas (second video above). We had sake and enjoyed the French accordion and guitar all while crazy Japanese indie films were projected on the wall. I had an interesting conversation with Norbert and I feel like I marked a small accomplishment off my list by being kissed on the hand by a true Frenchman haha. It was an experience I'll never forget.

We had breakfast and coffee the next morning at a neat place called Fair Grinds before exploring the Garden District mansions. Walking about the beautiful homes in perfect weather was probably one of the most pleasant things I've ever done. We saw Buckner Mansion (AKA the coven house from American Horror Story), we saw the house that Jefferson Davis died in and so many other incredible works of architecture. My Favorite was the Joseph-Carroll House where Mark Twain "hung out" and Anne Rice's homes of course.  We saw Lafayette cemetery and Commander's Palace which were on my to do list.

We had damn good burgers at this cool little place off the Mississippi River on Oak Street called the Cowbell.  Their homemade ketchup and dipping sauce was one of the best things I've ever had. I want it bottled in my fridge. For real. Off the same street were a lot of neat vintage stores, book stores, antiques and comic book stores. RetroActive had some incredible dresses and jewelry and even a whole second floor of menswear.



The french quarter was a lovely adventure of seeing places and streets I've only dreamed about seeing. It's pretty cool to see street signs and places that you've read about. We sat in Jackson Square a few minutes to take in the beauty of St. Louis Cathedral and  browsed the art and vendors surrounding the square. We walked by the house of Dalphine Lalaurie  and the Hermann-Grima House. We had a beer at the oldest bar in operation, Jean Lafitte's. They were playing Brand New when we walked in so it couldn't have been a better experience. At sunset we went for a ferry ride on the Mississippi River where we got a pretty spectacular view of the city. On the other side of the river we wound up wandering into The Crown And Anchor where we made friends with some sweet boxers (as in the dogs).

We finally caught the ferry back and went back to the French Quarter to hit up Bourbon Street and its reputation did not exceed itself to say the least. We caught a drag show and a burlesque show, which to my surprise was hilariously entertaining. We had dinner at the Court of Two Sisters, stopped in The Olde Absinthe House where it was impossible to get a drink.  We ended the night with Cafe Au Lait and Beignets at Cafe Du Monde ,  while overlooking St.Louis Cathedral of course. At night it was beautiful and magical. Of course, I imagined Lestat people watching from here.

Covered in powdered sugar and wired on coffee we headed back to the cottage. I was so happy to be in New Orleans at this point and amazed and how safe and at home I felt. Like every major city, New Orleans had its rough parts but I couldn't help but feeling comfortable. I didn't get a condescending vibe from anyone in the richer parts or scary vibes from anyone in the rougher neighborhoods. Maybe because of what happened during Katrina people were just there for each other and looked out for each other. People walked everywhere, even at 12 a.m. like it was the safest place in the world. When I say people, I mean even little old grannies with walkers! Literally!

 I didn't take as many photos on the trip as I had planned, but I think I was just having too much fun to think about it or didn't want to drag my camera into a bunch of bars. At a few points we knew we couldn't linger for too long because we were only in town for two days. I could've stayed all day taking pictures in the French Quarter though.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these even a smidgen as much I did taking them!


Kat

Our second morning in New Orleans we headed straight for the famous touristy french market full of crafts and artists and musician. We had mamosas and quite possible the best breakfast sandwich of my life there. We picked up a few souvenirs and headed for the cemeteries.  We knew we had to actually walk in the cemeteries before we left the city. We had an unofficial tour of St.Louis Cemetery #1 from an interesting character we met.. yes a stranger that we met.. in a cemetery.  We saw Marie Laveau's supposed tomb among many other famous and interesting tombs. It was neat to walk around that cemetery in person since it's had its share of appearances in movies and books. (Easy Rider, Cincinnati Kid).

From there we figured it'd be a good idea to start attempting to make our way out of the city and home. Of course we decided to detour to Fort MaComb where they filmed the season finale of True Detective. That was probably the creepiest place we saw on our trip. If you've never seen that show go watch it. Like now.

 We still had one last major stop before leaving Louisiana and that was Oak Alley Plantation and the other beautiful plantations on the Mississippi River just South West of New Orleans. We took a little trip through some interesting swampy areas before arriving at Oak Alley and what can only be described as majestic. The property itself is right out of a dream.  The huge oak trees seemed so ancient and beautiful. I could've spent all day walking around the grounds and under those trees.


The house, in the Greek Revival style, perfectly aligned between the row of oaks, was truly one of the most beautiful things I've seen in my limited adventures. I could only imagine 100 years ago people strolling about and having large dinner parties.  We took a guided tour of the house which I instantly started picking out all of the things I recognized from the Interview With A Vampire movie. The dining room where Louis ate a rat, the parlor where he lit the curtains on fire… etc. They stayed true to the beauty of the home and time period with original furniture, baby cradle, silverware, dishes and paintings belonging to the previous families.

We drove by Laura Plantation and I was really sad that I we didn't have time to stop by there because it was so beautiful and different in its creole style but at this point we would be  making it home at 1 A.M. the night before Easter so... yeah. haha. It was a long delirious drive home to good ol' Texas full of reminiscing our younger days and talking about life.


If you've ever been to New Orleans or Louisiana please share your experience with me because I am already planning my next trip there. I know for sure I'll spend more time looking in the antique stores and checking out more local music.

Adios for now! Happy Monday everyone!
Kat

I'm literally grinning and squirming in my seat with excitement as a write this. My friend and I are FINALLY making our much planned mini trip to New Orleans in a few weeks!  Since my last post about it I've become ever more fascinated with going every time I watch a tv show set there or read a book set there. It's no secret I'm obsessed with Anne Rice novels. I'm hoping I'll get a glance of some of the places featured in her books. 

A rough intinerary:

-A quick stop at the Oak Valley plantation  before getting into the main part of the city.

-I'm most excited to visit the houses of the Garden District, the French Quarter, Jackson Square and St. Louis Cathedral. I'm also a bit curious to visit the famous haunted places of the city like LaLaurie House and the house of Marie Laveau. 

- I've been digging into the history of city to better understand and know what to see while I'm there and there are just so many fascinating things. The former "red light district' know as Storyville  has a lot of cool history to it. I was really fascinated by the photographer E.J. Bellocq who is now known for his portraits of the women of Storyville. If you like that sort of thing, GOOGLE it! There's actually a "burlesque" type show that runs at a local bar that tells the history of Storyville! So we may even check out a burlesque show! Who knows?!

-Ride a street car! While that's not something singular to New Orleans, I've always wanted to do this.

-We plan on checking out some of the noted bars and dives.  Especially the Absinthe House.    

-Try legit cajun/seafood!I may have mentioned it before, but I'm not a big seafood fan. At all. So I'm hoping to overcome that while I'm there and check out some of the famous Cajun food and seafood.



Have you ever been? Have any great suggestions of things to do or places to go?


kat


images:
absinthe house
storyville lady
Oak Valley 
sazerac
streetcar

 It's no secret that reading Anne Rice novels were part of what started my obsession with going to New Orleans. Since I've been rereading a few of those books before my trip, I thought I'd share my favorites.  If you've never read any of her novels I definitely suggest her most popular series the Vampire Chronicles.  My favorites are the The Vampire Lestat , Interview With The Vampire (which you're probably familiar with) and Tale of The Body Thief.  Now before you say "Oh gosh another lame vampire book/series/etc", these books came out long before the Twilight craze and are what vampires should be lol. Anne's writing style is incredibly detailed and believable so much that you get lost. 

I'm also a big fan of most of her other books, in particular ,  Angel Time, Exit To Eden and The Sleeping Beauty trilogy. (The last two are under the pen name Anne Ramplin or Roquelaure. They're a bit risque. You've been warned.) I haven't read any of the Mayfair Witches series or her newest series Wolf Gift but if you have let me know what you think of them! They are of course all on kindle as well, but sometimes its good to crack open a good ol paper book. =)

I'm also a big fan of almost any tv show or movie set in New Orleans. I'll watch just for the scenery or a look at the streets or architecture.  True Blood, True Detective and even the shows a on the cornier side like The Originals. I also REALLY enjoyed last season of American Horror Story being set in New Orleans. 

What do you like to read? I'm in need of a few good books!

Kat
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It's that time of year again! (Eeeek! It's so daunting thinking about being another year closer to 30!) As with tradition I make a yearly list of things to do before my next birthday. Last years list was quite epic! I've accomplished a lot of things personally and professionally! I'm doing things daily in my shop and business that I never would have imagined I'd be doing. One thing that I'm realizing never gets done is the traveling items on my list! That definitely needs to change! So here we go!

2014 was a huge year for me. I took a lot of risks and made a lot of choices. Some bad, and some good and some that I just wish didn't happen at all. But when you take huge risks some things don't always go according to plan right? Ha! I've been going over last year and thinking about 2015 and what worked and what didn't work so that I can approach this year's goals full force. Here we go:



My best friend and I took an adventure to New Orleans! It was a life changing experience for me. I loved finally getting to explore the Garden District, French Quarter, The Cemeteries and The local historic plantations! My instagram photos from the trip are some of my favorite.













Our House Situation- We loved our house originally, and were planning on renting to own but our roof has leaked several times and we've come into so many plumbing and electrical issues we know it's definitely not the right decision. So we are once again in the market.

 Losing Clients- I've had many awesome clients this year! But of course, the ones you lose or that things don't work out with are always the ones you remember. But you live you and learn and realize what kind of clients aren't for you.

Quitting soccer :-( - I knew when I started planning opening my shop that I was going to have to give up playing soccer because of the practice and game times. I miss it like crazy but I can't complain!

Here's to another year of firsts and moving forward!


 

Since I was little girl, I've been in love with the book The Secret Garden. I was one of those girls who was always looking for fairies in the woods and secret passageways in my house. After reading lots of Jane Austen books and visiting New Orleans and seeing all of the lovely courtyards and gardens, I've become even MORE obsessed. Once I became a homeowner, the possibility of creating my own secret garden has totally put me back into my whimsical fairy dream world.

The Itinerary: 
*lots and lots of camping, bike riding, and fishing.
*a trip to New Orleans and hopefully tons of other places
*beach trip. (Conrad has been talking about the beach nonstop. He's never been and is so excited to collect seashells and rocks for his MASSIVE COLLECTION.)
*over indulging in flea market season!
*water balloons, water guns, sprinklers, slip n slides... yeah, all of it. =)


Conrad is out of school and I am absolutely itching to go explore and enjoy life and I am also extremely anxious about finding as much for us to do as possible. My kiddo has a TON of energy and is a hardcore nature enthusiast, me not as much on both levels. (I'm working on this lol) So I'm trying to brainstorm lots of fun activities for him to do outside this summer. (Expect more on that later!)
  I've made a personal goal to let go and enjoy everything and spend less time worrying about deadlines and due dates, especially now that school is out for both of us. While it is EXTREMELY hot in Texas in the summer, I'm prepared to tough it up and stay outdoors as much as possible. We'll see how my pasty skin likes that lol. 

The month of April is basically playing out to be one of the best months of 2014. Yes the weather is incredible and the flowers are in bloom, but I'm talking about a different kind of awesome. Like a tv and movie watching awesome.



1. The Hobbit: Desolaton of Smaug comes out on dvd April 8th! As much of a fan as I am, my boyfriend, son and I all caught a later showing and ended up falling asleep towards the end, so I'm very eager to watch it! I've become quite the Sherlock fan since seeing it too so that makes it even better!

2. Mad Men is back! I think I post about it every year, but I can't get enough of the show. As a designer and vintage enthusiast this is a dream for me. The clothes, the drama, the clients and the advertising are all so intoxicating. Check out their press kit. It's pretty rad.

3. Game of Thrones: Season 4 is back! 

3. Rio 2 : This is a movie I'm looking forward to taking the kiddo to see. We are big movie people in case you haven't caught on yet haha. 

4. New Orleans! My trip is just a handful of days away! Eeep!

5. Easter - Family, Food and Remembering the reason we celebrate in the first place.  I'm particularly excited about this years Easter because I'll be doing my son's and niece's pictures.


What are you looking forward to the most in April?

Kat

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3. go to six flags and the water park at least 1x

My trip was incredible. It was beyond anything I expected it to be. I'm playing catch up a bit, but I wanted share some of my favorite Instagram photos. We checked out the cemeteries, the cathedral, the French Quarter, Oak Alley Plantation, the Garden District, ate lots of food, had lots of drinks, listened to incredible music and experienced a ton of other amazing things. I'll post a little more in depth later in the week and share some of the actual photos I took!

Kat