the older, the better.

My appreciation for old, well established companies has grown tremendously over the past couple of years. I work for a company that is over 100 years old & I truly recognize how a company with a long history is something that is to be revered & taken seriously, especially now a days... there is a reason they have been around so long. I absolutely believe there is a direct correlation with history to quality.

I have now had my Frye boots for almost 4 years, {top images} and they seriously just get better with age. {Frye has been around since 1863.}I take them in to get cleaned up & re-soled at the end of the winter season & it keeps them truckin along beautifully. I spoke with a woman a month or two ago with similar boots on & she said she has had her Frye boots for 30 years now! wow. I love to think that I'll have these boots moving my kids into college one day. I work the windows in them, I dress them up & down, I play in them, & I take them outdoors. They are quality.

I just recently purchased these Trenton rainboots on sale in matte grey. I legitimately NEEDed rainboots for puddles/rain to & from work at the train station & didn't want Hunter boots that I saw everywhere. My old ones were on their last leg & so, I stumbled upon Trenton... they are awesome & have been around since 1891. wow, again. I am impressed with their quality, so far, & love that they are a bit different. Check them out... you can read about their history here.

There is no denying that I have an obsession with boots. It is a problem. However, I think they are quite possibly my favorite thing to aquire & indulge in. Cheers! :)

Happy Happy Wednesday, halfway there people. :)

Highs & Lows.

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite sites: Style at Home's Highs & Lows.

I always have a tough time telling the difference between most of the rooms... one is designed with mainly designer, top dollar goods & the other on a budget. Its pretty amazing what they come up with & how beautiful things can be on a budget. If you get a chance, check them out. Enjoy!

March 29th.

March 29th is always a special day at the Frazier Casa... Today I married my best friend 3 years ago & Senga, our four-legged child, was born & turns 2 years old!

This past weekend, we celebrated with breakfast at Odd Fellows {I highly recommend the gingerbread pancakes} & tonight, we are making guacamole & P-Dub's Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork Tacos. Mmmm Mmmm, I'll let you know how they turn out... But, with Pork, Adobe Chipotles, Dr. Pepper & brown sugar, how can you go wrong?

::: Hap Hap Happy Day! :::

latest work links

Check out new fun posts {samplings above} at MF Creative Designs... I'm staying busy & trucking along which is always fun!

Newest:

::: More detailed pics on the slumber party.

::: A fun link to some cutie little girls headband site that launched {Bonjour Mae Mae}

::: Party collateral pictures of work I did for Momma Casey's zoo birthday party for Aiden {The party was also featured on the uber cute blog P is for Party which was fun!}

::: Snap Candy Photography's newest logo!

Happy Monday! Its always nice to start the week off with a fresh start!

Historically Hardcore.

I think one of my favorite things to see is when an older, well- known, very serious establishment throws a curve ball with clever, witty and relevant advertising... even the design & layout is fresh & clean.

Sadly, these ads, however, are fake and were done by an art student & a copy writer, Jenny Burrows & Matt Kappler, posing current pop icons against historical figures. The Smithsonian actually requested to have them removed. What? {see here.}

While I swim in the world of retail design, my heart lies with my advertising / marketing major that wants to scream -"Smithsonian, get on board! Free and fresh marketing right in your face!"

Nonetheless... these posters did make me chuckle a bit. "Historically Hardcore." genius.

mf logo.

This was a fun treat to see! Ryan and I were checking out a furniture store last night, and in the same shopping center was The Posh Petunia! It opened up recently in Plano & the sign is an MF Creative Design custom logo. The store is a upscale children's clothing boutique... so if you have little ones, you'll have to check it out at Lakeside Market in Plano. {again, please excuse the quality of my iphone pics.} Happy Happy Friday!

Spring Cleaning

Spring is officially here and I could not be more possibly thrilled. While most may think it neurotic, one of my favorite things about this season is cleaning. I am actually one of those crazy, weird people that thoroughly enjoys cleaning, organizing, and purging. {For those of you in the Dallas area that are wanting to rid yourself of some unwanted clutter... keep this sale & great cause in mind.}

I'm not officially starting till this weekend, but all the linen drapes are down and being washed, and all the bedding at the dry cleaners. It is the greatest feeling in the world & I am so looking forward to getting after it this weekend. I don't know if it is the feeling of a fresh start & welcoming in the new season... or the fact that you get to take care of the possessions you have been blessed with.... or the fact that you get to be at home, enjoying your space, with the windows open & the smell of lemon pledge in the air.... but, to me, it is wonderful.

Any checklist, how to, or tip you need? I love this source. and this one.

My best friend is going to be the magic erasure this weekend and I could not be more thrilled! Happy Wednesday!

Oh Kate, this is utterly and fantastically perfect. I can't get enough.

ABC Home

Please excuse the horrible photo quality... I have never claimed to be good at takings pics. Ever. :)
We went to ABC Home when we were in New York this past November... One of my coworkers told me we would love it and that we had to carve out time for a visit. So, while it was a tad out of the way since we were planning on being in Brooklyn for the day, we got up early, trained it to the Flatiron district & made it our first stop... And boy it was so worth the trip. Everything is impeccably editorially styled. So much so that you don't even know where to begin looking. There is so much eye candy and beautiful merchandise that you literally have to wipe the drool of your chin as you meander through all the EIGHT floors of the store.
The furniture there can be found in every style and material imaginable and all of the lighting is breathtaking. The vendors they represent will make you swoon and ohhh, the stacks and stacks of dishes... All amazing. From ceiling treatments and fabrics to the flooring choices and hardware bins... the textures, colors, and space are unbelievable and well, well worth a visit next time you are in NYC. Enjoy!

I love you, blogs, & coffee.

See that cutie little print up there in our kitchen... it is designed by Jen of madebygirl. She had a fun little giveaway last December & I won! I finally got around to framing & hanging it... it is perfect for our little kitchen & blog surfing with coffee & pancakes on a Saturday morning. Pancakes on the weekends have become a bit of a habit as of late. Thank you Jen!

{Also to note, beautiful tulips from my thoughtful bff Linnie & tangerines, from another bff, Larsen who eats them religiously & now has me hooked. She's a pretty phenomenal photographer, check her out if you get a chance. On that note, if you need some interior expertise for your home, Lin is pretty darn great at that, as well.}

slumber p.

This past Friday, my besties came over for a girlie slumber party... we cooked pizza & drank champagne & chatted and basically were just all around girls. I had a blast decorating & making things for it {above is the pillow invite}... more details to come, but I recommend any group of girls do it. You can't go wrong with sitting & chatting, right?

A few randoms...

I have been loving interior doors painted black... I think they add such drama, while still staying classic. They pair so well with hardwood floors and crisp, white trim. Our home right now, has low, ranch style ceilings so I think black doors would close in our space... but someday, with higher ceilings, trying this will be a must!

I have been researching calligraphy classes in Dallas for the past couple of weeks... I specifically want a class that teaches copperplate calligraphy. Then, of course, I saw Jordan's classes she offers at her studio... {perfect!} ... oh wait, in San Fransisco. Anyone want to take a trip? Or, more specifically, anyone know of any great calligraphy classes in the Big D area?

Cannot get over this pic of Gwen & Kingston at the L.A.M.B. finale... I spied it on The Cut, {NY Mag's Daily Fashion section} & couldn't help but smile. "Oh Gweny Gwen Gwen."

LOVE this 3.1 Phillip Lim's big bow dress... I keep seeing large bows tied at the collar of a lot of the garments on the runway & love it. So fun & feminine. I wear my grandmother's passed down cashmere camel coat ALL the time, its the warmest piece I have... I would love to add a detail like this to it somehow. hmmm...

Adele's new CD has been rockin my world, more specifically my past weekend. She was on constant repeat & I can. not. get. enough.

::: More random thoughts :::

::: I am learning its pretty hard to mess up a pasta dish & pretty easy to concoct any combination you want. Last night I made angel hair with sun-dried tomatoes, toasted almonds, goat cheese, minced garlic, basil, pepper, oregano, oil and salt... random, but very de-lish.

::: MF Creative Designs is such a fun little side endeavor... however, with a full- time regular day job, I get so frustrated that I don't devote anytime to branding or marketing or even designing for pleasure. Anyone else with little part time side businesses feel this way? I LOVE the extra business, I just feel like I can't keep up or ever focus on it. I am working on a balance... but then that balance takes away from the balance of time spent with friends, hubs, etc... its a sick cycle. I'm trying to sort it out, but thankful for the crazy fun that it brings.

::: With Style & Grace is a new favorite blog of mine... beautiful food images, & great, fresh healthy recipes. Check it out.

Happy Tuesday!

lovely.

image via the satorialist.

She is simply stunning. From her hair & her stacks of bangles, to her effortless skirt & posture.

"Woman is fine for her own satisfaction alone. No man will admire her the more, no woman will like her the better for it. Neatness & fashion are enough for the former, and a something of shabbiness or impropriety will be the most endearing to the later. " - Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

iphone photo round-up.

Dude Sweet Chocolate... really cute chocolate shop in the Bishop Arts District. While I am not a huge fan of dark chocolate, their packaging & signage was superb.

I can admit that I am absolutely horrible at cake decorating... but nonetheless, I attempted a Super Bowl cake... gotta support the hubs' absolute favorite "sports games." {Modern Family, anyone? anyone?}

Lattice Panel inlaid at a restaurant in Scottsdale. While I do love the concept, the irony is that we used this lattice company at work for an installation & the vendor flippantly mentioned they just did a ceiling in a restaurant, but never mentioned the location. You would have thought I just saw George & Laura {ie. freaked out} when I stumbled across his work randomly. Such a fun treat to see our collateral, elsewhere... esp. from such a small, unique, "undiscovered" vendor.

Two of my besties over for wine, apps, and convo... 5 hours later & much cheese & chocolate, we still didn't cover it all, we never do. {Right, SMS?}

My attempt at the whoopie pies this weekend... I have to say, they were a bit underwhelming & took a lot of time {and dishes} to create. I am a fan of the "simplier & less messy," the better. They were fun to try though.

A restaurant in Scottsdale we loved, Culinary Dropout. It had such a cool atmosphere with live acoustic music, creative menu options & unique presentation...soft pretzel bites to dip in cheese fondue, bread pudding, pasta, baby carafes for the wine & paper bags for your beer. loved.

Pazookie at Oregano's, they are original creator of Pazookie. I know, I know everyone loves it now and while I know it is everywhere now, I do give the credit to my Zona girls for introducing it to me sophomore year of college...making it in our little oven at UP. It was fun to go to the place that I had heard about almost 8 years ago now.

Snow day & a wonderful morning of sleeping in & making homemade pumpkin waffles & bacon. If you know me, anything pumpkin tops the list & makes the day.

At Mimi's Manor for Christmas in Groveton... loved this little stack of firewood.

Ahhh, thank you for letting me dump my iPhone purge on you. Smart Phone photos are never the greatest, but they do capture the impromptu details, right?

Happy hump day!