Darling décor

Check out these sweet Christmas gifts from my family and friends...thanks y'all!


Bird Canvas from www.razzberryfizz.com fits on this wall perfectly.


This lovely mirror is another www.razzberryfizz.com item I’ve been obsessing over for like 2 years.


And yet another www.razzberryfizz.com gift! One of my favorite John Lennon quotes in a place I can see it every day.


Coolest hour glass ever.


A very special gift my grandfather-in-law’s, Louis Beck, art gallery [located in Little Rock]. He painted this in 1969.

Pinterest Project : [Chicken Caeser tortellini]

I’ve made an entire category on my Pinterest labeled I’m gonna learn to cook through Pinterest. Well if all the recipes I try out go as well as this Caeser Chicken Tortellini one did- then I will be pulling all my dinner choices from there.

I mixed it up a little bit- used leftover chicken I baked the night before instead (seasoned with garlic and lemon) and I didn’t use a garlic clove or shallot (I didn’t even know what that was until I googled it). Just an onion, some chopped arugula, and spinach leaves. So pretty much, I just used the basic ingredients from the pinterest recipe: light caeser dressing, tortellini, and chicken.

It was seriously good, and almost better as leftovers the next day.

Pinterest Project : [Oreo Brownies]

Okay- so it’s not a craft project but cooking/baking is like a project for me. Except a lot harder. Oreos are pretty much my favorite naughty snack out there. So for my birthday, I baked myself these decadent Oreo brownies.

Mine look (somewhat) similar to the ones photographed, but I know they didn’t turn out close to perfect. They were indeed delicious, but the icing was too hard. Prettttttty sure using and entire box of double stuff Oreos was too much. I’d recommend using less or using regular Oreos for sure to get the desired consistency.

Kendra Scott Jewelry

Thanks to my good friend Leslee and her sister, la la la lauren, I have a new obsession.


Austin based designer, Kendra Scott. My sister and hubster hooked me up this Christmas/birthday with these lovely earrings and the bracelet above. Check her out!

Pinterest Project: [frame trays]

I saw this project on Pinterest and thought it was the most brilliant repurpose of a frame ever.



Frist of all, I LOVE trays. They make clutter look clean and I love anything that organizes. I also love using things for purposes other than what they were made for [champagne glass for makeup brushes and tea cups to hold jewelry/small products]. This is SO SIMPLE. Simply take out the picture, replace with pretty scrapbooking paper or fabric. Take out hooks on back with screwdriver, and lay on flat surface. Instant amazingness! I used some old frames I’ve had FOREVER and also purchased a few from Wal Mart for just $3 (and they look vintage!). I got a little carried away with making them…

interesting article: makeup men hate.

Saw this oh so interesting article when I pulled up yahoo. 

Make-up women love but men hate

 

1. Heavy foundation and powders - i completely agree.

2. "Bumps"- (snookie) -i think a small bump elongates the face and looks awesome. 

3. Neon lipstick- ummm its not meant to be "hot" its FASHIONABLE. i love neon orange lips. but my husband did ask if i was sick the first time he saw me sporting them lol  
4. Too-thin brows -the whole drawn in brows look is rather gross.

5. Bold eye-shadow - duh. less is more.
6. Rosy cheeks- i kinda love them- call me old fashioned dudes.

7. Two-toned lips - agreed. plain disgusting.  

8. Glitter- at my age, it's only appropriate during Halloween and NYE. But I will highly abuse during those festive times because GIRLS LOVE GLITTER.

                    In conclusion- dudes like their ladies looking natural. we can't hate on them for that.  

Now & Then

It’s seriously crazy that I was 16 ten years ago. It doesn’t feel like a decade since I was fresh on the roads cruising Salisbury in my Maxima like I owned that place. Black eyeliner, chokers, AIM and mixed CD’s have turned into red lipstick, bangles, Facebook and Rhapsody playlists. Seemingly it’s all just a change in preference and technology; but really it’s just that I’m getting older. And I’m ok with that. I’m ok with not having a party in my parent’s backyard and instead cuddling up with my cat and husband watching a movie on my birthday; it was exactly what I wanted to be doing.



Recreating prom picture with high school BFFs.

my makeup routine.

Hey my lovies. So here is my daily/special occasion  makeup routine. Daily, it takes less than 5 minutes. Special occasion- under 12. I use a lot of products, but minimal amounts of each.

1.      Primer. I only use this on special occasions or when I go to work all day and then immediately out on the town. It really makes a huge difference in keeping your makeup FRESH the entire day. Smashbox and Sephora brand are all I’ve tried and I love them.
2.      Concealer. I have quite a few different brands I’ve been experimenting with. I recently purchased Neutrogena 3 in 1 under eye concealer and I’m loving that it depuffs (a little, feels nice) and has SPF 20 in it! It also blends nicely with your skin. After applying a very small amount, I  use a dab of Physician’s Formula concealer twins  in cream (blemishes) and yellow (under eyes). It’s just the best at hiding those bags and dark circles. Lightly layering allows me to protect this sensitive skin from sun, wake my eyes up, and hide what creams just can’t do.
3.      Foundation. Merle Norman foundation powder is like perfecting potion. You can make it heavy (apply with damp sponge) or light (dry sponge). If you’re going for everyday flawless but still able to see your skin (learn to love your freckles) then this stuff can’t be beat for $25.  For special occasions I’m a fan of Smashbox. It’s got minerals in it which literally make your skin glow.
4.     Bronzer and blush. Love me some Smashbox bronzer. Physian's formula has SO MANY great bronzers as well. I do just a little on the jawbone and a dab of blush on the cheekbones.  Mac blush in Sunbasque is AWESOME; however I found Covergirl cheekers blush in Golden Pink is quite similar and VERY cheap.
5.    Brows. One of the first makeup lessons I learned was to shape your eyebrows before doing the rest of your brows to create a "frame." I just brush them with ELF clear mascara and that does the trick. For special occasions I will fill them in with Smashbox brow kit which has a wax in it to keep them in place.  
6.     Eyelids. Daily- I don't wear eyeshadow at all. But sometimes I like a little bit of Covergirl in Mink over my lids.  For special occasions I'll use a palate from Smashbox.

7.     Eyeliner.Covergirl perfect blend pencil is the best. You can make it precise or smudgy. And once you put it on- it's not moving. I use it in black, brow and blue.

8.    Mascara. L'Oreal Voluminous Lash. That is all. I've tried what seems like hundreds and I always go back to this baby.

9.     Lipstick. As you can see, I own a ton of Maybelline (good starter lipstick) and Revlon (great inexpensive stuff). Boot’s #7 brand can be found at Target and is a good choice for really bold pigments such as RED and PINK.

I keep my brushes in a champagne glass.This keeps them organized and keeps them upright so they keep their shape.

Peace&love,

kat

New Year, new you?

I really really loved you 2011. It wasn’t an easy breezy year of life by any means; but you taught me a lot about myself and I thank you for that. I made a couple of small changes in my daily life that have brought me to a new level of appreciation for everything around me. Visualizing my goals has pretty much always helped me attain them. So as the New Year is here and resolution time approaches- I have made 3 lists- the first of things I want to maintain, a list of things I want to implement, and list of things I want to change.

The question you have to ask yourself is “do you really want a ‘new you’ this new year?”…or do you want to keep doing what you’re doing. Most of us can always find areas to improve upon, which is how we grow mentally; but dramatic changes don’t necessarily need to be made. Subtle changes can make a huge impact on your perspective. Here’s a sampling of my lists for 2012.

What I want to maintain:
Jazzercising like it’s my job.
Taking mindful walks during work breaks.
Dancing: in my car, in my bathroom, in the studio.

What I want to implement:
Making hot tea after dinner.
Meditating
YOGA! (at home)

What I want to change:
My attitude towards cooking. I want to learn to enjoy what I am creating.
Frequency of phone calls to grandparents. Need to talk to them more.
Using internet as cure to boredom. Pick up a book!

Send me yours and I’ll share (if you want, that is).
Hope you all have a very SAFE and fabulous New Years Eve.

All I want for Christmas…

Is to see these little faces (my cousins). They’re growing up so quickly. man I sound old. Sophie, Isabelle, and college friends- you will be missed.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Tiffany’s blue.

Love the color.

Found this precious little belt at forever 21.



Couldn’t find a nail polish in this brilliant shade.



So I mixed these and made one.

I wonder what other colors I can mix? hmmm…more to come hopefully.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Craft & Bake sale.

As part of the employee appreciation committee at work (think-party planning committee from The Office), I organized a craft & bake sale today. It’s going SO well.

I brought my featherbands, of course.



My friend Maria has AMAZING knitting skills- her email is mantosfer85@gmail.com if you would like a custom made design.



Really cute wreaths made by Jennifer!



Cake DOTs by Rhett! YUM.



Pumpkin and cranberry nut bread by Carly. Delicious.

Loving this...

My iPhone has its own wardrobe based on how I’m feeling that particular day.
Classy, sassy and whimsy.



My new purse from Forever 21. This is PERFECTION to me.
Love over the shoulder straps and the colors go with 90% of my wardrobe.



My cereal “to go” container. I could live off cereal and now I just might.



Hope everyone has a wonderful time during the holidays.

I’ll be in the Carolinas spending as much time as possibly with family and high school friends.

Feathers feathers everywhere

http://www.etsy.com/shop/KatBeckDesigns
Four days to order! Thank you SO much to my friends who have kept me busy the past week creating new headbands for your Christmas presents. It inspired me to design these newbies (they won't be on etsy until next year so you can claim them now and I'll reserve it for you to purchase now).

My week with Marilyn.

My love of Marilyn Monroe started in high school and it continues to this day. Somewhat cliché…sure, but I can’t help myself. I have her plastered all over my cubicle and apartment. My favorite Halloween costume ever (and that’s saying a lot since I love dressing up) was probably Marilyn.



Casey Cline gave me this AMAZING book, Fragments, for my birthday last year. It’s all her personal notes, to do lists, and diary entries she wrote in her short life. She was a very sad person and very different person behind closed doors yet her public persona is so intriguing…



Sunday I went to see Michelle Williams star in My Week With Marilyn. She did an incredible job. The movie is SO well made. I highly recommend this flick to anyone who is a lover of classic movies or Ms. Monroe.

Featherbands CUSTOM orders for Christmas.

Hey friends. If you would like a custom made headband by Christmas, please place your order by the 16th of December. There are numerous headbands available and ready to ship on my etsy site as well. The site will be down after the 18th since I will be home for Christmas.

These make for great, unique and from the heart Christmas gifts as well as the PERFECT accessory for New Years Eve dresses.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/KatBeckDesigns

Peace&love,
KatBeckDesigns

the joy formidable.

ummm yall. this band quickly just became a favorite.

How the Edge Stole Xmas. 

The Joy Formidable lead singer comes out in this adorable vintage red dress with a gigantic white collar and black tights; pretty girly looking. Then she straps on her guitar and absolutely ROCKS the stage like i haven't seen in a while (and i frequent concerts a good bit).Check em out.

PS- Denton friends; doesnt she look/dress very similarly to Courtney? I think we found her British twin.

Its beginning to sound a lot like Christmas...

I’ve never been one to turn it to the ALL Christmas radio station after Thanksgiving. However- since I have Rhapsody, which makes me feel as if all this music I download is free (just $15 a month for 3 devices)…I’ve been rocking out to some Christmas tunes like it’s my job.



Oh Zooey. My ultimate girl crush.



The Lady OF COURSE. See the thanksgiving special? So classy awesome. (her song Christmas Tree isn’t on this but you should definitely download it –warning- its naughty.)



Don’t judge me on the Bieber- it’s nice to have a little hip hop in there.



Oh Mr. Buble, you are SO sexy. That is all.