June 29, 2012

Relaxation...

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Pic from the lake trip last year.

It's finally here! Dave and I left last night and headed to Table Rock lake in Missouri! We're probably sleeping right now, since we didn't get in until the middle of the night...

We can. not. wait. There will be lots of boating/jet skiing, slushy drinking, cookie eating, and other forms of relaxation and fun. And while I'm going to unplug as much as possible there is still going to be a post every day and lots of instagrams, so make sure to follow me on there if you're not already. Username: mallorieowens. 

Anyone else going somewhere fun for the 4th of July?




June 28, 2012

What I would do with $350 at Misikko...

If you haven't heard, the good folks over at Misikko are doing an amazing giveaway. Three lucky winners will receive $350 worth of their fabulous products. Yes please!

My hair can be hard to manage sometimes. Ok, most of the time. I've already found myself resorting to a side braid every day thanks to the Texas heat. That said, I'm always looking for a new product or tool that can help me with my frizzy hair...so if I was able to pick out up to $350 worth of products at Misikko, this is what I would choose...
 
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1. Anyone with curly/frizzy hair knows that a good flat iron is key. I've heard Misikko's flat irons are fabulous and I'd love to see what they could do for my hair!

2. A product that removes build up and leaves my hair shiny sounds pretty great to me. Add in the fact that it's natural and supposedly improves your hair quality over time and it sounds like just what I need!

3. I don't know about you, but I've never cleaned my flat iron...and now I'm a little embarrassed. Hopefully Misikko won't let me stay a dirty flat iron-er for too much longer.

4. This Moroccan oil sounds like the therapy my hair is begging for! My hair tends to be dry on its own, but the heat has sucked any remaining moisture from it. This rich cream would work wonders on my dehydrated hair.

5. I couldn't leave Dave out of the dream package fun! Crew fiber is his favorite hair product and he's all out. This stuff lets him style without leaving his hair shiny and looking over styled.

My grand total came to $341.95. For those interested here's how you enter...good luck!

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Introducing Eits[art]...

Today I'm excited to introduce to you Krista, the talent behind Eits[art]! She designs gorgeous album cases and sells them here. I asked her a few questions so that you all could get to know her better...

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1. What made you decide to start an online shop?

I am a graphic designer by profession and a crafter by nature. I really enjoy spending all my free time working on a large array of crafts. I felt it was time to throw some of my creations out there to share with the world.

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2. I love your cases, they would be such a fun way to package a gift! Why did you decide to make these as your shop product? 

A friend of mine who owns his own wedding videography biz came to me looking for unique and affordable cases to use for delivering DVDs to his clients. That is how the 'classic' style case was born. They were such a hit that I was inspired to create more styles. I also love that the cases could be used for so many different reasons (and occasions)!

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3. The fabrics you use are gorgeous, my favorite is the red/cream classic! What are your favorite colors/patterns for summer? 

I. Love. Fabric. I could literally spend hours at the craft store picking out fabric. I really enjoy bright colors with abstract patterns. Currently the summer ruffle case is my favorite. It just screams summer to me, must be the bright yellow and pink.

You can find her here, go show some love!

She's offering a 10% discount for you all through July 4th, don't miss out! 
(in stock items only, does not include custom orders) 
Use code: HomeFans

...if you'd like to be featured on Home is with You reserve your space here.

June 27, 2012

What I Wore: Stitch and Stone

Today I'm excited to introduce you to a local Austin shop (she's on Etsy too). Stitch and Stone has gorgeous jewelry that she sells every other weekend on South Congress and here online.

Home is with You
Home is with You
Home is with You
Home is with You
Home is with You
Home is with You

Her jewelry is gorgeous and I was so excited to wear my necklace last week at Spanish Oaks. It went perfectly with my new maxi dress that Dave surprised me with a few weeks ago. The necklace is sterling silver and oh so pretty....

Home is with You
Home is with You
Home is with You
Home is with You
Home is with You
Dress: Spense (Dave got mine at Sam's!) // Necklace: c/o Stitch and Stone // Shoes: Payless

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June 26, 2012

Spanish Oaks.

Last week Dave played at Spanish Oaks Golf Club's happy hour. This place is gorgeous and if you are a golf fan who has some extra money to spend I highly recommend making a stop here if you're ever in Austin. I've heard their course is supposed to be one of the best...

If you ask me though I thought the food was the highlight of the evening (besides the fabulous music), but then again I'm no golfer.

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As you can see it is a beautiful property nestled in the hills of Austin. I loved all the little details of it. The food was on another level though and we really appreciated the complimentary food since Dave played that night. Plus it is all organic and hormone free, perfection.

I mentioned before that this was the best portobello burger I've ever had and it's no lie. As a vegetarian I've had plenty of portobello burgers in my time, but none like this. The fresh mozzarella cheese and the bun really set this one off.

The rest of the food was amazing as well. We got the dip appetizer that was part of the happy hour special and all of the dips were great. The hummus was my favorite and it had a unique taste of any other hummus I've tried. Dave got the steak tacos and my burger came with a yummy Mediterranean salad.


June 25, 2012

**4th of July Sale**

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Hey guys, I just wanted to give you a heads up that I'm having a pretty great (in my eyes) sale in the shop this week and next for the 4th of July! You can get $4 off of ANYTHING in the shop, just use the code "FOURTH" at checkout...

That adds up to about a 25-50% discount depending on what you have your eye on! So go shop your hearts out over here.



June 24, 2012

Our busy week according to my iphone...

Obviously we had another busy week, but that's ok with me right now because the faster Thursday gets here the better! Here's a little of what our week looked like...

I'd love to have you follow along! My Instagram username is mallorieowens.

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Above you'll see:
-My Daddio and I back in the day...I was so sad not to spend Father's Day with him this year, but I can't wait to get to his lake house for the 4th!
-Getting set up at Spanish Oaks Country Club.
-Pretty flowers at our apartment complex.
-Wine Wednesday.
-The best portobello burger I've ever had. Period. (more on Spanish Oaks coming soon!)
-A good afternoon snack.
-Doing sound check for Dave's online show...how did I get so lucky?

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Above you'll see:
-Strange Brew: Lounge Side. I can't wait for Dave to play here on the 6th!
-Sending out some pretties from my shop and lots of Dave's albums.
-Summer, I <3 you. And Dave.
-Was hoping for some pool time this weekend...so far it hasn't happened yet.
-A yummy late night snack thanks to Dave. Flax seed crackers, laughing cow cheese, lemon pepper, tomato, and jalapenos!
-The little buddy I met on my walk.
-My outfit of the day...it was too hot for anything other than a tank and shorts. Also showing off my ring c/o Call of Earth. It is GORGEOUS and handwoven...how cool is that?



June 22, 2012

Letters to the universe...

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Dear Chipolte,
I don't know why you've been on my mind lately, but I am missing you something fierce. If the universe sends me a few extra dollars I will be coming your way soon.

Dear next week,
I know I have to wait another week for you (duh), but if you could get here quickly I would REALLY appreciate it. Homegirl hasn't had a "real" vacation (aka a trip that isn't full of shows/interviews/etc.) since the 4th of July last year. We can't wait to be at my Dad's lake house on Table Rock yet again! I can't tell you how excited I am to have a slushy in my hand and be out on the boat.

Dear tofu sandwhich,
You were amazing last night, which means there will be many more of you in my future.

Dear "INM Out the Door",
Thank you for saving me from this disaster and being a top coat I can rely on to dry very quickly....and not do harm to my body. Dave thanks you too since I always do my nails right before we head out, now doing so isn't as difficult.

Dear laundry,
I apologize for washing you and not putting you away. That will be remedied this weekend. Pinky promise.

Dear husband,
It's the weekend! I'm hoping you don't have TOO much on your plate this weekend so we can do a little bit more exploring. I love finding new spots with you.

Love,
Mal


June 21, 2012

CreativeLive.

I don't know if any of you are photographers or aspiring photographers...or maybe you just love to take pretty pictures. I recently found the website CreativeLive (thanks to one of Dave and I's friends) and I can't get enough! They have workshops that you can pay to get a copy of or you can watch it live and just take notes like a mad woman/man. I do the later.

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Photo from creativelive.com

Their workshops are amazing and full of wonderful information by some of the top photographers in the business. I know I've already learned a lot and can't wait for what's next! I highly recommend checking it out if you are serious about learning more.

You can watch the videos live here.

*PS~ I was not contacted by CreativeLive to do this post, I just really love what they're doing!

June 20, 2012

Things that make me smile...

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Not only do I love beautiful music around the house, but I love getting to see Dave play live (like I do tonight). He is truly in his element when he's on stage and I love that I get to experience that as his wife.

I hope you all have a fabulous Wednesday! I'd love to know, what makes you smile?




June 19, 2012

Schedules...

...I need one. Badly. My "schedule" has been all over the place lately and I'm thinking we might need to implement business hours over here to get things in order.

It's hard when all of our pursuits are creative, sometimes it's good to work when inspiration strikes. But we can't keep doing that 24/7. It's just not working.

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So this is me asking for help. Do any of you work from home and have a schedule set in place? I'd especially love to hear from those of you that both you and your husband work from home, since that brings even more distractions into the mix.

Any suggestions are welcome! I'm not sure how I feel about having business hours, but maybe we need them. What do you all think?


Advertise with us in July!

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This is how excited I would be to have you advertise with us. For reals. I love promoting new businesses, blogs, etc. It's a great way to get your name out there and reach a new audience.

I have spots open immediately if you're interested. All of you passionfruit enthusiasts will be happy to hear that I made the switch. You can see my stats/rates and book your spot here. If you'd like to book more than 2 months at a time, let me know and I'll give you a discount!

And yes, I am a dancer...


June 18, 2012

A favorite outfit and some ninja kicks...

This past Friday, Dave and I went to downtown Round Rock (just north of Austin) to help celebrate a friend's birthday. We had a lot of fun exploring a bit of the area since we'd never really checked out Round Rock before. Of course we made sure to snap a few outfit pictures before we left...would I be a good blogger if I didn't?

by Home is with You
by Home is with You
Top, tank, jeans: Target // Necklace: Tiffany's (bridesmaid gift) // Earrings: c/o Madrona Studios // Sunglasses: Kohls

...and then we had some fun with it...I'm a nerd, I know...

by Home is with You
by Home is with You
by Home is with You

Haha. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well! PS~ those fab earrings shown above are the same ones from Madrona I raved about before. I still can't get enough, and at only $11 they're a steal!



June 17, 2012

The week in pictures...

I feel like the days go by even faster once summer hits. Anyone else feel this way? We had a great week despite the heat and impending doom that is the even hotter weather to come...

I'd love to have you follow along, my Instagram username is mallorieowens.

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Above you'll see:
-Pretty lights while out for a friend's birthday.
-Finally found a new fragrance to try at Bath and Body Works, I've been a devoted "Sun-ripened Raspberry" user and they discontinued it awhile back...sigh.
-Dave and I out in downtown Round Rock.
-Made a batch of these this week. Tastes like home. :)
-Checking out the gorgeous Spanish Oaks Country Club, Dave is playing their happy hour on Wednesday.

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Above you'll see:
-Dinner and strategizing, it's what we do.
-O.P.I. Texas collection "lil shooters" sent to me from one of my BFF's. Love it.
-Trivia night at Mellow Mushroom...we got second place and free tees. High five.
-Yet another fab breakfast burrito.
-My little friend.

Linking up with A Good Life and Life Rearranged...

June 15, 2012

Things that make you go hmmm...

Usually my Friday posts are a little bit more upbeat, but I found this out last night and I'm still a bit furious and outraged so I had to share...

A few days ago I tweeted about how I wished I could paint my nails, but it was so close to bed time I knew that I would have sheet marks in the morning. Immediately I had several women tweet me and recommend Seche Vite top coat. They said you wouldn't believe how fast it dries. Sold.

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So yesterday evening Dave and I headed to the store and grabbed this bottle of it and I was so excited at the thought of painting my nails that night and not having to worry about messing them up. I have been using the Sally Hansen quick dry top coat, and I like it, but again I can't use it too late in the day. And it definitely doesn't dry within 30 seconds like it says.

When I went to paint my nails I noticed that it didn't say how long to wait between polishing my nails and applying the top coat. I knew the Sally Hansen brand recommended waiting 2 minutes before using it so I thought I'd look it up online first and see if anyone had any tips.

What I found was disturbing. I read a few threads talking about health threats and something crazy that was supposedly on the label. I uttered, "No way." out loud while reading what these ladies claimed was on the label and then was left in shock and my jaw dropped as I saw it right there on the bottle in my hands...

"WARNING! This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm." WHAT?! I couldn't believe it, so Dave and I researched a bit and found countless peer-reviewed articles stating that toluene (the dangerous ingredient) is in fact harmful and can cause many other issues other than those stated on the bottle. It had been banned in all cosmetics in Europe back in 2004 and removed from most here in the US, but not yet banned.

Now, I realize that it may just be a precaution and all of that good stuff, but the articles did state that it can cause harm in small doses. This is just not something I am willing to risk. My health and the health of my future children is never something I will ever fool around with. Especially not just to have pretty nails. As much as I love having them.

So I will be returning this bottle today and trying something else that hopefully works just as well without the added risks. We make sure to only put healthy things into our bodies and I try to do the same with things I put on my body. It's just as unhealthy for your skin to absorb nasty chemicals as it is to eat them.

**If any of you would like to see the articles let me know, I'll email them to you! I'd love to link them on here, but they are part of an online library that not everyone has access to.


June 14, 2012

Veggie Stuffed Mushrooms.

Hey everyone, I asked Dave to share his stuffed mushroom recipe with you all today so I'll let him take it from here...these are AMAZING so I hope you all enjoy them!

Veggie Stuffed Mushrooms by Home is with You

About a month ago, Mal and I were invited to a little get together here in Austin and we were asked to bring an appetizer. Mal, in all fairness, is a killer baker and has several dishes that she’s mastered. I, on the other hand, was raised in a family without recipes – we all cook by instinct. If my great-grandmother was still with us (bless her soul) and you asked her how much salt to add to any of her amazing dishes, she’d respond with something like, “A pinch of this…” or “This much (and proceed to pour a little here and there).” My grandmother and dad are like that as well…their homemade biscuits are to die for and I MUST pay closer attention next time I’m home so that tradition is continued.

Ok, ok, enough jabbering. That night Mal was planning to make her famous guacamole (seriously, everyone that’s had it has responded with rave reviews – and a bowl licked clean) but we were told at the last minute that someone else was bringing theirs. So, I decided to take the reins and throw something together. I’d wanted to create some vegetarian style stuffed mushrooms for a long time…and we had a few extra veggie sausages in the fridge to push me into it.

Again, keep in mind that I do everything by taste and always start with a minimal amount of everything and add more as I see fit. Mal and I use little salt, etc, so you just add as you as you like – everyone has their own way of enjoying food and that’s one of the beautiful, artistic, aspects of cooking! It’s always easier to add than take away.

Veggie Stuffed Mushrooms by Home is with You

I started grabbing anything that looked good, starting with two packages of fresh baby-bella mushrooms (8 oz. x 2), two of the veggie sausages, one whole cucumber, one whole zucchini, one whole green bell pepper (although you can use any color you like), a block of cheddar cheese, cayenne pepper, and some chili powder.

Once I had all of the ingredients in front of me, I started chopping them up – not too fine, but small enough to where they would mix together well and fill the caps of the mushrooms. Mal’s grandparents got us this great manual chopper that cuts into various size squares, etc, so I used that. You can also go old-school and chop them by hand – I do this when I don’t feel like cleaning the chopper afterwards! Mal took the stems out of the mushrooms while I chopped everything else up, mixing them in a good-sized mixing bowl. From there, I started “testing” the mix, adding a little chili powder and cayenne pepper until it was about a “medium” on the hot scale. I didn’t want to overdue it for the other guests. Once I got that mixture up to par, I started scooping it into the pitted mushrooms.

It’s important to note that I stuffed the mushrooms on the oiled (spray or light cooking oil of your choice, we prefer olive oil) baking sheet – I’ve seen people do it on other surfaces, only to find the filling falling out all over the pan when moved! I’m all about efficiency and minimal cleaning afterwards! Once they were stuffed, I shredded the cheese over them (pre-shredded cheese obviously works just as well), popped them into the oven at 400 degrees, and watched them closely...it took about 25 mins or so. Once the cheese is melted and browning around the edges, you can take them out. Some people enjoy it a little crispier on top and leave them in a few extra mins.

Once they’re done, they cool pretty quickly and are also much juicier than when you put them in so be prepared to put some paper towels under them if you’ll be transferring them over to a serving tray! Otherwise, they’ll get a little soggy sitting in the excess water.

While the mushrooms were cooking, I noticed that I had a bowl full of stems and some leftover veggies from the mix…which got me thinking. So, I grabbed some sour cream and the chipotle sauce (any hot sauce will do) and made a dip. I chopped up the stems, mixed them with the other veggies, and threw in the sour cream and hot sauce until it tasted good. We took some tortilla chips to dip and it was a smash!

What’s funny about these impromptu appetizers is that when we arrived, I noticed the guys (none of whom are vegetarians) digging into the mushrooms. After awhile, one asked what was in them and when I proceeded to let them know they were all veggie, some of them quit eating them – goofy, yeah? I’m not a vegetarian, but I also respect my wife’s decision to abstain from meat while attempting to find alternative ways to keep my cravings at bay. :D

I hope you all enjoy the food and share it with friends and family – there are not enough gatherings these days!

Veggie Stuffed Mushrooms by Home is with You

As a quick recap to my extended “recipes”:

Veggie Stuffed Mushrooms
2 – 8 oz. packages of mushrooms (just about any type will do)
1 – Large cucumber
1 – Large zucchini
1 – Bell pepper
2 – Vegetarian sausages, we used the Smart Sausages “Italian Style” (meat sausage can be used as well)
Cayenne Pepper to taste
Chili powder to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees while popping out the stems of the mushrooms, dicing the veggies and sausages, and mixing in the seasoning to taste. Coat the baking sheet with a spray or a little olive oil, stuffing the mushrooms and placing them directly on the sheet – I put them fairly close to one another so there isn’t any cheese wasted on the sheet itself. Shred (or use pre-shredded) cheese over each mushroom to your liking and bake for about 25 mins, watching for the cheese to melt and begin browning around the edges.

Once they’re done, either place a few paper towels under them on a serving tray (you can always pat them down a little if that look doesn’t jive with you) or serve directly from the sheet. Enjoy!

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Hold Me Up Mushroom Dip

Mix the discarded mushroom stems and leftover veggie stuffing into a serving bowl, add sour cream, hot sauce, chili powder, and/or cayenne pepper to taste…enjoy!

*Get it? “Hold me up” because we’re using the stems that hold up the mushroom.

Much love,
Dave
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