Cruisin' Together

This past Christmas was one of the most memorable Christmases yet. Maybe, you say, because it's the most recent Christmas holiday to date, but most likely because my parents surprised all 5 kids (well adults, with the exception of Christmas morning!) with a Royal Caribbean Cruise! We woke up to see that Santa had decorated the Christmas tree with sun visors, speedos, and flip flops!

Merry Christmas Cruise!

Oh, and don't worry, in case you were afraid we forgot the stylish tropical visors for the trip, you're wrong. My mom definitely saved them for our "welcome aboard" picture!

welcome aboard!

We planned in anticipation as the next 6 months flew by. Brett, my brother in law (aka 'cool guy') decided to add some more excitement to the cruise and introduced the "Thames-Rowland-McDowell Tuff Guy Fitness Challenge". The email he wrote goes as follows:

"OK, folks, it is exactly 89 days until we depart on our Caribbean Bash. That’s 89 days to determine who will be the leanest, meanest, party machine on the ship. That being said, we all know what’s at stake – total bragging rights. Besides bragging rights and chiseled abs, the winner will also get at least one great prize. I propose we begin the Thames-Rowland-McDowell 75 Day Ultimate Tuff Guy Fitness Challenge asap.

Let’s say we each commit to a $30 per person entry fee which will go directly to the purchase of the grand prize(s), a brand new pair of $200 polarized sunglasses and a custom-made champion’s T-shirt. Brand and style of sunglasses is winner’s choice. T-shirt design and message are non-negotiable and will be determined by Sage, Brett, and Ryan.

From what I have briefly researched, the only fair way to do this is to measure the results based on body composition, more specifically bioelectrical impedance analysis, unless you medical types have a better or cheaper method. There may be adjustments made to handicap the contest where necessary (male vs. female, etc). No one’s individual results will be shared, only their % improvement over 75 days beginning Friday, April 2 and ending Tuesday, June 15 .

Below is a link to a scale that we can order if we want to (one for the Lubbockites and one for the San Antonians). We will take several measurements in the beginning days, several in the middle, and several near the end to make sure we have good data. We should have time to get the scales in prior to the beginning of the challenge.

There will also be a series of tasks that you may be required to complete in order to qualify yourself for the grand prize. Those are also TBD and will be developed by Ryan, Brett, and Sage. We will give “adequate” notification regarding the details of these special tasks.

After this challenge, all we will need to do is replenish our supply of blue speedos or gold speedos for those of who are into gold speedos. Game on. Brett."

This crazy a-hole meant business, and if anyone was up for a challenge it was Ryan & I (or so we thought). Haha...well, life comes at you fast, and Ryan spent the last 2 months studying for his board exam and I prepared for the fitness challenge with minimal work outs and late night runs (well drives...) to What-A-Burger & Papa Johns, so needless to say, we didn't win. Across the state in Boerne however, the McDowells were turning up the heat. Brett was working out daily, and being married to Ginger, conveniently didn't get to eat much. It was a recipe for success and Brett was crowed the Ultimate Tuff Guy of 2010.

Ultimate 'Tuff' Guy 2010

The cruise was amazing and no words can describe the fun we all had as a family. We ported in Nassau, St. Thomas, & St. Maarten. All the ports were amazing but the most memorable days were the ones spent at Sea! We met so many great people on the boat that we hope to stay in touch with. Cruises are the best form of travel ever, and if you haven't been on one, book it now! Start with the Oasis of the Seas, it's the largest ship in the world and you won't be disappointed!

So most of these photos I took on the cruise and edited in Photoshop just for fun. In the meantime I started brainstorming about how much I love design of all forms.... interior design, graphic design, and even design involving photography! So since I resigned from my job recently, and am wanting to continue moving forward in the field of design, I have decided to play around with a logo and the possibility of my own business. Food for thought right now, but let me know what you think about this logo! I would love some critiques! I have about 10 more on my computer that I am deciding between but this one's my favorite so far:

I'll keep you all posted on my plans... as of now I'm considering going back to school to get my Masters of Science in Environmental Design and/or doing contract design/photography work on the side! I'm so excited about the future and can't wait to sort all these crazy ideas out in my head!

Combined my mom and I took over 1100 pictures, and even I get tired of looking through all of them! So, as usual, I put together a cheesy little video so you can all share in an abbreviated version of the fun! Until next time!!

Cruise Video

Viva is an understatement...

Fabulous Las Vegas....sin city for some, but just a fun-filled family getaway for us! Ryan and I are lucky enough to both have amazing families who enjoy a good time, especially in Vegas! Jack & Susan were so gracious to include my parents for the weekend, and after seeing how much fun my mom & Susan had at my bachelorette party in Vegas last year, I knew this trip would be no different.

The weekend started with the token Bloody Mary on our Southwest flight. Ok, two token Bloody Marys on our Southwest Flight. We got picked up at the airport and headed straight to the hotel!

welcome!

We rushed to get ready and opened gifts for Jack's birthday, after all we were in vegas and were looking for any excuse for a party...

happy birthday Jackson!

my partner in crime

a break from school & work equals a good time to party

the trio

my fun new family

the vegas crew

dinner at Shibuya

We went to XS at the Encore and danced for what felt like only minutes! The night flew by and we ended it with a fun game of Baccarat in the casino at the Wynn (followed by late night pizza & french fries of course).

Exausted after our 5:00am curfew from the night before, we all decided that a big breakfast followed by the pool sounded pretty nice. After stuffing myself with eggs benedict, pancakes, fruit, bacon, toast, coffee, & orange juice (not to mention the previous late night 4:00am feast) I got the news that Victoria Secret Angel, Marisa Miller would be at Wet Republic. Great, just how I had always envisioned meeting one of the hottest supermodels in the world, hung over and bloated. She was in the cabana next door to us and was nothing but nice. She was gracious enough to pose with all of us!

As if the day could get any better, we all headed back to the room to get ready for another big night out. Ryan got ready much sooner than the rest of us and decided to randomly call some old friends we hadn't seen in a while, Marcus & Audrey. As fate would have it, Marcus & Audrey were actually in Las Vegas for business and had no plans for the night! We invited them to dinner and they joined us at the Bank at the Bellagio after.

pure fate!! two of our favorites.

all the girls at the Bank

Words cannot describe the fun & excitement that the weekend had to offer, so I put together a little video with our theme song from Vegas.

Press play to watch the full Vegas experience! Enjoy :)

how-to-headboard

the finished product...read on to learn how

Working as an interior designer you learn to use your resources, and you learn to use them well. At work, we're resourceful in a way that helps us to be efficient, to get things completed in a timely matter. You need to know the size of a half basketball court? Google it. You need to know where that pillow came from in that Betty Lou Phillips book? Call her. You need to draw a custom furniture piece and need some inspiration for an authentic period style? 1st Dibs it.

Being resourceful at your own home however is a different ball game. At home, us designers use our resources in a way that helps us to be FRUGAL!! Yes, I said it. Frugal is an ugly word, but I've learned to use it, and I've leaned to 'use' it wisely. Being a newlywed and young designer, let's face it- I'm slightly broke, but in a good way. Broke in way that keeps me on the seat of my pants striving to make more and stretch my dollar further. Broke in a way that makes me tap into talents I didn't even know I had. Even doing small side jobs for some extra fun budget (ill explain the fun budget thing later). I even got so thirsty for some new gladiator sandals that I offered to make my dads 35th medical school reunion name tags on photoshop!

proof! very vintage -eh?

Point of the matter is this: Desperate times call for desperate measures. When you work in a field of luxury and are surrounded by it for 8 hours a day with upscale clients and high demands, you learn to crave nice things... and well my budget can't satisfy those cravings... Therefore I have come to the conclusion that when life gives you lemons you make your own silk dupioni Pottery Barn-knock-off headboard!

The How-to-Headboard

Items you will need:

1. Picture of inspiration

2. Carpenter

3. batting

4. hot glue gun

5. staple/nail gun

6. fabric of your choice

7. cording

8. buttons

9. patience.

Step 1: find a headboard shape that you like. Some may be tricky depending on the complexity of the shape, but any carpenter should be able to carve what you want according the the dimensions you specify. Pictures are always helpful to show your general inspiration.

my Pottery Barn inspiration

(Priced at $899)

Abby, (my friend/coworker) and I were able to draw our headboards on CAD (CAD is the computer program that we use to design floor plans and elevations, and custom furniture pieces). Our boss, Jeff then generously had our carpenter make the frame of our headboards. (It was a very nice surprise and saved us even more money!!)

Step 2: cover the entire headboard with batting... for us cheapos, hot glue guns work wonderfully in our demographic :) Trim edges, leaving 3-4 inches around to pull and wrap the fabric.

1: cover with batting

2: trim edges & leave 3-4 inches to wrap around

Step 3: Turn head board over or prop against a wall and pull fabric around edges and fasten with staple gun.

3: pull edges and staple to back of board

Step 4: Piece fabric together for most efficient coverage and sew it together!! (Luckily I had Abby to help me with this part, but I felt very domestic none-the-less!)

Step 5: My headboard had two parts, the outermost portion on bottom and the small piece on top that created a 1/2" edge for dimension. I placed the fabric over the headboard and used pins to keep the fabric in place as I positioned it. Then I went back around with a nail gun, and at that point, there's no turning back, so make sure and get your fabric right where you want it.

5: Nail fabric to top edge of board

6: Now staple the remaining fabric to the back of the board. If you have curves or sharp corners it may take two people to get fabric positioned correctly.

6: staple fabric to backside of headboard

7. Sew cording and hot glue (carefully) to the raised edge to give the headboard a polished and tailored look. Then cover buttons with fabric and measure where you want your tufts to be placed. Mark with a pencil then hammer a nail into the wood to make the fabric pucker. Finally hot glue the buttons to the top of the nails you placed as your tufts.

Ta-da!!

A few things to keep in mind. Pick your fabric wisely. I chose a taupe silk dupioni, which matches my bedding, but is very risky! The fabric shows all puckers and wrinkles and stretches slightly, but in the finished application looks very refined and tailored!

my custom creation!

(made for less than $100)

Total savings?? About $800!!!

Now thats being resourceful.

This takes a VERY long time! It took Abby & I the ENTIRE weekend to complete our headboards, but we sure had a blast (and some wine) while making them! Check out Abby's fun headboard!

Abby's custom headboard

If anyone has more questions about how to make a custom headboard or is interested having one made for you, let me know!