W I T H C A R E G O O D S Giveaway

I'm so excited that this month, I have a super special giveaway that's close to my heart. My dear friend Elizabeth owns  a little handmade business called With Care Goods and is offering one of my lucky readers a chance to win a moss green arrow cocktail ring and a sharp shooter merit pendant. Now before I go into the rules and entries and all that jazz, I just want to say I absolutely adore Elizabeth. I carried her items n my shop in San Diego, and I own several necklaces from her shop. I wear my friendship arrow necklace every day. If you haven't already checked out her shop, please do whether you enter the contest or not!  

So, here's the different ways you can win. This giveaway is open to US and international readers, and will be open until Sunday 6/3 at midnight. 
1. Visit With Care Goods shop, favorite your fav and leave a comment telling me what it is.
2. Tweet about this contest and leave a separate comment.
3. Follow Elizabeth's blog, and leave a comment here letting me know you follow her blog.


That's it, super easy. You have three days to enter. Doug and I are headed to Nashville tomorrow. Business and pleasure. I'm excited, I've never been to Nashville. The twelve year old in me hopes to see Dolly Parton walking the dusty roads of the capital of country music city. More likely, skateboarding for Doug, lunch with friends, and other rad stuff that I'm sure I'll take lots of photos of. 


xo,
Beca 

Half a Six Pack of Kittens

Last night, Doug and I took a drive. We are notorious for going on long drives to hash out ideas, talk about the future, make plans, and just talk. We were driving kind of aimlessly, through downtown, through the projects, through the industrial zones, through the suburbs and quite suddenly, Doug slammed on his brakes, flipped the truck around and pulled onto a big lot. I saw something move. Something little and white. Something adorable. At least I was guessing it was adorable, since it was furry and tiny. Then I saw another, then another. Sweet baby Jesus, it was a litter of kittens! I scooped up the biggest one right as it was headed towards an oncoming car (induce heart attack now...) and Doug wrangled the other two into his arms. It was pretty epic. They were covered in burrs, fleas and all skin and bones. I held them in my lap as Doug ran into the store to grab soft cat food and baby shampoo. They meowed and purred and nuzzled and wriggled.   

They are sweet as can be, and our animals are slowly warming up to them. Of course, we can't keep all three, but the pretty little lady in the photos is now our newest pet. We are going to start looking for homes for the boys soon. They are too little to be separated, so maybe in a few weeks. We haven't named her yet, any suggestions would be appreciated!!

I have never had a kitten before. I have Mookyo, the grumpiest oldest cat alive. He's 15 now and this little black and white kitten looks like his mini-me. He is not super stoked on the little kittens, and Ollie kind of wants to eat them, and Charlie could care less. But I am sure they will get used to each other eventually. Or they'll do what dogs and cats do. I'm just so happy that we saved these little babies from a almost certain death. This girl fits in my hands, and purrs like a motorboat. The littlest boy is really skittish and shy, but he's really cute, and the biggest is bossy and loud, and takes care of the two littlest. I'll take photos of the boys tomorrow. 

We're not building an arc, but we sure do seem to attract a lot of animals...

xo,

Beca

A M M E N D M E N T

Due to some confusion on my behalf, and some further research, we will not be holding our project bamarang pop-up on May 30th. Sorry for any confusion, we'll let you know when the sale is rescheduled to. But, don't worry, our fab.com sale is scheduled for June 4th! It's going to be a doozy, so be sure to check it out! We are super excited. It's kind of like Christmas morning. Did you notice the fancy button on my sidebar. Thanks for designing that little pretty, Amy!

Alright, back to work for us!

xo,

Beca

Chattanooga Cupcakes

Yesterday, when we took a break from work, we finally stopped into Chattanooga Cupcakes. Every time we drive past it, I want to stop, but they always seem closed, or look closed, I don't know, but this time, I checked in advance to make sure they were open so we could stop in. I am really in love with the way it looks from the outside. The perfect peach/turquoise match up and a cute sign too! Can my house be this color, please? I'm not even super into pink, it's just really rad!

Doug got the most extreme chocolate cupcake he could find and I got a black and white. For all of the cupcakes I have eaten, in a million different places, I have to say, these were pretty good cupcakes, nothing fancy, just simple, good cupcakes. There was so much butter cream, it was a little overwhelming, but if you're a frosting fanatic, this would be the place to go. There is more frosting that cake. Easily. Doug LOVED his chocolate cupcake. 

The atmosphere was super sweet, the girls at the counter were nice and for the amount of cupcake you get, the price is good. We paid something like $10 for two cupcakes, a milk, and a sprite. 

I'm stoked we found a cupcake place in town, because ever so often, I don't feel like baking and we get the urge to get out of the house and get some sweets. Doug's a chocoloholic, too, so it't kind of necessary. If you're in the area, check out Chattanooga Cupcakes. I'm pretty sure you won't be bummed out.

What's your favorite cucpake bakery? If it's close enough to me, you know I'll find a way to try it out! 

xo,

Beca

What's Black, White and Red all Over?

{Dress//Ross, Shoes//Blowfish, Arrow Necklace//With Care, Purse//Vintage, Hat//Doug's}

Today has been nice. We woke up early and got a lot of work done, ate lunch at home and then took a little trip downtown for an hour or so, walked around the aquarium and got cupcakes. It felt super good to take a short break and get away from the piles of work surrounding us! 

I love this dress. I never thought I could love a dress more. It's really simple, I paid $8 for it, and it's perfect for this 90 degree weather we have had yesterday and today. It's finally summer in Tennessee, and boy, is it summer! Walking around downtown in this dress made me feel like we were on vacation, it's that kind of dress. 

But now, mini afternoon vacation is over, and it's back to work. I am nothing but happy and lucky today. And so very loved. How was your weekend? Did you do anything really great for memorial day?

xo,

Beca

The Gosh Honest Truth

{via Doug Switalski}

It's late. I'm tired, but the kind of tired where you can't even function and certainly are no good use to anyone or anything. My eyes are dark, my feet keep falling asleep, I started drinking coca-cola again, which is terrible. But I feel as though we are making a huge dent in orders, so it is all worth it in the end. I know it is. I'm self editing, on auto pilot, not saying entirely what I mean. I've turned into a terrible email responded, an invisible blogger (at least I still micro-blog on twitter and instagram, but it's not the same) I have dropped the ball, and it's incredible stressful. 

I say that I wish I had a helper to remind me of all the business-y things that I HAVE to do, but instead, I just wish that I didn't have to sleep to stay alive. Ah, the things we do. I'm working on it. All of it. But for right now, I just need to close my eyes and plan on an early morning.

xo,
Beca

a fab future

Well friends, the time has come to announce something very exciting happening in just over a week! We are going to be holding a really awesome fab.com sale on June 4th, 2012, that will allow you to get a ridiculous discount on some of our most popular styles! 

It's so exciting to be able to offer such a great deal to new customers, and hopefully some returning customers too! We love offering discounts, as you probably know by now, mostly because getting rich is pretty low on our totem, but also because making our product affordable to EVERYONE is key to our business model. 

We had these cards made to include in all of our fab orders! Aren't they amazing! Our dear friend Amy designed them and we had them printed at overnight prints. I am so in love!

So, although I wish I had time to write more, I have to get back to work!!! We have been spending many a night working into the morning, and I have a feeling that is what our summer will be looking like. I started drinking coca-cola again (I'm an addict) and I often forget to wash my hair, but we're getting it done! Thanks so much for all of your support and continued love, we cant tell you enough how much we love y'all and appreciate you. 

xo,

Beca & Doug

Looking In and Looking Out - A business Model

It's the little itty bitty things that make my day, and this guy is on the top of that list. He loves to hang out by the door with me while I work (I finish spray sunglasses right outside this door, and my workshop is right inside this door.) He keeps me going, even when I'm really hard on myself. He reminds me that being a good business person isn't the most important thing in my life. Not even close. Can you see where I'm going with this?

Your dog doesn't care if you are a great business person, if you reply to emails promptly, if you make everyone happy, always say yes, and wear yourself thin. he just wants to keep you company and remind you that you're loved. Thanks, Ollie. I love you, too.

xo,

Beca

Chocolate Mousse Made Easy + Other Myths of the Wooden Spoon

Who doesn't love chocolate mousse? Okay, I know there are crazy people out there who hate everything that has to do with chocolate, and to be honest, I'm not a huge fan, but I do get crazy cravings for chocolate ever so often. I've been making mousse since the beginning of time. Okay, not really, but for long enough that it's scratched in the back of my brain for eternity. But I was talking with some friends about baking and pastries and the like, and I mentioned mousse and they were so surprised that I made it at home sometimes. Like it was some kind of phenomena. After some further digging, I realized that they aren't the only ones who were terrified by the thought of making mousse, so here's mousse made easy, by me. 

The thing about chocolate mousse, just like french macarons, and really all french baking, is patience. You have to be patient and you have to follow the steps. I kid you not, if you make pate a chaoux and don't use a wooden spoon, I don't think it will come out. I don't know much about myths and legends, but I don't fool around when it comes to french pastries. Use a wooden spoon! 

Mousse is a really special dessert that I can't eat more than a few spoonfuls of, but when my boyfriend, who is sick sick sick, tells me he wants mousse and wants to buy it at the grocery store, I die a little on the inside, and then I stock up on supplies and make it. One millions times better and a little sweeter too.  

Here's what you need to make chocolate mousse:

12 ounces of semi sweet chocolate

1/2 cup of butter

2 1/2 cups of heavy cream

4 large eggs, separated

2 tsp of vanilla

1/2 cup of sugar

Melt your chocolate, vanilla and butter in a double boiler. I just boil water in a saucepan and place a metal bowl in the boiling water to melt my chocolate in. Stir with a wooden spoon. Once your chocolate is smooth, creamy and combined, take it off the heat. Temper your 4 egg yolks and whisk them in slowly. Once your egg yolks are combines, place your mixture into an ice bath to cool. 

Whip your 4 egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form, place to the side. If you have a hard time whipping egg whites, add a pinch of cream of tartar, it will help your eggs stiffen. Whip your heavy cream place to the side. 

Once your chocolate mixture has cooled, fold in your egg whites, careful to not over mix. You are not trying to deflate your egg whites! Once they are combined, fold in your whipped cream. Chill for 4-12 hours or until desired consistency is reached. In my house, it's usually just about 4 hours, because we are ready for mousse STAT. Top with whipped cream and chocolate Shavings, and enjoy the shit out of it. You earned it. 

Have you made chocolate mousse, or another kind of mousse? I have been itching to make some white chocolate raspberry mousse, and maybe a chocolate orange. Stay tuned!

xo,

Beca

Take me back to OBX

I didn't take a lot of photos. Everyone we staying with are photographers, of course including Doug, and I felt like small fries, plus I was so beat down, all I wanted to do was chill. But I wanted to share a few photos from our trip.

Some of these photos are by Doug, the photo of the house, and the one of me of course. I loved the Outer Banks, and I loved North Carolina in general, although it's really expensive where we stayed, for everything! And it rained most of the time we were there, except for the first day, where I got so sunburned that it hurt for the next 3 days! It was my karma for making fun of the girls turning lobster red on the beach in front of us. I was too busy drinking hateraid I forgot to put on more sunscreen! I loved spending time with all of Doug's best friends and playing with babies for a few days. It was such an awesome trip, and I couldn't have a single complaint about it, one bit.

It's back to work for me. Doug's mom went back to Pensacola this morning, his sister is staying for 2 weeks to help us get ALOT of work done, and I am completely rejuvenated for work and life. Oh yeah, we went to the highway 11 yardsale yesterday, a yard sale that stretches from Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. It was overwhelming, but we got so much good junk. I'll share more of it this week.

Hope you had an awesome weekend. Happy Sunday.

xo,

Beca

This Big Deep Place Where We Reside

{Construction of a Nebula via Elisemahanfineart}

Back from vacation and up to our elbows in work. It feels wonderful and scary at the same time, but I am so happy we took a few days to rest and visit with good friends and get rejuvenated for work. I miss being surrounded by babies and the sound of the waves breaking and drinking cranberry sprite and not wearing shoes for 4 days. I did really, REALLY miss my dogs, in a ridiculous way, so it's good to be home. However, Doug's family came for impromptu visit for the weekend which makes working the kind of hours I am used to impossible. It's good to have family here though. 

{via Chraisia}

It has kind of been a whirlwind kind of week. The etsy feature was a dream come true and almost impossible to keep a secret. Thank you all for all of you support and kind words. It meant the world to us. Our business wouldn't exist if not for the blogging community and for that, we are eternally grateful. We get to do what we love, and pay the bills, and support a charity and live the life we always dreamed of. It's amazing. I feel blesses and lucky and happy. I thank my lucky stars, every single day.

{via Girl and Parrot}

{via GracieChai}

It's easy to get overwhelmed, so I'm making sure that this summer is all about being pleasant, even when we're running a few days behind schedule, take deep breaths, pilates and archery (the only two forms of exercise I like, besides bike riding and hiking, which I will only tolerate if it isn't humid...) hugs and kisses and lots of I love yous to the one who makes my world a better place, phone calls to my Dad, splurging on new shoes and summer dresses and NOT feeling guilty about it. I want to have the strength to complete everything I say I will, take on more than I think is possible and still get it done, keep our house clean and get enough sleep. I want to take long drives, stay in hotels and visit friends way more often. I need to make a 27 things I need to do the summer before I turn 27 list, maybe I'll climb into bed and work on that tonight. I can't use power tools, everyone is asleep, so there isn't much work I can do until the morning. I know this blog post is disjointed, but I felt a need to play catch up. It's been such a crazy week, and will keep being crazy for the next few months! 

{via cabindreams}

I feel so disconnected, so please tell me what's happening in your lives! I hope life is really good for each and every one of you. I really, truly do. And I promise to come around these parts more now that we're back.

xo,

Beca

Etsy Featured Seller!!!!

We can finally share out exciting news!! We are the featured sellers on Etsy right now and it's pretty incredible! It feels like a dream come true. After a short year of running our business, this is all we could ask for. We're about to hit the road home, but I wanted to share this real quick. We have so much love for everything right now. Thanks for a great year, yall.

xo
Beca & Doug

The Beginning of the End

Being on vacation has been tremendous. I am finally getting excited about getting back to work. I miss the dogs and I am ready to get busy for the rest of the month of may as a few exciting deadlines approach. I have been working on some portraits and updating our shop for a very special day tomorrow, so my vacation hasn't been completely workless. 

It has been storming like crazy, and this morning we woke up to the rain and wind against the van, it felt like we were inside an aquarium. I sleep so great in the van, and cant wait until Doug and I can take off across country, maybe this fall, for an adventure. I'm already planning our next vacation! I just wanted to share a little photo of the ocean by where we are staying, and say hello. How has your week been so far?

xo,

Beca

Covet VIII

{via Camelliatune}

{via Calamari Studio}

{via Lotta from Stockholm}

{via the book fair}

 {via Little Bright Studio}

{via BaliELF}