Magazine ID Stamp

I really like this id stamp. It is great for magazines and any personal information you don't want revealed. Since I subscribe to so many magazines and often donate them when I am done reading them, I don't want my personal info out there. It helps me stay organized. I got this at a local Houston store called Kuhl-Linscomb several years ago. You can also find it on Amazon. 

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Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) Essentials

My husband, Bryan, and I have been going to Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) for years. In all honesty he is not much of a music festival / concert person, but he does these things for me because I love it. I wanted to highlight some things for us that have been helpful and useful throughout the years of going. As you can see in some of the photos there are a few things I initially left out of the main photo that are very important and you will see in photos below.  Here are some things we like to bring.

• Wristbands.
• Backpack.
• Sunscreen.
• Sunglasses.
• Phone. You can check Twitter for giveaways while you are at the festival.
• Empty Water Bottle. There are fill stations throughout Zilker. Stay hydrated.
• Tarp and Ponchos. This is in case it starts raining, which it has various times throughout the years.
• Comfortable Clothes and Shoes. You will walk a lot. I try to wear sandals or flip flops in case they get wet it can dry fast.  Same with clothing, you want fast drying cloths if it rains. I am more about function than style when it comes to music festivals.
• Hand Sanitizer. Because porta potties are nasty.
• Wipes / Toilet Paper. I will carry these things because you never know how the porta potties will be.
• Cash / Credit Cards. Now you are able to connect your wristband to your credit card, but we still carry one card, cash and our Drivers License.
• Chairs. We usually don’t bring them, but you can if you want.
• Waterproof Bag or Ziploc Baggies. This is in case it rains to keep our phones dry.
• External Phone Charger. We have never brought one in the past, but may this year because usually our phones are running low by the end of the night.

Also, this is a good article of what others recommend to bring http://www.austin360.com/news/entertainment/music/acl-fest-expert-advice/nSYLZ/

Tips while you are at the festival

• Try all kinds of food, it really is good.
• Listen to various acts, you'll be pleasantly surprised on how good many of them are.
• Don't get too wasted and stay hydrated.
• Save to buy your souvenirs for at night so you don't lose them or ruin them. ACL used to have a USPS booth set up where you could ship your items to your home. Not sure if they will have that this year. We always buy a poster and wait to buy it at the end of one evening.
• Take the shuttle if you can. There are so many constantly running and you rarely have to wait long to get on one. The only time we really wait is at night if we stay until the last act finishes up.
• If there is a lull period you don't have any particular bands you want to see leave and then come back. We have done this various times throughout the years. Sometimes we go eat at a nearby restaurant and other times we go back to our rental and take a quick nap.
• If you are renting a condo, a house, or somewhere with a kitchen for the festival bring snacks or frozen food. A lot of times we are hungry when we finish up with the festival and pizza often takes at least an hour to be delivered, if not longer. 
• Have fun!

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Eco Product: Biodegradable Dog Bags

When I am walking my dog I use poop bags because, well, we have to pick up his shit or the neighbors get mad. I like to use biodegradable bags that you can buy online, at many pet stores and local parks usually have them. I try to get extra ones from the park in our neighborhood, so I don’t run out.  The biodegradable ones are eco and good for the environment.

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Road Trip Essentials

I grew up road tripping to various places and often take road trips with my husband, and wanted to share some of my essentials. I back in July from road trippin’ with family to SC. I rode with my aunt, uncle and cousin because I was able to take off early and my husband and the rest of our family flew up that weekend. We took a leisurely pace and stopped in New Orleans at one of my favorite places, Mother’s. Their jambalaya is DELICIOUS! Saw the largest rocking chair in America, then made our first stop in Destin, FL for a couple of days. I was surprised how clear the water was and it was only about a 9 hour drive. Then we finally made our way to Edisto Beach, SC outside of Charleston and stopped at the smallest church in America on the way. I rode back home with them as well, so we were in the car a loooong time.

Here are some road trip essentials that I found helpful and like to take with me.

• Pouches / Document Holders. I use these all the time when traveling because it helps me contain my stuff.
• Notebook / Address Book. I try to always bring my address book / notebook with me on my trips because I often send letters or have thoughts I want to jot down. 
• Pens / Pencils. Because you never know when you need a pen.
• iPad. To watch movies, listen to music or play games on, but I didn’t use it this time.
• Movies. My cousin brought all kinds of movies for us to watch in the car because they have a tv in the car and we actually watched several movies. 
• Headphones. For music and movies.
• Instant Film Camera. I love using this that my husband got for me several years ago. We took pictures at the quirky places we stopped at and completely forgot to use it at other places too.
• Portable Phone Charger. This is always handy if your phone battery is running low.
• Car Games. We actually had a lot of fun with this. We played the license plate  and got all, but 6 by the time we got home. We also played a travel question game that surprisingly turned out to be fun and we learned a lot about each other. I picked up car bingo at the AAA store. I had seen them on Amazon and a local store in Houston, but it was way cheaper from AAA.
• Maps. I know most of us have a GPS or GPS on your phone, but I always like to take an actual map just in case we need and to see where we are in relation to other cities, etc.  I go to AAA and pick up the maps and almost always use them when I am on road trips.
• Coloring Books, Colored Pencils and Crayons. I’ve always liked coloring and picked up some cheap books on Amazon to take with us, they were cheaper on Amazon than at local art stores in Houston.
• Book. I know a lot of people can’t read in the car, but I actually don’t do too terribly reading in the car. I just finished My Paris Dream on the way home. I really liked it. I am always nervous about popular books like this because sometimes they turn out to be not so great.
• Toiletries. I carry a little bag with me that has all kinds of essentials like wipes, bandages, hand sanitizer, eye depuffer (just in case), essential oils (orange and lemon are so versatile), lip balm and tissues.
• National Parks Passport Book. I got this several years ago while on vacation because my aunt had one and it is a fun / free thing to get stamps at the national parks you visit.
• Things that are not pictured that I think are necessary to having a more comfortable road trip include, pillow, blanket, snacks and drinks.

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Made in the USA: Fabric Accounting Book

I am not sure if there are a lot of people who actually write down their accounting anymore, but I would totally recommend this accounting journal if you do. The columns/rows are easy to keep line items organized. I love the fabric cover and quality of the paper. I have really enjoyed using it through the years. Plus, it is Made in the USA.  I purchased this item on Amazon years ago.

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Client Hip, Fun, & Fierce Closet Organizing Project: Before and After

I thought I would post some pictures of an organizing project I did several weeks ago. As I have mentioned on here before, I am so bad at the before and after photos. Frankly, these photos are pretty shitty because I took them with my phone rather than my good camera. In other news, I am finally getting a new cellphone after almost 3 years, so hopefully my phone pictures will be much better. 

This particular client I have worked with for years. We began by purging a TON of her clothes, shoes and bags. We used what she had and stuck with the current hangers. Then coordinated the clothes by type and color. The photos really don't give the project justice, it looks really good in person. Plus, I totally have shoe and bag envy from this client. 

This client was super generous and donated all of her purging. We donated items to The Women's Home and Dress for Success here in Houston. 

Before 

Before

After

After

Before

 After

Before

After

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