The Woodlands

SIX SHOTS: NOVEMBER 2012

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SIX SHOTS

of the month


     Another month has gone by, so these are my top six personal pics of the month that I love!

    The “practice shot” seen above was really just me playing with my new Canon camera I had just gotten!  Being a rebel who hates to read instructions, I was playing with the controls and ended up loving this picture!

This shot is fuzzy and wonderful to me because we had such a fun time working on a quick Levi’s blog!

The Woodlands Waterway, Texas, Luxor Living and Style

This was a quick shot from a walk after our casual lunch a few days ago.  It was nice to take a break in the middle of the day, which we never usually do! I love this view!

     In hopes it’s not too redundant, I love this Christmas tree picture from the Animal Print Christmas Blog so much I wanted to include it as well!  I always put my tree up Thanksgiving night!

     

     This photo epitomizes the cozy feeling of being at home for the holidays.  This is my newest member of my Snow Man collection and I love him!

Hey now, it is the holidays, so in keeping with the season, I included this shot because I love the way the reindeer and sleigh reflect in the glass and it makes me look forward to some cozy December nights to come!

-December 1, 2012

 

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ANOTHER CLASSIC ANIMAL PRINTY CHRISTMAS !

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      I totally love anything jacquard and ornate, but animal print is on my heart! Therefore, no matter how much I try to change, a tiny bit of animal print still sneaks back into my life!

     Traditionally, every Thanksgiving night, I love to be home and gather my Christmas decorations and have it all up that night.


     

     That being said, when I went to buy ribbon to decorate my new Christmas tree, of course it took me all of 10 seconds to fall in love and decide on a pretty animal print ribbon!


     

     I also purchased a small gold tree for $18 from the dollar store and it was pre lit as well, so I put that one in the home office, and yes, with animal print ribbons as well! It sits on a table and can be seen out the front window so that is sort of my easy way of decorating the outside of the house!

   Thanks so much for taking the time to look at my fun animal print Christmas tree and I would love for you to email me and share pictures of your Christmas ideas (sds@luxorlivingandstyle.com) or share your comments and ideas below!

-November 28, 2012

–SDS

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I AM KORS for the HOLIDAYS

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I AM KORS for the HOLIDAYS

     My brother and I met for lunch today, and also went to pick up a coconut cake for the Thanksgiving Holiday Dinner I am planning.
 
     It was a great day to snap a few pictures because I got to use my new Michael Korshandbag today which was an early birthday gift!
     The watch is Michael Kors as well. I wear it all the time and love it.   The black patent platforms are by Jessica Simpson and are comfortable for hours!
     I love the color of the Michael Kors bag, it is called “persimmon” and is a natural orange tone that seems to blend with a lot.
     I love to buy random new pieces that can flush in with things you already own. News flash… everything you wear every day can’t be brand new! To me, the idea is to build and grow your wardrobe without going broke.
    
    Sidebar:  I  never ever watched Sex in the Citybut the one time or so it happened to be on before I could change the channel, I thought it was ridiculous that Carrie was buying $400 shoes but then worried about her rent getting paid or money to go to dinner! Ugh! In your 20’s I suppose, but her character was clearly in her 40’s!
 

 
     So my love affair with Kors handbags continues! One in every style and color would be fabulous, however my new persimmon Hamilton will do!
-November 20, 2012
–SDS
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CLASSIC LEVI’S DAY

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levi1 levi1bw levi shoot 003 levi shoot 068levihug
     Today was a classic Levi’s kind of a day.  Today consisted of running errands together which included a quick meeting for business at a local Starbucks (any visit to a Starbucks by this man is completely rare…he does not require caffeine to operate as the rest of us do) then there were more errands followed by a quick lunch.
 

     One of my day’s challenges was getting him to stop long enough today to take a few shots for this Levi’s blog post!
 

     
     We actually laughed so hard and it was really fun when we stopped to snap pictures at a place I used to consider to be my own personal hidden swampy place.  However, when we got to my super secret swampy place, we found that it wasn’t a secret anymore. Tables, benches, an asphalt trail and bridge had been added, so it’s not a secret anymore! It is still an extremely secluded spot in the middle of our town. 
     I guess I feel strongly about the Levi Strauss & Company products because I feel that now more than ever, we need to support our American companies and jobs.  If you don’t support America, who will ?
 
     Levi Strauss is a worldwide company that’s been around since 1853 and its headquarters is in San Francisco, California.  Levi jeans are a classic…forever, sort of like animal print. Levi’s are for every age.
 
     It would not matter if I were wearing a $300 pair of jeans…my body is still my body, any pair of jeans isn’t going to magically transform me into a supermodel.
     He has on a black tuxedo styled shirt by Guess and his favorite Levi’s Authentic cut. (Skinny jeans on a guy freak me out!) My black short waist blazer is from Guess as well.
 
     Join in the fun and send in any hot shots you may have in your Levi’s!  I would love to post!
 
-November 8, 2012
-SDS
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HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN WEDDING PHOTO BOOK ONLINE (on the cheap!)

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     Somehow, when we planned our small wedding last year, it grew and got more complicated than I cared for.  The one thing we both knew we wanted was to have at least a few nice photos to remember the day with.


     I’ve had friends get married in the past that had paid thousands of dollars for a photographer to snap their every move, as well as pay thousands for a published “photo book.”


     I, on the other hand, knew that I only cared to have a few great pictures, rather than the current trend of having the photographer snap 1,500 average pictures.  I also knew, I would create and publish my wedding book, on my own, online, for 1/20th of the price others pay.


     I chose to mix black and white prints with some color prints to add a professional touch to the album.

     My husband, for one year, kept asking me to put the photos in an album, but I never did. I had secretly decided to make him the photo book and give it to him on our 1 year anniversary, which I just did in April.


     I chose, and edited the photos online using PhotoShop to crop or brighten or change to black & white.  One picture, my 14 year old cousin had taken with her Iphone and I edited and added to the album.

     

     I then researched and found a site called blurb.com to help me create and edit the book!

     This is a copy of mine, take a look! The link is below if you decide to try your own!

     My wedding photo book was shipped to my front door for under $70 within a few weeks of completing it online. 

     My next photo project will be just clearing all the old pictures off my computers and making a regular photo album again with blurb.com !

-September 14, 2012

–SDS

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KITCHEN ReVamp in BLACK

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      I decided the next step in my  decor project needed to be the kitchen.  The kitchen area is in the middle of the open concept home, so you can see it, as well as the dining area from everywhere. My plan would be to see how it goes, then build and branch out from there.

   

     Again, my husband was pretty convinced that his simple, barely there decor style was great, so telling him that I was planning to paint the kitchen a nice matte black color, wasn’t a good idea.  Instead, I chose a date I knew he’s be gone from home most of the day!  My goal was to complete the paint job and redecorate before he walked in the door. I assumed this would make for a more peaceful transition. I was really scared the black may not turned out as I’d planned!

   

   The paint I chose was “Francesca” by Martha Stewart Living. It’s a flat paint, so there’s no cheap shine to it at all.

   Of course, when he arrived home, he’d loved the darker, warmer kitchen area and didn’t feel it was too dark because of the white corian counter tops  being , well…so white.  Those counters, along with the white walls were just awful!


   

     I feel like the center island, with the black runner, and a wonderful, solid crystal vase of my mom’s, with a new, wild arrangement in it, adds a touch of high end glam to our modest kitchen.

   

   My plan, at this point, is to probably add another black accent wall in the living room, to help visually combine the two areas. You will have to check back to see how my dining room turns out, with animal print curtains!

August 13, 2012

–SDS

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