Rocksbox

What is Rocksbox?

Rocksbox is a jewelry membership service that makes your life easier and more stylish. You just create an account with Rocksbox and add the pieces you love to your wish list. Then Rocksbox sends you three pieces of jewelry to wear for as long as you like. Love the pieces and can't part with them? Buy them at your discounted member rate! Ready for something new? You just send the pieces back, with the pre-paid shipping to get new pieces. Honestly, it's genius! 

I love keeping up with trends and trying out new styles, but this can cause my jewelry box to get cluttered fast with pieces I only wear a few times. Not to mention it's just now in my budge to go out and buy every new Kendra Scott set I fall in love with. Rocksbox carries brands I love like Kendra Scott, House of Harlow 1960, and Loren Hope. So basically, you have a personal stylist, hand-pick items fit to your person taste that you get to wear until you're ready for new items. All for only $19 a month including the shipping, both ways. So you could buy one Forever 21 necklace that you wear to one event and toss in the bottom of your drawer, or you could get three designer pieces, to switch out whenever you please! 

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, but you're not sure about making the commitment, you can try Rocksbox out for yourself for FREE for one month with my promo code:

-------> southernactualityxoxo <------

 

For my first set I received this gorgeous turquoise Perry Street Leandra statement necklace, dainty Slate Climb the Ladder Ear Crawlers in gold, and Loren Hope Cabachon Reverse Cuff in powder blue! I honestly love all of these pieces, but I think the Loren Hope bracelet may be my favorite. I love the look of bangles but have tiny wrists and can never find any that fit. Loren Hope's cuff is adjustable to give the perfect fit. I can't wait to show y'all how I choose to style these pieces. Thanks for reading, please feel free to email me from the sidebar if you have any questions, or comment below! And don't forget to suscribe!

XXXX

Lindsey

In collaboration with Rocksbox. All opinions are my own!

My Birthday: Ft. East Austin Succulents & 2Tarts Bakery

Hi guys! I know I have not been posting as much lately. October is such a busy month for me! It seems October-December are always a blur of events and celebrations. Small town festivals, birthdays, and weddings...the list never ends! I am actually pretty relieved that this weekend should be relatively calm. I promise I am going to keep writing, but it may not be as often as the three times a week posts I was pumping out in the past. But hey, quality not quantity, right?!
Last weekend I turned 24. Sorry...that still looks weird to type! 24!! I'm sure most of you are rolling your eyes at me right now. "Twenty-four is still so young!" Well, I'm sure it is but I remember when I was 16 what 24 looked like. It looked like marriage and a super important business job. It looked like a house and a baby and two dogs, maybe a cat and so much more. Now, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that at all, but let me just say that I am SO happy that 24 turned out to be a whole lot simpler than that. I am grateful to have completed college, landed a job with a company I love, solidified true friendships, met a great guy, and become a (for the most part) independent adult.

I am a serious planner. I love a detailed, fully planned and researched schedule. I don't like not knowing what to wear or expect or how much time I have to do something. So I always overwhelm myself with trying to plan out every detail of my birthday. I try to include as many of my friends or loved ones as possible. And with a huge family and spread out friend group that I feel should all be included, it ends up being a complete mess. So this year I decided I was not going to plan a single thing. And you know what? It ended up being the absolute best birthday I've had in a while. Of course there are plenty of people I would of loved to see, but we are adults now with busy lives and I know that they were still thinking of me. I was blown away by all the thoughtful gestures and calls and messages I received. My boyfriend played a huge part in my weekend. He planned out the entire weekend and truly has paid so much attention to my interests. Y'ALL. HE TOOK ME TO A SUCCULENT SHOP. But I won't drag on anymore, the main reason for this post was I wanted to highlight two of my favorite parts from the weekend. Not only because I enjoyed them so much, but because they are local, Texas businesses I've had my eye on a long time and I can finally attest to how great they really are.

2Tarts Bakery  

I stumbled upon 2Tarts Bakery on Instagram and was instantly in love with their cakes. I thought no way that this place was close by, these are the type of cakes you see on Pinterest and drool over. But to my great pleasure they are located right in New Braunfels. I've wanted to visit their bakery for at least two years but I seem to always be passing through New Braunfels instead of stopping in. I casually mentioned to my boyfriend, Wilson, one day months ago that the onlyyyy thing I really wanted for my birthday was a cake from 2Tarts. I'm pretty sure he gave a "yeah" response and I knew he had no clue what I had just said. Uhhh wrong, he surprised me with a cake from there covered in CACTUS AND SUCCULENTS. Obsessed is an understatement, this thing was adorable! The appearance of the cake honestly needs no further comment. The pictures say it all, and even those don't completely do it justice. As far as taste, it was a red velvet cake with cream cheese and buttercream icing. Yuuuuuuuummmmy. It was super rich, but so delicious! I will definitely be visiting the actual bakery soon for a cupcake or treat. Check out their Instagram to see all of their amazing cakes, you may just seen mine as well. :)

 East Austin Succulents 

 The first place we went on Saturday was East Austin Succulents in Austin.This was another place I have been dreaming of visiting for a long time. I wasn't sure how big it would be or how pricey, but my expectations were blown out of the water. It's not exactly in the nicest area, so female friends I would not visit alone. Of course at the store itself I felt completely safe, but the surrounding area was a different story. East Austin Succulents is actually conjoined with another plant shop, which I did not realize, but you can walk around the two altogether. Think TJ Max and Homegoods, lol. There are gorgeous pre-made arrangements, 2 inch plants, plants bigger than me, rows and rows of anything your heart desires. They had the neatest collection of rare grafted plants. Now the grafted plants were a bit pricey due to their novelty but with regular succulents and cacti you could get 6 plants for only $10! They also sell containers of every shape, size, color, material and design you could ever think of if you want them to make an arrangement for you. I chose a gold and white striped ceramic container that was so pretty. Next time I will bring my own! Then I picked out six little guys and they potted and arranged them quickly with expertise. They used kitchen and medical tongs to grab the cacti and I am so bewildered that I never thought about using something like that before! They had plants growing out of everything too! I posted a lot of pictures but one I forgot to take was plants coming out the bottom of a water fountain! The employees were so friendly and knowledgable. I will definitely be visiting again. OH, and if you spend over $40 you get to spin a giant wheel to win something. I got a free plant that ended up really pulling together my arrangement. It was the little spikey guy in the middle! And they added a pretty crystal. If you love plants as much as me you must go! It was heaven and I wish there was something similar to it in San Antonio!

 

I hope everyone has an excellent weekend! Let me know what your favorite little places are! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to subscribe!

XXXX

Lindsey 

Painted Mason Jars & Flower Pots DIY

Hello, hello! I don't know about y'all but in San Antonio we have been getting POUNDED with rain! It took me an hour and a half to get to work Monday due to all the road closures and detours. I am happy about the (slight) cool front that accompanied this storm, but it better clear up by this weekend! (It's my birthday <3) I was planning on re-potting several of my plants, but the weather had other plans so instead I settled for an easy DIY I've been planning to do for a while. Painting is so therapeutic for me, especially when it's something simple and for fun. This way I'm not worried about messing up or not getting something perfect. No pressure, just paint! 

 

You can find these painted Mason Jars all over Etsy for various prices. My mom bought a couple sets for the bathrooms from a lady and that is where I first saw them, so I can't take credit for this idea. But I thought, my goodness how simple and people are paying $40 for a set. You can buy an entire set of Mason Jars for like $8 at the grocery store. Use some old paint or buy some for a few bucks, add some twine and you've got the same thing! 

I use these to hold my toothbrush, makeup brushes, sponges and bobby pins. These would make super cute pen holders (teacher friends hi!) or vases. Throw in your Q-tips and cotton pads. Stick a candle in the bottom. Plant a super cute cactus or use them as a wedding centerpiece! So many possibilities and it's sooooo easy.

 And while I had my paint out, I decided to paint my boring clay pot and give it some personality. I used painters tape to mark off some triangle shapes. Then I went in with a couple of coats of metallic gold. Lastly I added some turquoise because why not?!

Here are all the paint colors I used. I mixed white with the Royal Violet to get a pastel color.

 

POTS

 

  

 It's not perfect, but I like that because it gives it personality. This is a Fittonia. Also known as a Nerve Plant or Angel Plant. I love the pink leaves!
Sorry for the blurry pictures! I was trying not to get paint everywhere. 

MASON JARS

Remove the screw-lid from your jars unless you want them painted too. 

Paint on the outside. I find putting them upside down is the easiest way to do it. 

See the tiny jar? That's from a garlic container! Haha. Just make sure to wash whatever jars you reuse.

I will probably use these both for plants! If I was doing a bathroom set or desk set I would use one solid color for them all, like my bathroom set below!

After they dry, sand over the brand name gently to get the worn affect. I did not use any primer or sealer for these for this reason. I like them to look a little old. Add a bow with twine or burlap. Boom, done! So cute for so many possibilities. Andddd the chalkboard obsession continues! I made this on a wood round then hot glued some twine to the back. I think these are much more practical and cuter when they are hangable! I use chalkboard markers from Hobby Lobby. They don't come off as easy as chalk but they are way easier to write with and look much bolder. If they don't come off well you can always paint over! Obviously my leaves need some work! Haha. I hope you liked this post and feel inspired to get creative and do some relaxing of your own! Happy Tuesday!

XXXX

Lindsey

Preserving Pumpkins For Fall Decor

Last Thursday was the first day of fall and I welcomed the season with open arms. Hobby Lobby has had all fall and Christmas decor on 40% off for quite some time now. I picked up a cute scarecrow door hanger for only $12. But my favorite way to start decorating for fall, is by using real pumpkins and gourds. You can get a bag of the gourds like I used for $5 at HEB. I also was so excited to see new pumpkins this year. There are "pink" pumpkins like I got and dark green as well. I love the pink because it looks like something straight out of Cinderella. But it still has a peach/orange tint to it so that you don't stray too far away from true fall colors. If you have a pumpkin patch or farmers market nearby you can probably find even better deals and more options. I don't plan on carving these pumpkins, just setting them out for decoration. If you do plan on carving I would recommend waiting until about two or three weeks before Halloween since the carve pumpkins will decay much faster. 

Left alone. the pumpkins and gourds will last much longer. These are the steps I use to preserve my pumpkins and gourds to help slow down the rotting that I found on this blog through Pinterest. 

You will need: 

Pumpkins/gourds

Bleach

Vaseline

Towel or washcloth

Tub or large sink 

 Aside from the pumpkins, you most likely have everything else at home already.

Fill your tub or sink with 10 parts water 1 part bleach and let your pumpkins soak for 5-10 minutes. Don't overdo the bleach or it will eat away at the skin of your pumpkins.

 

 Wear gloves if you have them so that the bleach does not irritate your skin. You may have to push or hold the small ones under. After 5-10 minutes, let them air dry.

If you plan to paint your pumpkins, skip the next step and go straight to painting. The colors are mine were gorgeous, so I chose to leave them their natural colors.  

With a washcloth or paper towel, buff each pumpkin/gourd with a little Vaseline to moisturize the skin and give it a pretty shine. If there is excess or they are slippery, wipe them down with a clean cloth or paper towel. You don't want them to be sticky or slippery.

And then you're done! Your pumpkins are now clean and shiny and ready to be put to use. I use mine as a centerpiece for my living room table and as random decor around the house. If you follow me, you have probably noticed I have been on a chalkboard paint kick. I picked up this chicken wire/chalkboard hanger at the Round Top Antique Fair last year. It has been loaded down with pictures and memories but I never got around to writing or drawing anything on the chalkboard side. Here's what I ended up doing! I'm pretty pleased with how it came out. I hope you found this post useful and happy fall y'all!

XXXX,

Lindsey