St. Louis Weekend Trip! // April 2011

A few weeks ago Kyle and I took a weekend trip to St. Louis, MO. It was wonderful! We made an upbeat playlist on my iPod and drove the ~5 hour drive which was really nice and pretty much straight there. We got in a little early, grabbed some lunch at the diner right next to the Fox Theatre. I had the biggest chili dog EVER. It was as big as my face. Impressive. 

After lunch we got in line outside of the Fox and waited for the doors to be opened. We were there to see Celtic Woman. I was blown away. The Fox was GORGEOUS! Beautiful! 1920's extremely rich and intricate in design and decoration. So beautiful. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to take pictures of the interior or not so I didn't but it is EXTREMELY worth the trip just to see it! Celtic Woman was amazing! The singing and dancing was wonderful and it was just a really great afternoon.

After the concert we went to Elves Manor Guest House, where we stayed for the night. It is the cutest place in the world. It is a carriage house converted into a guest house. It is very unique and has the most delicious food that you could ask for. Karen the inkeeper is wonderfully friendly and hospitable. We had a wonderful stay! We took a lot of pictures but here are a few to give you an idea!

Tiny adorable pinecones!

The Fabulous Fox Theatre! 

Celtic Woman!

Excited!

Elves Manor Guest House! So perfect!!

Hot Tub and Hammock!

Deck!

Pretty Stained Glass on the Front Door!

 The Kitchen! So cozy!

Fireplace and Sitting Area!

 Living Room!

 Office Area!

 Living Room!

 Yummy Food! 

 Mini Spinach Quiches! YUM!

View from the Loft!

2nd Floor Bedroom!

 2nd Floor Bathroom!

The Arch! :) 

We are thinking that Elves Manor and various pieces of St. Louis could make for a wonderful weekend getaway location! 

We highly recommend Elves Manor, Celtic Woman and the Fox Theatre! 

What are your favorite parts of St. Louis? What are your favorite weekend getaways?

All for now!

Alexandra 

How to Throw Together Great Costume At The Last Minute

*I LOVE HALLOWEEN!! For more costume ideas and my DIY (and money saving) tips and tricks check out this post! It includes links to all my other DIY costumes as well! Happy Haunting! XO - Alexandra*

Last Minute Costume Instruction

In college and within social circles that like to have parties and get-togethers often its good to have a creative mind when it comes to designing a costume on a budget and often in a matter of hours. Because when you go to a party its always more fun to get into the theme. 

Recently Miller had our annual Joe's Place dance where the theme was classic villains. I was swamped the week before and got to the point where I didn't even want to go.. but then I hit a wave of inspiration. I was going to be Poison Ivy from Batman.

In a matter of hours I had a complete costume and for the most part it was on the cheap! :) 

First Here's a Little History of Poison Ivy. 

As my inspiration I used the comic book version of Poison Ivy. She's a little classier than the Uma Thurman version. 

Pamela Lillian Isley was a beautiful and talented Seattle botanist. She was seduced by a villain who convinced her to help him steal an artifact that contained an ancient herb. After the artifact was stolen the villain poisoned her with the ancient herb because she knew too much. However she did not die, she instead gained new powers. She had pheromones that attracted men, kisses that poisoned them and many mutant plants at her disposal. Many of these men she also used to do her bidding before she killed them.

So as far as classic villains go, poison ivy is very recognizable, pretty sexy, but when you go classic not too scandalous... :)

Here is what I did and instructions for making a great costume on a budget and in a matter of hours!

My Costume.

Sweet Green Dress from Goodwill $5!

 Fake Ivy from Hobby Lobby. About $2.50 pinned onto dress, hair etc.

The Skirt was REALLY long, so we cut it (while it was on me!) and made a duct tape hem! Worked perfectly!

$30 red wig + $.99 hair net

$5 fishnets and $45 candies heels (had to go for a more vintage style ... nothing to be found at goodwill as far as shoes go)

Tips for creating a great costume of any kind at the last minute:

Cut corners = use duct tape, safety pins, whatever you have on hand

Bargain = goodwill, the salvation army and other second hand stores are great for costumes! This dress was absolutely perfect for the part!

Pick a Distinct but Easy Character = poison ivy is unmistakable! And all you need to pull it off is a little green, a little red and some ivy. The rest can just be filled in where you have supplies! 

 My "big sis" at Miller was also poison ivy! Tons of possibilities when it comes to variation!

Last Minute Costumes for men? 

Kyle just bought an eye-patch for about $1! The perfect creepy super villain! {doesn't he look exactly like the critic on Ratatouille? Minus the eye-patch?}

But my goodness! He is so gorgeous!!

I'm working on updating some of these tutorials but I'm going to put in these links anyhow:

Poison Ivy Costume DIY
Cruella De Vil Costume DIY
Natasha and Boris Costume DIY
Velma and Shaggy from Scooby Doo Costume DIY

What is your favorite last minute costume?

All for now,

Alexandra

Easter 2011!

Easter 2011 :) 

Bunnies on the mantle :)

 Jess excited to dye eggs :)

 Olivia, Clearly being mischievous...

 Blurry.. . but this is monumental! Kyle's first dyed egg!!

Kyle's Charlie Brown Egg :)

My Easter Bunny Egg :)

Bird and Nest Egg :) 

There were a lot more cute ones and egg hunting pictures I am sure but unfortunately I don't have those now.. But here is the gist of our Easter :) It was nice to be home and relax :)

Table Decor :)

How was Your Easter?

Alexandra