Never underestimate the power of a great industrial find!  All it takes is a little imagination and you can have an interesting focal point on the cheap!  I’ve learned to keep my eyes open when driving around…you’ll be amazed at what people are willing to give you for free or very little money.  The rustier the better!

Here’s a little industrial inspiration to get you started!

via AMradio

via AMradio

via Remodelista

via houzz

via aftonbladet

via atelierjoya

via gatheringspriggs

via curatedstyle

via 2.bp

pinned here

via remodelista

via atypicala

Speaking of industrial…here’s a sneak peak at a couple of carts that will be at the next Stash sale!  I’ll be sure to give you the scoop on the dates later, but…for now, I think I’ll use these to display some pretty Spring flowers!

What’s your best industrial find?  Would you put something that was rusty in your home?

Mark your calendars for another great North Oak Cliff event!  This leads me to a great t-shirt idea!  ”Oak Cliff – Keep It Odd”

Come out and help Sunset High Purple Machine Marching Band make enough money to attend their national competition in Florida!

If you’re interested in participating in the Soap Box Derby, you should check out this site!

Gentlemen…start your engines!

image via

h at a low price? Then get yourself to Off-Site Kitchen!  It tops my list of new food finds!!

If you’re in the Dallas area, it’s likely that you’ll salivate at the mention of  Nick Badovinus name.  He’s been part of some of Dallas’ most successful restaurants…Cuba Libre, Hibiscus, Fireside Pies, Porch…and a few years ago went out on his own to create Neighborhood Services, a small but flavor-packed restaurant on Lover’s Lane, where T Boone Pickens is said to be a regular.

I had lunch on Saturday at On-Site Kitchen and was amazed at the menu and prices!  The prices are similar to fast food, but pack a powerful flavor punch!

Check out this menu!!

It’s just a notch above take-out…as they have outdoor tables and limited seating inside…

I had a burger…basically the Murph-style burger, minus the bacon (I know…I was trying to be good since I was indulging in a delicious burger!!) and fries (see…you shouldn’t have given me so much credit for not having the bacon!!).  They had several sauces to use to enhance your feast and whatever I had was amazing!  It was spicy, but I can’t remember the name…

OK…everything was amazing!  They have these cute little deserts that they put in little snap-top plastic containers that are adorable and delicious!  The cute guy taking my order gave me one of them to try.  I’m from East Texas and have had the best of the best pecan pies and this one did not disappoint!  Get over to the Design District and try On-Site Kitchen asap!  You’ll thank me!

Images 1 (me), (2), (3), (4)

I’ve got so much to share, I hardly know where to begin!  Last week was full of inspiration and exceptional things!  I think I’ll start with what everyone in Dallas is talking about…the opening of Dallas’ Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge!

My incredibly passionate and talented neighbors, Jeff Herrington and Randall White, orchestrated Bridge-o-Rama, one of three of the celebrations surrounding the opening; so I was very excited to see the fruits of their labor!  The results were nothing less than spectacular!

It was very surreal standing in the center of the amazing construction that I have watched on a daily basis for so long…a construction I will likely never have the opportunity to stand, and walk along, ever again…but plan to drive on many times a week.  Watching the Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava, walk past me as I reveled in the glory of the structure was especially exciting!  He was followed by the construction workers that made it all happen

It was the Parade of Giants (featured in an earlier post here), the brainchild of Randall White, that was the highlight for me!  These giant structures created by many area artist represented historical figures important  to the development of West Dallas.  La Reunion curated the project overseen by their executive director, Catherine Horsey…15 artists working with 14 community groups to tell the story of West Dallas.

Father Sebastian Valles led the way in the parade and in envisioning the first Catholic School of West Dallas in the 1930′s.

Mattie Nash was a long time West Dallas community activist and sat on the Dallas City Council from 1991 – 1993…

Victor Considerant was an explorer who founded the French-speaking La Réunion colony in what is today West Dallas… I got a huge high-5 from Victor!

Bettie Odom was a long-time West Dallas businesswoman and restaurateur who for many years was the proprietor of Odom’s Barbecue on Singleton Boulevard. Yum!

Bonnie Parker, of 30′s gangster duo ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ fame, carried a dark cloud over her head…

Clyde Barrow, followed close behind his beloved Bonnie…  Clyde is actually buried at Western Heights Cemetery on Fort Worth Ave., just blocks from the bridge…

Judge Harold Barefoot Sanders steered the Dallas ISD through the long process of desegregation…

Of course, Barefoot Sanders had bare feet!

Andrea Flores Cervantes, a Los Barrios Unidos clinic founder, established the first free summer lunch program for West Dallas children and threw many kisses along the parade route…

Hattie Rankin was a  church worker who was so moved by the poverty in West Dallas in the 1930s, she started the Eagle Ford Mission…

Judge Jerry Buchmeyer was best known for his 1985 ruling that forever transformed living conditions in West Dallas’s public housing projects…

Julien Reverchon was one of the La Reunion colonists who also taught botany at what today is Baylor University Medical Center…

Rhoda Dragoo, a Methodist deaconess, won the right for Mexican children to attend Dallas public schools in 1915…

Myrtle Davis, a late-20th-century community and political leader, was one of the namesakes of the largest recreation complex in West Dallas…

Sarah Cockrell opened and managed the first bridge over the Trinity River in 1872, linking West Dallas for the first time with all major roads north and east.

I can’t imagine how proud all of these West Dallas leaders would have felt to see this celebration…

This could quiet possibly be my longest post ever, but I just had to share all of these cool works of art!

Did you visit the bridge celebration this weekend?  What did you enjoy the most?

Tomorrow I’m going to share my favorite new shop just blocks across the west side of the bridge!

About a month ago, three good friends and I collaborated to show vintage finds and handmade goods at Dallas Market Center.  We were amazed at the positive response we received and how well our  individual finds came together to show so well!

We all wished that we had room in our homes for this amazing industrial table…

Stash is now a collaboration of Gloria Burson (A Modern Glo), Lisa Johnson (Cut and Paste), Dana Pugh (Tattered Style) and me!

One of the connections we made at market was with the wonderful owners of Random, Mark and Shelly Hearne.  Random is located in Hillside Village in Lakewood and filled with unique finds that you won’t see at other gift shops in Dallas. That’s why it was an easy answer when Mark and Shelly asked us to explore the opportunity to style their windows and display our finds in their store!

Gloria and Lisa did a “bang up” job on the windows while I was working and Dana was decorating her oldest child’s new pad in Austin!  Stop by soon to check out the unique find at Random!

While you’re there, stop by their neighbors, one of my favorite upscale consignment stores, Ditto Boutique!  You’ll find Chanel, Prada, Marc Jacobs and more!

Let’s face it…having your picture made is something that’s never comfortable…  That’s why I have a great appreciation of someone who can make this experience as painless as possible!

Kelsey Foster was assigned to do my photograph for the CRAVE publication.  A few of you have asked about this photograph and complimented me, so I wanted to give ALL of the credit to sweet and talented Kelsey!  She splits her time between Dallas and NYC and has an impressive list of clients.

You must check out her portfolio…and see some “real” models that she gets to work with!  I love her laid-back style and her ability to make you feel comfortable in front of the camera…  Give her a call the next time you needs some special pics!

all photos via Kelsey Foster Photography

The amount of goodies awaiting you at the Bridge-o-Rama, one of the celebrations surrounding the opening of Dallas’ Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, just keeps growing and getting better!

Recently 500 West joined in to feature drawings, paintings, video, photography, sound, sculpture and site-specific installations by Master of Fine Arts candidates in art programs at SMU, TCU, UNT, UTA and UTD.  You’ll find these displays at one of the fabulous warehouses on the West side.

You’ll not only enjoy great tunes from the Wold Music Stage (find the line-up here), but you’ll also be able to taste the delicious food that the area has to offer including soon to be neighbors,  Cox Farms Market (coming soon to Sylvan/Thirty),  Four Corners Brewery and Matador Meat Company.

Those of you that have never ventured West of the Trinity will find some of the best restaurants in Dallas just blocks away from the bridge!  Plan to spend the day “on the other side” and check out some of my favorites!

SMOKE sits just below the hot, historic Belmont Hotel and has been written up in publications from Food and Wine to Bon Appetite!  They’re known for lip-smakin’ BBQ, unlike any you’ve had before!  Check out this video to see what you’ve been missing.

Just up the hill beside SMOKE is Bar Belmont, home of the best view of the Dallas skyline – and now the new Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge!  This is truly one of those places that you don’t want everyone to know about because you don’t want to wait for hours to get in when everyone discovers this amazing place!  They have a great drink menu, as well as hearty appetizers via SMOKE.

The Foundry Bar is a new venture by the owners of SMOKE and Bar Belmont, so it’s sure to be a hit!  Located in the cool 3 acre lot at Fort Worth Ave. and Pittman, this indoor/outdoor venue is the place we’ll all want to be in a few weeks when patio season hits!    I’m looking forward to kicking back here  and listening to some live music with friends..

Just a few more blocks south and you’re in the Bishop Arts District…which is another full post of shopping and restaurant favorites!  (Go to my archives and search Bishop Arts District for more info)

Please contact me if you have any questions about the area!  I love sharing my favorites!

Will I see you at Bridge-o-Rama?

If you’re planning to come in from out of town and need a hotel for the weekend, the Hilton Anatole is offering a special $89 a night Bridge-o-Rama rate!

image of bridge via TxFilmNerd

Mark your calendar for one of my favorite events in Oak Cliff…the annual Mardi Gras Parade!  It’s this coming weekend, Feb. 19th, from 4-6pm.

This even grows bigger and better every year because once you go, you won’t miss it again!  Find all of the info you need for next weekend’s Dash For the Beads (5K and more), Masquerade Ball, and the parade at Mardi Gras Oak Cliff!

Find photos from last year’s event here.

Will I see you there?

It’s a little less than a month away from the opening of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and I’m so excited!  One of the reasons I’m excited is a bit selfish…I’ll no longer have to deal with the traffic that feeds off of Woodall Rogers onto I35!  This could quiet possibly bring on a similar reaction as Kristin Bell’s recent sloth meltdown.  It’s that big for me!

I’m also pumped about all of the celebrations that will be going on the weekend of the opening…specifically the Bridge-o-Rama’s Parade of Giants!

Today many artists from the non-profit organization, La Reunion TX, gathered to build 15 giant puppets representing historical figures important to the development of West Dallas.

I can’t wait to see the finished products!  Can you?

Make plans now to attend the celebrations for the opening of Dallas’ new bridge.  Here are links to the three celebrations taking place March 2-4.

Bridge-o-Rama presented by Texas Capital Bank

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Opening Celebration presented by The Trinity Trust and featuring Lyle Lovett (love him!!)

Trinity River Levee Run sponsored by Trinity Commons Foundation and Dallas Running Club

all photos via Nicole Horn

You’re all invited to check out one of our favorite local screen printer’s new digs!

Dylan and Pamela have been working on their new studio since December and can’t wait to show it off!  Be sure to be there between 7 and 8pm!   They’ll be debuting their new t-shirt design and you’ll have the opportunity to select your very own tee color and watch them screen print it on the spot!  Find all of the details here.