Sailor Moon Dessert Dreams in Houston

 Hey there princess!

Today I went on a journey with my sweet mom to recapture a precious part of my childhood at the  Popfancy Dessert Bar in Houston, Texas. Popfancy transformed itself into the Cosmic Heart Cafe - a Sailor Moon themed space. I have always been such a huge fan of Sailor Moon (and dressed in my costume for many Halloweens past), and when I saw ads online for this event I knew I absolutely had to go. Thankfully, my mom supports all of my whims and my husband was more than happy to watch our kids while I went out with her and had a blast!

Upon entry, the whole space is completely decorated to theme with hot pink neon and videos playing in the background of various Sailor Moon trivia and fan cosplay. 

Now, this space is not huge and for a typical day of business they probably have ample room to serve all of their guests. However, my limited schedule meant that I visited the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend at around 3:00pm. Now, I did reserve a FastPass like their website recommended (and shelled out $6.60 for it) but upon entry we just got straight in line and waited to order like any other guest and were never questioned about if we had reserved a FastPass. I never asked an employee about it since they seemed super busy and we were served in a timely manner anyway.

Once we placed our orders we made our way to a small table and set of chairs where we could watch the fun fan videos on the restaurant’s televisions, look at all of the cool decorations, and people watch. Some of the patrons wore really fun outfits in the theme, and I am so glad I wore my Sailor Moon shirt!

The menu had tons of delicious looking options, and we settled on Rainbow Moon Heartache, The Wood, and The Fiery. Honestly, everything there looked amazing and if I had a larger stomach or more people to share with I would have ordered more.

The Rainbow Moon Heartache was so deliciously fruity and tarte and was topped off with a rainbow Air Heads extreme. This was so yummy and had rock candy and a cute moon topper. Very fun in a picture and very tasty to drink - refreshing without being overwhelmingly sweet!

I got The Wood while my mom got The Fiery. Both came with cute playing cards that would look amazing in a junk journal if you are into that (maybe I should start?? I kept the cards) and both also tasted really rich and yummy! Each order was topped with your choice of ice cream and The Wood focused on a hazelnut flavor while The Fiery was more banana and caramel. I will say these were both very rich! I went into mine thinking I could easily finish, but had to throw in the towel halfway through.

If you are someone whose eyes are bigger than their stomach - you have been warned! The portions here are generous and very shareable. 

My closing thoughts on this experience are as follows:

If you are a big Sailor Moon fan and are in the Houston area, this is a must-do. I had so much fun and I know I will be talking about this experience for years, it was that good. 

This would also be a really fun experience for someone just looking for a really cool date spot, or even a cute passing of the torch for moms to bring their daughters to. There weren’t any alcoholic menu items, so this spot is easily family friendly. I saw lots of younger kids, and while it was a little loud inside the small space everything seemed really fun and welcoming to me. 

This was a 10/10 experience for me and I would love to go again on another fan night!

Fight evil by moonlight, win love by daylight!

Davy's First Rodeo - How the West Was One

 Hey there princess!

This past weekend, we held my little boy's first birthday party at our home. I started planning his first birthday party the second I knew I was having a little boy. Since we live in Texas, and my little boy's name is Davy (like Davy Crockett) I thought a rodeo theme would be absolutely perfect. We had such an amazing time, and I am so excited to be able to share all of the details!

If you've been following me and my parties, you'll know that my top tip is to recycle party themes year after year. Luckily for me, I hosted a homecoming party that had a rodeo theme about 6 or 7 years ago, and I also cohosted a bridal shower with a Texas theme about 5 years ago. I invested in some nice items for those parties, like mason jar drink dispensers, an ice bucket, a beverage tub, and several platters and trays. I used these items as a jumping off point for this first birthday party, and spent several months collecting new items to make this event special and unique. 

One of the new additions to my western collection was this table square that my mom made for the party. We found this incredibly cute fabric with little cowboys on it and paired it with a red gingham accent fabric. My mom graciously sewed the table square for me (since sewing is not my gift, but she is great at it!), and I think it really is such a show-stopper! Personal touches like these can really elevate a party, and now I have a beautiful piece with a sentimental story that I can use in future parties!

This table is where guests set their gifts, and it also held Davy's baby book that everyone could look through and enjoy all of the memories from our first year with him. 

The weather on the day of the party was a little chillier and windier than expected, so we brought all of the decor and lunch table inside and set up in our living room. I absolutely loved the banner that we attached to Davy's highchair. This was handmade by an Etsy seller, and is so adorable! I was incredibly impressed, and I was able to get a few windswept photos of Davy in the garden. 

Another one of my favorite decorations was a banner that I purchased off of Etsy (link here) where I was able to put all of the photos of Davy that I took each month together so that everyone could see how much he had grown over the year! It was amazing to see, and I am so grateful that I took those pictures even though it was super hard sometimes with a wiggly little baby. I plan on keeping the banner up all month so that I can enjoy it and the photos of my little boy.

Headed back to the kitchen table, I made Dr Pepper floats for everyone since they are always a crowd pleaser. It is also a little nod to our wedding reception which was held at the Dr Pepper museum in Waco and we served our guests floats from their soda fountain. To help these feel a little more festive, I added silly straws that I found on Amazon (link here) and also had these adorable western cocktail napkins from my mom. 

Also on this table, I put this really fun art print that I purchased from Etsy (link here) that I will be hanging in Davy's room later this week. I love the quote, I love that it is from Davy Crockett, and I love that it can hang in his room as a reminder of this fun day! Another fun piece of table decor is this kid's cowboy hat that I found on Amazon (link here). This was a fun thing to have Davy wear later in the day until he was totally over it. 

Now for the real focus of any party - the food! We had Rudy's cater meat, corn on the cob, and beans and I made macaroni and cheese, marshmallow popcorn, dip in a bread, Dr Pepper cake, cowboy cookies, and firecracker Cheez-its. I also purchased chips, watermelon, lemonade, Chicken Express sweet tea, and bottled drinks to supplement everything. Now, there weren't tons of people at this party, but I am a big believer in it being better to have too much than not enough.

Also, I have to call out a few of the serving pieces in the above photo, because I love them! The striped bowl is from Happy Everything by Coton Colors (linked here) and the Texas attachment is detachable (linked here). I received the bowl as a gift several years ago and it is one of the most used items in my home. I have different attachments for each season, and it is always out on my counter. Inside the bowl I have Mallow Magic popcorn - if you've never had it trust me... it is delicious - with cowboy sprinkles.

Peeking behind the bowl is a tiered galvanized metal stand that I borrowed from my mom (link here). On it, I stacked some firecracker Cheez-its that I whipped up (a family favorite), cowboy cookies, rice Krispy treats, star shaped cheese crackers, and Dr Pepper cake. Instead of having a single flavor of birthday cake, I thought it might be a nice change of pace to have a few different dessert options. If you're interested in recipes - let me know!

Next to all of the snack-esque items I had the sides for everyone to choose from as well as the barbecue. Rudy's is always a crowd pleaser, and it makes great leftovers! I also made baked macaroni and cheese for the first time from a Stovetop Kisses recipe that I found online (click for recipe). It was incredible! There was something for everyone with this meal, and I was so pleased with how it all turned out. 

Also, I had these paper napkins custom made on Etsy, and they turned out so cute (link here)!! I was so thrilled with this entire spread, and it was a big crowd pleaser. 

It isn't a party without a nice drink set-up. In my family, sweet tea is an absolute requirement. Typically, I would make the sweet tea myself, but in the interest of saving time and reducing stress, I bought a couple of gallons of tea from Chicken Express. If I'm totally honest, I think their tea is the absolute best, and it has been such a treat to drink it throughout the week in the afternoons. 

Both of the drink dispensers are from Target, as is the beverage tub. I purchased them probably about six years ago, but I am sure that there is something similar available now! Below the drink dispensers I put down some red and white gingham wax paper that I found on Amazon for a pop of color (link here). The bucking bronco kitchen towel is from Etsy and I absolutely love the retro-look of the image (link here).

The big plus side of eating in the living room was that we could keep watching the Davy Crockett movie while we ate. The napkin rings are from Arthur Court and were a Christmas gift from my husband along with the cowboy napkins. The plates that I used are enamelware from Amazon and they were so fun and western-feeling (link here). There in the middle of the table is my family's favorite guilty-pleasure treat - dip in a bread. I am not sure if this is a popular dish for other people, but if you're interested in the recipe, please let me know and I will share it!

Here is an up-close look at the table, and my most favorite little detail! Instead of placards, I had custom bandanas made with everyone's name embroidered on them. I thought these made such great party favors, and was so incredibly pleased with how they came out (link here)!

After everyone had their fill of lunch, we made our way to the backyard where thankfully things had warmed up and it was time for cake! My mom had the cutest custom cake topper made and I bought a classic sprinkle cake from HEB for Davy to smash and enjoy. We changed him out of his nice clothes and put him into an oversized shirt that my parents got him on a recent trip to the Alamo and he dug in!

At first, he wasn't totally sure about what to do with the cake, but once he got started he loved it! 

My heart is totally bursting! These are such happy and cherished memories and I am so grateful for my sweet one year old boy!

At the end of the day, the most important thing to keep in mind when hosting a party is the people that you are hosting it for. From the music to the food to the entertainment, everything should be catered to the people on your guest list. For me, this party was the perfect blend of casual and creative. Not every moment will be Pinterest perfect. Naps will be thrown off and messes will be made, but at the end of the day everyone had a great time and that is what is most important! 

Sparkle on!

Painted Tree Booth - The Good, The Bad, and The Overpriced

 Hey there princess!

In September of 2020, deep in the trenches of the pandemic, I signed up to be a vendor at a Painted Tree location in Sugar Land, TX. For those new to the scene, Painted Tree is a company that rents out large retail spaces (this one was in an old Buy Buy Baby for context) and installs booths for local craftspeople and retailers to sell their goods. Below is a photo of me viewing the space before the booths went in!

I wanted to share my experiences with you, if you are interested in doing something similar, so that you know what to expect. I wish more information had been available online before I had joined so that I could have been more prepared. One benefit of the location I was going into was that it was brand new. My booth was totally clean, and I was able to decorate and put my products in without the headache of working around customers who were shopping. The photos you will see below are all of my own booth. 

To begin, my booth, which was located near the front of the store and closer to the registers, was priced at $288/month. Painted Tree also takes a 10% commission on all of your sales, so you will need to take both of these things into account when pricing your items. All items need to be entered into their system and price stickers will need to be printed out in-store, and stuck while you are there (or you could always take the stickers back home to stick, but I lived about a 40 minute drive from the Sugar Land location).

When I first signed up to be a retailer, I was told that move-in would happen in October, but due to delays with construction we were actually able to move into the space on November 7th with the store opening to customers on November 15th. This meant that I wanted to have a hefty supply of both holiday decor and gifts. I stocked my booth with the things that I normally sell on Etsy like my pencils and artwork, and then I purchased other items wholesale online. 

Above is a photo of my booth on the day it was open to customers. At this time, most of the other booths in the shop had been fully moved into and Painted Tree promised that the money from our rent and their commission would go towards not only the upkeep of the space, but also the wages of the sales associates and extensive online marketing. This seemed like a great situation for me, since my online presence is incredibly small. Having someone with an established business model and a marketing budget could bring me a whole new group of customers who would have otherwise never heard of me!

Now, I believe in investing in my business. I had been saving for this opportunity for months and was putting everything that I was making in sales on Etsy back into stock for this booth. I spent hours creating the decor myself, sourcing beautiful items, and crafting a space that I was incredibly proud of. If I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a single thing. 

The other booths in Painted Tree, I noticed, carried a wide variety of items. Next to me was a booth full of handmade quilts, and on the other side was a booth of wreaths. Some booths were packed with items purchased from Alibaba and others had handmade furniture. Some booths had some incredibly cool stuff, others not so much. That is the downside of going in when a store is first being built - you have no idea who else is going in next to you and if their products will mesh with yours.

Now for the transparency part. Between opening day and December 31, 2020 I pulled in $2,133. However, when you subtract 10% for commission, $288 for December rent and $144 for the half month of November rent I ended up taking home about $1,488. Still - I was thrilled! I came out on top for the holiday season, and I was ready to start January strong. Little did I know, it would be really difficult to keep that stride. 

I made sure to keep my stock varied, and put product in for every holiday. I had colorful displays for Valentines, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween - you name it! I also had tons of fun selecting different products for my shop and setting things up. I went and arranged things about once a week so that I could make sure that the booth was being maintained to my standard and to keep adding new product. 

This booth was really a labor of love during a really difficult time. We were still coming out of the pandemic and there was so much uncertainty in the world and in my own personal life. I loved being able to come to Painted Tree and make something fun and beautiful. It was a form of stress-relief and also a source of pride whenever I looked on my vendor website and saw that an item had sold. 

However, as time passed I noticed that there were fewer and fewer customers shopping in the store and my sales were dwindling. When I went in to set up new products, I would often be one of only one or two people in the store. The extensive marketing that they had promised wasn't reaching the customer base that would have been shopping from this kind of market. Soon, the people around me started moving out of their booths. Sometimes they would be replaced by a fun new vendor, and sometimes the booth would sit empty for months. 

I tried new things, adding clothing, party supplies, books anything that I thought was beautiful and fun and in line with my business. I tried to become involved on Instagram and share photos of my little booth. Still, the customers weren't coming. 

When I was first sold on the idea of renting a booth at Painted Tree, I was shown video testimonials of other women who had booths at their locations across the nation. These women talked about how they were able to stay home with their small children because of their Painted Tree income by selling things that they either handmade our sourced themselves. They were able to focus on their homes and families because Painted Tree took care of the rest of the work of managing a store. It was all incredibly compelling. 

So, why wasn't it working for me? Was it the location? Was it my merchandise? Was it because I didn't come in with a preexisting online following? Maybe it was a combination of all of these things. 

 For 2021 my gross for the year was $4717 and after commission and rent were deducted I was left with $1310 as my take-home FOR THE YEAR. Thats a little over $100 per month and less than I made during the month and a half holid
ay period the year before. 

I looked at my priorities, and I decided to pull out and close up shop at the beginning of 2022. I came out in the red after more than a year of hard work and driving across the city every week. 

Now, all of this information is based on my own personal experiences at this specific Painted Tree location over a period of time that is now more than a year ago. Things can and do change, and of course I know that other people can have different experiences!

If you were ever a vendor at a Painted Tree and want to share your experience, I would love to hear it! If you are thinking of going into a Painted Tree location and have questions, I would be happy to try to answer them. 

At the end of the day, I am really grateful for the opportunity that this gave me to try selling in-person. If you are interested shopping with me, I currently sell my products on Etsy (click here) and in wholesale form via Faire (click here). 

Sparkle on!