FarmHouse table

My friend Brie and I hit up NYC city this past holiday weekend, and let me tell you we had a blast! More on that trip later.....
While we were gone, Andy had a big surprise for me! He stayed back with Zion to enjoy the weekend and hit up grad parties. But, He did more than that! I have been begging for a table for our dining room. We were using the outdoor glass top patio table from Menards. Since last fall, we have been planning on building a table. When I say "we" I mean the hus:) We have talked about using our remainder of barn wood we used in the studio. Or building a concrete top table, using pieces from a organ that is broken from church. All which we still want to implement  with other pieces.
Andy decided to use the barn wood.  The table is 80x42 for the size. It is gorgeous!

This picture is the beginning stages of the build. He spent all weekend on it. Thanks to our amazing neighbors and friends that helped with building it or playing with Zion.

Here is the top of the table during the process. Isn't the wood awesome! The wood is from an old shed that Andy's parents got us;) I m in LOVE.

This is a picture of it in the dining room before I got home. We will easily be able to seat 10 people and probable jam more in when hosting holidays. We still have to get more reclaimed wood to wrap the legs with. Andy treated the wood with an outdoor stain to protect the wood and a clear coat of varnish to shine it up a bit. I love the simplicity of the design and the character it has! It's awesome!!!!!!

If only all wood had this much charm.

When I got home from my trip at midnight on Memorial Day I knew something was up when I smelt the lovely aroma of stain in the garage. I went straight to the dining room to see the lovely present! Andy even picked a rose from our yard and put in a vase:) So sweet. I love what this table represents.....LOVE. work. It will host many gatherings and conversations. It will bless many! The Cass Fam will cherish it forever!

We used existing chairs that we already had. They are all Target, but we purchased them at Goodwill for super cheap. I really want a bench on one side and eventually we will have a banquet at the front window with a cushion. Oh the dreams.....

more later...just wanted to get this up and share the love. call my hus for a consult on table today at 507.319...jk. loves. 

the things that get me excited!

oh man. the things that get me pumped up in my 30's....this week it it a popsicle maker that is A-Mazing! I got it on amazon for $50. We love it.

You can get one that makes 2 or 3 molds at a time. We went with the one above that makes 3 at a time. It is the easiest thing to use. You store the unit in the freezer always. You allow it to freeze for 24 hours and take it out and pour your popsicle creation in. We used juice and fresh fruit. It takes 7 minutes to make. that is it.

You can do 2 to 3 batches at a time. So Andy and I made 9 and put them in the freezer. It is so great knowing you are having a healthy alternative for a snack. Especially considering it costs $5 a pop to buy a box of popsicles at the grocery store.

Here are two of ours that we made. I used organic natural apple juice, bananas and kiwi. They were delis!

Lil Miss Zion was a huge fan as well! So this will be a Cass staple this summer for cooling off Prego mama and keeping the 2 year old refreshed!

Process of building my Studio 1.

I thought it would be fun to go back and share the process of building the hair studio with you. It is so crazy to imagine it not being here now :) It was always a BIG dream for me to have my own studio. Especially when I became a mom, I wanted to make it happen fast. The typical Christy gets pretty impatient and wants things to happen asap.
So Andy and I started looking for a house we could construct a studio. We looked for about 4 months when we found our house! I knew the minute I stepped foot into our living room that this house was ours. I fell in love with everything. Originally, we were going to build an addition/four season porch concept for the studio. But after evaluating the situation, we decided to finish off the basement and build a studio where the "guest bedroom" would be. We started with putting in the concrete outside. Our awesome neighbor/friend Mike and his team put in the steps and patio area.

Here are some shots of the process of the concrete. The photo above shows where the patio outside the salon is. The window right there is where the studio is, and to the left of that is now the the door for the salon. After the concrete was framed in, Andy and I decided to add a curvy sidewalk and another patio off our sliding door in the family room. Below is a shot of before....

Doesn't it look awesome!? I love how it is unexpected! So next up was the framing of the basement. Nothing was done when we moved into our house for the basement. So it was really fun to be able to do the project start to finish....well we are working on that:)

Here is a shot of wall where the transom window is now. In this corner is where the fireplace is now. And the right wall is the where the processing area is with art on the walls.

This is our friend, Ernie working away on the framing. This is a shot from the "family room" looking into the salon. Pre/ walls and doors and windows that we added. So the left wall with the window on the left is the bathroom. and the window on the right is in the studio.

Here is a shot of the framing being put in where my "station" is. On the other side of the wall is the bathroom.

This picture is another shot of the wall for my station. You can see the bathroom being framed up too. The hallway leads to the family room as well.

You can see the framing for the transom window here. After standing in the room and envisioning everything I knew that I needed more light. So I begged Andy to add the transom and he was game. :) Also, to the right of the window is where the door is now.
Thats is for now...more tomorrow...

Summer 2012 Hair I m Lovin'

Had my eye on some looks right now that I m a fan of...thought I would share.

obsessed with the bun! high bun to be exact, if only my hair was long. if you don't have much hair, try the  sock bun as shown below:

I m also loving short hair styles for women still. I think if the cut is done right, Short hair can look incredibly feminine and effortless! nothing better than dangly earrings and some fun short hair.

Aren't these fun?

And then there is always red hair that draws me in like no other. It is so distinct and more uncommon which I enjoy.

This is so 1960's classic. the long bob. the natural red tones.  I really LOVE the whole look. speaking of 60's, I really love using silk scarfs for something different when styling hair.

and you don't have to have long hair to pull this off. I do it all the time. It is a great alternative for bad hair days or days you don't wash etc.

not the best picture of my head wrap, but you get the concept. All you do is take a square scarf and fold it in half so its a triangle. Then fold it up, and tie the knot on top. I tuck the ends under the scarf. Its so fun and a great way to add color!

Isn't this updo Gorgeous? I love the simplicity of it. I have played around on some updos with this concept. It is just twisting or braiding it back and doing a messy bun. Easy, right? :) It can be hard if you haven't done many updos..but it is fun to try!

On to men, I love variations on this cut. I have done many different tweaks to this. It is the best of both worlds: having groomed sides and some length for the top. Yet, it is still biz profess! 

Oh Mad Men, how you have turned us on to a new era! Retro. Classic. Sophiscated. I love the 1960's look for men too. :) It is definitely a look that never leaves. Many men can pull this off. Whether it is for a one night out or daily wear.

I really like this look too. It is fun to have non clipper cuts done as well. Experimenting with some texture with the razor and being creative. This is a great look for a guy with a lot of hair that needs to typically be thinned out or texturized. 

A great cut for someone that wants some youthful edge!

What do you guys think? What looks are you liking? It is endless with ideas!