3 months in Costa Rica

Hola from Costa Rica! Quick life update: This is our new home for the next 3 months! Keep reading for the long update ;)

At the beginning of 2018 I decided to stop making my plush taxidermy (traveling a lot for my husb’s work made it difficult), and I spent a few months in a weird limbo wondering WTH I was going to do with my business.

For a second, Danny and I thought we were going to open a small music venue with some friends in OKC. We hit it hard for about a month I was like ohh ok, I’ll be working at this place all the time now, this is my new life plan. 🎸🍻🎤🤘🏻We ended up running into too many roadblocks, but the planning process was super fun for me and I think we’d love to try again in the future.

In the meantime I started sketching, just for myself mostly. Sunny beach inspired art. Then I put myself out there and one thing lead to another and I got a few really fun opportunities that made me excited about my business again, and I felt like I knew what I was doing.

Fast forward a few months, and we were sitting on a plane on our way to Zancudo, Costa Rica to housesit for the next three months. It really happened so quickly, we decided on a whim to apply and then got accepted and were gone less than three weeks later. Every time we go on vacation we talk about how awesome it would be to move to the beach, but how sad we would be to leave our family and friends. So this is the best of both worlds! It’s long enough to give us a taste of Costa Rican life but short enough to not make us feel like we’re uprooting our entire life back home.

So far this whole process has been the most spontaneous, outrageous thing I’ve ever done. It probably doesn’t seem like a long time to most people because a lot of people study abroad or move out of state for a job. But I’m a pretty anxious person and I’ve never left home for more than two weeks (even though I love to travel, my traveling is mostly 5 nights or less).

Basically what I’m saying is, don’t bog yourself down thinking about your life plan for the next 5-10 years. Take it as it comes. Take chances. Do something that feels exciting and scary and hope for the best. If I was still busy sewing custom orders and feeling comfortable with my business, then I might never have gotten restless, never started dreaming about doing something a little different. Honestly I have no clue if this is going to end up being the best experience of my life or if I’m going to be crying in a month wanting to go home early and sleep in my own bed. But I’m hoping for the former.

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How to save over $400 on flights

If you have someone you frequently travel with and want to get half of all of your flights for free (I mean, who doesn't?), then this post is for you.

I just spent way too much time booking our flights to Turks and Caicos, comparing cost breakdowns to see if it's a better value to book with cash or points. I wanted to share my findings with you here because A.) I'd love to save someone else the headache of figuring it out themselves and B.) somehow turning my 2 hours of research into a blog post makes me feel a little bit better about myself.

So, here's the breakdown of how we saved over $400 by booking with points and using our Southwest Companion Pass.

• Every SW point = 1.5 cents.
• One flight from OKC to Turks and Caicos costs 14,730 points, plus $103.41 in fees (intl airport fees are steep)
• Converting points to dollars, it comes out to $411.44 for one roundtrip ticket, fees included.

If we booked using cash instead of points, the total cost would have been $457. So, we already saved $45.56 by using Southwest points instead of paying cash.

Now, in comes the beautiful Companion Pass, which lets your designated partner fly free with you on every trip for *at least an entire calendar year. With your pass, you only have to pay taxes and fees, which varies by country for international flights.

• $103.41 = cost of reserving your companion's ticket (taxes and fees)
• $514.85 = grand total for two roundtrip tickets from OKC to Turks & Caicos. (instead of $914, which would've been the cost of two full priced Southwest tickets.. pretty, pretty good!)
• Plus - in case you're not familiar, you get two free checked bags apiece on every SW flight. Yep, even your companion. We usually carry on, but in those times when you need to bring a lot of sunscreen (Caribbean vacay, y'all) it's nice to check for free.

Now, I was curious about how much we were actually saving by booking specifically with Southwest (because that's how I get my kicks in life, lol) so I looked into how much it would cost for both of us to fly to T&C on a different airline.

The cheapest I could find was a combination of Delta and United, which costs $1,142 for two roundtrip tickets, plus $50 per checked bag (um, plus a 16 hr layover? bye). So, compared to the $514 we spent booking with Southwest, that's $627.15 in savings, not even counting baggage fees! And that makes me so dang happy. We just got our second Companion Pass, so we're going on 3 years of free flights and let me just tell you, it never gets old.

A few things I want to point out:

- These prices are reflective of flying to the Caribbean from the Midwest area. If you live in Florida your ticket will be chump change compared to these prices, on any airline I'm sure. I envy you.

- You do need to get two Southwest credit cards to get the Companion Pass. Although it might seem tricky to juggle multiple cards, we use ours as if they were debit cards. I get on and pay them off a few times per month so that we never have a balance and never pay interest, which is just a personal preference but something I wanted to note.

- The fees that you'll pay for your companion ticket on domestic flights are WAY cheaper. 

* The Companion Pass can last you more than a full year, depending on when you get it. See my post here for more details.

- This post isn't sponsored by Southwest, but it should be ;)

Go Here: Bright Bungalows in the New Orleans Bywater

We went to New Orleans last year for Easter and it ended up being an unexpectedly colorful trip. I didn’t know much about NOLA beforehand but I came away loving the laid back vibe and wanting to make a tradition of it and go back every Easter. The weather in April was amazing and there was enough going on with celebrations and parades to feel like we were getting a true NOLA experience without the crazy crowds of Mardi Gras.  We decided to stay in an Airbnb in Bywater (the green garden house below) and I'm so glad we chose that spot! It was just a short bike ride through the riverfront park to the French Quarter or any of the other NOLA sights, and couldn’t be any cuter with its bright bungalows and corner cafes. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a quieter place to sleep but still stay close to the action. You just can’t beat the charming character in Bywater. Stay in a shotgun house, or a modern victorian. Or this one that was featured on HGTV.

We stayed in a private two story guest cottage with a balcony and free bikes -direct link here. It's safe, clean and comfortable (not to mention adorable), and it has a full kitchen with plenty of room to spread out and make yourself at home. If you've never used Airbnb before, its a great way to get a feel for the neighborhood instead of feeling like a total tourist. Click here for my full New Orleans wishlist.

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Top row is from Elizabeth's in the Bywater- really is a must for brunch. The praline candied bacon and bloody mary were amazing, and I loved my shrimp and grits too!

Bottom row images are from Frenchmen Art Market and I'd definitely recommend it for a nighttime activity. Frenchmen is such a fun area to explore by bike or foot, with tons of restaurants and local music, it's like a hip version of the French Quarter and it can easily keep you busy for hours.

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Some of our favorites and my first attempt at a travel video below:

• The Joint BBQ

• Elizabeth's (praline bacon)

• Satsuma (pancakes!)

• Pizza Delicious (white pie)

• Magazine Street

• Frenchmen Street at nighttime/ Frenchmen Art Market

• Take the 12th St streetcar and hop off explore the whole way

• The Zoo has a fun NOLA swamp exhibit

• The French Quarter, obviously! Catch a parade. Explore the shops. Admire the architecture.

• Killer Poboys in the French Quarter

• Cafe Du Monde for beignets and coffee

• Lafayette Cemetary

• One night you have to Uber to the French Quarter and get a Hand Grenade. Or a Hurricane. Or both.. ;)

• Biking and taking the street car are the best ways to see it all

Shout out to all of the 12 year olds on youtube that make how to videos for us middle aged girls just trying to put together a little travel vlog. They make it seem so easy (but it's so not).

Gifts for the La Croix lover in your life

Valentine's Day is coming up, Galentine's Day is coming up, it's the best time of year for being thoughtful of others and for treating yourself to something fun!

I'm planning to do a few short and sweet round ups here to inspire your month of love and first up is one of my faves, La Croix. I drink at least 3 of these every day and I can confidently say they are the reason I stay hydrated. Plus I’m all about their summer vibes and I love the colorful designs.

Hand painted heart pins so I can wear my fave flavor as flair for everyone to see. You can find them in my shop here! #coconutforever, PS.

Home is where the la croix (so much of it) is art print.

These little hand stamped gold necklaces are adorable! 

Hand stitched la croix patch. All the sparkling water flair!

Uhmm hi, I want this la croixs over boys tshirt. So cute.

Handmade and amazingly 80's feeling la croix planter

And last but definitely not least, I'll leave you with 15 La Croix cocktails. Because what is Valentine's Day without a Guava Pineapple and Coconut cocktail made with vodka and coconut la croix? Or a Spicy Paloma with tequila and Pamplemousse? What a dream.

Random Items from Amazon that I use Everyday

There are the items on Amazon that you already know you need, like blenders and printer ink, and then there are the ones you never knew you needed. I rounded up my favorite purchases that I use regularly and at this point feel like I couldn't live without!

If you know me, you know how much I love our magnetic screen door. We bought it as a temporary solution for our Halloween party two years ago so that we could leave the door open and let people easily go in and out, without letting a bunch of bugs in. I expected it to fall down after one night but its still in great shape and I love nice days when I can leave the door open and let the breeze in! It's wonderful. Maybe my favorite Amazon purchase ever.

For you Apple pencil users, this desktop charger/pencil stand is awesome. The charge lasts longer and it holds the cap so you won't lose it. I'd also recommend  a magnetic sleeve grip. 

Not only is this little desktop vacuum cleaner adorable, it works great for cleaning up small messes. If you're like me and you pretty much ALWAYS have pencil shavings, glitter, or little bits of stuffing scattered everywhere.. you need it.

If you take product photography for small items this portable light box is a must. It has an LED strip included so you just plug it in and you're set, no additional lights needed. I use it for my pin pictures and it works great. Also, if you need a tripod to record time lapse videos of your work from above, this is a good one. It clips to the side of your desk and can hold phones or small tablets.

I'm obsessed with this fisheye lens the clips over your phone camera. It also has a macro lens underneath. So fun!

Okay this is a little yuck but I'll tell you anyways. There are a TON of stray cats in our neighborhood (like 25+, no joke) and sometimes fleas sneak in our house through little holes around our kitchen sink plumbing.  We had an exterminator come out and that didn't help, nothing worked until we bought this flea trap from Amazon. It's a simple idea and you could DIY something similar, basically it's just a warm light and a sticky pad. Once we started using it and if we use it on a regular basis, we don't see any fleas at all. 

I've been using this purse everyday since 2015. I actually didn't realize it had been that long until I looked at my purchase history.. but dang, it's held up really well.

The Trtl neck support is a good alternative to regular travel pillows. It wraps around your neck like a scarf and supports your head to the front or side. You can cozy it up around your face which is nice because I don't want anyone to see if my mouth falls open while I'm asleep. Haha.

Those are my faves! And mostly all less than $30. Do you have any random Amazon purchases that you love?

My heart is with Puerto Rico

As of today, almost three weeks after Hurricane Maria, only 9% of citizens have electricity, and only about half of them have access to drinking water. These people are bathing in the streets, living in the dark, and are without the most basic necessities.. that continues to blow my mind. We visited in January and I've been recognizing a lot of the names of towns and beaches on the news, restaurants we went to and houses we walked past are destroyed. We stayed in an amazing little bed and breakfast near the rain forest and the pictures of their damage breaks my heart. I just haven't been able to stop thinking about this beautiful place.

Normally this would be in the same "Go Here" format as my other travel posts, where I list our favorite places to eat and things to do. But in this case I just want to post these pictures to remember what a beautiful place it was, and hopefully will be again one day. 

At El Yunque Rainforest, the main waterfall La Mina was super crowded. We went across the street and found Juan Diego falls, aka the secret falls, and we had the place to ourselves. It was beautiful.

This is the magical little bed and breakfast, El Escondido Guesthouse, that we stayed at. Before the hurricane on the left, after the hurricane on the right. (update in 2020- so happy to report that they are completely back up and running! Cant wait to go back.)

Mofongo. So good.

Ocean Park beach, right down the street from our Airbnb. (link here, pictured below)

Day trip to Culebrita, the most perfect little beach I've ever seen.

Old San Juan charm.

I'll be donating 100% of the proceeds from my slightly imperfect enamel pin sales for the next few weeks to Save the Children, who are on the island and providing much needed relief to children and their families. (Slightly imperfect pins means there might be a little air bubble here and there, things you can barely see but are cause for a discount.) 

Life update.

The state of Kelsey Davis Design: haha. Sounds so fancy.

I just finished my last two plush taxidermy pieces that I'll be making for awhile so I wanted to share what's going on behind the scenes. I announced a few months ago that I would be closing the shop for a bit to take some time and rework my designs, create new products, and work on an overall shop refresh. That's still the plan but the details are fuzzy.

I've hit a point where I feel like my business has slowed and the only way I'll be able to grow it is if I take a hard look at my shop and make some changes.. what's working, what's not? What do I love to do, and am I doing it?* I've enjoyed making all the little animals for you guys! I'm just getting the itch to switch things up, even though it's super scary to start something new.. because who knows if it'll work out? (*shoutout to my super supportive husband who inspires me on the daily and is constantly pushing me to just go for it; whatever that may be.)

Will I still be offering custom plush taxidermy in the future?

As of right now, I will not be offering completely custom pieces. This was a main reason for closing the shop, because the way my custom orders were set up took too much time for one person (me, haha) to do by themselves, and 6 weeks was too long of a turn around time to make my customers happy. Which is understandable, that's a long time to wait!

Will I still be making plush taxidermy?

My main focus will be elsewhere, but my plan right now is to do small batch shop updates every few months where I release a few ready to ship pieces on a particular day. Keep an eye on my instagram for updates on this. I'm hoping to have some ready to go in the fall around thanksgiving.

What will I be doing in the meantime?

This is the part where it gets fuzzy! My background is in graphic design, so I'm planning to dive back in to my computer. I've been spending so much time sewing that I haven't had time to design as much as I've wanted to lately, so I'm excited about that. I've started a new side business with my husband where we're designing enamel pins, stickers, and other fun flair. You can follow along with us on instagram @dribblekiller if that sounds like something you'd enjoy :)

I'm reallyyyy trying to let myself go for a few months to experiment and create things just for fun without thinking too much about what will sell. And guys, it's not easy to flip that switch! But I'm trying. Maybe I'll make some pillows? Prints? Embroidery? What would you like to see more of in your feed? Let me know! Keep up with me here and on instagram if you want to see where all of this ends up. 

This quote from Awesome with Alison has been sticking with me lately as I try to dig in and figure out what I really love to do. It feels like everything is SO oversaturated right now, doesn't it? Everyone is a photographer. Or blogger. Or hand-letterer. But guess what? You should do it anyways, because no one is YOU and if you truly love it you will bring something unique and different that no one else can. Plus, the bottom line is you need to do what makes you happy. Period. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, because you are your best self when you're doing what you love.  

The Best Costa Rica Airbnb's (under $200!)

One of my favorite things to do on the weekends is spend hours on the internet looking at vacation rentals. (no, for real. I think it's actually a hobby of mine at this point.) I spent so much time browsing that I had a legit Airbnb nightmare last night.. we got there and the bed was missing, the sink was full of dishes, the pool had no water in it.. just a straight up nightmare, y'all. (Ha! I only wish I was kidding.)

I know that for some of you, vacation planning and rental searching is your own personal version of hell. Amirite? Don't worry, I'll happily share the fruits of my labor with you.

Costa Rica is a dream. Wild jungle animals meet miles of beaches, cute little towns, active volcanoes, and friendly people. It's not the place to go for an all inclusive vacation- it's the place to go for an adventure.

I've rounded up some of my favorites that meet most, if not all, of the things on my list. (and they're all backed up by excellent reviews- which I feel is super important when it comes to renting a house in a foreign country)

Costa Rican Airbnb wish list: 

• Private house with a view

• Swimming pool

• Kitchen or kitchenette

• less than $200 a night

• Danny wants wifi.. not at the top of my list but I'll admit it definitely makes life easier

Of note: these first 3 options don't have AC, but the reviews all say there is enough of a breeze that this isn't a problem at all. This was our experience as well when we stayed at Mango Valley (pictured at the bottom).

As if staying in a freaking awesome treehouse wasn't amazing enough, "guests enjoy free 24 hour access to the 12 natural hot and cool springs pools of various temperatures and rainforest trails." And um, hi.. it's only $129 a night. 

Private two bedroom villa with everything a family needs on vacation and a shared pool with 3 other villas. Walking distance to Samara beach. $148

"Spectacular volcano and lake views from every room" and a spacious balcony. Sign me up. $118

So I definitely think a tad rustic is the way to go in Costa Rica, but I couldn't resist including a few beautiful modern houses as well. 

This amazing pool with an absolutely killer view pretty much seals the deal for me. (Open air shower, AC, and modern furnishings aren't so bad either.) $150 -and it sleeps 4 people comfortably with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, so split between two couples this house is a sweet deal.

Infinity pool with an ocean view. AC and comfortable amenities as well as 2 bedrooms. $172

Honorable mention. Very simple cottages overlook the gorgeous Mango Valley, this place is an underrated gem. We stayed here one night because it's 25 minutes from SJO airport and we had an early flight the next morning- although I wouldn't recommend staying here for your entire trip, you can't beat this gorgeous little pool for $67 near the airport.

Now for the hard part. Will you stay somewhere with views of the valley or steps from the beach? Maybe a little of both? Life is full of tough decisions, isn't it ;) Hope I made it a little easier for you, though. Pura Vida.

12 trips in 12 months and the Southwest Companion Pass

I'm sitting here editing pics from our Tulum trip and thinking about how we're always getting questions on how we travel so much, mostly from our fam.. hey fam. 😘  Questions like how are we able to leave work all the time? How do we afford it? 

So I'll start by saying that we don't have kids yet, I work from home, and Danny's job allows him to be somewhat flexible with his vacation days. We also plan pretty short trips- typically we'll leave on a Thursday and come back Monday. Basically we're young and free, so #whynot. It has felt pretty crazy at times, and I've caught myself really missing my couch and my house. But we have made some amazing memories and I know we'll look back on this busy time of life  and be so glad that we did it.

A huge factor is our Southwest Companion Pass. Companion Pass = your companion flies free with you every single time you fly. No joke. It's amazing. This article sums it up really well, but basically if you have the SW credit card and you reach 110,000 points in one calendar year- then you get the companion pass for the remainder of that year plus the ENTIRE next year. 

(So for example. When we went to Belize, flights were $450. Once I bought my ticket, I just added Danny on as a companion and his ticket was totally free, minus fees. It's not like standby where you might get on and might not. Your companion has their own confirmation number and their own legit ticket- every time you fly.)

It really is amazing and the timing of it could not have come at a more perfect time for us. When we were in the process of getting the pass we didn't even know that Danny was about to start working in Seattle at least 6 times a year for two years. The pass allowed me to be able to go with him, (even when he had to book a super last minute, expensive flight) take my sewing machine, and work from Seattle flying free every time. 

As far as other expenses go, we try to keep it cheap and travel within a reasonable budget. We stay in affordable AirBnB's which usually have a kitchen for cooking some of our own meals. We choose our activities carefully and don't spend tons of money on private excursions and guides. 

Typically we rent a car so we can drive ourselves, which usually ends up being cheaper anyways, not to mention gives us total freedom. Driving around the country side in Costa Rica with the radio playing local Spanish tunes and stopping in little grocery stores has been one of my favorite travel memories yet. Driving yourself in a foreign country is a super unique experience and I think you'd enjoy the adventure if you tried it!

So why all these Caribbean beach trips? Since a big reason for our travel is the Southwest companion pass we're obviously flying to Southwest destinations. They've recently started adding several international flights to the Caribbean, so while we have our pass the most expensive flights are our top priority. With all of the work trips and vacations we've been on I would say we've easily saved at least $4,000 in 2017 alone. Plus we've grown to love the beach and it's hard to convince me to go anywhere but there these days. 

All of that being said, Southwest has a 60,000 point bonus available right now, which is the highest I've ever seen. If you're interested in getting the card or companion pass this is the best time to sign up and snag all of those amazing points. Here's the link to apply. And if you have any questions feel free to ask me! 

Finding Bigfoot: Nursery Inspiration

I always have faux greenery laying around in my studio (not sure why.. I guess I just can't resist picking some up when I'm on the plant aisle at Hobby Lobby). So today when I was working on a custom Bigfoot order, and I saw some leafy palms lying there, I put two and two together and this little foresty creature was born!

I paired him with some black and white accents, a fun green crib, and a modern grid wallpaper. Hope you guys enjoy the round up- give me a shout if any of you use this idea, I'd love to see it.

1: Mountain print 2: Bigfoot plush wall mount 3: Modern tree print pillow 4: I'm up in the woods 5: Mountain banner 6: Faux sheepskin rug 7: Modern convertible crib NOT NUMBERED: grid wallpaper

Feel Good Friday

Things I'm loving right now.

WATCHING: You guys have to check out Little Big World on youtube (or Amazon Prime!). I stumbled on it today and it's amazing. Basically it's a series of time-lapses taken all over the world and edited with a tilt shift lens, which makes everything look miniature and adorable! Each episode is less than 3 minutes, so it's super fun and easy to watch.

PLANNING: Our trip to the Bahamas! We're staying on Long Island in March. If you have any tips for the Out Islands send them my way ;) If you're interested, you can follow along with my planning on my pinterest board.

LOVING: Design Love Fest's interior.

EATING: I got a juicer for Christmas so I've been doing a lot of experimenting. I like to keep track of the combinations I've used so I might post them here from time to time. Because I mean, those COLORS. So gorgeous right? Y'all have any fave juice recipes? 

WEARING: It's been unusually warm in OK for February. I've basically been living in a tank top with a light sweater and it's been bliss.

INSPIRING: I just stumbled on Charlotte Love's instagram and OMG it's fantastic.

WANTING: This burrito ring from bando.

LISTENING TO: Feel good indie pop girl, Frankie Cosmos. We're taking a quick trip to Chicago to see her and Real Estate in May. SO PUMPED. Check her out here.