Queen City Gems, Vol. 11

Happy Tuesday! Here's a quick update on some things I'm loving lately in the Queen City.

1. Team Taco is OPEN (yaaaaay! 🌮🎉)

Austin and I checked out Team Taco last week during their soft open, and I am happy to say it exceeded all of my expectations — and then some! I'm not too hard to please when it comes to tacos, but even if you are, I have a feeling you'll like it here. The guys behind Team Taco REALLY know their stuff when it comes to food & flavor; I saw this firsthand when I interviewed them a handful of times for Feast. I've tried a handful of these tacos by now, and the Groundskeeper is my favorite. All veggies and so delightful!! Branding + design are also on point. 

2. Brian and Jenna Bulger Release Dreamy New Tunes ✨

Late to the party on this (as evidenced by the EP's title "July" and this post being written in "August"), but I love seeing these two collaborate and hope to see more from them in the future. Got to hear them serenade a packed-out Cherry Picker a couple weeks ago, and it was a sweet summer evening I won't forget soon.

3. Say "Aloe" to Hickory Lane Plants 🌿

Spotted this lil cutie on Instagram and had to go check it out in person at the C-Street farmer's market. If you've checked out the Ozark Mtn. Flower Truck (which I talked about way back in volume 1 of this series!), this is like the same idea — but for plants! I enjoyed checking it out & snagged a succulent for our sunroom. It's fun for the experience (and definitely good for a last minute gift)! You can find their schedule on Instagram. 💕

That's all for now! xo.

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Queen City Gems, Vol. 7

Hi, friends! You may remember I've started a little series on here called "Queen City Gems", basically, where I brag about my city and the folks who live here. Feeling really lucky today to be surrounded by so many inspiring people and ideas; here are a few I'm particularly excited about.

1. SGFCO Launches Instagram, Website and Product Line

There's nothing better than seeing your friends dream up a concept, put in the hours, and watch it come to fruition. There are a lot of reasons I've chosen to stay in Springfield and put down roots here, and a huge one for me is having a likeminded community. SGFCO's initial product launch features a shirt that says "This place is as good as any", and their message that SGF is "perfectly satisfactory" is communicated through stellar design that pays homage to features of the 417. Stay tuned for more to come, and for now, check out their Instagram and website.

Photo courtesy of SGFCO

Photo courtesy of SGFCO

2. Erin O'Sullivan's Final Showing of "Piece by Piece"

Erin O'Sullivan is a sweet friend, pictured in the first photo reppin' the SGF CO tee, and finishing up her BFA work at MSU. I had the opportunity to see her installation, "Piece by Piece", at her first showing, and she will be doing the final showing tonight. Her work explores themes of loss and recovery — how we pick up the pieces and move on without our loved ones in physical form. The installation itself is beautiful and serene; you will feel things, and you should go.

Missouri State, Brick City 3 | Second Floor, Room 235 | Installation open from 7:30-9

Photography courtesy of Erin O'Sullivan

3. "How Seriously You Take Yourself" is Perfect for Your Summer Playlist

While the duo's name is Ski Lift, their new EP, "How Seriously You Take Yourself" is made for all the rooftop gatherings you'll be attending this season. Ski Lift is made of Abby Webster and Trey George; together, they've made something that's both soothing to the ears and soul — take a listen to those lyrics.

P.S. Last thing, but there's a SSLYBY show at the Outland tonight, and what's more Springfield than that?!

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Queen City Gems, Vol. 6

This little post has been on my to-do list for a bit (which you may notice from the content), but I didn't want to move on without acknowledging these sweet Springfield happenings.

1. Bringing Kingdom Coffee Home
If you've stuck around here for very long or seen me out in the wild, you probably know I'm a fan of Kingdom Coffee. After all, they did win the great PSL taste-test of 2017. But, while their coffee is great, this Queen City gem is about their new packaging. It stopped me in my tracks! Jacob Scowden is a crazy talented designer, and he's the man behind a handful of brilliant SGF logos.

2. Ellie Schmidly's "Where to Begin"
My friend Ellie's newest single is 5 minutes and 10 seconds of pure bliss (seriously!) You can find more from her on her Facebook page and Spotify. Word on the street is that she's collaborated with Todd Gummerman (of Mutemath) on a new project releasing in May called "Blossom & Bone". I'm here for it!



3. Manuscripts Produces Pocket-Sized Bibles
My friends worked hard on a Kickstarter for their project, Manuscripts, and they've gotten their books in and started shipping them. If you missed the chance to pre-order on Kickstarter, you can still check out their website and order there. This has been a big labor of love for them, and their work has been recognized by the likes of RELEVANT and NPR. Proud pal over here!

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Queen City Gems, Vol. 2

Not to be overdramatic or anything, but every single person I know is really talented. Ha! That being said, I'm excited about this queen city gems post. If you missed my last one, you can check it out here. There are so many people doing cool things around this sweet little town of mine, and I love to see where we, as a community, are going. Here's some things I'm particularly pumped on this week:

Rove Coffee Opens in the Springfield Airport
So now there's at least 2 things to Instagram at the airport, by my count. The carpet (of course!) and Rove Coffee. I got to talk with their manager, Katilyn Palmquist, last week, and she so thoughtfully described the meaning of 'rove' that I nearly had to grab a tissue. Read what she had to say over on Feast.

Shailey and Katie on "Mixing Styles" in a Home
I've mentioned it before, but two of my great friends, Shailey and Katie have a podcast together. (In fact, they interviewed me on it recently!) But that's not what I'm here to talk about today. Nope, in their most recent episode, Shailey deals with how to mix styles in your home. And you should listen, because she is an interior design wizard and really knows her stuff. It's true! You can listen to it here or on iTunes.

D. Clea Launches Single for 'Loyal', From Upcoming Album, In Health

Remember that comment on how EVERYONE I KNOW is talented? D. Clea released a beautiful new single today, with a music video shot and produced by Locke and Stache. If you're keeping track, my husband owns Locke and Stache with two fantastic business partners, so of course I'm biased toward liking their work. But Darien's voice is sweet milky honey, and I'm convinced you'll all like this video even if you're not as biased as I am. Below is a screenshot from the video, which you can watch here.

That's all for today! Let me know of any other cool SGF happenings here or send me a DM on Instagram. xo!

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Summer-Fever Playlist

I've got summer fever bad, guys. It's like spring fever, but worse. I long for burgers fresh off the grill, denim shorts, Table Rock Lake, driving with no shoes (don't tell!) and my windows down.

However, tomorrow's high is only 64. Not so happy about that.

Anyway. This post is about music… Not my dissatisfactions with the Midwestern weather. My friend, Luke, made this awesome summer-fever playlist. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!


I think my favorite song on here is Dan Croll's Compliment Your Soul. It's just too good.

See another favorite song here.

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