By Tena Bastian

My friend Gina, who is single and loves to travel suggested that we just get in the car and drive to Miami and take a vacation. As tempting as it may be, I had to pass. I’ve never really taken a successful vacation. Oh sure, we have visited friends in Nashville or caught a night or two at the family cottage on the lake which has now been sold. I have flown to my friend Holly’s ranch in Oklahoma where we drank Firefly vodka and played with the cow babies and caught up on each other’s lives. I adore Holly and Chad and they make you feel like you are right at home but Oklahoma in July can be challenging.   I’ve spent time with my buddy Kelly at their ranch in Texas working cattle and mohair goats but the problem with that is that after a day or two, you’re too tired to move and tend to smell like the goats.  I’ve seen over half the country through promoting my books and presenting seminars however, I will let you in on a little secret about that… it is not quite as glamorous as it may seem. The problem with seeing the country via Equine Expos is that all you really see is the airport, the hotel and the convention center that, believe it or not, looks identical to the last airport, hotel and convention center. You get up early, spend your day being shuffled around to seminars and book signing sessions and although I have felt incredibly blessed to do what I do for a living, it is work and when you get home, you feel like you need to sleep for a week. (more…)

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Our grunge tee hit the market as one of the original Couture Cowgirl pieces and we love the grunge design so much we are debuting a new version of the tee on the  Cody High Style runway this September!  We are going to give you a peek of the original artwork by Couture Cowgirl Meredith Lockhart that is screened on the tee.  Like we said, this is just a sneak peek so you will have to wait until this fall to see the whole design come together!  It will be paired with a fabulous dyed skirt that is sure to knock your boots right off!

A Couture Cowgirl is YOU, Proclaim it Proudly!   And with Style, of course…

Missy & Meredith

By Tena Bastian

I know it is difficult to believe and yet here we are sending the kids back to school. Yes, here we are saying goodbye to the carefree days of summer and rounding up the barefoot wild renegades that we call our children and setting the alarm clock for some ungodly hour so we can get up and fight them every step of the way while they hate us because they have to go back to school. We have spent the second half of the summer wasting our days in Wal-Mart or Target or the mall buying them school clothes that they will eventually refuse to wear, school supplies that they don’t really want, lunch boxes just so they can insist on buying their lunches, and counting down the days until the dreaded “first day” of school.  Have I worn you out yet? Let’s move on… (more…)

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Last week we told you that Couture Cowgirl has been invited to the prestigious, Cody High Style Runway show!  We would love to see all you there and meet you face to face.  So many events are going on this week so we wanted to give you a little peek into what Cody, WY has to offer! 

• Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale, September 24 & 25th

This is a fine art sale and show with a western theme!  The art exhibition is housed in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center!  Meredith and Missy are very excited to check out Donna Howell-Sickles art exhibit this year and the mere thought of taking one of these pieces home is exhilarating!

Check out all the details http://www.buffalobillartshow.com/

• Cody High Style, September 22-25th

Cody High Style is a celebration of western decorative arts including, exhibition from today’s best contemporary artist, workshops, seminars, tours, and of course the high energy runway show!  Yes, this is the runway show where you will find the new fall fashions for Couture Cowgirl!

Meredith Lockhart hit the 2009 CHS runway with her Couture line Thistles West

Get all the Cody High Style details http://www.bbhc.org/events/codyhighstyle/

• Boot Scootin Boogie, September 23rd

Downtown Cody becomes center stage for a rockin runway show highlighting styles of the west!  All the stores are open late while you enjoy this unique street festival!

Get all the info about Boot Scootin Boogie http://www.rendezvousroyale.org/boot_scootin.htm

• Style West, September 23-25th

Style West, established by the fabulous Thea Marx, is the next generation show for emerging artist!  It includes booths by artist as well as two interlude fashion shows daily!

Thistles West, by our own Meredith Lockhart,  piece in the 2009 interlude show

Couture Cowgirl Missy visiting exhibits in the 2009 Style West show.

Get all the details about Style West http://stylewest.wordpress.com/

• Visit historic Old Trail Town

On this site in 1895, William F. (“Buffalo Bill”) Cody laid out the original town-site of Cody, WY, which was named in his honor.  Old Trail town preserves the lifestyle and history of the frontier west through a rare collection of authentic structures and furnishings.

Missy and Sarah found the Saloon in Old Trail Town. 2009

• Just South of Cody, WY is the beautiful Shoshone National Forest

• Yellowstone National Park

Whether you are looking to see beautiful country filled with history or to shop a fantastic collection of unique western apparel, furnishings, and art Cody, WY has something to offer!  We look forward to seeing you this September in Cody!

A Couture Cowgirl is You, Proclaim it Proudly!  And with Style, of course…

Missy & Meredith

By Tena Bastian

It was the Fall of 1990 when we built this house. Everything was brand new and with the paint barely dry, we built the barn. We broke ground on Halloween and moved in on Valentine’s Day.  We hung siding in freezing rain, was stranded at my parents house the morning we woke to 6 inches of fresh snow, spent Christmas huddled together in front of a small kerosene heater on the deck that would eventually be our floors and we built walls and roof trusses by moonlight so we could finish on time. By spring, we had moved the old mare into her new barn and we planted our entire 5 acres with Kentucky bluegrass and cried when it flooded and killed all of our beautiful new grass. We started again and by summer, our small farm was green as green could be. (more…)

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One year ago in September, Meredith Lockhart and Missy Unruh met face to face in Cody WY.  Meredith was attending Cody High Style and Style West with her well known line Thistles West.  Missy was on her first road trip with Silver Steer Boutique.  The ladies enjoyed dinners and conversations about fashion.  This lead to months of phone calls, an unbelievable friendship and soon a partnership that you all know as Couture Cowgirl.

Guess what, it is almost September and Couture Cowgirl has been invited to walk the runway in the prestigious Cody High Style fashion show!  Our fall designs are coming together in jewel tones with a little added splash of  color that will keep summer close all year around.   You will also be able to purchase Couture Cowgirl fashions in downtown Cody, WY in a storefront next door to the famous Irma Hotel.  (Meredith and Missy enjoyed an unbelievable prime rib dinner at the Irma last year!)

We hope that you all will purchase your plane tickets or jump in the truck for a road trip to see an amazing collection of western fashions, jewelry and home furnishings all in one place! The Cody High Style Fashion show will take place September 22 at the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum.  Style West begins September 23 and goes through the 25th!

We love this Couture Cowgirl ensemble and you will see it on the runway in September!  Everything else is a surprise and you will have to visit us in Cody to see the new designs unveiled!  (Or patiently wait for us to post pictures here on CC)

Check out all the exhibitors, including Couture Cowgirl,  in the Cody High Style Runway Show at http://www.bbhc.org/events/codyhighstyle/fasion/

Also make sure to visit Style West coordinated by Thea Marx!  Meredith will be there with her couture apparel line, Thistles West! http://stylewest.wordpress.com/

A Couture Cowgirl is YOU, Proclaim it Proudly!  And with Style, of course…

By Tena Bastian

It would seem that nothing in our lives ever goes as planned. There are always unforeseen events that change our course and rattle our otherwise secure existence. The worst  part about it is that we rarely see it coming until we are faced with life altering events of cataclysmic proportion. One moment things are going smoothly and in a second, life can change and your world is shattered. The most difficult part of this alternate universe is that our nature is to grasp what we know; to try and hang on to the life we had instead of allowing the natural tide of the event to sweep us into waters unknown. By doing this, we tend to fight the current and we often times drown. (more…)

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Couture Cowgirl is headed to Cody, WY for the Cody High Style Runway show! How does a Couture Cowgirl travel? In STYLE of course…

To add glam to your travel plans, Couture Cowgirl is releasing this fun 100% cotton, heavy weight blue jean, hand sewn bag! It has the Couture Cowgirl CC logo embroidered on the front in coordinating color to the leather straps. BETTER YET, this bag is big enough to carry your favorite pair of boots!

Don’t let your use for this bag end with travel…

Head to the grocery store and leave those plastic bags at the counter.

Use for your favorite books.

Crafts….endless uses here.

Beach Bag (paired with the Orange Couture Cowgirl dress that makes a fabulous cover-up)

and, and, and…. Let us know what you plan to use your Couture Cowgirl bag for!

” A Couture Cowgirl is YOU, Proclaim it Proudly! And with Style, of course…”