Tag: Sponsored Posts

Today’s edition of this site is brought to you by HTX Made Furniture by New Living. Thanks for sponsoring Swamplot!

HTX Made Furniture is designed and constructed right here in Houston — using local fallen, reclaimed, or sustainably harvested timber. The company specializes in live-edge tables and bedroom and office furniture. Everything they build is free of formaldehyde and other harmful toxins.

HTX Made Furniture has a team of artisans ready to work with you to create your dream piece of furniture. The company also maintains a catalog of pieces available for purchase. HTX Made Furniture helps bring the outside indoors — adding a natural element to your home.

Interested in having a piece customized for your home or business? Find out more on the HTX Made Furniture website.

If you’ve got a custom idea to present to Swamplot readers, try our nontoxic Sponsor of the Day program.

Today we welcome Washington Ave juice bar Juicy in the Sky . . . with Vitamins as Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day.

Juicy in the Sky serves up gourmet juice combos, smoothies, lemonades, and non-dairy shakes, as well as prepared vegetarian and vegan fare. From the breezy “Zephyr” (apple, celery, lemon, ginger, mint)  to the bracing “Katmandu” (kale, apple, turmeric, cucumber, yam, lime) to the tangy “Esmerelda” (Spinach, Kale, Parsley, Cilantro, Apple, Carrot, Ginger, Turmeric, Lime), Juicy in the Sky’s complex signature juices combine fruits and veggies, spices and herbs for a blend that’s sweet, savory, and tart.

Smoothies and juice combos are made with all natural, fresh-frozen whole fruits; fresh fruit and veggies are juiced right before your eyes. 100% cacao, nut butters, bee pollen, veggie protein, maca root, chia, hemp hearts, flaxmeal, hemp, flax, and coconut oil are available as add-ins.

Check out the offerings from the Juicy in the Sky storefront, open 7 days a week at 4720 Washington Ave. (at Shepherd), Suite B-1 — right next door to Max’s Wine Dive.

Got a juicy idea you’d like to share with Swamplot readers? Try our Sponsor of the Day program. You can find out more about it by inquiring here.

Today’s Swamplot Sponsor of the Day is personal coach Cricket Buchler.

If you’re searching for a last-minute creative and personalized holiday gift for friends, family members, or employees, consider giving a fun and inspiring 90-minute personal coaching session with coach Cricket Buchler. An experienced corporate trainer who has helped top executives, Hollywood celebrities, and employees in a range of industries address personal and professional development issues, Cricket also works one-on-one, guiding clients to explore and unlock possibilities and design plans to realize change, and coaching them through their journey toward an intentional life.

A coaching session can be a great gift for anyone on your list who is looking to take the next step forward in life, work, or relationships, but feels a bit stuck as to what next steps might look like. You’ll find a sampling of testimonials from former clients on Cricket’s website, along with more information about coaching sessions. Mention Swamplot when you book online and receive a 30 percent holiday discount.

Give a creative last-minute gift to your own company — by helping it to become a Swamplot sponsor. Find out more about the program by contacting us on the Swamplot sponsorship line.

Today’s Swamplot Sponsor of the Day is Tom Rusteberg CGI.

Tom Rusteberg works with real estate professionals to create high-quality visual representations of what they are bringing into the market — before it is built.

Tom has performed visualization work for numerous clients in and around the Houston area since 2005. The work is technical, but it’s also intuitive. His renderings come out of thin air, but they’re guided through long lasting relationships with clients who rely on him to provide a visual advantage in the marketplace for their products.

For more information, please visit Tom’s perpetually outdated website.

Got something cool you’d like to show Swamplot readers? Our Sponsor of the Day program is perfect for that. Find out more by pinging our special sponsorship line.

Thanks are due to Douglas Hord, Your Tax Guy in Houston, for being today’s Swamplot sponsor.

Douglas Hord can prepare your small business and personal returns for less than you’ll pay the big guys. He has set minds at ease for hundreds of clients who no longer have to worry about big, ugly financial stuff like tax problems, credit issues, and mortgage problems. He has a law degree and plenty of experience working with small businesses and their IRS issues. He has worked in landlord-tenant matters, construction issues, debt collection, bankruptcy, and contract disputes — and has taught at 4 different Houston-area colleges.

His office is at 2502 Huldy St., Suite B — just north of Westheimer and just east of Shepherd. Check out the glowing reviews of his business on Yelp, or find out more on the Your Tax Guy in Houston website. You can get a discount on tax-preparation services for 2015 by paying before December 30.

You know you want your business to be a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day. It’s easy! Contact us on the sponsorship line to learn how.

Today’s Swamplot sponsor is Hamilton Shirts.

Just a short drive west from the shiny new River Oaks District and the glossy renovation of the Galleria, Hamilton Shirts attracts some of the city’s most affluent consumers to a nondescript office building off the equally unassuming Richmond Strip. Hamilton is Houston’s oldest family-owned business; it’s now owned and operated by the fourth-generation brother-and-sister team of Kelly and David Hamilton. The shirt factory — where every piece is hand cut and sewn — is in back. Inside the storefront in front, customers can select from more than 500 fine Italian and Swiss fabrics.

For the holiday season, Hamilton offers gift cards, along with a large number of custom clothing options, including new takes on classic tuxedo shirting — such as black with white polka dots and a navy poplin with white panel stitching and a white tip collar.

Hamilton Shirts is located at 5700 Richmond Ave in Houston; the phone number is (713) 780-8222. You can also learn more about the company, its offerings, and store hours on the Hamilton Shirts website.

Becoming Sponsor of the Day is a great way to reach Swamplot readers. If that’s something you think you might like to do, contact us on the Swamplot sponsorship line.

Today’s Swamplot Sponsor of the Day is Edible Earth Resources.

Edible Earth Resources is a full-service edible-focused landscaping and consulting firm in Houston. Experts in soil health, plant health, and food production, Edible Earth Resources offers design, installation, and ongoing maintenance services to help you grow your own nutritious produce in a manner that is safe for your family, healthy for your property’s ecosystem, and protective of our water supply.

For more information, please see the Edible Earth Resources website.

Interested in reaching Swamplot readers with your company’s message? The Swamplot Sponsor of the Day program may be for you. Find out more by contacting us on the Swamplot sponsorship line.

We’d like to thank personal coach Cricket Buchler for being today’s Swamplot Sponsor of the Day.

Searching for a creative, personalized holiday gift for friends, family members, or employees? Consider the gift of a fun and inspiring 90-minute personal coaching session with coach Cricket Buchler. An experienced corporate trainer who has helped top executives, Hollywood celebrities, and employees in a range of industries address personal and professional development issues, Cricket also works one-on-one, guiding clients to explore and unlock possibilities and design plans to realize change, and coaching them through their journey toward an intentional life.

A coaching session can be a great gift for anyone on your list who is looking to take the next step forward in life, work, or relationships, but feels a bit stuck as to what next steps might look like. You’ll find a sampling of testimonials from former clients on Cricket’s website, along with more information about coaching sessions. Mention Swamplot when you book online and receive a 30 percent holiday discount.

Becoming a Swamplot sponsor is a great way to reach Swamplot readers. If you think that might be a good move for your business, contact us on the Swamplot sponsorship line.

Our thanks today go to The Westin The Woodlands for being Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day.

As it nears completion, The Westin The Woodlands already stands tall along the northern bank of the Woodlands Waterway — the picturesque, tree-lined canal and path system that winds through The Woodlands’ downtown, connecting attractions such as the Riva Row Boat House and The Woodlands Mall to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The design of the building is the product of a partnership between Boston-based Elkus Manfredi Architects and the Houston office of Gensler. The cast stone and glass façade of the hotel hugs the curve of the water, with the resulting geometry reflected throughout the hotel’s exterior and interior. Dallas-based waldrop+nichols studio designed the interiors.

The hotel at 2 Waterway Square Place will include 302 guestrooms and suites, 15,000 sq. ft. of meeting and event space, a pool on the rooftop, and 2 new food-and-drink establishments: CURRENT restaurant and SideBar, an indoor-outdoor nightlife venue. The Howard Hughes Corporation is planning an official unveiling and opening of the 13-level hotel for late February, 2016. You can see more renderings and get additional information on this page of the Westin Hotels website.

Interested in reaching Swamplot readers with your company’s message? Take the first step toward becoming a site sponsor by contacting us on the Swamplot sponsorship line.

Today Swamplot is sponsored by Judy Thompson, exclusively a buyer’s agent.

Judy Thompson has operated the West U Real Estate website since 2003. The site provides regular assessments of Houston residential market conditions for homes in 10 separate price ranges in 19 popular Houston Zip Codes. Thompson’s regularly updated calculations take into account the amount of inventory currently available and the pace of sales in the previous 12 months. Color-coded charts show whether by each calculation the current market favors buyers, sellers, or neither (a “normal” market). A portion of the latest overall chart is reproduced above.

A separate chart on the site plots the average of the weighted averages from the market conditions chart, attempting to illustrate the change in housing inventory in 6 MLS areas over time. (The lowest point was the 2-month supply that held roughly from spring 2013 to spring 2014 — “that crazy free-for-all when anything decent had multiple offers by day 3,” Thompson notes.) The average inventory currently is just under a 6-month supply, according to her latest data.

More detailed figures for each Zip Code are provided on separate charts. Thompson has worked as a buyers’ agent exclusively since 1997.

Becoming a site sponsor is a great way to expose Swamplot readers to helpful information. If that’s something your business offers, please contact us on the Swamplot sponsorship line.

Today’s Swamplot Sponsor is the SkyHouse River Oaks.

The SkyHouse River Oaks welcomed its first residents just before Labor Day weekend. Since then, a number of community events have been held in the building’s 25th-floor SkyLounge and surrounding dual pool decks (see photo at top) — including a fundraiser for Lucky Dog Rescue and a FEED Foundation supper that together raised nearly $20,000 for the 2 nonprofits. These and other events, including a reveal party and several holiday happenings, have introduced the building and its dramatic skyline views to thousands of Houstonians.

In place of a traditional model apartment, the SkyHouse’s “creative suite” features a unique ode to Houston created by MP Studio, a division of Meeks+Partners. Take in a tour and you’ll find a number of creative uses of space — such as a closet converted into a bar — and several quirky elements, such as the Beyoncelier chandelier pictured in the photo above. The SkyHouse River Oaks is located at 2031 Westcreek Ln., just minutes from the River Oaks District, the Galleria, Highland Village, and Uptown. More information, including floor plans and pricing information, is available on the SkyHouse River Oaks website.

Becoming a site sponsor is a great way to reach Swamplot readers. If you think that might be a good move for your business, contact us on the Swamplot sponsorship line.

Thanks go to today’s Sponsor of the Day: historical fencing school Sword to Sword.

Sword to Sword is the only school in the Houston metro area to offer historical European martial arts classes, covering the 13th through 18th centuries with German longsword, Italian rapier, dagger, saber, wrestling, quarterstaff, and other fighting traditions of the medieval and Renaissance periods. The school holds classes evenings and weekends, 5 days a week, in 2 locations: At 1212A Cedar Post Ln. near Blalock and I-10 and across I-45 from The Woodlands at 27326 Robinson Rd. Suite 112.

The school tries to foster a club-like atmosphere, with students helping each other to train hard and have fun. Loaner equipment is available for newcomers, and coaching is available at all levels — from novices who’ve never held a sword before all the way to competitors in international tournaments. Weekend and weeknight classes are available; they cost $40 per 2-hour session or $120 per month for unlimited attendance. Friday night sessions are typically followed by a BYOB social. More info is available at the Sword to Sword website.

Becoming a site sponsor is a great way to reach Swamplot readers. Want to find out more? Contact us on the Swamplot sponsorship line.

Today’s Swamplot sponsor is The Durham House.

The Durham House debuted in late October, in the same porch-y building 2 blocks north of Washington Ave where 3 successive Louisiana-themed restaurants (Floyd’s Cajun Kitchen, the Mardi Gras Grill, and Woodrows Heights) previously served. With an all-new menu from veteran chef Don Schoenberg — focusing on local and Cajun cuisine as well as fare from bordering regions and beyond — and a major makeover, it’s now something entirely new. The interior of the 1,600-sq.-ft. space at 1200 Durham, which the proprietors say dates from the turn of the 20th Century, is lighter and brighter than before. Its whitewashed walls, corrugated tin accents, Edison bulbs over the bar, and white metal chairs all aim for a Southern, beachy ambience meant to jibe with the new culinary direction.

You can find out more details about the Durham House, find a link to a review or 2, and scan its food and drink menus on the restaurant’s website. And if you do get to enjoy a meal there, please let ’em know you heard about the place on Swamplot.

Interested in reaching Swamplot readers by becoming a site sponsor? Contact us on our special Swamplot sponsorship line.

Photo: Max Burkhalter

Today’s serving of Swamplot is brought to you (in part) by New Living. Thanks for sponsoring this site!

New Living is an artisan manufacturer and retailer focused on furniture designed to improve your health and well-being — and make it a little bit easier to relax and live naturally in Houston. The company’s work can be seen across the city, in places like the JW Marriott downtown, Axelrad Beer Garden, and Oxheart.

Founded as an experiment on a single aisle of the Wagner Hardware store on Kirby Dr. in 2007, New Living took over the entire space when Wagner closed a couple of years later. New Living began as a building materials provider but made its way into furniture production — always focused on the environmental health impacts of its products. New Living is a certified B Corp. (or Benefit Corporation); that doesn’t mean its proprietors are socialists, but they aren’t exactly your typical mattress capitalists either. (The Heights store closes for siesta every weekday from 2 to 3 pm. Both locations offer discounted pricing for families from underserved communities with special needs, and neither sells items known to be harmful to human health.)

New Living’s design studio and showroom are located at 6111 Kirby Dr., at the edge of the Rice Village; the company’s healthy bedroom store is located right behind the famed parklet at 321A W. 19th St. in the Heights. If you have an idea for a furniture collaboration and would like to schedule a free design consultation, give them a shout at 713-521-1921. You’ll find more information on the New Living website; you can also follow them on Instagram at @newlivinghouston.

Interested in reaching Swamplot readers by becoming a site sponsor? Contact us on our special Swamplot sponsorship line.

Our thanks to The Mondrian at the Museums for sponsoring Swamplot today.

Houston’s Oxberry Group began presales for the Mondrian in September. The 8-story, 20-unit midrise is being designed by the Houston and Washington DC offices of Perkins+Will, with interiors by Houston’s Mayfield and Ragni Studio (MaRS). Residences average 3,000 sq. ft. and encompass large entertaining areas — some with 20-ft. ceilings — art walls, and outdoor terraces configured to accommodate fireplaces, TVs, and summer kitchens. The open layouts attempt to merge the indoors with the outdoors, and aim for downtown, Medical Center, and treetop views.

The project’s sales center, which features a selection of furniture and accessories from Cassina, Cappellini, B & B Italia, Zanotta, and Tonelli curated by Upper Kirby’s Internum, is now open in a gallery space inside the Asia Society Texas Center, a short block away from the Mondrian’s building site at the southwest corner of Caroline and Palm streets. Other nearby attractions within walking distance include the city’s top cultural institutions, the light rail, restaurants, and Hermann Park.

Renderings, floor plans, a walk-through video, and more details are also available at the Mondrian website.

Interested in becoming a Swamplot sponsor and getting your message out to this site’s readers? Contact us on our special sponsorship line.