Father's Day DIY

If you're a last minute gift giver, or just want to kill some time on Father's Day then this little DIY is perfect. Homemade pomade! Once, Nick sent me to the store to grab some for him and I was blown away by how pricey this crap was. $20! No way. So we found a recipe and decided to make a jar for a fraction of the cost and none of the disgusting chemicals.

Ingredients

- quality beeswax (can be found at health food stores, online, or sometimes your local grocer)
- coconut oil
- a few drops of either avocado oil, jojoba oil, or olive oil
- essential oil if you like (although, beeswax smells amazing and we did without)

Directions

Grate your beeswax using a cheese grater. Set up a double boiler using a metal bowl. Load in your beeswax and let melt. Add it coconut oil. The ratio is 1:1. Our melted beeswax looked to be about 4 tablespoons so we added 4 tablespoons of coconut oil. Add a couple drops of your choice of "other" oil and a few drops of your essential oil. whisk together and then pour into a heat proof jar or tin. Do not use plastic as the mixture is really hot and could potentially melt it. Cool at room temp or in the fridge. Tada! Homemade pomade for your man (and you!).

DIY style

Tumeric dyed duvet cover

I've never been much of an artist. My sister, she is amazing. President of the art club, that girl was. My little brother is an artistic genius as well. While I'm no abstract painting genius, I like to think that my artistic gene's have made their presence known with my DIY projects. I like getting crafty, people. When it came time to move into our new apartment I wrote about how Nick and I got rid of everything (here). I decided to be super selective on what we hung up on the walls and displayed. Since we are living on one income so I can stay at home with the babe, I don't really have the luxury of snagging amazing items from places like urban outfitters or anthropologie (although, the sale stuff is gooooood sometimes).

No filter, this is the awesome color using tumeric. I feel if I soaked it longer it would have been more orange-y. Next time!

This piece of driftwood was free at a rebuilding center. Felt hearts were done completely out of boredom and they add a cheesy flair that I kind of love.

Silas's dream catcher.

These cute little cones were picked up on our trip to Ashland. What started as a holiday decoration has become permanent.

So, I craft. And in the end I usually love the result and the look it gives our space. Also, I find it therapeutic and doing these little projects usually gives me a few minutes of greatly needed alone time :) Happy crafting! xo

Elderberry syrup

I got pummeled with sickness while in Michigan a couple weeks ago. Let me tell yah, having the flu and taking care of/nursing a baby is pretty much the worst. After the flu I was lucky enough to then come down with one of the worst colds I've ever had. It all sucked. Not to mention that as a nursing mother there is not really much you can take. And then I discovered elderberry syrup. While in Michigan a friend who works at a badass health store mentioned that he took it. And it jogged my memory to when I came across this post from a blog I read. And THEN after declaring my sickness on facebook, a girlfriend mentioned that she made elderberry syrup. Obviously, all signs pointed to me taking/making elderberry syrup. And I did. I called two grocery stores and they did not carry these little dried berries. Next, I tried out a herb shop in my neighborhood and not only did they have every single herb known to man (which I will be back to check out), but they had my berries! So here yah go, a recipe to make your very own elixir. The shit in the store is expensive so I highly recommend making your own. My berries cost $2.25/oz. My raw, organic honey ran me $7.99. Everything else I had in my pantry. Cheers! xo

Ingredients:

2/3 cup dried elderberries

3 1/2  cups filtered water

2 T dried (or fresh) ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp clove

1 cup honey (raw, organic, local ----> this is all a must)

Directions:

Bring your elderberries, water, and spices to a boil and then simmer for about 30-40 mins until the liquid is reduced. Turn off and let cool completely. When the liquid is completely cooled add in your honey.

It's recommended to take about 1/2 tsp daily. I would up it to about 1 tsp if you were actively sick. Also, do not give to babies younger than one year as it contains honey.

Hi, we are crazy.

It's a weird feeling...that scared/excited/nervous/anxious feeling. It's overwhelming to say the least. We are getting closer to finding a home and I can't help but go over the decision a million times. At the moment we are in a great apartment...and yet here we are wanting to put an offer in on this fixer. Fixer. It is not move in ready by any means, so there is that. It needs so much work, most of which we are confident we can do ourselves. Such a scary thing though. I've always dreamed of renovating a home. Bringing a vision to life is thrilling in every sense. As a couple who just had a baby and is down to one income though it is such a terrifying and bold move. We have some stashed away funds and we feel like we could make this all happen on a pretty conservative budget, but I'm no idiot. I watch HGTV like it's my job. I know those hidden issues pop out of nowhere and that fear is holding me back. I'm sure we'll go for it though...and I am pretty confident that the sellers will accept our offer (they are seriously motivated, according to their agent). So it's becoming real, this whole homeowner path we are going down. Can't wait to update you on this whole mess! xo

*after we toured the home, I obviously came straight back to our house and jumped on pinterest. Here are some ideas that correlate with what we would be working with (this is all hypothetical. we have not yet purchased the house).

Honeycomb tile. I love you.

White walls are on the agenda.

Looking into counter top options (the whole kitchen needs to be gutted). You can make your own concrete counter tops. Are we ambitious or what? Maybe, or we are just cheap asses ;)

It has a fireplace! I'm loving the vintage mirror over top.

The bathroom is also a gut job. Loving this modern tub and vintage fixtures. Of course, subway tile is a must!

*All images via pinterest

Playroom for the bebe

I love everything about this room. Light, airy, and colorful.

My sister moved to Portland in October and has been living with us since, but I think she's had enough of the 7am yelping from my wild child and has decided it is time to move into her own spot. We knew it wasn't going to be a permanent situation, but we are sad to see our Aunt Lo go! On the plus side, gaining her room could not have come at a better time because are in desperate need of more space. We will be moving our things into the room that she is occupying now and the room we currently use will become a Silas's playroom/bedroom. I am beyond excited to make this a space that Silas and his buddies can cruise around in and have lots of fun with. I plan on baby proofing the hell out of it so that I can feel content doing things around the house while he chills and hangs out in there every now and then. Here are a few of my inspirations (via pinterest of course!) and some DIY ideas that will hopefully come to fruition in the next few weeks. Looking forward to showing you the final product!

On the DIY docket:

- Teepee

-Fabric/felt triangle banner

-Chalkboard wall (this is a maybe)

-Colorful pillows

Below are some items from IKEA that I absolutely love. 

                                                    

    

Train Track.   

Slide.

Table & Chairs.

Easel.