A play kitchen for our boy.

After stumbling upon so many cute DIY play kitchens on Pinterest, (seriously just punch in DIY play kitchen) I was inspired to make one for our sweet boy as a Christmas gift. He isn't at the imaginative play age yet where a kitchen would be the most beneficial, however he is really into gathering items and open drawers. He loves exploring things, especially things with cupboards and little hidden spots. Our plan was to finish before Christmas. I was so inspired that we finished much earlier. Of course I was not alone. My sweet husband did most of the hammering, drilling and cutting. I gathered the hardware and supplies needed. It was a wonderful project. I'm not going to post a tutorial as I didn't really take a bunch of step by step photographs, however if you have a question feel free to post and I will respond. 

Total cost with the side table, paint, hardware, fabric and the back piece was about 70$. 

This was the before. A 15$ side table. 

I used homemade chalk paint. I went with the ratio of 1c paint 2tbl plaster of Paris. Again look on Pinterest for awesome tutorials. The benefit of chalk paint is I didn't have to sand or do a lot of prep - it's thick and goes on nicely.

Deciding on placement. 

Finished! We still have to finish the taps. But that will get done eventually. 

Loves!

Amber 

Nature Table

 

Autumn begins in just a few days. I can already feel our busy summer schedule slowing down. I look forward to the days ahead where we can once more wear layers and enjoy warm bowls of soup. After a summer spent outdoors I felt surprisingly disconnected from nature. Perhaps it was all of the concrete water parks or the many drives to get to our outdoor adventures. Yesterday we slowed things down and took a nature walk. Ethan helped me collect leaves and wild flowers (dandelions and clover) to help decorate our first nature table. This time of year feels so different from years past. Ethan is now almost 17 months and is starting to understand much more about the world around him. I feel intoxicated at the thought of introducing him to autumn!

 

We moved

A year ago. We moved almost a year ago into a townhouse. We had been renting at the old house for a few years and decided with the baby coming it would be best to buy something more permanent and babe friendly. Our new home is small but cozy. At times I can't help but miss having a big back yard to garden in and a clothes line to hang fresh linens on. Everything with sacrifice, right? We've decided that we'll stay in this place for a few years and then hopefully buy something bigger. Something earthier where I can maybe have chickens. This morning is a rainy one and I couldn't help but marvel at the way the light spills into this house. We are lucky to have large windows so rarely do we turn lights on.

 Emily our sweet kitty has adjusted to the new home.

I love my large window cil. I've never had much success growing plants indoors until we moved here. The window acts as a fabulous greenhouse.

My terrarium makes me happy. It's so sweet and cheery. And easy to maintain.

Happy Monday! 

Slow Sundays

Sundays. We look forward to them all week long. We don't generally make plans. Instead we let the day guide itself. One day I dream of sleeping in again on Sundays. For now we are happy to be up at 6 am with our sweet babe.

Our Sunday. 

 

Loves! 

Coming Home

A little while ago I decided to make the jump from blogger to a larger blogging platform (where I decided to pay for a monthly blogging service). I was excited about the move and ready for a more professional blog to compliment my new Etsy business. I found myself at first blogging often but after awhile my pace stalled. I just felt busy or uninspired. The last week or so I have really thought as to why I would feel this way. I enjoy blogging - although I have been a bit absent since my son was born (babies are distracting!). It finally hit me. That blog didn't suit me. It didn't have these memories and posts. It was too structured and streamlined. I felt like my photography had to be of a certain standard and my posts had to be of this unobtainable quality. After some thought I am happy to return to the blogger platform.

It feels as though I'm putting on a cozy pair of yoga pants with a cup of tea in hand.

Here's to documenting more memories. And keeping things a little less structured. 

Something New

From scratch. From the earth. From my kitchen. From my hands.

Always from my heart.

Do you ever feel a surge of creativity but have no outlet? Or perhaps many outlets but not enough time? I often think how complex this life is. My mind always wanders to the deeper more meaningful places where I wonder about the big questions such as, "why are we here, really, why am I here?" Thankfully I do find as I get older and less romantic about life it is easy to find the answers when I look at my son's face.

Ahhh, yes. Of course. This is why. 

Alright now.. come back down from your tangent.

What I'm trying to articulate is that there are so many things I want to do in this life. So many more skills to learn and experiences to drink in. The busier life gets the more I am reminded to take it slow. Make it simple. Don't over think it. When I do something I need to make it count and put my whole heart into it.

I really do think the world would be filled with so much more peace and love if we all just stopped and took some time to reconnect with our hands and create something. Not only create something but really appreciate the art of it.

Loves!

Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  

 

Linking up with Mothering with Mindfulness  

and

Soulemama