Aromatherapy Jewelry

Lava stone is porous, making it a great natural essential oil diffuser! Apply a few drops to large lava stones, or apply one drop to two or three of the smaller lava stones. Let your oil soak in before wearing, or rub it in with a q-tip. I like to pick my scent out the night before,

and leave a few drops on the necklace to soak in overnight and diffuse while I sleep. The scent will wear off naturally in about a day, depending on the essential oil chosen.

Looks good and smells good! My favorite scents are calming lavender or energizing peppermint.

A Very Vera Shower

One of my beautiful friends is getting married soon, and her soon-to-be sister hosted a shower for her last week. It was my honor to be in charge of the theme/decorations. As she is a lover of all things Vera Bradley, we went with a Tutti Frutti theme, which is a beautiful pattern of pinks and mint. We had "He put a ring on it" ring pop favors, lips and mustaches for a game of "He said She said," and an entryway chalkboard sign. Check out the details below!

Cuss Yeah, Joelle's Birthday!

While I'm catching up on events, I thought I'd throw in a post for Joelle's Wes Anderson themed birthday party. 

I had so much fun making the details for this one, from Wes Anderson character wall portraits, to Mendls boxes, to faux Margot Tenenbaum publications.

Everyone did an awesome job with costumes, and we had characters from Rushmore, The Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, and The Grand Budapest!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole group:

Easy DIY Pumpkin Vase

FALL IS HERE! Well... officially tomorrow, but in preparation, I headed to the Farmers' Market yesterday to start decorating.

Here's an easy way to use a pumpkin for indoor or outdoor decorating this autumn! AND it fits in the $5 DIY category!!!

You Need:

• a pumpkin
• a plastic cup
• a marker
• cutting/scooper implements for the pumpkin
• flowers!

Cut your plastic cup to the depth of the pumpkin, and then trace the rim of the cup on your pumpkin.

Cut and scoop! Save those seeds to bake and eat. (yummmmm)

Place your cup into the pumpkin, fill with water, and trim flowers down to the correct height...

TA-DA! Ten minute autumnal centerpiece!

Elbow Patches!

Finally patched up the worn out elbows of my two favorite cardigans! 

Some iron-on patches and embroidery floss later, they're good to go!

An easy way to save a cardigan. =]

My White Picket Fence

The American Dream- a house, a car, two kids, and a white picket fence holding it all together like a shiny bow.

 

None of these things in themselves are bad things. In fact, dreams, aspirations, goals, are definitely not bad things.

 

But… my white picket fence became a bad thing. It may not have looked like the traditional version, but it became as much of an idol as any other could.

 

It has taken quite a bit of personal reflection to realize that I was/am idolizing excitement.

 

It was masked as adventure, travel, wanderlust. I dreamed of a life spent traveling, taking pictures of the mountains and trying all the independent coffee shops and collecting antiques as souvenirs. My excitement for being “out there” left me discontent with being “right here,” wherever that here may be.

 

While I’ve always craved change, I think recently my fiery discontentment was fueled by comparison on social media. Specifically Instagram. I can see the best of people’s lives in the beautifully tranquil Pacific Northwest or the unfathomably green countryside of England. All the best everywhere (but here) has to offer. Right in front of me, all the time.

 

And I want that. I think that’s better. I think I can choose my life better than God can.

 

I dream up the Erin Dream. And none of the components of my dreams are bad things, until they take my eyes off of my path right now.

 

So, I have a new use for my daydreaming time:

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 And what is more exciting to be living within the will of the Awesome and Sovereign God?

 

Hint... nothing. =]

Free Font Roundup: Nautical Fonts

Spring is coming which means NAUTICAL THINGS! 

And two is better than one, so let's put two awesome things together: nautical and fonts! 

Oh, and they're free!

Here's the links:

Sail Away
Show Boat
Stars from Our Eyes
Sailor Larry
Sail

Happy fonting! =]

Make Your Own Nutella!

Happy Wednesday, friends! I want to share something with you that I just made. And it’s delicious.


So most of you are probably familiar with Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread), but did you know how easy it is to make your own?


Tonight I made a version using chocolate and almonds (yummm) but this recipe works with hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, or peanuts. You can even play around with other nuts or combinations if you want!


Here’s what you need:
16 ounces (2 cups) roasted nuts (I used lightly salted because I like that salty sweet combination.)
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Grind the nuts in a food processor until smooth, about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to scoop down the sides as needed.

Add in cocoa powder and sugar. Blend until smooth.

Transfer to a jar and store in a cool place for up to a month… (it doesn’t last a month before getting eaten in my house.)


You could also tie up your jar with a pretty ribbon and give someone the gift of delicious homemade chocolate nut butter! Voila!

Possible additions or variations include cinnamon, honey, mixed nuts, and more.

Let me know of any combos you try!

Crocheted Flowers: How to

If you follow me on instagram, you may have seen some pictures I posted of the flowers I just learned how to crochet:

 

 

If you are friends with my lovely friend Courtney, you may have seen some pictures she posted of the flowered headband and scarf set I made her:

(Isn't she beautiful, everybody?)

I recently learned how to make these flowers using some great video tutorials by Mom of 5 Daughters.

The tutorial is split into three parts, and you will need to know some basic crocheting, including chain, single crochet, and double crochet.

If you don't know those, there are great tutorials on youtube for basic crocheting too. In fact, I taught myself to crochet a few years ago using youtube videos.

So without further ado, how to crochet flowers:

part one

 

part two

 

part three

 

 

Let me know if you give these a try, I'd love to see some pictures of your creations!

Free Hand-Outs

This morning I was feeling really resentful of people who I think "have everything handed to them."

 

If you’re like me, someone immediately popped into your head at that phrase. I think of some that I know who have that great job that they got through that family member, or that somehow managed to find an incredible deal on their car/house/etc.

I then began thinking about everything in my life that isn’t “going my way” at the moment, and comparing myself to those people.

Just as quickly as the train of thought started, I was hit with a conviction;

Everything I have has been handed to me.

It is only by the grace of God that I am sitting in this chair, breathing air, and writing a blog.

It is by the grace of God that I have a warm place to sleep at night, a job to go to in the day, and family to come home to.

I have done nothing to deserve these things.

When I compare these blessings to the ones that others have received, it does not diminish the blessings, but it takes my eyes off of my God who gave them to me.

Every day I am given free hand-outs from God.
Now the question is how I can use them every day for His glory.

 

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

James 1:17

DIY $5 Dessert Stand

Hi there! Welcome to the first edition of $5 DIY!
And by "edition", I mean, this project only costs $5, and maybe I'll post more $5 projects at some point. ;]

My most recent project was this easy-peasy three tiered dessert stand:

Supplies for this project are:
Two glass candle sticks (I found mine at the Dollar Tree)
Three glass plates of different sizes ($.99 each at thrift store)
Glass glue (I used E6000 because I already had it from prior crafts)

Make sure you clean your plates and candle sticks well before you start because 1. whatever is on there will be on there forever once they're glued and 2. dust/dirt affects adhesion.

I started by spreading the glue with a toothpick on both the plate and the edge of the candlestick, and gluing the two candle sticks to the tops of of two bigger plates.

I initially tried using a compass and paper and tracing and finding centers and such... but then I just decided to eyeball it. =]

Glue them wide side up so that you have more usable surface area on your stand.

Let dry fully. (Dry time varies by glue.)

Glue them in succession of largest to smallest, allow to dry again, and then serve dessert on your beautiful new tiered dessert stand!

A Whovian Celebration

Here's one for my Whovian friends! You already know that one month ago today was a special day... the Day of the Doctor! For my non-Whovian friends, an epic 50th anniversary episode of Dr. Who aired.

My contribution to the celebration was a dozen Dalek cupcakes, made by printing some excellent (and free!) cupcake wrappers found here. Some of our other festive snacks were bowties (are cool) pasta salad and fish fingers and custard. Of course. 

So, without further delay, here they are! Or should I say, "Allons-y!"

The Best Thanksgiving Ever

Let me tell you a little bit about Thanksgiving in my family. We celebrate at my parents’ house with friends and their families. We have turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and Indian food. We always play bingo. I’m looking forward to all of these things tomorrow.

Now, let me tell you about my best Thanksgiving ever. It was not at my parents’ house. In fact, none of my relatives were there. In fact, it wasn’t even in a country that celebrates Thanksgiving.

My best Thanksgiving ever was in Hanham, Bristol, England.

There was no pumpkin pie, because canned pumpkin was not available for purchase at any local stores.

The marshmallows on top of the sweet potatoes turned into rock solid sheet because marshmallows have a different consistency in the UK.

But let me tell you why it was the best… Everyone still tried the weird sweet potatoes. They even pretended to like them.

More so, it was the fact that my host parents, Peter and Denise, let me host a Thanksgiving celebration in their home, helped me purchase all of the food for the feast, helped me prepare it all in their kitchen, and invited friends over to join us.

 

 

The friends all came, bringing wine and gifts, willing and excited to learn about my holiday.

They let me teach them how to trace their hands to make “thankful turkeys,” and they all made one even if they felt silly doing so.

  

The rest of the food was not as disastrous as the sweet potatoes, and we all ate delicious turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes, and talked and laughed together.

 

I was and still am so thankful for those people. I don’t know if they remember their American Thanksgiving experience, but I will always remember their hospitality and love, and how at home they made me feel in another country.

A Black Day and a New Day

When I think about Thanksgiving approaching this week, my thankfulness for a few days off work is almost tangible. I am so excited for a few days out of the city, relaxing with family, in a warm home filled with our good friends.

In contrast, when I think about Black Friday approaching this week, I feel a little sick. The juxtaposition of a day of appreciation with a day of violent consumerism is sickening.

I know that plenty of people have taken notice. I’ve seen plenty of Black Friday boycotting popping up in my news feed and on blogs. I am not the only one.

But I am going to start with me.

I choose not to participate in the consumerism of Black Friday. I will not nullify the previous day’s thankfulness with lust for more.

But it is not just Black Friday; I am making a choice not to participate in consumerism period. In contrast, I want to simplify.

I don’t mean living without electronics or other modernity.

I mean viewing everything I own as what is truly is. A thing. A gift I was given. Something that can just as easily be given away.

Maybe when I am able to give more and clutch on to less, I can be truly thankful for Him who gave all to me in the first place.

This is a process, and one I am just beginning.

But I am beginning by choosing not to participate this Black Friday.

Christmas Light Upgrade!

Hi friends! If you have a string of Christmas lights and ping pong balls lying around, you're in luck; those are the two supplies needed for today's project! Put together, they make a pretty string of soft glowing bulbs!

Okay, so I didn't have ping pong balls just lying around; I ordered them in bulk from Amazon specifically for this. But they're very inexpensive if you look in the right places! I've found that if you search for "beer pong" balls, you can get the cheap ones for, well, cheap! The thinner the material, the easier it is to poke an "x" into the ball with an exacto knife.

I don't think this project needs much explaining, so I'll stop talking and give you the pictures. Here we go!

I love the soft glow these produce, so I leave them up year round. I've even put them out on the patio for special events!

Note: Some commenters have mentioned that ping pong balls are flammable, so you should use LED lights which don't get hot! I, however, have had mine on normal Christmas lights for several years now, and no heat issues yet!

An Easy Favorite: Banoffee Pie!

I have a go-to dessert that I like to make, and every time I do I get asked for the recipe.

Now the thing is, I don’t use a recipe. But… you don’t have to either!

Proportions are totally up to your tastes, and you can change it up every time you make it, but here are the basics of my one of my favorites, Banoffee Pie!

I apologize for the pictures. I waited too long, and the majority of the pie was consumed by the time I got out the camera!

Crust:

2 cups crumbs- classic graham crackers work, digestive biscuits are more commonly used, HobNobs are my absolute favorite if you can get a hold of them.

6 tablespoons melted butter

If you feel inclined, add ½ tsp of cinnamon or nutmeg

Filling:

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

3(ish) bananas (Sometimes some banana slices end up getting eaten during this process. That’s just a necessary sacrifice.)

2 cups heavy cream

1 tsp almond extract

Handful of chocolate chips or shavings. I like to use mini dark chocolate chips.

Let’s start with the sweetened condensed milk. You can do this step a month in advance, or a day, or do it the day of if you have the time. Remove the labels. You are going to place your unopened cans of sweetened condensed milk into a big pot of boiling water and boil for 2.5 hours.

Make sure they stayed covered in water the whole time, or else they will EXPLODE. (Just picture that for a moment.) After 2.5 hours, remove and allow to cool before opening.

Combine crust ingredients well and press into 9 inch pie pan or a 9x13. Bake at 375° F for 10 minutes, and then allow to cool.

Cut your bananas into coins and scatter them in your cooled crust.

Open your cans of sweetened condensed milk, which are (magically!) now toffee. Stir them well and pour over the bananas until they are covered. I usually only use a can and a half, leaving half of a can of toffee for other delicious uses.

Whip your two cups heavy cream and extract with a hand mixer or food processor until cream forms fluffy peaks. Dollop evenly over your pie, or spread with spatula. Sprinkle your chocolate on top.

Voila. =]