an easter basket for the fur child ...

*** this post was sponsored by kroger. all opinions are 100% my own. ***

since eleanor joined the gang back in january, ms hattie our english bulldog graciously accepted her new role playing 2nd fiddle. so when kroger approached me with the challenge to create an easter basket for a loved one exclusively from items purchased at their store - i decided to spoil our pup with an easter basket of her own. after all, hattie is much more excited about goodies than our little one at this stage.




this was also a great opportunity to visit the new kroger marketplace®! along with the huge variety of the fresh food i've come to expect from my neighborhood kroger, the kroger marketplace® is a one-stop shop for everything else for your home - including home decor, linens, small appliances and more. and when it came to items for hattie's easter basket - it did not disappoint. i filled her basket with pup essentials:

- a little lamb doll (with sewn on features as a safe choice) + bunny ears from the easter selection
- a rubber ball from their amazing selection of pet toys
- a water bottle wrapped in a sock from the $1 bins (which of course is her favorite from the basket!)
- from their home goods section, i picked up a jar to fill with homemade dog treats!

... and even a little gift for me - a lint brush!

kroger has a great big natural section loaded with the gluten free products that we love as well! when we adopted hattie a year ago, we weren't entirely familiar with the bulldog breed. we knew they were super squishy, loud snoring, crazy loyal lovebugs. but we didn't realize that they are also one of the most unhealthy breeds. you can help with their allergies and breathing issues by keeping them on a gluten free diet. so yes - in this household even our dog is gluten free!

here's a super easy recipe for gluten free dog treats:

• 1 banana, mashed
• 1/4c natural peanut butter*
• 1/2c bacon, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 3/4c gluten-free oat flour*
• 1/3 cup gluten-free oats*

* peanut butter is a good source of protein + it contains healthy fats, vitamin b, niacin and vitamin e. and oats are a great source of fiber which is especially beneficial as your dog ages. 




preheat oven to 300º F.

1. combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients (except the bacon) separately. then mix the wet with the dry ingredients. finally fold in the bacon bits. 
2. transfer the dough to wax paper. if the dough is sticky, use additional oat flour. roll the dough to a 1/4" thickness and use cookie cutters to shape each treat. transfer the the treats to a non-stick baking sheet. 
3. bake the treats for 35 minutes until golden brown. allow them to cool at room temperature before storing them for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. 

you might not be able to tell - but the treats are hattie approved! she's pretty excited about the basket as a whole! :)



of course kroger has everything you need to fill up an easter basket for your human counterparts too! for more easter basket ideas including great DIY easter projects - check out the kroger pinterest board and their Facebook page.

thurs-DIY: "life's s'more fun w/ friends" party favors!

just when you thought i was finished sharing about our birthday camping trip ... here i am sharing another party favor idea. :) 

supplies:

- clear cellophane bags (i got mine at target).

- twine cord (something similar to this)

- brown kraft cardstock

- 1.8" hole punch

- cedar clippings (we might have borrowed a few from a local park!) 

- s'more stuff: marshmallows, hershey's chocolate bars, graham crackers

... and this printable pdf:

{click image to download}

1 // print your labels on the kraft cardstock. be sure to add your own initials following "with ❤" either in illustrator or by hand!

2 // cut carefully along the little outlines (thankfully the brown paper is forgiving!).

3 // hole punch in the upper left corner.

4 // in each cellophane bag place 2 graham crackers, a marshmallow (or 2) and a generous amount of chocolate

5 // string your little cardstock label and tie each bag closed. then with a second knot, attach your tiny cedar clippings.

easy peasy! 

 

office space ...

i've been planning to install a chalkboard "wall" ever since our office overhaul earlier this year. and i finally got around to it over the holiday weekend.

the finished space full of great intentions:



what's really going down:



yup that's me. saving my boss' butt again!

next on my office "to do list". i would really really like a window.
think i can pull that off on the next long weekend? probably not. ;)
what did you get into over the weekend?

thurs-DIY: merit badge stationery

i try to make at least 1 gift for wade each year on his birthday. so this year along w/ his usual "old soul" birthday gifts: renewed membership to cheekwood botanical gardens, a copy of annie dillard's pilgrim at tinker creek & this amazing 8-cup coffee maker ... i decided to make him a new set of stationery.

first - you must know - i mentioned my snobbery over sewing vs no sew glue the other day ... well wade is a bit of a snob when it comes to stationery. we all have our quirks. HE ONLY USES CRANE & CO! for this set of stationery, i used crane & co's pearl white folded note - a box of 20 clean kid finish® note cards with matching envelopes.

i also used speedball's stamp making kit! this was my first adventure in stamp making - thanks to the encouragement of pottery friend amy - and i will admit i'm completely hooked!

1 // make your stamps!

a) i designed basic merit badge shapes in illustrator.
b) i traced them w/ a piece of tracing paper and pencil.
c) i used the side of my fingernail to transfer the traced illustration to the rubber carving block.
d) the kit includes a wooden handle and 2 tips: a cutter and a gouge tip. i also used my exacto to carefully cut out my shapes.

CUSTOM STAMPS, y'all!

2 // roll out a teeny tiny dot of block print ink w/ your speedball rubber brayer. the ol "just a dot, not a lot" totally applies here. then roll your brayer carefully over your stamp! and go to town!

i absolutely love how they turned out! and wade was pretty stoked too. he favors the little trees and the tents - while i absolutely love the other 2. we might just have to share! 

happy stamping! :)

tues-diy: camp pennant party favors

camp isn't official w/o a camp pennant, right!?! so i decided to make each individual camp their own vintage-inspired camp pennant to mark their territory!

 

here's how i did it:

1 // i cheated and used illustrator to layout each name. a) i set up a file for a 17.5" by 5.5" pennant. b) i created the tents and a "name box" to determine the fit of the name. c) i hid the "name box" and typed out the name in my preferred font. d) i placed the typed name under the "name box" and un-hid it. then using envelope distort, illustrator automatically made each name fit the pennant.

i simplified the printing/cutting process by expanding the object & fill on each word and creating a separate illustrator file with the letters tightly packed together. each name was a different color to avoid confusion. 

that's a lot of illustrator-speak. want a copy of the pdf? email me here.

2 // i pinned and cut each name out. thankfully the olympics were the perfect distraction from this task! i also cut my pennants out of a heavy green felt. and my little tents out of gold and tan felt.

 
3 // i've never used liquid stitch before (i've always considered it cheating. yes i'm a sewing snob at times), but it was essential for this project. there was no way i was going to stitch each letter and tent on 30-something pennants!

4 // another quick fix! i used my cutting board to cut 1" x 6" strips of fabric. for each pennant i needed 1 strip for the front and 4 strips for the ties (2 sets of 2). i pinned and sewed these in place.

yes - i was a bit too ambitious. but aren't they cute?

a few instagram captures from our campers:

{credit: a. newell, j. wagner, k, pardue & r. willard via instagram}

a little outdoor lighting DIY

one disadvantage to apartment living is the lack of a yard. especially for wade. poor guy. he's eager to help our friends work in their yards/gardens to make up for it.

i'm not complaining - we love our little apartment. we're way up in the trees - and our kitchen is almost entirely surrounded by windows. and w/ a quick trip to the hardware store - we now have a fantastic outdoor addition.

say hello to our updated front porch:

we used 8ft deck railing painted white to blend our terrace lighting into the current decking. with 6 screw hooks (3 at the top of the deck railing & 3 along the eave) & hanging lights the ones w/ built in roof hooks, this project was a snap!

and she will be loved. extra space is well appreciated when you live in a 3 room 500-something sq foot apartment!

my goal was to surprise wade w/ this little DIY while he worked the morning of the 4th of july! then i planned to set up a little picnic for us to enjoy! unfortunately, i didn't have the muscle to attach the railings to the old fence myself. even with the electrical drill. (see wade - I NEED YOU!) and the weather wasn't on board w/ my little plan either. i can't complain - we've needed rain!

so we moved our little picnic inside:

now to thrift more comfortable and more "me" porch furniture! :)

thurs-DIY: what's more american than baseball!?!

holy cow, people. how is it almost july already!?! time to make some july 4th plans!

wade and i are fumbling with ideas. i'm all about a hike + picnic. dear friend, - one of my favorite nashville blogs - recently visited burgess falls. looks lovely! wade however is thinking swimming pool. and with the weather forecast to hit triple digits in nashville for the next 7 days straight - he might be on to something! it's hot, people.

one thing for sure -we're going to a baseball game! the nashville sounds are playing the cubbies (okay the iowa cubs - not quite as cool!) and they are ending the game with fireworks! hotdogs, popcorn, $2 beer night, "peanuts, peanuts, get your peanuts",  the 7th inning stretch - can't get more american than that!

or can you?!? here's a little "all-american" DIY just in time for the holiday:

supplies:
- baseballs or softballs (old or new!)
- red, white & blue paint (i chose a navy + barn red for a bit of a vintage look).
- paint brushes

1 // paint your baseballs completely white. i brushed lightly over the stitches so that the red still peaked through.
2 // paint 1 panel blue.
3 // add your stripes in the remaining white panel. i chose thin lines - but you can make them thicker as well like a real flag.
4 // last but not least, add your stars in the blue panel.

add them to a basket or a bowl and you have the perfect little all-american centerpiece.

okay - your turn: how do you plan to spend your holiday?

mon-DIY: woven frienship bracelet

last night we had our year end celebration w/ the high school girls' bible study. it's hard to believe that i've been with some of these girls for 3 years now! and it will be even crazier next year when they graduate!!!

when we were planning how we wanted to celebrate the end of another school year - i mentioned that i'd love to have them help me make bracelets for the kids in ethiopia. they were so excited to help out! i love these girls. so we made an evening of it - complete with dairy queen!

{warning: give 7 high school girls embroidery thread and it will end up looking like the bottom right! that makes my ocd self itch. ha.)

of all of the friendship bracelet patterns i've stumbled on while preparing for our trip - this one is by far the easiest to teach and bonus: the quickest to finish! 

here's what you'll need:

* embroidery thread

* a small piece of cardboard

* something circular for your pattern (roll of masking tape)

* scissors, a ruler and a pen

trace a circle onto the cardboard and then cut it out.

mark the center of your circle. then with your ruler, draw a line cutting the circle in half. draw another line through the center making 1/4s. and finally draw a line through the center cutting each 1/4 in 1/2 making 1/8s.

3 // cut about a half inch in from the edge on each line.

finish your loom, by making a hole in the center.

now here's the toughest part - pick out your colors!!! :) you'll need 7 24" long strings. and it's probably easiest to learn with 7 different colors. tie them together with a knot approximately 2" from 1 end.

pull your knot through the center hole.

on the side opposite your knot, arrange the 7 strings by tucking 1 into each of the slits in your cardboard loom. there will be 1 empty slit. turn your loom so that the open slit is toward yourself.

count 3 strings to the left of the open slit. for me, this is the bright green string (above). take that string out of it's slit and move it to the open slit. that's it! now you just repeat.

rotate your loom so that the open slit is toward you, count 3 strings to the left, take that string out of it's slit and move it to the open slit ... and repeat, and repeat, and repeat!

a little test ... which string would we move next if the open slit was facing us (above)? ... that's right - BLUE. got it?

when you've weaved and weaved and weaved until the bracelet is your desired length, carefully remove each string from it's slit and tie them together w/ another knot. easy peasy!

more shelf space, please!

while the majority of my free time over the past few months has been spent in running shoes ... i continued with pottery 1 night a week. this was my second time taking the class through metro parks. and i think i'm beginning to find my style. and we're beginning to have quite the collection.

a few of my favorites ...

like everything else in our home, i tend to keep my pots simple ... almost primitive. i'm content with slightly imperfect shapes and love earth tones.

all three of these were made on the wheel. i'm learning, people! it has been slow - there might have been tears - but i'm learning, people! i really am! i'll be back soon to share a few of my "experiments". :)

is it too late for an easter post?

well you're getting one either way!

i always feel a bit lame at holidays. i'm not a huge decorator and we usually skip the christmas stockings and easter baskets, etc. i'm sure things will change when we get around to having kids. but for now ... we keep it pretty simple. i did decide (at very last minute) that i wanted to try this little tutorial on poppytalk.

i used a tiny drill bit to drill a hole in the top and bottom of my egg (and only had 2 out of 5 casualties). i also used a needle to carefully pick away at loose shell. try to find a grey spot - this is a sign of weakness in the shell.

then using a syringe, i blew out the inside of the eggs. i soaked them in hot water to clean out the yokes and ran water through them until it ran clear. i finished preparing the eggs by baking them at 350 F for 10 minutes to dry them out.

the painting process took several coats! and in a teeny tiny apartment - i had to be incredibly sneaky.

 

finally, i typed up cheesy little easter themed notes. i rolled them and carefully pushed one inside each egg. "u r eggsra special!" warning: this part was super frustrating. my notes had to keep getting teenier and teenier. i don't usually type in text-speak.

at last ... a little easter egg hunt for mr. munday:

 

i "hop" you had a great easter too!