Vintage Key Project Inspiration
I about tripped over myself with excitement when I realized the keys to our Irish house were old-fashioned. It’s probably my favorite part of the house, even if it did take me two weeks to figure out how to unlock the back door. True story. Vintage locks are tricky! We recently got a new back door with a boring modern key. Sure, the door is more energy efficient and secure, but couldn’t they make the keys just a little more interesting to look at? Now I have two vintage keys that are of no use to anyone, but me!! That’s also why I feel okay sharing pictures of these keys on the…
Slovenian Braided Bread
Here’s the cool thing about going to school in Europe. You get to learn about European countries and history in great detail and so do your parents. Your parents get to learn so. darn. much. with. these. school. projects. Aren’t they lucky? European Union Day was on May 9th. Or 9 May as they would type in Ireland. I’m fairly certain I’m one big walking typo around these parts. Oh well. EU Day is intended to celebrate peace and unity throughout the countries in the European Union. Admittedly, the unity part of this day has been put under some strain of late. Hello, Brexit, I’m talking to you! On 9 May, my…
Happy List #24
Why, hello again! This week was started out as a blur of gorgeous weather. Today is has fizzled a bit. On Wednesday when the weather was amazing, I shared pictures from my commute in Ireland. It was filled with all the good, the bad, the weird and the pretty that I’ve seen in the last couple of months. On Monday, I shared a 15% off coupon code for Anonymous Jewellry. It’s a subscription service that I tried and enjoyed recently. It would be a great Mother’s Day gift and something you can do last minute for all of you pick-up-a-card-on-the-way-to-mom’s-house types. You know who you are! Here’s what’s on my Happy…
Living in Ireland: As Seen On My Commute
Most of us make a daily or weekly trek somewhere. My commute has become a lot more interesting since we moved to Ireland. In the morning I walk the kids to school. It’s 3/4-mile to the train, then a 10-minute train ride and finally about another 3/4-mile walk to school. The kids ride their scooters because it goes faster that way and this is the important part: there’s LESS WHINING. In all of that back and forth during the day, I have the opportunity to see some interesting things. These are just snapshots. I don’t have the context around what I see. I don’t have the backstory. I don’t know…
Mother’s Day Gift Idea: Anonymous Jewellry Subscription Service
A few months ago I gave myself a gift. I’m not in the habit of frivolous spending on myself, but man, let me tell you, spending that 30 bucks felt GOOD. What? Did you think it would be more expensive? It’s me we are talking about. After thinking about it for a good long while (that’s my M.O.), I signed up for an Anonymous Jewellry subscription. It’s a monthly subscription service that sends you a present every month. In this case, 1 to 3 pieces of costume jewelry. I prepaid for 3 months. You have no idea what you’re going to get or if you’re going to like it. That…
Happy List #23
Ah, Friday. How I love thee. This week I shared the story of paddle boarding with DOLPHINS and a MANATEE!!! Yep, I’m type yelling with excitement still. STILL!!!! I also shared my shortcut to making store-bought spaghetti sauce taste good. It is not Italian chef approved, but it totally works. Here are some other random things on my mind this week. DIY Food Wrap Would you make your own food wrap? With beeswax and fabric? Did you know there was such a thing? Do you think it is worth it? I’m full of questions on this one. Here’s a tutorial. It looks pretty easy and uses beeswax pellets. Famous last…
Secret to Making Store-Bought Spaghetti Sauce Taste Good
For all of you Martha Stewart types out there who are canning your organic tomatoes and slow cooking your tomato sauce all day long, please invite me over to dinner. I’ll bring wine. And my undying gratitude. For the rest of us who say “Crud! It’s dinner time. Again!” (and there must be plenty because I see a lot of tomato and pasta sauce on the grocery store shelves) this post is for you. In general and in real loosey-goosey terms, I’ve found the more expensive pasta sauce at the grocery store tastes better than the least expensive sauce. I’m not sure why. Maybe they simmered it longer to let the…
That Time I Was SURE I Was Going to See a Unicorn
Most of us are never far from a camera. It is 2017 after all. We can document the fantastic and the mundane all we want. I can’t tell you how many pictures I have of the inside of my children’s noses just because they used my camera phone for 4.7 seconds while I wasn’t looking. I especially love the videos they make of their noses when they think they are taking a picture. Don’t worry. I won’t show you pictures of that. How about a nice sunset instead? Ahhh…. Here’s a story of a recent time I wished I had a camera, but didn’t. THE HORROR!!! Over Easter we visited family in Florida…
Happy List: #22
Hello! How are you? After a two week break from school and work, I’ve been humming “back to life, back to reality” and “if I only had a brain” all week. It was a little rough those first couple of days all week! This week I shared a virtual tour of two hardware stores in Ireland and a tutorial on how to embellish a t-shirt with embroidery thread. Here’s what has caught my eye this week. Rubber Boot Racks Or, wellies as they are called across the pond. I deal with a lot of wet shoes, not necessarily rubber boots, but definitely wet, dripping shoes that need to dry. I just…
DIY Embroidered T-Shirt: Nevertheless She Persisted
I don’t usually do step-by-step tutorials because I’m not that detail-oriented, but I’m going to try my best today. My main reason for this is because embroidery thread is right up there with felt on my list of favorite craft supplies! Also, to encourage you to try embellishing a t-shirt with embroidery stitching because it’s not as hard as you might think. I taught myself! If you can do it, the possibilities are endless. Here’s the step-by-step of how I started with a plain white t-shirt and ended up with this result. Step 1: Gather Your Supplies You’ll need a t-shirt you want to embellish, embroidery thread, a sewing needle, backing…
