Friday Finds

Today, I’m sharing some DIY projects for the body and the home, a beautiful cake to feed your sweet tooth and some awesome things coming out of Sacramento! Enjoy!

MAKE:

Buttery Coconut Moisturizer / Photo Credit: Janelle Jones / Refinery 29

This Buttery Coconut Moisturizer from Refinery 29 is easy to make and looks so damn delightful

You can find this and 24 more homemade skincare DIYs on Brit.co

DIY Reusable Sandwich Wrap / Photo Credit: Carla / small + friendly

So, this is intended for a child’s lunch for school but since I make Sam sandwiches for lunch more often than not, this DIY Reusable Sandwich Wrap tutorial from small & friendly would be handy! And it looks like an easy enough project for someone who is a rookie at sewing! Like, super rookie.

EAT:

Photo Credit: Sweet Dozen

I’m thinking that a Bakery/Doughnut shop Roundup might be due soon.

The doughnut world has sure changed a lot from when I was a kid, and this doughnut/ice cream combo from Sweet Dozen in Sacramento looks like I need some right now!

Funfetti Cake / Photo Credit: Molly Yeh / My Name is Yeh

And while I’m talking about the sweet stuff, might as well share this amazing funfetti cake recipe from My Name is Yeh

I love funfetti cake, but I don’t like box recipes so I think I’ll have to give this a shot the next time someone’s birthday requires a cake!

READ:

Photo Credit: Unseen Heroes

If you’re involved with the creative community at all in Sacramento then you know all about Unseen Heroes, a local event production company that has made awesome things happen in our town, like GOOD and Gather.

But even if you’re not in Sacramento, you can read and watch all that they do in The Seen – their online magazine for design, food and DIY lovers alike

What are some of your favorite finds? Share them in the comments and connect with me on Facbeook, Instagram, Twitter, Google + and Pinterest!

Enjoy your weekend!

Friday Finds

Social media can be such a time suck. I won’t say how many times I found myself staring pointlessly at a computer screen while my daughter’s napping – ignoring all the other productive things I could be doing – and that’s mostly because there are too many to count. On the more positive side, social media and networking can also open up a whole new world to you, filled with people, things and food that you were unaware that even existed. As a stay-at-home mom, I don’t get to venture out to find new things like I used to, and I rely primarily on my social feeds to deliver them right to me via my phone or computer.

Such is the case with all the finds I have for this week:

Image from Sacramento Flea Market

Sacramento is getting a Flea Market! Opening in January 2015, there is over 16,000 square feet of indoor and over 20,000 square feet of outside vending. There will be new and used stuff, produce, food and drinks and even live music on the weekends! Triple score! Oh, and the entrance, parking and even the concerts are all free. Yes. I’m so excited to see how this progresses and I’ve already got my list ready.

Image from Hops and Dots

I am really digging how the craft beer scene in Sacramento is expanding, and this also includes craft beer bloggers. Hops and Dots is a beer blog run by Nat, who covers breweries in Sacramento and beyond. I was introduced to her blog by Beers in Sac by way of Facebook, and I’m so happy that I found it.

Image from NellieBellie

I spent a good while looking up sugar free cakes on Pinterest yesterday. Not because I’m on a sugar-free kick – that would mean I would have to give up the pints of ice cream and cookies I’ve been devouring lately – but because my brother can’t have sugar. And it happens to be his birthday next weekend, so I’ve decided to make him a cake. This might be the first nice thing I’ve done for him. I love this recipe from NellieBellie because I can use pumpkin (it calls for butternut squash or pumpkin – and pumpkin wins all, for me) and it’s all real ingredients – no fake sugar stuff over here! It looks super delicious.

What are your favorite finds of the week? Share them in the comments and connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google + and Pinterest!

Why I loved this week

Never before has my focus been so clear. I’ve always been working on various projects, giving a little of myself to each one. But since I decided to simplify my life, there seem to be two key aspects that I am really focusing on right now (aside from my family…I’m always focusing on that) and they are: living the homemade life – cooking and baking from scratch and doing more DIY projects and crafts and, my creative business – honing in on what’s important and doing what I need to move forward.

So, it’s no surprise that what I loved this week involved just that, learning new homemakin’ skills and building your creative business. Now that I think more about it, they go hand in hand.

Photo from The Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking

The awesome ladies over at The Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking are sharing their review of this book, and a funny experiment making kefir from scratch! They are also offering a giveaway for this book, which ends on Jan 28. I already signed up for the giveaway, and if you think this book sounds interesting – you should, too! I would love to learn how to make my own cider, beer and wine. Does that sound bad? I hope not.

Photo from Betty Red Designs

I really enjoyed this post by Betty Red Designs. I have been guilty t of feeling a little down when I get super excited to see a new Facebook like or Twitter follow, then I visit a different page and they have thousands of people who follow their site. But, I’ve always just kept doing what I do. I’ve turned down advertising requests because I don’t believe in what they are saying. I change things up a lot in this blog because it’s mine, and I can. Nesha, who wrote the post on Betty Red Designs, does say to step away from the blogs and start creating more.

That is one thing I have a hard time with. I usually dedicate Saturdays to crafting and creating, since I have people who can hang with Cecilia while I work. I take about 5-10 breaks during a post when she wants held, she wants fed or she needs changed. Sometimes it takes me all day to write, because she will always come first. So, I often visit blogs during the week because it’s easier for me to step away from when she needs me. But, I do take a break from the computer on Saturdays and Sundays.

Nevertheless, I loved what she had to say and it made me feel really good about not having all the fans that other pages have. She wrote out some good goals, and I am definitely going to take those into account when I set up my creative business project next week.

And…the best part of the week! It’s garden season at my house again! I actually did this Rosemary coffee can planter as a project for a local magazine, and I will be sharing the tutorial soon. For now, let’s all just bask in the beauty that is my rosemary plant. I’ve been waiting to get back in the garden for a long time and this is just the start of what is going to be a beautiful and challenging journey!

So, this got me thinking. I would love to start a book club! We can read books like Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking, True Brews and creative business books, too! Then, we can post our review and share what we learned from the book and any projects we worked on and experiments we tried after reading the books. Who’s with me?

Why did you love this week? Share in the comments and on your social media channels! You can connect with me by clicking on any of the social media icons on my blog. Let’s be friends!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Fridays are for Favorites

I love when I get a new book and it opens an entirely new world for me. Last year, I got the Handmade Marketplace book from my stepsister, and it introduced me to Kari Chapin and her handmade community, which also led me to Oh My Handmade! This year, I got Wonder Walls by Sarah Bagner from my boyfriend’s sister…and I fell in love with the book. This is my new favorite find!

Photo from Sarah Bagner

I saw that she has a website called Super Market Sarah and immediately deemed it necessary to check out. The book features different collectors who have their items displayed on their walls, and the website is the same way. You can click on items that you like in the photos, and that will lead you to the store to purchase the item.

You can click Browse to view the 91 eclectic collections, and then you simply click on the item for its price and link to buy it. Some of my favorite collections are: Kirstie Mary Allsopp (who wrote the book Kirstie’s Homemade Home), Tuckshop (awesome jewelry designed by Lynn Allingham) and Bits of Bike (cyclist and designer Clare Pollen makes jewelry out of old bike parts)

Photo from Sarah Bagner

While I have not had time to go through all of the collections, I can almost guarantee there will be more collections I will fall head over heels for. The best part is when you click on the name of the collection, it takes you to an info page which gives you a little more background on the artist and links to the artist’s website and/or shop. That’s awesome! What an amazing way to promote the artists.

You can join the Supermarket Sarah group on Facebook – like I just did – and you can follow her on Twitter! Her blog hasn’t been updated since August but she does update her Facebook and Twitter with shows she is doing and projects she’s working on. Pretty neat to see the behind-the-scenes action!

What is your favorite new find of the week? Post the link in the comments and share on Facebook, Twitter, Google + and Instagram with the hashtag #fridayfavorite. You can find more of my favorite inspiration on my Pinterest!

Fridays are for Favorites

Today’s post is dedicated to my most favorite thing that happened this week – I won the Handmade Winter e-book giveaway from the Creative Mamas Collective through Maker Mama!

Photo from Creative Mamas Collective

This e-book is 92 pages of awesome. There are ideas for books for all ages, drink and food recipes, party ideas and crafting tutorials. Not only that, but the book also includes a few prompts for starting meaningful traditions with your family during the holiday season and continuing through the year.

So, for books….

Photo from Harper Collins Childrens

They not only offer ideas for books like Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, that we all know and love. But they also offer book ideas for some books that I have never heard of before – like Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson – that look incredibly awesome and I can’t wait to get for my little one. When you click on the Harper Collins link or the photo above, you can choose to buy from Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and you can also click on the Indie Bound link that allows you to search for indie bookstores in your area. Score!

Photo from Rajovilla

There are also recipes for making wonderfully delicious authentic Warm Masala Chai like the drink pictured above from Rajovilla. I remember when I had my first chai, and I immediately fell in love with the spice and how warm it made me feel. It’s perfect for after dinner when you want something warm to drink but you’re not about staying up all night. It never occurred to me that I could make my own chai and now I’m on the hunt for of all of the ingredients – and the strainer!

There are several other dessert recipes, including Gingerbread Crinkle Snowflake Cookies from Simple as That and Gingerbread Ice Cream from Things for Boys. Wait, hold the phone. Gingerbread Ice Cream?! I think I might be in love.

Photo from My Life at Playtime

Have you ever heard of a Favorite Things Party? I had not until I saw the idea from Deborah at My Life at Playtime in the e-book. There is a set dollar limit (she uses $10 but that’s really up to you) per item, and each person brings three of their favorite items. Everyone writes their names on three pieces of scrap paper and puts them in the hat. You then pick names and each person passes out one gift to the person who picked their name. You can make each party themed, too. There is more information in the book and you can read about Deborah’s experience by clicking on the link or photo above.

You can learn how to make awesome crafts, like leather and chain jewelry from Small and Friendly, chalkboard imagination blocks from Classic Play and Polymer Clay Vases and Placeholders from Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky! too! And for you crafty ladies you know your way around a sewing machine, there are PLENTY of sewing tutorials, too!

Finding new tutorials and ideas are amazing. But more than that, I love getting these collaborative books because I find bloggers and makers that I have never seen anything from before, or maybe someone that I have come across but never actually saw their stuff. It also reminds me of bloggers that I have followed for a while and sparks something new.

I learned about the Creative Mamas Collective during my usual stalking of Maker Mama. If I counted correctly, there are 21 collaborators in this book, and over 50 DIY ideas. The book is $15 and it’s my understanding that you get it immediately after your purchase. Could be the perfect gift for a crafty someone in your life, or you could use the ideas for last-minute handmade gifts and party ideas! Join the Creative Mamas Collective by following them on Pinterest and following and posting #creativemamas on Facebook and Instagram.

What are your favorite things that happened this week? Any new finds you want to share? Post in the comments and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google+ with the hashtag #fridayfavorites. Find more of my favorite inspiration on Pinterest! Now, back to gift making and wrapping!

Fridays are for Favorites

Around this time last year, I was about 38 weeks pregnant and while I did brave the mall to go Black Friday shopping with my mom and aunt (it was fun—but in hindsight, a very, very bad idea), I was hardly in the holiday spirit. I had all these plans to make everyone’s gifts since I was in full-on nesting mode anyway, but never got to it…simply because I was exhausted, and taking a math class – which is the worst.

This year, however, I’m no longer pregnant (thank goodness!) and I’m very much in the holiday spirit. It doesn’t hurt that I’m much more into the crafting community these days, and everyone around me is posting awesome holiday ideas. Here are a few of my favorites.

Photo from The Paper Mama

50 Days of DIY from The Paper Mama – Now on Day 20 (pepperoncini cheese dip- yum!), Chelsey shares fun DIY Holiday projects and recipes each day. She is also the co-writer and co-creator of Make Your Day DIY, which I wrote about last week…so obviously, I’m a huge fan. Aren’t these photo place makers super fun? I have yet to actually host a Christmas dinner at my house (for reasons you can read about in my story) but when I finally do….it is so on!

Photo from Alison Butler

One to Wear, One to Read, One to Play from The Petit Cadeau – Well, Alison has done it again. I feel like I’m always writing about awesome stuff she does on her site – and that’s probably because she’s always doing awesome stuff. This time, she has created a gift guide for the lil ones, where she picks one article of clothing, one book, and one toy to feature each round. She is going to gift one of the each to her kiddo this year, and none of them involve batteries. Sweet!

Photo from The Lone Home Ranger

The 12 Days of Minimalist Christmas from The Lone Home Ranger – Better late than never, right? That’s what I always say. Justine from The Lone Home Ranger is on Day 10 of The 12 Days of Minimalist Christmas, and today she is offering a Giveaway of the book The Family Flavor by Whitney L. Ingram and sharing her review of the book. She also includes a child-proof “chicken chowdah” recipe!

Are you feeling the holiday spirit this year? What are your favorite crafty sites doing to get your creative juices flowing this season? Share them in the comments and connect with me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter. Also, remember that I will be posting small/handmade business Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday sales next week so if you are having a sale, let me know!

Fridays are for Favorites

This week is all about crafts, food and business. I suppose that’s not different than any other week, but I have been downloading a lot of craft books, getting some new foodie supplies and a few food-oriented books, and my friend Kandyce and I are getting serious about our upcycle/vintage/handmade business. So, I have some business goodies I found this week to share with you, too!

Photo from Ashley Pahl

Snowed In Magazine by Ashley Pahl at She Makes a Home – Ashley teamed up with Anastasia Christou of Anastasia Drawing and Dreaming,  Kayla Domeyer of Say Not Sweet Anne, Lara Habbinga of Lila Art Studio, Desha Peacock, author of the upcoming book, Sweet Spot Style, Megha Silvano of The Art Bug  and Lauren Thomas of The Full Catastrophe to create this beautiful free magazine that is full of holiday decorating ideas, planning, crafts and recipes.

Photo from Make Your Day DIY

Make Your Day DIY by Chelsey Andrews and Chelsea Costa – Chelsey Andrews from The Paper Mama and Chelsea Costa from Lovely Indeed came together to create a wonderful 150 page digital crafting book, that is full of awesome tutorials and printables to use with your crafts. To top it all off, any orders before Dec 23 will come with a bonus 2014 printable calendar, holiday gift tags, and a few surprises! The book is $12 and you can order it at makeyourdaydiy.com, you can also get 20% off the book at Poppytalk.

Image from Kate Payne

Hip Girls Guide to Homemaking from Kate Payne – I got a couple Amazon gift cards for my birthday on Tuesday, so I was finally able to buy this book that I have been wanting to get! It’s $17.98 at Amazon and is full of information that any “half-assed domestic goddess” should know. She talks about decorating on a budget, canning, preserving, thrifting and more. I think she also shares a few recipes, which I’m stoked about! I think she’s working on a new book too….

Image from Wiley Publishing

Plate to Pixel from Helene Dujardin – This is another Amazon purchase that I got because it gives tips on food photography and styling. This is something I have really wanted to get into more, but have had some difficulty with. She also runs a food blog called Tartelette – where she shares recipes, workshops and more. Originally from France, Helene is now living in Alabama and she started her blog in 2006, after leaving a pastry chef position at a French restaurant.

Image from Stephanie St. Claire

11 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My Business from Stephanie St. Claire on Medium – Since starting my own business, I have read a lot of articles on what you need to know to run a successful business. Few of them touch on how hard, tiring and lonely it will be, though. That’s what I liked about this article – it’s real, and she quotes Snoop Dogg. A super funny intuitive guidance counselor, she blogs at Blissbombed and offers custom guidance sessions.

I had been hinting at a pressure canner for SO long and my boyfriend got it for me for my birthday! I am so excited, and now I can really get going with my canning. Christmas presents, anyone? My beautiful daughter is embracing her inner Vanna White and is displaying it for us. Truthfully, she was pushing it around the house and I caught her mid-pause. What a useful gift!

What are your favorite things from this week? Share them in the comments and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #fridayfavorites You can find more Friday inspiration on my Pinterest!

Fridays are for Favorites

I have drastically limited my time on my personal Facebook page anymore. Sometimes I’ll post a photo of Cecilia so our family members who don’t get to see her often can get updates. Aside from that, I agree that it can be a major time suck, and I don’t get the fulfillment out of it that I used to. My blog page is a completely different story! I truly believe in the power of social networking now. If I see someone I follow post about a new place, page or community…I check it out to see if it’s something I’d like. And more of than not, it is. That’s just what happened when I found the Delta Workshop.

Photo from Delta Workshop

Delta Workshop is a studio located in Midtown, Sacramento, a city I frequent every weekend. They offer a variety of classes, like a knitting class for the next two weekends, and a blockprinting class in a couple weeks. There is an online gallery where you can see artists’ work, and a shop. Since moving to Stockton, I’ve been a little out of the loop with the art scene in Sacramento so I was stoked to see this! I’m definitely checking it out this weekend or next to see what it’s all about.

Another awesome find on Facebook…the Handmade Directory on Handmadeology!

Photo from Handamdeology

Timothy Adam from Handmadeology  – a website dedicated to spotlighting different handmade shops and sharing creative business tips and resources. Awesome, right? –  launched the Handmade Directory. In the Directory, you can find crafty events and list your own event, you can shop by category and/or location, and you can add your own shop. Tim is offering a FREE listing for a limited time with the code 50OFFNOV. Get more updates on the Handmadeology Facebook. There are currently 75 listings and he’s shooting for 100 by the end of the day.

I was so inspired by what I saw, I got in contact with Tim and signed up as a Contributing Writer! Let me know if you post your business in the Handmade Directory and I will write a profile on you and your business to be posted on the Handmadeology site!

Photo from TrashN2Tees

Jenelle Montilone, the wonderful woman behind TrashN2Tees, has started something new. It’s called Take Action Tuesdays, a series where Jenelle will share one way to take action – tutorial or tip, sharing a campaign, or a clip of pure human awesomeness – every Tuesday. If you haven’t checked out TrashN2Tees yet, then this will be the perfect opportunity. It’s a handmade line made completely out of recycled clothing, plastic, and pretty much anything she can recycle. She also features a Clothing Recycling Program and a Create Change app.

This find was from the wonderful handmade community that I am so happy to be a part of – Oh My Handmade Goodness.

Photo from Out of the Dark

Out of the Dark was founded by brothers Jay and Jade Blades as an extension to their charity Street Dreams that they founded 13 years ago. According to the website, Out of the Dark is a charitable enterprise that recycles, restores and revamps salvaged furniture as a means to train, educate and employ young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Their projects are all about supporting young people achieve a better life and steer away from crime, and this project brings in the element of craft, DIY and work skills. Not to mention the development of self esteem and confidence. They also offer workshops and they feature an online store.

What are your favorite things that happened this week? Share them in the comments and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #fridayfavorites to simply tag me in the post! Find more Friday Favorites inspiration on my Pinterest!

Fridays are for Favorites

A couple weeks ago, I decided to switch up my Fridays are for Favorites post, and I wrote about my favorite things that happened that week. I enjoyed writing that post so much, that I decided to write my future Friday posts like that! I will be listing my favorite things that happened, or that I discovered, through the week and sharing them with you! This could be a new Etsy store I found, an awesome new tutorial I landed on, a delicious recipe I found…anything! So, let the fun begin!

Image belongs to Tuts Plus

Beginner Photoshop Tutorial from Tuts Plus – Grant Fieldman wrote a 19-part tutorial on learning Photoshop for Tuts Plus, He included videos and links to even more tutorials! If you have not gotten yourself acquainted with this website yet, it’s about high time that you do. I just saw that they have a tutorial on paper crafting too. Awesome!

Image belongs to In Honor of Design

Encourage Beauty Challenge from In Honor of Design – Hilary Rushford from Dean Street Society and Anna at In Honor of Design have joined forces for an amazing Instagram challenge that is all about encouraging beauty. I was unfamiliar with both sites until I saw someone else share this Challenge on Twitter. Another nod to the power of sharing through social media. The Challenge and details are on either site but I encourage you to check them both out, if you haven’t already.

Image belongs to Linkouture

Handmade Giveaway at Linkouture – Mama-to-be and jewelry designer Bev Feldman is offering an big ol giveaway on her site, Linkouture. And to top it off, she also has a 20% off sale at her store through Nov 4! Click on the link or the photo to find the Giveaway, and then just follow the instructions to enter! Her site not only shows off her beautiful jewelry, but she also shares recipes, DIY projects, and interviews with awesome makers!

And my absolute favorite thing about this week….

Dressing my daughter up like a housewife, of course! The costume did not turn out the way I wanted it to, of course. But it was still awesome and we had quite the photo shoot! This was my favorite picture because it describes us to a tee. I was supposed to be a hipster housewife (I know, I really had to reach far for that one…) but you can’t really see my outfit so I just look like a hobo – which isn’t too far off from my normal look. And I think I love that scarf. It was buried deep with all my other scarves but I think that will be a staple.

What are your favorite things from this week? Share them in the comments and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #fridayfavorites You can find more Friday inspiration on my Pinterest!

Fridays are for Favorites

With Halloween a little less than a week away, I figured it was high time for me to do the obligatory Halloween post. Since we’ve had our share of the Halloween costumes, crafts, printables, recipes and party ideas by now, I thought I would do something a little different. I love all of those posts as well, but since my little one is hardly at the crafting age, and we certainly aren’t throwing a party, I’m going to share some awesome art-inspired pumpkins that have caught my attention.

We’re going to the pumpkin patch tomorrow, and to be honest, I’m most excited about getting a pumpkin just so I can puree all of it’s guts and toast the seeds, I figured I might as well use it for all that I can and paint that sucker! I found these painted pumpkins to be most inspiring, and I hope you do too!

Image belongs to Studio DIY

DIY Donut Pumpkins from Studio DIY – We actually have two small donuts that would be perfect for this project! You just need a couple of pumpkins and some acrylic paint to get the job done. You can see more at Studio DIY by clicking on the link or the above photo. I happened upon this site through Pinterest and it seriously makes me want to throw confetti in the air. I won’t because I just cleaned in here, but I seriously want to. Kelly, who runs this site, has done a beautiful job designing it. She shares all kinds of DIY projects, parties, supplies and events on her page – and even accepts submissions!
This may be one of my new favorites.

Image belongs to Alisa Burke

Frida inspired pumpkin from Alisa Burke – I’m a huge fan of Alisa Burke, so obviously I love her Frida-inspired pumpkins. This definitely gives me some inspiration for the big pumpkin I’m going to get tomorrow. She also includes 11 other painted pumpkin projects she has done over the years in her post, including this sketchbook pumpkin, where she shares photos of her process from step one. If you are needing some artistic inspiration, this is definitely a good place to start.

Image belongs to Oleander and Palm

Southwest Inspired Pumpkins from Oleander and Palm – I love the simple and clean design on these pumpkins. Jeran has a nice theme going here, just like her modern and geometric pumpkins she did last year. This post is part of her Halloween-centric posts, and there is plenty more to find. She has pumpkin recipes, Halloween decor and more. Go check out her entryway and fox photo booth – both very fun!

If you have any fun painted pumpkins to share, post in the comments and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #fridayfavorites and #paintedpumpkins. You can find more painted pumpkin inspiration on my Pinterest! If you used any of these pumpkins as inspiration for your creation – share your project and photos with us!