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Showing posts with label Our home / Organization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Our home / Organization. Show all posts

Sunday, September 1

6 DIY's We Want To Try

1 comment:
     Happy September my people:)
This is my favorite month of the year, and I am so excited to watch the seasons change from Summer to Fall here at our home in Utah. We've been visiting Utah for many years for work and to visit family and such, and the Fall was always the most magical time of year here. 

     Now that the older kiddies are in school, our family has settled into a pretty good routine and rhythm, and our favorite part of that is after the kids come home and we're able to jump into activities altogether once again. We like to write up a big list for each season of the things that we'd all love to do together, and then we either plan loosely what we'll do each week or we might pick an activity on the spot. 

     Lately, it's been hot enough that we have to wait till early evening to do any outdoor activities, so we've been exploring my pinterest to find random and fun DIY's that we can do, especially without having to go buy any supplies:) Here is a list of 6 fun projects that we want to try creating this week!


     Aren't those projects so cute?? I absolutely love seeing the focus and determination on my children's faces when they are creating, and that incredible gleam in their eyes when they excitedly call us over to admire their progress. My favorite part of the process though has might be when they announce their work and produce it from behind their backs with a grand flourish, then shyly grin and/or giggle as we express our surprise and gratitude for such priceless treasures:)

     That love of making and creating was instilled in me growing up, and nurturing it in my own kiddies has been a sweet experience. 

     I hope you can take some time to create this month in whatever way helps you feel most alive, and if you have kiddies than I hope you can pull them into that mindset with you! I'd also love for you to share any favorite hobbies or activities you like to do on your own or with your family to help inspire the rest of us, and I hope this post has maybe inspired you a little as well.

     Have a beautiful week ahead!

xoxo

Tuesday, July 23

5 Simple Ways to Simplify Your Day

4 comments:








     Hey there loves, I hope you're having a great week so far! We're about a month into our Summer break at this point and I'm happy to report that we're settling into a pretty smooth rhythm. Part of establishing that rhythm or schedule is giving ourselves space and the time we need to breathe, to really prioritize, and then to simplify everything down as much as possible.

     Today I partnered with Pampers Pure to share a few quick ideas for simplifying your day, and I hope that they offer a little inspiration for you!


1. Plan out the week's meals: 
We've all been to that point where it's 5:00 and it's too late to start the dinner we had planned, so we get frantic and have to toss something quick together or get takeout. That cycle can end when you plan out your week in advance, and then decide when you need to start prepping to have meals ready on time. You'll be amazed at how much having scheduled meals will add structure to your whole day, and mealtimes will become more intentional family time instead of a haphazard mess.

2. Prepare the night before:
The biggest thing that helps my day go smoothly is making a list of my to-dos the night before, but there are a lot of things when you think about it that may take little effort today but shave off lots of time tomorrow. Things like picking out your outfit, packing lunches, tossing smoothie ingredients into a bag ready to be blended, etc.

3. Create a morning routine: 
I used to think that a morning routine was unattainable with so many little ones and variables in our day, but as long as you can be okay with not achieving the routine perfectly every day, establishing goals for your morning and putting them somewhere you can see them will help you to focus and greatly increase your productivity! Checking off boxes in the morning will set the mood for the whole day, and instead of feeling like you're playing catch-up you'll feel ahead of the game from the get-go. I can share our routine later if you'd like, but it's just a list on the fridge of morning goals and it works great!

4. Limit TV time:
I don't want to discount how important some downtime is for the soul sometimes, but when you have a schedule to keep or a deadline to meet, you have to set some limits so the day doesn't get away from you. One trick that helped me a lot was committing to only watch shows while I was exercising or folding laundry, etc. Normally I don't think multitasking is a great idea, but in this case, it helps me get more exercise in and the menial tasks go by a lot faster too.

5. Automate as much as possible.
If you don't already have your bills set to autopay, that's the place to start. Getting those off your plate and out of your mind is a huge stress reliever and time saver. In addition to automating your bills you should be using the subscribe and save option on Amazon.com to have lots of your groceries and essentials sent every month, you can join co-ops to have fresh veggies and fruits delivered, and if you're mama you need to be a subscriber on PampersPure.com to have your diapers and wipes delivered every month! Pampers Pure actually recently launched a new option called Pick Your Prints on their website as well as tons of new adorable prints to choose from! I'm showing just a few below. My favorite is the croissants and jam:) What's yours?




     And that's all for today! Thanks so much for visiting and I'd LOVE if you could add a tip or two of your own that you feel helps you simplify your day.

     Take care gang, 


Monday, July 15

3 Fast & Easy DIY projects Using Sola Felt Tiles

1 comment:
     Hello my people! How is your Summer going? Can you believe we have just about a month left before school starts again? I honestly thought we'd be spending much more time on the road than we have, but then I realized that most of our reasons for traveling so much in the past has been to attend get-togethers and events with my family here in Utah, but now we don't have to! It's been pretty surreal to be so close to so many of my siblings and their families, aunts and uncles and cousins, etc, and we've already seen them more in the last few months than the last several years combined at least. The kids especially love having over 20 of their cousins right here around us, and with so many exciting and new things to do as well we are pretty contented staying right here:)

      Less time driving has meant extra intentional family time going on hikes, making treats, swimming at the pool, etc. Personally, I've loved the time to catch up on house projects and getting more settled into our place, and today I've partnered with 3Form Home to share 3 simple DIY projects that I did all in under an hour using Sola Felt Tiles!

      I was really intrigued when I first heard of Sola Felt Tiles and the endless possible uses, but I knew I was sold when I read that every box of 6 12x12 tiles is made with 50% recycled post-consumed plastic materials, and contains the equivalent of a 24 case of single-use water bottles. How cool is that! We throw away many millions of plastic bottles every day, and I'm so happy to support a company that is turning that waste into something so useful and beautiful.
   
      The tiles look soft and feel like wool, they function like a sturdy corkboard, and they attach securely to any clean flat surface with peel and stick adhesive on each corner. The squares are totally configurable with 15 colors to choose from and 6 different shape designs that you can mix and match all you want, or you can purchase one of their cute pre-configured packages.

     Now I'm going to quickly show you how I created our Paint Tube Organizer, the White Mood Board of my dreams, and a simple and beautiful Necklace Rack.


MOOD BOARD
Time spent: This project took about 15 minutes, 5 for the tiles and 10 for collecting inspirational pieces.
Supplies:
- For the mood board, I used 6 of the 'Cross' tiles in the color 'Zinc'
- a pack of push-pins or tacks
- old magazines or photos, etc that you want to put on your inspiration board. Other ideas could be small artwork, printed quotes or photos, pages from a book, sentimental items, flowers or other pieces of nature, washi tape, pieces of fabric, paint swatches, ribbon, etc.

STEP 1: The first step is taking your tiles out of the box and arranging them on the floor in the design you want, then holding a tile or two up on the wall to decide height placement. (Tip: marking lightly with a pencil would be super helpful for a larger design)


STEP 2: Next, peel off the paper tabs covering the adhesive tabs on the corners of your first tile and use a level (I used the app on my phone) to make sure you have it straight before pressing it firmly on each corner to secure it to the wall.


STEP 3: Once you have the first tile in place, it takes only a couple minutes to peel and stick the other tiles around the first, lining them up snuggly together so the seams disappear completely.


STEP 4: Lastly, you can get creative in gathering your materials for your inspiration board, but I simply took some clippings out of a few old magazines for my first go at it. Just make sure that you put up photos and words etc that speak to you and make you feel whatever mood you're going for (i.e. peaceful, motivated, happy, fierce, etc), just have fun with it! xo

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PAINT TUBE ORGANIZER
Time spent: about a half hour including attaching all the binder clips to the tubes.
Supplies:
- For the organizer, I used 6 of the 'Parallel' style tiles in the color 'Cashmere'. 
- 1 pack of push pins
- 1 pack of small binder clips
- 1 pack of medium binder clips
Set-up: Repeat the same steps as for unpacking and placing the tiles as with the mood board, then I gathered all my paint tubes together and put the binder clips on all of the tops. Place your rows by starting with the top row, then the bottom row (for symmetry), and then fill in the middle as evenly as possible!
Side-note: When I first ordered the tiles I was pretty confident that my big tubes wouldn't hold up, but when they arrived I was happily surprised at how dense and strong they actually were and even my big full tubes hold up awesome!


--------------------------------------



NECKLACE RACK
Time spent: This one took under 10 minutes from start to finish! 
Supplies:
- For the rack I used 3 of the '4 Square' tiles in the color 'Nickle'.
- 1 pack of push pins

Set-up: Once again you'll repeat the same steps as for unpacking and placing the tiles, except after placing my first two tiles one on top of the other, I cut along the indentation on the third and added one half securely to the right of both the top and the bottom tiles, being careful to put the clean edge on the outside. After that, it's just staggering your push-pins wherever you want and placing your jewelry:)


     And that's all for today! I really hope you enjoyed these simple little DIY's and that you're inspired to try out the tiles in your own home, and if you are you can use the code: FIRST30 on the website HERE for 30% off for the first 30 people! and free shipping :)

I've already decided I need to order more to do a command station in our home office, bulletin boards in the kid's rooms, an art display in the craft room, maybe some sound barrier panels in the music room, and the list goes on. You can't beat buying a product that is so versatile and beautiful that's also helping to make such a difference in pollution.

     As always let me know if you have any questions, I'm curious to know which project you like the most? Thanks so much for visiting loves,

xoxo

Monday, November 6

Happy Birthday Lil' Darlin'

4 comments:
     Well, I never really know how I'm supposed, to sum up my love and pride for one of my babies in these birthday posts, so a few lines will have to do:)

     My fiery-haired Lydia turned four, and I am really excited about this next year for her. Her voice is still as high-pitched and soft as ever, and she tells me every day how much longer and prettier her hair got while she was sleeping:) She is definitely the girliest out of all the children, and loves to dance around the house singing her own made-up songs.

     Whenever I ask her what she wants to be when she grows up, she says "a nurse or a pwincess." haha and the way her whole body shakes when she is excited will always make me laugh.

     Richard and I took her out on the traditional date all by herself, and after lunch and a few fun errands, we had Martin's family over for some cake and games. She blew out each candle one at a time and wished out loud that she could be a princess:)

     There are so many things that I want to pass onto her, but I want to share it in a letter to all my girls. Having my 5th daughter on the way is pretty daunting in some ways, but I also feel so excited about the kind of warrior women that I can send out into the world when the time is right.

     We love you so much miss Lydi-girl!! You are such a sweet little light in our lives and I hope that you never lose your forgiving and kind spirit.


Happy Birthday lil' darlin',
    Love Mama

Wednesday, August 20

More House Progress // Family/Playroom Inspo

6 comments:
This last week we've been working on painting the last room (the 'window room' or 'family room') in our house that's been without fresh paint and general TLC since we moved in a few years ago now, and today we installed the carpet ourselves completing the renovations! Now I can get to sewing the curtains and picking through the thrift stores for a few furniture pieces and other decor we're hoping to score. I've been looking over playrooms on pinterest since we're going to be outfitting it so the kids can spend tons of time in there together, and I thought I'd share a few favorite rooms from my inspo board!
1 // 2 // 3 // 4 

As you can see I'm really inspired by lightness and simplicity! We've already painted the walls and ceiling a country white, and the carpet has various shades of beige and brown. We're also going to add in a our sleeper couch so it can double as a guest room if need be! 

As for decor I have a couple small cubbies already for toys and books, and we'll be adding a little table and benches for them to do projects. I'd love to maybe make a teepee for them to play in, and I also love the idea of maybe adding a chalkboard to the room as well as a few small mounted bookshelves, and maybe also some fun and whimsical pieces of art! I've been going crazy with decorating and rearranging rooms in the house lately, which is weird since I'm not nesting and it's not Spring! haha but either way I've caught the bug and it's been so great to finally get these things done:)

Thanks for your interest in seeing the room progress! I know you can't offer too much input without seeing the room, but if you've decorated kids rooms before and would like to share any advice or favorite shops, etc, I'd love to hear any thoughts you may have! Thanks for reading today, and have a great day!
P.S. In case you're interested in keeping up with my videos that won't necessarily be on the blog:) :

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Tuesday, May 13

the Lace Braid Up-do and other news

11 comments:
Hey you guys! I hope you're having a great beginning to your week so far and gettin lots done and all that. I just wanted to point you towards my newest hair tutorial, this lace braid up-do that was posted over on Dana's awesome blog over here , so head over there to see the rest! I really love this one:)
Also for other new, I've been updating my YouTube channel more regularly, and will continue to produce videos twice or more a week moving forward, so I'd love for you to visit my channel to see what you think and maybe also subscribe! I'll be posting many different favorites and 'top ten' videos as well as makeup and hair tutorials, beauty hauls, challenges and tags, etc etc, so I'd love for you to follow along:)

Lastly I've been thinking about spending time to finally decorate my boys and girls rooms upstairs (little to nothing in there except furniture), and I'd love for you to recommend some print or decor shops that you like or maybe love that have good/reasonable pricing? etsy shops, home stores, etc? I could really use some good suggestions!

Well and that's it for today:) thanks for visiting, and have a great day all! I hope you'll come back soon, and here's to the rest of the week!
xo, Emily
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Monday, May 5

Simplify Tips for Cooking + A William-Sonoma Giveaway

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Hey guys! I won't go into too much detail about how excited I am it's Monday because I know that that's not how the majority of people feel.haha But this week in particular I've been so excited about because Martin and I have SO many goals planned, and I've been waiting so long to get started!
A lot of those goals have to do with organizing our life better and getting ahead, because heaven knows that I've been really feeling behind in a lot of ways lately (or rather the last six months or so.haha). Mixing blogging and all the work that goes with it (can I get an amen?) with keeping on top of our house, meals, chores, etc, and keeping the kids alive and happy at the same time can be pretty hard some times, so I need to cut corners whenever I can! One of the easiest places to do that around here is in the kitchen.
With Martin and I eating 5-7 meals a day lately, there's definitely more time spent in the kitchen than ever before, and keeping up with the cleaning while cooking, etc can get really tough! We do have lots of ways we like to save time though, and they make such a huge difference every day!
  • One of our favorites is cooking in bulk and freezing the leftovers. I'll use this pot to cook 20 quarts of soup at a time (like in this recipe post here) and then I'll easily get enough for 10-12 other meals for the family. That's Huge! 
  • Another thing we like to do is instead of bringing out all the ingredients to make a recipe and letting the mess accumulate while prepping it (we all know the disaster I'm talking about), we take each ingredient out to use and than put it away before getting the next, and as we finish with a measuring spoon or other tool we put it directly in the sink after use. Then you can slide your bread into the oven or put the soup to simmer with a completely clean kitchen!
  • We also love to cook with our crock pot using books like this one and this one, and those meals are usually some of the best and most rewarding because they taste amazing, they're filling and hearty, and in the back of your mind you know that you spent about 10 minutes prepping it. Priceless:)
  • We really value our time-saving kitchen tools like our flex cutting boards (easy transfer of veggies to the pot), our different sizes of ice cream scoops(awesome for getting fast and uniform cookies, muffins, and other baked goods), and our kitchen scale makes measuring out grams, ounces, and pounds so fast and easy.
  • Our knife magnets above the counter are a life savor when you ave sticky hands and don't really want to dirty up your drawers in order get at a knife, and I love to keep scissors on there as well for quick snips and I can just put them right back!
You get the picture that having the right tools and equipment can save you so much time and energy in the kicthen and really simplify your day, so of course when I had the opportunity to participate in this giveaway for Williams-Sonoma cash of course I jumped at it! Thanks to my inspiring friend Diana, and coupons.com for getting this together! Here are a few more details:

Coupons.com is giving away 4 amazing prizes! You can win a Vitamix, a $500 Sephora Gift Card, a Roomba and a $500 Cash! How awesome would this be for Mother's Day for yourself or for the Mother in your life! I can think of quite a few ways I could use each of these prizes.  

If you haven't heard of Coupons.com, you need to check them out.  They have some great coupons for just about everything on your grocery or shopping list. Make sure you print some out before your next trip to save some extra cash.  Also, now Mother's Day is approaching fast and I know not everyone has a gift for the Mom's in their life yet.  Make it easier for you to check out their Mother's Day Deals for not only great ideas on gifts, but also some great prices too. 
In addition to these 4 amazing prizes, you can win a $200 Gift Card to Williams-Sonoma! Enter down below today! I've teamed up with 20 bloggers to host this giveaway and hope you all enter to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks so much for visiting, and i"ll see you back here tomorrow for something really fun!
xo, Emily

Sunday, February 16

Office Re-design Inspiration - Etsy Picks

8 comments:
Hey beautiful people, how was your holiday? Ours was pretty special:) We've had lots of rain here it seems which has meant staying inside despite the warmer temperatures, which has been fine for productivity despite the antsy kiddos and the cabin fever.haha Needless to say cold weather is really tough on the kids, and we're excited for Spring:)
If you follow my on Instagram you'll know that I've been working on a huge overhaul of our office/my work space with new paint, a bit of new furniture, lamps and other necessary decor, and it's been really fun dreaming up the process and now putting it into reality! Before I started and since we've been working on it I've really loved window shopping online, especially on Etsy for little odds and ends that I'd add to our space if we had a little(or a lotta) bit of extra cash *wink*, and I thought I'd share a few of my favorite pieces with you!

I'm so excited to show you guys the finished(or at least far progressed, since I can never 'finish') product and hear what you think! The office was really one of the only rooms that we didn't completely overhaul when we moved in, and it was really time to turn it into an inspiring and comfortable place. I'm also super excited about all the light we've been able to add to the room, and I think it's going to become my knew favorite filming spot!

What about you, have you redone any rooms lately? What's your favorite part and least favorite part? Any tips you'd like to share with us? My least least favorite and most favorite part has been putting my desk and shelves together.haha Favorite becuase it's the biggest pow, and least because I now have blisters from the screwdriver:( Tear.

Thanks so much for visiting and reading today, and I can't wait for you to come back tomorrow and see aht I have for you and every other day this week! There's good stuff comin guys:)
xoxo, Emily

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Sunday, December 1

December Hopefuls - an idea list

9 comments:
Happy December 1st! I can't quite believe I just said that. It feels like it was just barely the middle of October and we were waiting for baby Lydia to come at any time, not knowing that instead of coming two weeks early she'd be coming more than two weeks late.haha Martin and I spent the last night of November and first few early hours of December making plans and goals and writing out a little list of fun things we'd like to do this month, and I thought I'd share it with you as maybe some inspiration for filling up your month with a little more:)
If you're new to the blog you may like to check out the official Winter Fun Wishlist that I posted this time last year, it may be a little more mainstream and not so personal to our family as this list:) 

December 2013:
- make and decorate a gingerbread house
- drive to look at the lights
- go snowboarding at least once
- do more acts of service
- do at least one big jigsaw puzzle together
- send out our Christmas cards
- make lots of eggnog
- do some Christmas crafts with the kiddies 
- toilet train our two year old
- make snow angels with the girls
- read lots of Christmas books
- stack up the rest of the firewood
- read a book from start to finish
- have a family nativity play
- have a solid quilting day
- watch lots of Christmas movies
- write a letter to a far away friend
- clean the house top to bottom
- enjoy a few long bubble baths
- go bowling as a family
- build a snow man family
- teach the girls more Christmas songs
- have a sugar cookie decorating day
- make snow ice cream with the kids
- make truffles
- go roller skating
- finish the parlor curtains
- go on a date a week
- have a big family sledding day
- burn lots of pine and cinnamon candles
- teach myself to knit
- donate to a charity or food kitchen
- listen to some new Christmas music
- go swimming together
- game nights
- start the girls on a little daily chore
- go ice skating 
- draft our new year goal list
- wear much more plaid
- visit the family cabin up in the mountains
- make cinnamon rolls

And that's about it! ... for today that is:) If you know anything about me you know that I'm a checklist fanatic, and so you know that I'll be continuously adding to this list all month just about.haha I just really love the holiday months in general but December in particular. Everything from the cold weather making you spend more time inside together, the spirit of giving and being thankful, and the fresh start anticipated by the new year making us all think back on the last year and and make plans for the future. Speaking of fresh starts, it's December folks:) Have a great rest of your day!
xo, Emmy

P.S. one thing near the top of my personal list is to get back to my habit of blogging every day, so you can have a new post to look forward to here every day this month! (and beyond:))

P.P.S.If you want the most immediate updates from our house, its probably best to follow on Instagram! xo
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Tuesday, September 18

20 Household Uses For Clear Nail Polish

10 comments:
Morning Ladies! well and guys, if you are reading too:) I've been feeling a little groggy lately, probably in part to the funny diet I've been eating, and partly because I'm anticipating Martin leaving again, this time for NYC which I'm super excited about don't get me wrong! You know how it is though with your hubby/boyfriend/lover goes away and leaves you with three kids right? haha Maybe not the kids part for some of you:)
Anyways, today I'm going to share something maybe a little funny, but that I've been wanting to clue you in on for a while: The many uses for clear nail polish! I'm pretty sure that most of us ladies know that you can use it for runs in your hose, but there are scores of other uses for the stuff in and around your home, and I'm going to share 20 with you today! 
Did you also know that you can use it to:
  1. Coat non-sterling silver rings to keep from tarnishing, as well as nuts and bolts and other metals from rusting.
  2. Smooth splinters and rough areas on old vintage wood hangers.
  3. Tame frayed fabric edges and keep from further unraveling by adding a few drops to the back of the fabric.
  4. Mark your thermostat and shower on the perfect temperature setting. You'll only see it up close and have the perfect temp every time with no fiddling. 
  5. Remove your warts! Apply a good amount to the effected area and reapply as needed, and watch warts deminish and disappear altogether.
  6. Quick fix for most of your adhesive needs! Use it to secure loose glasses screws, reset jewelry stones, or repair small wood chips in furniture or hardwood floors.
  7. Stop a tiny hole in your window screen from turning into a big problem by sealing the hole with a small ammount of polish.
  8. Make important drug medicine and cleaner labels last by giving a good coat of the stuff.
  9. Help seal your envelopes when sending off a big batch of letters, instead of tasting that nasty glue for the rest of the day.
  10. Keep small dings or chips in your car from rusting or enlarging by dabbing a small ammount to the suffering area.
  11. Shellac your vintage belt buckles  with a coat to ensure they stay bright and shiny. This will prevent oxidation. 
  12. Soften the sharp edge of a cracked or broken mirror by applying a thick coat.
  13. Keep your generous salt shaker from over-dousing your food by applying polish to a few of the holes to restrict some of the salt.
  14. Stop a small chip or crack in your windshield from spreading by covering well with polish. You'll still wanna repair your windshield, but now you have time to find the best deal out there:)
  15. Secure buttons by putting a dollop of polish in the center. This will keep them from ever coming undone! If you have a vintage coat or dress with pearl buttons,  then give the whole thing a coat to keep them shinny!
  16. Waterproof your matches before camping or storing near wet or moisture by coating the flammable ends lightly. the polish will come off when you scratch to light.
  17. Repair unraveling laces by coating the ends pinching to seal. Make sure to give them time to dry before using them:)
  18. Help you in threading a needle! You can drag the end through the applicater and roll the end through your fingers. It will dry in a second and make threading a breeze.
  19. avoid rust rings in your shower or on your counter from hairspray or shaving cream. Applying a small ammount the to the metal ring will keep it from rusting and staining.
  20. And last but not least, the old panty hose trick:) Stop runs or snags permanantly and prolong the life of your favorite tights by applying to each end of the run. I just keep a bottle in my purse for emergencies:)
There you have it! I hope this list has been helpful and inspiring in some way shape or form:) Actually my real reason for sharing this list is so you can see all the ideas I have already and add your own to the list since I'm clear-ly obsessed with the stuff (no pun intended:)) So leave a comment below telling me your secret! I wanna hear!

Have a awesome day lovelies, and eat your veggies!
xo, Emily

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