2014 Goals

I'm obsessed with moleskin planners.

I’m obsessed with moleskin planners.

Ya’ll probably know by now that I am obsessed with goal making. Just the process of setting goals makes me feel more productive and ready for… well… life. Making S.M.A.R.T. goals is the best way I’ve found to achieve my goals.

But this year was a bit different. Usually I’m pumped about making goals, but as I thought about what I wanted to achieve in the upcoming year, I got a little overwhelmed. I want so much! But instead of worrying about creating too many goals, I wrote each thing down that popped into my head. Maybe we’ll call them intentions instead of goals. 🙂

Writing down every.single.thing. that I wanted to accomplish was liberating. Brain dumps can be that way sometimes. I’m not going to share my goals here because the majority of them are too personal, but the goals ranged all the way from daily flossing to appreciating the everyday.

What are your goals for 2014? Share them with me in the comments!

love,
melanie

 

Austin: Part II (The Fun!)

Cathedral of JunkI’m that annoying girl who breaks up her travel blog posts. But you know what? I don’t care. Austin was so great. I couldn’t just post one big, long post. I had to do two.

Here’s a prime example: see that picture above? That’s some dude’s backyard. It’s fondly referred to as the “Cathedral of Junk” and it’s become a tourist attraction in Austin. (Beware: you have to make an appointment to see it.) The artist (it really is a work of art, ya’ll), Vince Hannemann began building the Cathedral in 1988. He estimates that it now contains over 60 tons of junk.

Inside of the cathedral

Cathedral entrance

Cathedral of Junk ThroneLooking a little deranged atop my throne of junk.

Museum of the weirdWe also visited the Museum of the Weird. We saw a sword swallower!

king kong

And I was attacked by King Kong. Austin really knew how to keep it weird.

Capital from front

Inside of the capital  Back of the capital

It wasn’t all fun and games. Ok, it was totally all fun and games. But we did visit Austin’s capital building. It’s big, ya’ll. And gorgeous. I was ready to move in.

Have you ever been to Austin? What are your favorite things to do there? I can’t wait to go back!

love,
melanie

Austin: Part I (The Food!)

Austin, Texas

For our Christmas presents/1 year anniversary/ New Year’s eve, George and I visited Austin, Texas! It was such a relaxing trip. We had no plans– which is my favorite way to travel. It’s funny because in “real life” I thrive on plans, but when I’m on vacation I don’t plan a thing.

korean food

I didn’t expect it, but my favorite part of Austin was the food! Amazing food is everywhere. There is such a variety, which I totally didn’t expect. I thought I was going to be eating Tex Mex all day everyday. And I would have been totally ok with that. The Korean food pictured above cured my jet lag.

Hut's hamburgersThese hamburgers from Hut’s Hamburgers were (dare I say) the best I’ve ever had. They even had gluten-free buns!

mexican foodThe food trucks and outdoor dining were in abundance. I’d love to go back when the temperature is a little warmer!

Austin food trucksThis cutie was in food heaven.

Stay tuned for Part II!

Did you all travel over the holiday? Have you ever been to Austin? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

 

 

 

Handmade Holiday Challenge Roundup

Gorgeous handmade socks by Hedgehog Fibres on Flickr

Gorgeous handmade socks by Hedgehog Fibres on Flickr

I didn’t finish my holiday challenge or stick to my strict budget of $100, but considering everything I had going on, I think I made a commendable effort. Let’s take a look back, shall we?

  1. Mom: This year, I gave my mom homemade vanilla extract. I think she’ll enjoy using it in her baking. $1.49 for the bottles and $2.99 for the vanilla beans. I already had the bourbon and the vodka, so I didn’t count it towards the budget.how to make vanilla extract
  2. Dad: I didn’t get anything for my Dad because he told me not to, and well, I didn’t really have time. I still love him though and he knows it. Handmade Circle Scarf
  3. Sister: I made this imitation American Apparel circle scarf for my sister. It cost $16 for the fabric. A little steep, I tried to get cheaper fabric online, but my order was cancelled. handmade cat toy
  4. Sister’s cat (weird, I know, but we always give our pets gifts in my family): I made Franklin, my sister’s cat, this toy with stuff I had around the house and out in the yard! He loved it and it was free. Animals and children always seem to love the presents that don’t cost anything the best.
  5. Mother-in-law: For my mother-in-law, I ordered a book of our wedding photos. Our wedding was a year ago and I have yet to print out any photos. I suck sometimes. And although, I’m not considering it homemade, I did get a good deal on the book through Groupon. ($10!)
  6. Father-in-law: We just ended up getting him a gift card to a local gun store. He has done a lot for us this year. He’s helped us to fix up the trailer and let us live on his land. ($50)customized ukulele
  7. Niece: This was probably my favorite project of the challenge. We customized this ukulele for my niece. She may be too young for it. She’s only 2! She wanted to tear off the strings when she opened it! :/ But it’s cute enough to  just sit on a shelf until she’s old enough to learn to play. I can’t find the red model that I purchased on Amazon. It was $29.95. But a similar model is sold on Amazon for a bit more.
  8. Brother-in-law: We bought him wool socks. It’s what he wanted. $20.
  9. Sister-in-law: Like my mother-in-law, I also purchased a Groupon and ordered a large canvas photo of her daughter from our wedding. $12.
  10. Husband: My poor husband didn’t get anything from me this year. We decided not to exchange gifts. We combined our anniversary and Christmas gifts and right now are on a relaxing trip to Austin, Texas! Priceless.infused liquors
  11. Friends: Our friends all received infused liquors this year. They were pumped. To make it, I used ingredients we already had on hand.
  12. Co-workers: My lovely co-workers didn’t get anything from me this year. I just couldn’t do it all.

I ended up going over budget at $142.43, but all considering, I’m proud of the work I’ve done. Next year, I’ll start on my projects earlier, so I’ll have time for unexpected things to pop up.

I hope everyone had the best of holidays. I’ll see you all in the new year!

love,
melanie

Handmade Holiday Challenge: Look-alike American Apparel Circle Scarf

Handmade Circle ScarfThis is the last of my Handmade Holiday Challenge items. I made one more scarf, but I knitted it and it turned out a bit wonky. Don’t craft and drink wine, ya’ll. It wasn’t really “blog worthy.”

But I am proud of this circle scarf I made for my sister. At Thanksgiving, she said something about wanting a circle scarf from American Apparel like the one I have. The scarf is super basic and I knew that I could make it for cheaper than the $28.00 American Apparel version.

I purchased two yards of jersey knit fabric at Hobby Lobby. The best thing about working with jersey knit is that you don’t have to finish the ends. The fabric just sort of rolls at the ends. The worst thing with working with jersey knit is trying to sew the ends together. I suggest using a zig-zag stitch (if you don’t have a serger) and testing on your fabric first. I had to take out my stitches more than one because the fabric puckered. Here’s more tips on sewing on jersey knit. I used those when creating my scarf.

For this project I only had to sew the short ends of the fabric together (thank god) to create this scarf. I actually think I like this one more than my American Apparel scarf. I’ll be making one for myself soon.

How did your presents turn out this year? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

A Knitted Baby Cape!

Baby Cape CloseupThis may have been my first knitting project, but it is safe to say I am addicted. I don’t always stick with projects or crafts. Learning is the best part! But knitting really has me hooked. (Get it?!) I got a little ambitious and decided that I wanted to make something for my niece’s 2nd birthday.

I’m no expert and I still have a lot to learn. I used one skein of yarn (111 yards) in Yarn Bee’s “super bulky” eggnog color yarn. I cast on for 55 stitches using size 13 needles. I then just knitted using a basic stitch until almost all the yarn was gone. Then I finished it up using this technique.  Finally, I added a button and a loop to close the cape.

Knitted baby capeI’m so proud of how it turned out. I can’t wait to see pictures of my niece wearing it this winter. She’s a cutie.

Do you all knit? I want to see your projects in the comments!

love,
melanie

A Last Minute Holiday Gift for Your Furry Friends

handmade cat toyI didn’t finish my handmade holiday challenge, but I got close. Sometimes life just gets in the way. Never fear, I will have a recap for ya’ll. And I did have time to eek out this little gift for my furry friend. If it was up to me, I’d have 10 cats, but alas, I’m a cat lady who is allergic to cats.

My sister brought her newest furry friend home for the holidays and I just had to make him something. I couldn’t leave him out! P.S. he looooved the toy!

This DIY was super easy, I made it with scraps and it only took me about 10 minutes.

easy version how to make pom poms First, I made two pom poms. I made them the easy way and just wrapped the yarn around my fingers, then tied the yarn together in the middle. Then, I cut the looped ends. I made two pom poms and tied them together, so the poof was extra poofy. I also made sure to reinforce all my knots since this kitty loves to play (aka rip things apart.)

I then braided a length of yarn slightly longer than my arm and traveled outside to find a nice-looking stick. Once I found the perfect stick, I attached the braided yarn to the stick and attached the pom pom ball to the braided yarn. Finally, I wrapped yarn around both ends of the stick to make it a little prettier.

cat toy close upThe hardest part of this project is tying knots super tight so little kitties won’t immediately kill the toy.

Did you make anything for your furry friends this year? I’d love to see links to your projects in the comments!

love,
melanie

Cheap and Easy DIY Holiday Crown

winter berry crown There aren’t very many occasions in my life that I get to wear something fancy. Weddings, our anniversary, maybe. I mean, a library doesn’t really call for glitter or even heels. But during the holidays I get the urge to spice my ensembles up a bit without buying anything that won’t be worn more than twice a year.

I’ve been seeing some adorable holiday crowns on Pinterest. Gah, so many of my conversations lately have started with, so I saw this thing on Pinterest… Anyway, I wanted to recreate the look without spending more than a few bucks. Enter this pearlized branch stem from Michael’s. It cost me a whopping $1.49 and would have cost me less if had I remembered to pull up my Michael’s coupon on my phone. Michael’s always has coupons. It’s kind of awesome.

berry crown close upWhen I got home, I just bent and fashioned it into a circle that fit my head and voila! I’m totally fancy.

I can’t wait to wear this on our anniversary trip to Austin! It’s coming up so fast!

Have you made anything festive lately? Let me know in the comments!

love,
melanie

An Easy Way To Wrap a Gift: Use Hot Glue!

wrap a present with hot glue I’m embarrassed to admit that I still have pumpkins sitting outside of the ol’ Airstream. With everything that has been going on, our home looks downright Scroogy this year. But the one thing that has been putting me in the Christmas spirit is putting on some holiday music and wrapping gifts. I think wrapping is almost as important as the gift itself. I hate putting a ton of effort into buying a meaningful gift and then throwing it into the cheapest bag I can find. No, I believe in wrapping.

I love wrapping gifts in brown paper because you can use it for every occasion. I got this paper and the bow at the Dollar Store. I did all my wrapping for $2.00. I’m also digging the contrast of the rustic brown paper and the glitter bow.

wrap with hot glue close upAnd can we talk about my new tip! I wrapped all my presents this year with hot glue. I hate the way tape musses up a perfectly wrapped gift. If you want to replicate this technique, just make sure you either use a box (not the gift’s box) or fold the paper over so you don’t glue on the gift. (See the example above.)

What is your best gift wrapping tip? Leave ’em in the comments!

love,
melanie

An Unexpected and Very Sad Break

George and my grandma

George and my grandma

Well, I had a little unexpected and very sad break from ya’ll. On Saturday, my grandmother passed away at the age of 95. She was one of my most favorite people in the whole world. She had the kindest heart. I never heard her complain. Not once. She was incredibly thrifty and raised six children. She had unbelievably bad things happen to her during the course of her life, but she didn’t let it get her down. We can all learn a thing or two from her life.

I will forever miss her courage and spirit.

love,
melanie