Gwen’s New Dress-Up Station

Gwen loves to play dress-up and does so at least once a day.  I’ve organized her array of costumes and accessories a number of times – from storing everything in my grandmother’s old trunk to hanging them on a rack and storing items in fabric bins on shelves

I loved the look of the trunk at the foot of her bed, but she had a habit of throwing everything in there willy-nilly and the kiddos would slam the lid shut, which I was afraid would one day render them fingerless.  I’m always trying to find The Perfect Solution!

Hello, Pinterest, I love your ideas!  I had seen different versions of dress up stations but when I saw this I knew we had a winner.  And as luck would have it, we just so happened to have an old bureau in the basement. 

Phil removed all the drawers except one on the bottom, fixed the top that was broken, put beadboard on the inside and painted it all white, painted the inside and drawer face purple, then put a rod on the inside for hanging clothes.  I wanted to change the drawer pulls but he hadn’t bothered to fill the original holes so I just went along with it.  

I love the results and want to add hooks or knobs to the side for hanging things like her dancing ribbons and jewelry, maybe a mirror like in the inspiration photo.  When it was done I couldn’t wait to organize the contents!  Phil told me I had to wait until after dinner.

Now, what to do with all those extra drawers…

Expanding the Garden

I love the idea of being self-sustaining – growing and raising our own food, living off the land so we’re eating the freshest, healthiest foods and not answering to someone else’s standard of living.  We’re still contemplating raising chickens, maybe even goats for milk one day, but we’re not ready for that yet.  Baby steps. 

Last year we had three raised beds, and while we thoroughly enjoyed the resulting crops, we didn’t get enough to put any produce away.  We pretty much ate it as it ripened, although we did give some of it away here and there. 

This year Phil built five more raised beds making two rows of four; though I believe he really just wanted to borrow his friend’s backhoe as an excuse to play around and tear up the yard.  The kiddos drove around with him in that thing for over an hour! 

Our side yard looks completely different now.  A big tree was cut down, a side garden uprooted and transplanted (we haven’t really committed to flower gardens yet since we know we’re not done with the yard), and the beds added.  The kiddos were a big help raking the dirt.

 

There are always folks around here with manure for the taking so we scored a load and got to work mixing it in with the soil.  As you can see, Josiah is Daddy’s Big Helper.  I had to laugh when I saw the two of them; apparently, Phil had taken off his shirt while he was working and Josiah promptly followed suit. 

 

Another trip to get some free (I love free!) mulch and we filled in the ground between the beds. 

One day last month Phil told me we should be able to start planting soon.  Not two days later he said we’d better hurry up, his mother already had her garden planted!  I didn’t realize it was a competition. :)  So he got his butt in gear, printed out a planting schedule, and we got to work with a first planting of spinach, lettuce and peas. 

On the left you can see the beginnings of what is now our new compost pile and on the right is our camper, next to which we have a nice section of rhubarb, complements of my grandmother’s old garden.  The kids were very excited to help plant the seeds and bulbs and it provides such a great learning experience for them.

 

 

Whenever I tell them we’re eating fresh food from our garden, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.  And when we ate the first of the asparagus – ohmigoodness, the stuff in the stores just doesn’t compare!  I swear all vegetables are sweet when freshly picked.  I can’t wait to try bacon-wrapped asparagus…

 

Poking their heads up we’ve got the asparagus, two types of lettuce, spinach and peas.  This year we also hope to have tomatoes (a couple different kinds – I think plum and some sort of hot for salsa), squash (summer, butternut and zucchini), peppers, potatoes, onions and garlic.  After last year’s carrots I’m not too keen on growing them again, but Phil said we might as well try.  I feel the same way about broccoli. 

My sister-in-law gave me Canning for a New Generation for my birthday last year and I’m excited to try some of the recipes.  I’m already looking forward to filling in the fruit gaps picking peaches and blueberries this summer, too.

Natural Deodorant and My Purple Bathroom

Back when I was researching homemade toothpaste I also decided to start looking into making my own deodorant.  Many of the store-bought brands contain harmful or simply questionable ingredients and the eco-friendly brands can be uber-expensive.    

Since I already had most of the ingredients on hand I decided to whip up a batch, loosely combining Angry Chicken’s homemade deodorant recipe with Passionate Homemaking’s arrowroot version.

6-8T coconut oil, melted
1/4c baking soda
1/4c arrowroot powder
vitamin E oil (I used a few drops)
essential oil (I used a mixture of orange & spearmint)

Mix all the ingredients together and store in a glass jar (I think I put it in the fridge to set up).  I’ve read that some people re-purpose old deodorant containers, but when it’s warm in the house it may not keep it’s shape.  Since it has started getting warm the semi-solid mixture has been relatively soft, whereas during the winter I need to rub off a little chunk and warm it in my fingers before applying; I just apply it with my fingers (like a lotion) under my arms before getting dressed. 

I’ve been using this on and off for a while now (sometimes I get lazy and use my hubby’s) and love it.  At first I worried about oil stains on my clothing but haven’t had any problems with it.  The scent is mild and pleasant and I would be curious to try another scent but I have quite a bit of the orange and spearmint essential oils on hand already!

This sits on the bathroom counter along with our toothpaste, makeup brushes and various other toiletries.  Which leads me to one of my favorite rooms in the house: our upstairs bathroom. 

 
When we were picking out paint colors (read: when Phil broke down and let me go beyond white) I decided I wanted my house to be cheerful and filled with color.  I picked something different for each room!  I used green for the downstairs bathroom but wanted to try something different for the one upstairs.  The first shade of purple we tried was awful, and we finally went with a deep amethyst.

Even though it was expensive, we seriously considered white pebble tile (something like this) for the flooring; even Phil agreed it would be gorgeous.  We did pick out some alternatives just in case, and finally decided to stay within a reasonable budget and go with a greyish-brown tile.  I’m so glad we did!  The dark tones in the tile go really nicely with the purple.   

When we got an antique dresser for free, I begged Phil to turn it into a bathroom bureau with a sink on top.  We chose a square-shaped shallow sink which only utilizes a portion of the upper dresser so the majority of it is free for storage.  I LOVE it!  Phil is so handy. 

when it was first installed

Along with the tile and dresser, I incorporated some more of the rich brown element by getting a deep brown curtain for the bathroom closet.  To keep it light and airy we mixed some cream-colored tile with purple, bead-board for the lower wall (as yet unfinished, like so many things around our house), a sheer curtain for the window and a beautiful shabby chic white ruffled shower curtain (that used to hang in our bedroom!). 

  
    
Do you have a favorite room in your home? 

Aside from the bathroom I love our upstairs loft, which we use surprisingly often (Phil and I often curl up on the couch and watch a movie after the kids have gone to bed), and our open living room, where we spend much of our day. 

*For more homemade inspiration see my Eco-Friendly Pinterest board.  

Chalkboard Wall

I having been pining for a chalkboard wall ever since I’ve started seeing them everywhere.  I love the idea of using chalkboard paint on one wall, or a section of wall, especially now that I have little kids.  

I’ve bookmarked many a chalkboard idea – table, dresser, half wall, outdoor chalkboard, even a nifty little drawer pull chalk holder.  And on a smaller scale I’ve used chalkboard paint on buckets.  There are so many great ideas for this medium! 

While patching up one of our walls - one that is really boring, kind of in the middle of nowhere and really lacks personality – Phil agreed that it would make a great spot for a chalkboard.  It’s close to the kitchen but not in the kitchen where the kiddos might be underfoot, and it really adds character to the space.

We had to wait three whole days after it dried before “conditioning,” then you have to prepare the surface by coloring it all over with chalk and erasing it.  It’s so much fun randomly drawing a picture, watching the kids creatively color, writing (and receiving) love notes and jotting down grocery items. 

airplant terrariums

Ever since I saw these hanging globes I knew I wanted one – or three – to take up a corner of my house somewhere.  They immediately went on my wish list, where they have remained.  Until recently.  CB2 had a Christmas sale with free shipping and I immediately nabbed a few of these little guys.  

My initial idea for these were for what they were originally intended: candleholders.  Then I heard about Tillandsias (or airplants, as they are commonly known) and started drooling over putting together one of these airplant terrariums.  Cool fact about Tillandsias: they don’t need soil to live!  That’s why they’re called airplants.  You can put them basically anywhere as long as they have sunlight and get watered occasionally. 

I like the look of colored sand in a terrarium - like this sky blue sand or this purple sand – but a trip to my local craft shop did not prove fruitful.  Since I intended one of these to go to my big bossy sis for her birthday, I asked if she preferred rocks or sand in a terrarium.  Luckily for me, she chose rocks.   

I debated over which kinds of airplants to get and what to use as fillers.  Air Plant Supply Co. has a great selection of plants – and awesome customer service (my first batch didn’t make it and they graciously sent me a new shipment) – so I chose three of their smaller plants.  I was so excited when they came in the mail! 

I gingergly unpacked the little guys, giddy with excitement.  And yes, I actually gave them names.

The orange-y Ionatha Selecta is for Auntie Laura and Gwen gave her a special name (not sure how to spell it – we’ll have to let Auntie decide), the green Ionatha Guatemala is “Spike” and the purple-tipped Ionatha Rubra is “Ruby.” 

Along with the plants, I filled the glass globes with black rocks, dried pods from the floral section of the craft store, and Pinterest-inspired felt craspedia that I made with wool roving.  Since my sis is crazy about mustard-yellow, I also included a wire bird to keep her airplant company.    

 

Aren’t they pretty?  Let’s see if I can keep hers alive a little while longer until I can hand it over. :P  They brighten up the room and make me smile.  I’ve also found some other cool terrarium ideas – like using light bulbs and ornaments.  I may have to get a few more plants to add to my collection;  which one is your favorite?