Popsicle, Popsicle.

 

It's summertime out there whether the temperatures agree or not. And summertime means frozen treats! A few of my mama friends told me about their popsicle molds and making their own. It's something that I've wanted to do for a long time so last week at the grocery I tossed them into my cart and didn't look back.

My first attempt was not super sweet (says the husband) but they were still tasty. O didn't seem to mind one bit as he sang a popsicle song in the backyard while he enjoyed his. It was certainly not difficult but he was very impressed so I'll take the compliment. 

Frozen Berry Yogurt Pops

This made exactly six pops.

1 cup frozen mixed berries

1-1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt

Juice of half a lemon

Agave nectar

Blend it all up in your blender. I tasted mine at this point to see how they were. Then pour into molds and freeze for at least 4 hours. I would have loved to make them with Oliver but I knew that the waiting would be the hardest part...for both of us...so I did it during nap time. They are a pretty healthy and easy summer treat. Next time, mango! JJ also suggested trying out an adult version, maybe a mojito pop. Sounds good to me. What do you think?

In The House: The Boy's Room.

When we were preparing to move we asked the child what color he wanted his new room to be, "YELLOW!!" he exclaimed, so we set forth with that as the plan. After some extensive online searching and one color swatch later we decided that yellow just wasn't going to work. It was too babyish for him and we just didn't love it. So here's what we did instead.

These are the before shots. The top is from when the house was listed and what it looked like when we first saw it. The minty green wasn't that objectionable but it was old and needed some freshening up, not to mention I immediately slapped up these test swatches so something had to be done.

We went with Mindful Gray. We both agreed that it was a nice cool neutral and I thought that the name was nice too. I had high aspirations of getting a mural wall done too but at this point I need to move on. There just isn't enough time in the day!

One of my favorite things about his room is the art collection. I know I talked of it before but we've added a few new things that I think are so perfect! Plus most of them are local artists, The alphabet by Oddball Press, Numbers by Little Monster Shop, Knitting Bear from Made in the 216 by Kiddo, Isaac & Oliver Go for a Ride (the man on the bike) by Grey Cardigan, The Oldest Olive Tree by Four Fish Ink.

The star pendant light is pretty fun but we've had issues with how it functions. This bulb doesn't send off the prisms that the previous one did but it works all the time. Fair trade off. And what little boys doesn't need a Cerberus toy?! Our guy acts like it's totally normal thanks to his Uncle.

And just in case you were wondering what was happening during this photo shoot... O created a pillow party with the pillows from our room. It was perfect as the runway for his brand new airplane and served a a softer cushion for his jumping practice. Hope you like and hope you have a very Happy Friday!

In the Details: The Master Bath.

It is very likely that one day soon, this post will serve at the before photos. Our charming little master bathroom is day by day providing us with new challenges. First the toilet, then the sink, and now the shower. We are hoping that we can fix this shower too but things are looking drippy right now so it's a toss up.

The room is nice and bright and we love all of the white tiling too. I'm just hoping that we aren't on our way to a total shower demo because we don't have another one right now and I truly don't like baths. 

We've rehung my favorite Rise and Shine poster and the little details throughout do make for a nice room. This shortened post is brought to you by my impatient child. Have a good day!

Good Morning, Friday.

Because I've had the pleasure of being up very, very early lately I've gotten to notice the slight change in the morning skies. They are lightening up just a bit earlier, the sun is coming through our porch doors, and I've heard those busy sparrows out there too. This year spring will bring lots of new changes for us, the most important of those things might just be a new house! We found our place and there's just one more thing to do in this very long process before we can officially call it home. We have our fingers crossed as tightly as they can be in hopes that it all comes together! Then we'll pack up this place and happily hit the road. I hope your Friday promises excitement and fun. Enjoy your weekend!

Remember That Bracelet?

Sometimes you have jewelry that you just love but never seem to wear. For me it was this brightly colored bracelet. I wore it, but not often. It was a bit bulky on my wrist and made it hard to actually do anything with it on. But I kept it, it was a gift, and I loved the idea of it. So, here's how I made it work for me.

I gathered up these supplies:

Old bracelet

24 inches of chain

Nylon coated wire

2 crimp beads

Pliers

Once I cut apart the bracelet I attached one end of the nylon wire to the chain, slid the crimp bead over the long end of the nylon wire and the shorter piece that I strung through the chain and crimped it closed. Then I strung the beads in the same pattern as the bracelet was and crimped the other end to the chain. And done!

This was a very quick and easy project that turned something I didn't use into something that I'm excited to wear! It slides easily over my head so I didn't need a clasp. Little Man really likes it to and was wearing it before I got a chance to try it on.

Lemons.

Sometimes I can feel all sorry for myself and let the garbage in. But then I get sideswiped by a moment that is so sweet it just lets the light back in. I get to lay on the couch in our home with my favorite people. I don't like to wallow so I won't. Everyday there is something to rejoice. It's time for lemonade my friends.

Something New

There's something new around these parts and I'm pretty excited about it! I've had a redesign of all things Simple Hands and am happy to present it all just in time for Art in the Petit Parc this Friday!!

I have been lucky enough to make friends with one of the most talented graphic designers and illustrators in town. I happen to know a few very talented designers but for now we are just talking about the one. Brian Andrew Jasinski of Grey Cardigan...pause for applause. I met him through a mutual friend years ago and we have become great friends. The kind that sends that text message at 7:00am because we just had to share a very important thought.

When he launched Grey Cardigan, I was immediately one of his biggest fans right off the bat! We have three prints of our own and have given a few as gifts too! So when I started thinking of really getting a design in place, he stepped up and delivered something pretty great that captures the simple creativity and beauty of what I'm creating over here. Thanks so so much, my friend!

You can check out the Etsy Shop now too for handmade accessories for you and your little ones! I have a few more items up my sleeve to hopefully share later this week!

I Found a Locket

I was looking through an old jewelry box recently and found a locket. I know that I've seen it before but I honestly have no idea where it came from. I opened it up and didn't recognize the people inside and neither did my mother. Who are these strangers in my jewelry box? I don't know but I did decide that I'd just go ahead and swap out the pictures for ones of my favorite fellas. I didn't have the heart to just toss the pictures so I just kept them inside too.

Materials

Photo paper

Scissors

Double-sided tape

Locket & chain

I used Photoshop to shrink down a few of my favorite images to about 1/2"x1/2" and used the tiny piece of plastic inside the locket as a guide for cutting. I fooled around with a few images because there is something weird about a floating head so I wanted to be sure that I cropped it to my liking. Here's what I came up with. I was being impatient and messed around with the images before the ink was totally dry but I like that it made the photos look aged. Now they match the locket. I think this would make a very sweet baby shower gift or even a wedding present. Do you have any antique jewelry laying around? Go take a look!

But What If I Need It Later?

 

Hi there. I'm ready to admit publicly that I have a problem. I hide it well (hear a scoff from my husband), but it's there none the less. I am a chronic saver. I keep bits of paper, scraps of yarn, crinkled old magazines, all in the name of craft. What if I need it later??  That is what I'm thinking when my hand hovers over the garbage with a scrap of pretty paper that to most people is not worth saving. 

Well it ends today, ok really it was last week. I seriously had scraps of paper in my "collage" box from college. Yes, college. I graduated in 2001 and these little pieces of scrap have been a burden I have moved from place to place. They are pretty and I think that if I'm planning to craft something up I just might use them. The problem with that thinking is that while yes, I'm reusing something, I very rarely remember what is in that unorganized box of crap in the basement. 

So I ruthlessly purged myself of all things scrap and crap. Out went the crinkled and torn colored parchment paper from 1999, out went the ripped up magazine from the supply closet in art school. I have no regrets and am a better woman for it. And check out this organized space! Pretty cool, huh? 

Are you tired of seeing pictures of my office yet? Yeah, my neither.

Jarred

For a while we were collecting little glass jars to organize screws and nails in my husbands work room. We saw an immaculate space at a family friend's home years ago and were inspired. Since then, nails and screws and loose items alike have been scattered neatly stored away but from time to time I can't resist hanging on to a nicely shaped glass jar.

So let's make some fun vases, ok? This is a quick project that you can do on a rainy day and would even be fun to make with your kiddos.

Materials

Glass jars

Paint

Paint brushes

Painter's tape

Exacto knitfe

Bowl

Washi tape

Glitter

Soak the labels off in warm soapy water. Using painter's tape, mask off a design on the jar and paint. Once the paint is dry you can remove the tape and use an Exacto knife to remove any excess paint or little smears. You can further embellish the jars with Washi tape, glitter, or tissue paper.

These fun jars can now be used as bud vases or storage. We use ours in the bathroom for cotton balls and Q-Tips. Or arrange in a grouping and use a the centerpiece at your next brunch!

Well Crafted: A Window Display

Last night I attended a window display party at Room Service in Ohio City. The mission was to help craft giant paper flowers based on a tutorial found over on Design Sponge. Crafting and cocktails sounded pretty good to me so I headed on over with a few of my lady friends for a fun night out!

There was one lonely flower in the window when we got there.

Inside there were a lot of busy ladies making these amazing and giant tissue paper flowers.

The bases were made out of chicken wire, cups, tissue paper, and a lot of glue. Some of them were taller than me!

With sangria in hand, my friends and I were assigned to help make the center of the flowers. It took three layers of tissue, glue, and artificial moss to make these beauties. We were fast learners and were quickly promoted to managers of the station, mainly presiding over ourselves.

The night ended with a little shopping, I picked up this cute little coral skirt. Then we stopped by The Bier Markt for a quick bite before heading home. We really had a fun night! Thanks to Danielle and Jennie for the party! Be sure to stop down to check out the new spring merchandise and of course the beautiful window. Happy Friday friends!

Before & After: Our House

To start this post out I have to give you a little background. We bought our house six years ago in the fall. It was in decent shape, needed a fair amount of cosmetic updating but seemed to be in pretty decent shape. Famous last words, right?

On a very sunny February morning we woke up to what can only be described as disaster. I noticed that the paint by one window in our bedroom appeared to be bubbling so I touched it...water burst out and that was the beginning of a very, very stressful eight months of repair work. Walls were crumbling, ceilings were leaking, and water was making itself known in every room. All of this was due to a very badly "updated" roof. The previous owners claimed to have put on a new one but it just wasn't the truth. It was a shoddy job that cost us an incredible amount of money. Lesson learned. 

From top to bottom this house has been updated, painted, shingled, dry walled, stained, insulated, and repaired. The majority of the work was done by my brother-in-law. And we ourselves have done a major amount too. So here are a few shots of the work we've accomplished over the years. 

The basement was a big open red space.

My husband erected walls, built rooms, closets, and made a crafting counter for me. I picked out the colors and promised to help paint...then I got pregnant so I pretty much got out of working down there at all.

The bathroom was a wood paneled lodge. There were railings all over the place and carpet hiding broken tiles. We brightened it up with paint and some elbow grease. Now it's a light filled space that is cheery in the morning.

The textured kitchen ceiling was bulging and sagging. It had track lighting that was pretty ineffective so we decided that since we had to bust it out, we'd have my brother-in-law put in can lights.

Now it's perfect. We also tore up eight layers of linoleum tiles to find a pretty nice wooded floor. We had it refinished and replaced the countertops too!

The second bedroom, along with the majority of the rest of the house was painted a dull beige color. We figured we could live with it. But once the water damaged happened it had to be fixed.

We found lots and lots of soaking wet wallpaper underneath. 

Now it's the baby's room. It's a cute little space with lots of room for playing. This is our home and I love it but we are running out of things to do!

If you are interested in any of the framed artwork, it can be found here, here, and here.