DI"Y" t-shirt quilt

Via Project Repat

If you are anything like Dr. H and I, you have a massive collection of cotton t-shirts, from travel, college, concerts and other places where you thought "I know how I will commemorate ____, I will buy a shirt!!" And you probably wore and loved that shirt for a period of time and then your weekend style matured, you bought real pajamas and/or working out in cotton became a sweaty mess that you phased-out in favor of lycra. And even though you haven't worn it in ages, you can't stand the idea of parting with your beloved t-shirt. 

Enter Pinterest and the brilliant idea of making a quilt out of these shirts. "Perfect!" I thought, "I am mildly crafty and a decent sewer, I can totally take on this project". Well, 2+ years later, the thing I didn't take into account was the massive time-suck cutting, sewing, batting and backing would be, especially since I sew by hand. Thankfully though, for everything we don't want/have time to do, there's someone you can pay to do it for you. Enter Project Repat (website HERE) a company you can ship all your shirts to and they'll send you back a custom-made quilt in any size ranging from lap (16 shirt panels) to king (64 shirt panels). And the process is easy - mail them your shirts (actually just the front or back half, whichever side you want the panel made of) and they create the quilt and send it to you in 2-3 weeks with a microfleece backing in the color of your choice. Cool right!? And it gets better!! Use the coupon code FB15 and you'll get 25% off!

A Project Repat order is 100% happening in my household and since I love sharing my internet-licious finds with all of you, there ya go. Stay tuned for an update on how it turns out or take advantage of the coupon code and leap with me on an order today!! 

Gobble Gobble

Can you guys believe that next week is Thanksgiving? I literally cannot wrap my head around how quickly yet another month has passed us by! It feels like just yesterday I was bemoaning the end of August and 10 seconds ago I was picking out a Halloween costume... whoa. Thankfully, because my dining room table ("dining room" used interchangeably with "only food-eating-height" table) seats just four people, it is not my responsibility to host Turkey Day. I am one of the lucky ones that gets to sleep in, watch the parade on tv and then show up with a bottle of wine in hand and eat until I pass out on my cousin's couch (#murica) But this complete lack of responsibility hasn't stopped me from collecting a TON of awesome Thanksgiving recipes and ideas from around the web for all of you to enjoy... 

So, with 1 weekend left to shop, here's everything you need to be declared Queen of the Pilgrims at your Thanksgiving Feast.

Even though people love their classic Thanksgiving side dishes, if you think your crew is willing to live on the wild side (literally hehe), these 12 Classic Thanksgiving Sides with a Twist like Buttermilk Biscuit Stuffing, Fully Loaded Smashed Potatoes and Sriracha Green Beans with Candied Bacon (good lawd YES!) are sure to be a hit.

If you are ready to channel your inner baking Goddess this Thanksgiving, these Sweet Potato Pumpkin Rolls with adorable little "gratitude scrolls" inside are for you! The recipe sounds absolutely delicious, the finished product looks wonderful and when guests crack open their rolls to find a little parchment paper note of gratitude (or some other message... know your audience:) inside, everyone will be blown away by your craftiness for sure!

Nothing welcomes guests like a home that smells of holiday sweetness. Whip up some of this Thanksgiving Stovetop Potpourri if you've got a stovetop burner to spare next Thursday!

Holiday eating doesn't have to be horrible for your waist line to be delicious (they claim) which is why I was excited to stumble upon this collection of Ten Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes including that delicious looking Farro, Cranberry and Goat Cheese Salad or maybe a Pumpkin Cheesecake Bite is more your "healthy" style!?

Thanksgiving inspires a lot of great crafting ideas, from the food, to the colors to the theme of thankfulness. Click HERE for an awesome list of "Best Ever Thanksgiving DIYs" from Style Me Pretty Living (my personal favorites are the leftover pie slice printables and the gourd candles (above)) and click HERE for 30 table-decor specific ideas. 

Finally, pick one of the many takes on Turkey Cupcakes and wow your guests with an easy to make dessert that will be (almost) too adorable to eat. Options HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

Halloween Week Day 2 - Make your home BOOtiful!

Just in case your home isn't already this Halloween'ed out!

I love decorating for Halloween and I love that there are so many options, from store bought and scary to corny and homemade. There's a Halloween decor type and style for everyone!! Here to help you create your very own Halloweeny home are some inspirations, DIYs, tricks and treats from around the web!

I could pretty much just send you over to OhHappyDay for everything Halloween related, but since I gots my own blog to run over here, I thought I'd share some of my personal favorites:

10 HALLOWEEN DIY IDEAS HERE

GHOST ON A STICK HERE

I love these toilet paper roll bats and think they'd make a perfect craft activity for your kiddos before "flying" up to your ceiling and light fixtures!

FULL INSTRUCTIONS HERE

I'm a fan of a classic carved jack o lantern (Dr. H and I really need to get to work on that!) but HERE are some other ideas for decorating your haul from the pumpkin patch!

Babble has 25 ideas for decorating your house this Halloween, many err'ing on the more frightfully elegant, unique and classic haunted house side, so be sure to check out their full list (including the "monster in my toilet bowl" below!) HERE.

And finally, back from last year, the mummy door is still a big personal favorite of mine. I think I just might have to spend some time tonight mummifying apt 4F!

Homemade Halloween?

This post brought to you by the fabulous (parent)thetically speaking.

I write this as I take a break from one of 3 “sewing” projects that I’ve got going. I say “sewing” because while what I am doing involves taking two pieces of fabric and joining them with needle and thread, I am doing so in an incredibly crude and amateur way (7^th grade home ec for the win). My mom did give me her sewing machine, and boy is that a fear I need to conquer. So by hand is how I do.

star wand in progress.

My little girl has opted to be a pink sparkle flower star fairy (inspiration image here, she enjoys the PBK catalog, just like her momma). Homemade tutu and star wand are under way. She is so so excited about it, and that makes me so happy. Little Mister is still an age where he actually has no clue what Halloween or costumes are. So I figure this is the time to have fun with it. We were thisclose to having him be The Dude, but Harry Potter prevailed. I’m working on a fleece Gryffindor scarf (thank goodness it doesn’t have to be very long).

scarf-spiration

How do you do Halloween? Do you use what you’ve already got? Do you find an inspiration image and get supplies to bring it to life? Do you go to Party City and get the whole kit and caboodle taken care of in one shot? I see benefits to all paths. There are times when you want to be what you want to be, and store-bought is the easiest, and surest, way to get the complete vision. There are times when a mix is in order. Like Potter for instance. I’m making the scarf and wand. I bought a little black cape and a gray and scarlet sweater vest from a local kids consignment place. There’s just no way to DIY that stuff (with my skill level at least). 

I think the same can applied to most anything – homemade vs. store-bought…food especially. It comes down to what you have the time, skill, energy and enthusiasm for. (do you like how I ended that with a preposition? I’m 30 and I still don’t know how to avoid that…7^th grade language arts, not for the win) Do you have certain things where homemade is an absolute priority? Other things that are just as good off the rack?

For all things fabulously (parent)thetically speaking, click HERE.

Up a creek... literally (a story).

Once upon a time, long long ago, Merry Meri and her family resided on the awesomely named street of Captains Walk. After over two decades at number 1 Captains Walk, the family decided to relocate to a house along the water and it was agreed that a small memento of their previous address would fit in perfectly at their new waterfront abode... 

[Imagine what you will, but let's just say cilantro isn't the only thing my family has "helped itself to"]

Fast forward to this weekend, when Merry Meri and Dad decided to tackle the final phase of project "Captains Walk Memento": hanging said memento on the dock by the creek in the backyard ("Captains Walk" is the dock where you park your boat!? How witty!!) The project was moving along swimmingly (foreshadowing) when Meri noticed a little creature making its way up the creek, a muskrat lovingly named by the family "Muskrat Sally" (our wit knows no ends!) "Look Dad there's Muskrat Sally!"... followed moments later by a splash as distracted Dad dropped our sign into the creek. Sh*t.

Meri and Dad immediately reached for the fishing net and dangled themselves off the edge of the dock and boat attempting to recover the sign now undoubtedly sunk into the murky, muddy bottom of the creek. Eventually Mom, noting that "too long had gone by for this little project" made her way down to the dock only to find both of her determined DIY'ers hanging upside down pulling various items out of the creek (including the step stool which was knocked overboard in the chaos and a large wood plank which was discovered during the search and rescue mission).

"I have to get in!" Meri exclaimed bravely, "we cannot abandon that sign!!!" and as Mom and Dad looked (and laughed) on, armed with a pool float and boogie board, Merry Meri entered the (never willingly swam-in) creek. Squealing in equal parts over the cold temperature and the feel of the brown, goopy creek bottom, Merry Meri located the sign and used all her foot strength to begin pulling it out of the mud... Undeterred by being ankle deep in slimy creek muck and a momentary confusion of the boogie board strap for an approaching muskrat (actual screaming may have occurred), Meri pulled the sign above the surface. Once their hysterical laughter had subsided, Mom and Dad shared in the victory celebration and Dad confessed to being proud and impressed "I wouldn't have gone in there without a full wet suit!"

After several years, one questionable "relocation of town property" and a swim in the creek later, operation Captains Walk Memento is now complete. Way to go Fam :)

Pin there, done that Vol. 2

This post brought to you by the fabulous 

(parent)thetically speaking.

When I last left you with Pinterest project updates, one project's fate hung in the balance. I'm happy to report that it turned out great.

Pinspiration here. My result:

Playing-with-cars-while-scratching-dads-back Fathers Day gift was also a pin-success.

A #fail were these oven-baked "matzah"rella sticks. I've seen the breadcrumb version pinned all over the dang place, and decided to give it try with matzah during Passover. Obviously, no. (blame the chef and matzah, not the recipe)

A combination of a win and a whomp whomp is my DIY upholstered headboard, pinspired by this post and this post. When I made it 2 years ago, the fabric covered buttons just did not cooperate to make the tufts. So I left it alone with just the fabric and I love it, win! (very squishy and great place to rest your head while reading). But, just a week ago, we moved our bed and headboard to make room for a new area rug, and the screwed-on legs broke off. Whomp whomp. So we'll remount it directly to the wall with no legs, and it should be all better.

And last but not least (because it's one of my favorite pin-to-real-life projects) is this "monster door" that I did for my baby boy's Halloween-themed First Birthday party. I saved all the components and plan to use it every year for Halloween decor. 

What pinteresting things have you been up to lately? Any successes we absolutely must know about?

For all things fabulously (parent)thetically speaking, click HERE. 

Father's Day Gift Guide Guide

Dad.

As has come to be my specialty, instead of curating a gift guide for this weekend's upcoming "day of Dads" I thought I would share the best gift guides and craft ideas that I've stumbled on across the web. Because we all know there's more to Father's Day than a new power tool, fishing reel or beer of the month club (though let's be honest, those are pretty great options!)

* 20 Gift Ideas that Dad will love from SMP Living HERE.

* A Father's Day Gift Guide from Lauren Conrad's blog HERE.

* 4 mouth watering food inspired gifts from Cup of Jo HERE.

* Some crazy, cool and unique gadgets and ideas from Esquire HERE.

* DIY gifts with varying levels of creativity required from Oh Happy Day HERE. (LOVE the skrinky dink pins!)

And if DIY is more your style, we've got goodies ...

Click HERE for the free printable from Catch My Party.

Awesome homemade card inspiration from Sassy Dealz HERE.

For this and 9 other great Father's Day printables (cards, gift labels, etc) from Babble, click HERE.

And don't overlook the value of the thing your Dad would probably love most this Father's Day... which is time with YOU!! So buy two tickets to the game, make a dinner reservation at the local steakhouse or whatever it is that will give you and Dad some time to share the love!

Summer is (finally) here (to stay!?)

Hellz yes.

It is with much excitement and, I confess, a bit of trepidation (this winter really beat me down!) that I am going to declare summer as having officially arrived!! HOORAY! We are in the middle of a solid stretch of warm and mostly sunny weather so this weekend I ate my first lobster/corn on the cob dinner of the season, made the summer's first (of many!) trips to my beloved Ice Cream Cottage and caught a few rays of sunshine for the rosy-cheeked summer glow that I adore. Summer, I sure do love you!! Here to help us all usher in the sweetest season are some summer-licious goodies from around the web. Enjoy!

Homemade Cookies and Cream Popsicles - So much easier than you might think and 100% "you made these!?" wow-worthy. Click HERE to pin it or HERE for the original post from Lark and Linen. 

How adorable and summery is this Watermelon tote bag DIY? I love the bright colors and think this would be the perfect way to transport your towel and sunglasses to the beach :) Click HERE to pin it or HERE for the simple how-to from madame citron (note the post is in French but if you open it in google chrome a little "translate to English" button pops up at the top!)

Healthy, tasty, light and easy, aka the perfect summer supper dish! This One Pan Mexican Quinoa is on the menu for Dr. H and I tonight and I can't wait to dig in. Pin it HERE or check out the full recipe from Damn Delicious HERE.

Fancy some refreshing mint tea!? This simple recipe from exPress-o is sure to get you smiling and seems perfect for packing up and serving at your next picnic in the park. For the easy peasy instructions, click HERE.

For Mom

The moment you're "mom". Beautiful.

Mother's Day is coming up this weekend and even though everyday is Mother's Day in my humble opinion (I mean seriously!!) here is a roundup of inspiration from around the web to make sure your Mama knows just how very much she is loved. (Love you Mom!!)

OhHappyDay is pretty much my favorite resource for holiday related crafts and gifts-piration and Jordan does not disappoint on Mother's Day. Click HERE for links to her gift ideas (the first set of images above), click HERE for the (FREE!) printable template for her seriously sweet banner and party kit and click HERE for 7 crafty cute DIY ideas.

Is there a new mom in your life!? Want to send her something extra sweet and useful!? This "New Mom in a Box" kit from YouAreMyFave is super simple to pull together, but will no doubt be viewed as a special and thoughtful gesture. (Plus, it's important to make sure Mom feels the love while everyone is coo'ing over the baby!)

For those more mature ladies with mature Mama's I think "versatile spring clutch" is a safe and sassy gift go-to. Belle over at CapHillStyle just did THIS post on spring/summer clutches and I love everything she suggests.

I think there is something totally charming about these Atelier Stella planters and vases (website to buy HERE, originally spotted on Honestly WTF HERE). The sort of gift that will make Mom smile and think of  you every time she sees it, place your order today and give Mom a picture of the purchase along with a plant "to be planted" on Sunday to hold her over until the pottery arrives!!

For the Kiddos

Melt my freakin heart...

With friends makin babies at a somewhat more regular pace lately (here they come!) I've been exposed to more and more kiddo paraphernalia, inspiration and apparel of the absolutely adorable variety. So here for all you Mommy, Sister, Auntie or beloved Friend types is the next installment of "For the Kiddos"!

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, a beloved (and adorably illustrated) kids book for this tiny generation is part of a series!! I never knew, but I think I will be gifting several Pigeon books in the future, including his newest bath time adventure.

Oh man... so efficient, looks adorable and no more cutting up sandwiches into tiny pieces!! Click HERE to purchase the Fun Bites Squares from Amazon and be sure to browse all the other adorable shapes they sell! (Pin it here)

So apparently "balance bikes" are all the rage these days. I see them all over NYC and one of my favorite chic mamma bloggers over at Lady and Prince is always raving about her kids' Strider Bikes. The goal is apparently to work on balance first (even as young as 2!) then get to the pedaling later. HERE is a great roundup of all the best (at least in Babble's opinion!) balance bikes on the market.

I could see this "go fishing" DIY being perfect for distracting your little one on a long line, an airplane or just on any boring afternoon. Small enough to tuck in your purse and very do-able from a craft standpoint, click HERE for the full instructions from Doodle Craft.

Is there anything more adorable than a plush rocker?! I think not (says the auntie who purchased a pastel cow and airplane for her niece and nephew respectively!) I love these adorable rockers as new baby gifts because they're unique and will last a while (first as decor in the room, then as a ride on toy for 2-3 years). Plus, Wayfair.com has an amazing selection at very reasonable prices HERE.

* A little something for the Mama's:

- I typically read Copy Cat Chic for the amazing save-on-decor advice, but when Reichel, Mom of 2 shared this post about her favorite maternity/breast feeding friendly clothes, I took note.  boob (yup that's really the name) looks chic and flattering and the price point is somewhere perfectly between very reasonable (Old Navy Maternity) and absurd (Hatch Collection)

* And even some great reads for Dad:

- On making the most of your paternity leave

- Advice for new Dad's from my favorite Dad blogger (yes I have a favorite Dad blogger:)

* Some good reading:

- An interesting theory on why babies cry at night

- Why isn't the baby industry working harder to revolutionize the breast pump!?

- A very interesting (but LONG) article about "The Overprotected Kid"

- Just in time for summer road trips, a book of kid friendly adventures in the Hudson Valley.

Lastly, THIS little girl's reaction to finding out her mother is pregnant literally brought tears to my eyes.

For previous "For the Kiddos" posts, click HERE.

Pinterest-ing Lately.

I needed to pin this. Obviously.

I am a Pinterest addict. I absolutely LOVE the site as a source of inspiration, information and mindless entertainment (not to mention crucial to my blog content!) and I actually get stressed if more than a day or 2 goes by without time to scroll through my feed (how will I catch up on all those pins!? What if I miss something epic-ly awesome that I NEEDED to re-pin!?) Some of my pins have a clear purpose (recipe, craft idea, decor or fashion inspiration) while others are just because they make me smile (I have an entire board dedicated to "Disney Dreams" and another simply for things that are "Beautiful to Look At"!) So here for your Thursday clicking pleasure are some of my favorite Pins from lately:

How simple/sexy/chic is this look!? I have all the pieces in my closet (black blazer, ripped boyfriend jeans, grey t and black clutch).Add some strappy heels for additional polish... Friday night are you here yet!? Pin it HERE.

OMG this is brilliant. Perfect for road trips, tailgating or general ready-for-anythingness! Pin it HERE, buy it HERE.

So true.

I keep my sunnies collection balanced on the top of my bedroom mirror, but this storage/display solution is pretty cool (plus I always find that keeping all my options visible is key to remembering all my options!) $50 to buy for those of you that aren't craft-inclined, but I think you could easily DIY this with some ingenuity and assistance from Home Depot. Pin it HERE, buy it HERE.

This dessert... this Nutella, berry bruschetta dessert, must get in my BELLY! Pin it HERE, full recipe HERE.