Friday Five. | Halloween Edition

#GOALS | This photo is #familygoals and #halloweengoals! I hope to someday have kids, take a photo like this, and put it up in the house as part of our annual Halloween decor.

OOH AHH | Jim McKenzie’s video Friends with Death is Halloween perfection. Turn your sound on and subscribe!

SCI-FI ALERT | Kristian Hammerstad’s pop-gore illustrations are like a throwback to a good cheesy sci-fi or horror flick! Currently this one, this one, and this one are rotating on my desktop.

SHOP TIL YOU DROP | I’m a dog person, but the Beistle Scratch Cat is one of my favorite Halloween symbols and I need these socks! Also, I want this future ghost glow-in-the-dark lapel pin!

THACKERY BINX | Here’s the reason why black cats are associated with Halloween and all things spoOoky…

What has you in the Halloween spirit this month?

xoxo,

K

Makers Guide | Fall 2019

I love autumn so much, I can’t handle it! The crisp air, the beautiful colors, the crunch falling leaves… top it off with Mr. Heid’s birthday, our wedding (and soon to be anniversary season), Halloween, and Thanksgiving — UGH! There’s so much to celebrate!

Whether you’re looking for some decor this season, or a gift for someone special, or a treat for yourself, check out this roundup of fall-inspired handmade or small-batch goods!

ONE | I recently purchased CFL’s Fall My Favorite Things Travel Mug, but I’m also eyeing this Give Thanks camper mug. Use it year-round as a reminder that there’s always something to be thankful for.

TWO | I NEED THIS SWEATER! I LOVE HOCUS POCUS!

THREE | Speaking of Hocus Pocus — yup, I need this candle set.

FOUR | I’ve recently become more and more drawn to yellows lately, so naturally this yellow velvet cushion is calling my name.

FIVE | We ordered this cake topper for our wedding and I’m thinking I may use it to make a wreath like this one after the wedding. It’ll be a nice way to reuse it instead of tossing it!

SIX | As I said before, I love autumn (especially October), and I’d gladly have this print on my wall all season long!

SEVEN | I’ve been wanting a pair of slippers for years, so I finally ordered these ones! Don’t they look cozy? I’ll let you know if I love them once they come in! *Update — they’re SO cozy! Highly recommend!*

EIGHT | These petite wood bar earrings are simple yet beautiful! I like the wood look and tried some studs years ago, but since I'm tan it just looked like my ear loves we're shaped funnily 🙈

However and whatever you’re celebrating this season (even if it’s just the season), I hope you take a breath to pause and savor every moment!

xoxo,

K

This is Thirty

The other day, my sister told me that she’d been chatting with our Gramma and trying to figure out how old one of our cousins was. So naturally, they did the counting game — you know the one… “How old is Remy? Well let’s see, I’m 34 and Lucy is 10 years older than me… and Winston is four years younger than her… and Nora was born a year later… she and Remy are ten years apart, so he has to be pushing 50 now…”

We’ve all been there. Well, my Gramma is an easy-to-remember forty years older than me, so they started with her age and realized I’d be 31 this year. And then she said I was old. Seriously?! The to-be-71-year-old woman called me old? She cracks me up — Gramma’s got jokes.

Anyway, all that to say that it’s my birth month and 31 does sound old. But as I reflect on the year, I discovered that a lot of good came out of year thirty and you’re never too old to learn new things:

• I GOT ENGAGED

• I lost twenty pounds

• I played a song on the ukulele

• My family and I took a day trip to Charleston

• I took a much needed girls trip with my besties

• I painted for the first time since college

• I went ice skating for the first time since fourth grade

• I started a big renovation project at work that I’ve been working toward for three years

• I went to five concerts — the lineup included: Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls, The Menzingers, The Homeless Gospel Choir, Bad Cop, Bad Cop, Sam Coffey & the Iron Lungs, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Masked Intruder, The Interrupters, and John Mellencamp. Mostly punk, guys. Sorry, not sorry.

It was also a year of many firsts:

• I saw a scorpion IRL for the first time ever - we named him Tubby since we found him in a bathtub

• My sister, friend, and I won second place at trivia (hey. small things count. don’t judge.)

• Mr. Heid and I got into a sport — it was hockey, and no, I still wouldn’t say we’re sports fans…

• I finally got a passport — hello, travel!

• I ate my FIRST ice cream cone EVER (thank you, Jeni’s for making that experience delicious AF)

And of course, countless good times with my family and friends. Thirty was a good year for me. Here’s praying and being intentional toward many more good years.

xoxo,

K

P.S. Does anyone else use their friends’ and family’s pets’ names as their examples in an anecdote, or is that just me? At least I use the human names and not, “Mr. Tinkles!”

Makers Guide | Expectant Moms

I’m at that point in life where many within my circle of friends are getting married (me!) or having babies.

Years back, I was invited to a coworker’s baby shower and she didn’t have a registry. I had no clue what to purchase and asked my mom for advice. She said, “Well, they can never have enough diapers, and no one ever seems to get books for babies.”

I grew up a bookworm — had one wherever I went, read multiple at a time, and had bookmarks in the middle of several on my shelf. Somewhere along the line, I lost time to read for fun (probably thanks to the school system where we were forced to read only books with tragic plot lines). But I believe every kid should learn how to read and have access to as many books as possible, so why shouldn’t we give babies books?!

So I put together a gift basket with some books, some essentials, and something adorable (but like, what baby item isn’t adorable).

Since there are so many new babies entering the friend circle, and I LOVE curating gift packages, this seems like the perfect time to share the things I’m eyeing for my new mommy friends out there. In addition to all the books, I’m also loving these handmade, small-shop items:

ONE | This I Believe in Naps Onesie by Chalkfulloflove is too cute. I should take the message to heart and start taking a few power naps myself!

TWO | The Austin Moonstone Teething Necklace from Chewable Charm is practical and fashionable.

THREE | cuddle+kind’s hand-knit dolls, like Avery the Lamb, are adorable and give back meals to those in need. You can also purchase these dolls in bundles (eep! fraaands!!)

FOUR | These cloud bookends by Z Create Design go with practically any theme and hold up all those books that I’ll be gifting.

FIVE | Loving this minimalist Poppyseed Play grey and natural wood baby gym! Now, where do I get that rug?

SIX | Sun and Lace has the most precious little leather shoes. These and these are my faves!

SEVEN | I am almost always down for anything colorblocking, including this blanket by Blabla.

EIGHT | Eeep! I can’t even handle this giraffe rattle from Blabla. They also have an elephant!

NINE | Timber Sprout Toys’ wooden rainbow blocks are so pretty. It can serve as a display while baby’s too little, can be played as a stacking toy while baby’s learning motor skills, and can be separated for more play options as baby gets older.

TEN | This baby book box from Stash + Story gives parents the option to use page packs and/or to add their own pages and documents.

I think I could look at and share baby things aaallll day, but I’ll stop here. Know someone who’s bringing a new tiny human into the world? I’d love to hear what you’re gifting!

xoxo

K

Earth Day

It’s so easy to get caught up in our day-to-day activities and what’s coming up next that we often forget to stop and take a moment to just appreciate everything around us. This Earth is beautiful and the nature it produces is absolutely stunning.

When I see something beautiful in nature, I do my best to take a moment to stop, soak it in, and snap a picture. Below are a few of those snapshots from my camera roll. For each one, I can remember where I was and what I was heading off to do — heading into work, grabbing pizza with new friends, running into PetSmart to buy Keiko some food, riding home after a storm, relaxing on a boat, etc.

Looking back on these snapshots in this way, reminds me to continue to take the time to dwell in nature, to not rush so much, and to always keep in mind that we share this Earth with fellow humans, wild creatures, beautiful plants, and organisms so tiny that we can’t even see them.

If you haven’t taken a moment to appreciate your planet today or do something nice for Mother Earth today, I hope you’ve been inspired to do so! But if my words and pictures aren’t enough, maybe some of these links will be:

• @discoverearth (this one is stunning) and @usinterior on Insta

• How to Care for Potted Plants from Real Simple

• Today’s Google Doodle

• These quizzes and techniques quizzes for making small changes and a big impact

• Everything you need to know about recycling by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• “Earth” a music video by Lil Dicky

I know it’s the end of the day in this time zone, but let’s be real… Earth Day is every day. Let’s remember to respect this planet, take care of it, and admire it.

xoxo

K

Old School Valentines

Happy almost Valentine’s Day everyone!

Remember the days of going to the store and having to pick out Valentines cards for your whole class? I always wanted something that reflected my interests and that my friends would appreciate, but also that didn’t allude to kissing — couldn’t have those gross boys getting any ideas! Oh, elementary school days — haha!

Nowadays, I pretty much send Valentine’s to two people. The cheesiest card I can find for my fiancé, Mr. Heid and a fun card for my bestie/wifey. Even though she doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s day as part of her own relationship (which I totally respect — we should make love a priority every day), I send her a v-day card every now and then. It reminds us of the days when we had no responsibilities and could hang out all. the. time. *aaahhh*

I decided this year, that I wanted to get those cheesy little Valentines of our youth for my lady friends, so I set out for Target. In the land of pink and red that is the Valentine’s section, I came across this mom begging her little boy to pick a set of Valentines. With every box she pointed out, he had a reason not to get them. “Those don’t have candy. Transformers aren’t cool. No, not pencils.”

While he was having the most difficult time deciding which boxed cards to get, I was thinking about how they’ve stepped up Valentine’s offerings — glow sticks and gel clings, what? After sifting through all of the options, I found these Etch Animal Valentines and I was sold (though I’m sure Target kid would not approve). These cards were mostly punny (someone gave up on the sloth pun) and they were coated in the black material that, once scratched off, would reveal a rainbow of color.

I don’t know about you guys, but I used to cover my paper in crazy colors and then go over the entire thing in black crayon just so I could etch rainbow pictures in the black. So, yea, these were basically perfect. Even childhood me could agree — again… something I like, my friends could appreciate, and didn’t allude to kissing boys.

I found one-sided solid pink cards in the dollar section and went home to color some envelopes! I actually had fun putting all of the cards together (so those of you ladies that received one best be etching those babies out ;)).

So if you’re in need of some last-minute love notes for your co-workers, your family, or whoever tomorrow, I definitely recommend chatting with your inner kid and picking up a boxed set.

xoxo,

K

Friday Five. | Christmas Edition

1. OVERHEARD | *Woman holds a candle up to her friend's nose* W1: It smells just like a real Christmas tree doesn't it?! W2: It doesn't smell like my Christmas tree. W1: That's because you have a fake tree, Ethel. // I die.

2. MISHEARD | You know the song Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian Christmas Song)? Can we talk about how for my entire life, I thought the line was “Mele Kalikimaka is a wise way to say ‘Merry Christmas to you.’” One day (seriously just last Christmas) the song was on the radio and I heard it differently (read: correctly) — “Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's way to say ‘Merry Christmas to you.’” Obviously the correct one makes sense, but hear me out. I already knew the song was about Christmas in Hawaii, so I assumed they were just giving advice. Like, “Hey — if you’re going to Hawaii for Christmas, it’d be wise of you to say ‘Mele Kalikimaka’ instead of ‘Merry Christmas.’” My logic also made sense, right? RIGHT?! Right.

3. FIR REAL | Our Frasier Fir Christmas tree is up, we’ve got Pine candles burning (my personal favorite here, and we’re using this Frosted Fir Method Hand Soap in our bathrooms. It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas!

4. HOLY WOW | Did you know that Brenda Lee was only 13 when she sang and recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”?! And here we are today, still adding it to every holiday playlist.

5. FEELIN' CHEESY | Netflix came out with a new movie called The Princess Switch. I watched the preview and my first thought was that it sounded a lot like The Parent Trap. I love The Parent Trap (both versions) and it seemed cute, so I watched it. It is legit a redo of the '98 version — same “You’ll teach me to be you, and I’ll teach you to be me” lines and everything. While the similarities were uncanny, it was enjoyable nonetheless. In one scene they shamelessly plugged A Christmas Prince, which Netflix came out with a yeeeaaar ago I think… Anyway, I watched it next and there’s a line where one person says the weather is lovely and the other comments something along the lines of, “Yeah, if you like frostbite.” And guys, I shit you not, they gave two characters the same exchange in The Princess Switch. Fo’ real, Netflix? Was it just that good of a line? But all that aside, it was cute and I like Rose McIver, so I wouldn’t rule out watching the sequel that came out this year… though the reviews so far haven’t been stellar.

Want to share what you’ve seen, heard, done, or learned this holiday season? Post a comment!

xoxo

K