crafty

DIY Cork Yardstick // Get Crafty!

May 7, 2014 by Rachel 1 Comment

I’ve been saving corks from wine bottles ever since Pinterest came into existence! Ha! So as soon as I accumulated enough (it’s been a looooong time!), I started on my makeshift-corkboard project, armed with a glass of wine and all.

How I did it:

There’s always a thicker end of cork from a bottle of wine. I arranged the corks so that on each side it alternated thick-thin. It worked out well to make sure that the corks were in a straight line.

Before starting lay out the order in which you want the corks to appear (I tend to switch up my wines quite often, but did have a few ‘repeat’ corks so I made sure they weren’t one right after the other). If your yardstick has metal clasps on the end (mine did), carefully remove. You may have to wedge a screwdriver underneath the metal clasp to get them off, but it definitely works.

This project takes a lot of hot glue, so make sure you have plenty on hand!

Apply the hot glue directly onto the yardstick about 2-inches or so down the stick at a time, starting at from one end. I held the corks down for about 30 seconds before releasing them to make sure the hot glue had time to settle.

I’m happy with how it turned out and it’s already found a home in our kitchen!

As teeny tiny as this project may have been, it feels good to focus some energy creatively! <3 More craftiness to come, for sure!

my week in pictures //

March 22, 2014 by Rachel 1 Comment

Ari + I had a doctors appointment so we went in style.
Well, he did.
<3

Post-doctors appointment, we went to the Akron Zoo.
It was rainy. It was on its way to chilly.
But we braved it. And then we napped. Hard.

I decompressed after work in the best way possible:
Lush bath bomb bath by candlelight and pedicure.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebz3zZLLHgQ]

Ari & I had some fun while baby wearing.
I’m a bit bummed he said “dada” when I told him to say “mama,”
but it’s totally adorable.

Chad + I had our first date night in months!
A Wine & Canvas Cleveland event.
Husband + wine + painting + a post-painting hamburger = amazeballs!

I dealt with the aftermath of night of craftiness.

I had a great mail day!
Cleveland International Film Fest tickets came
PLUS the Save The Date for the Silver Spoon Awards!

We had some post-running fun at the indoor playground!

My little man with a big appetite
(that’s Chicken Tikka Masala, freeze dried peas & bananas on his plate!)
came down with a bit of a cold, which made him super clingy.
Which makes the loving on him that much more intense.

Valentine’s Day Puppy Chow //

February 14, 2014 by Rachel 8 Comments

Last year I was all “Yay Valentine’s Day!” and this year I’m all “Yay – but OMG – I don’t have any TIME to make crafty cards!”

So this morning I thought I’d share my go-to easy (and YUMMY!) Valentine’s Day Strawberries + Cream Puppy Chow recipe. It’s EASY! So quit looking at Pinterest for the cutest and most clever things you can do. Stick with easy. Real moms only have time for easy, anyways. 😉

You’re welcome. 😉

[gmc_recipe 5824]

Disclaimer: By no means is this a “clean” recipe. However — it’s not for YOU to eat… it’s for you to giveaway for other people to enjoy (if you’re concerned)! Ha!

Saturday Randoms //

January 25, 2014 by Rachel 1 Comment

Yesterday Chad left for a boys weekend, of sorts. Which means this mama had the night to herself! And what did I do?? Go wild and crazy, of course! That’s right… I cleaned the house AND kept a fire going… all while watching trashy Real Housewives on the DVR. Wild and crazy, right!?

I had plans for today but we kinda got snowed in. #BabyAri and I left this morning to run one errand and it ended up taking nearly an hour round-trip. In.SANE! It was crazy dangerous and I had a few mini panic attacks. But we made it back. Just in time to put Ari down for his morning nap. Once he fell asleep, I had to work on starting a fire (my first!) and getting my car up the driveway (which took an hour…).

Ari was hilarious today. He had a few naughty moments, which warranted time-outs. But every time he went into time out, I would avoid looking at him. And then I look over and he’s smirking and thinking it’s HYSTERICAL. Which made me laugh and then time out was just a waste…

I found a hidden bottle of sparkling rosé in the pantry tonight. I not-so-elegantly paired it with a few homemade Gluten Free Chocolate Chip cookies that Ari and I made earlier. It was a lovely end to this crazy snow day!

I spent 2.5 hours and $200 at the eye doctor yesterday. It was painful (in many ways) but I’m super excited to have my annual eye exam behind me. And excited that I’m getting a new pair of glasses (first pair in 10 years!) plus gas permeable lenses — which are new to me! As someone who’s worn soft lenses since she was 12, this is a big change! When I told my eye doctor that friends would say “oh no, I get it — my eyes are real bad….” he said that they had nothin’ on me! Ha! Are you eligible for lasik?? I’m like the only person on the planet that isn’t. He said I’m eligible for visual prosthesis in my late-40s, early 50s. That’s right…. Eye transplant. LOL. So yeah, I’m blind, folks. And a hundred bucks says I’m more blind than you. #IWin #ButILose

Ari loves to vacuum with me. I swear if the kid could talk he’d say that the highlight of his day was getting in the Baby Bjorn and vacuuming with me. Ha!

I didn’t have a chance to paint my nails during my doctor extravaganza yesterday, so I painted them today during Babycakes first nap. Not perfect, but good enough for a first shot!

I’m actually kind of nervous about my first day in my new position on Monday. I mean, I’m ready but I’m nervous. Weird!

week(end) wrap up? I don’t even know anymore. What day is it??

December 1, 2013 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Last week was weird, in a good way. The work week was odd, and it kinda threw my whole weekend off. I couldn’t figure out which day was which. Friday night felt like a Saturday, Saturday felt like a Sunday, and today I’m not really sure what to think.

Wednesday night Chad ended up getting called out for work. And Ari + I both ended up really sick with some awful cold. I spent most of the night awake, with a fever, a runny nose, and coughing and sneezing .Oy. Chad didn’t end up getting home until 1:30 am Thanksgiving morning. And of course, #BabyAri was awake at the crack of dawn.

I had planned on going to Gretchen’s yoga class Thursday morning before the Thanksgiving festivities started, but the previous nights’ sleepless shenanigans prevented that. In fact, when we all woke up Thursday morning, we weren’t certain that any of our Thanksgiving plans would come to fruition. In fact, we almost cancelled our dinner plans just to stay home and get rest. So we just hung out and watched the parade for a while!

But I couldn’t bear the thought of not celebrating my favorite holiday with family. Thankfully my aunt and uncle were gracious enough to host us for the big meal! Everything was delicious! And #BabyAri ate a little bit of everything.

After we got home and put Ari to bed, this mama went to Toys R Us to see if I could grab a couple of things. It was busy, but not as crazy as I anticipated. I grabbed a couple things and got the heck outta there!

And while most of you (my husband included) had Friday off work, I had to go into the office. Truthfully, I didn’t mind it too much. I prefer to work the days when no one else is working. It helps me catch up and breathe! And we ended up getting out early on Friday, which was an added bonus!

Friday evening (after Ari and I both woke up from late afternoon naps! ha!), the three of us went down to Lock 3 in Akron for the tree lighting ceremony. I didn’t realize that I had the time wrong, so we went and grabbed a bite to eat at Lockview first (yum — grilled cheese!!). And by the time we left, Ari was on the verge of a meltdown. On our way to our car we caught the tree lighting (almost forgot that that’s what we had gone down there for!) and some surprise fireworks!

Babycakes wasn’t all that thrilled with the fireworks. And neither was I. Ha! They were loud and terrifying. We were watching from the parking deck, so when the finale started it sounded like a bomb was going off. I may have yelled Hooooooly Shhhhiiiiii**** while attempting to duck & cover while holding the babycakes. Ha!

During Ari’s first nap on Saturday I went to the 5th Annual Crafty Mart & Akron Pop Up Shop to get some Christmas gifts! After that we visited some family. Sunday was spent with family again. I did attempt to go to a yoga class. I ended up being super late so I couldn’t even join. Ugh. But I had my laptop with me so I made the best of it by having a little solo Starbucks/blogging date! Ha!

Later in the day we set up the Christmas tree and are in the process of training Ari to stay away from it. Ha. Seriously though – how do you keep a 1-year old away from a Christmas tree.

I’ve decided that this years Christmas tree theme is shabby chic. All of the gifts are wrapped in craft paper or newspaper. The bows are made from old comic books & the labels are Pantone paint labels!

And now we settle into Sunday laziness. Movie, pizza and wine for the win!

another CLE Flea weekend!

November 27, 2013 by Rachel 2 Comments

Northeast Ohio is lucky enough to have an amazing group of local crafters and vendors that offer a pretty incredible array of food, woodworking, gifts, and other things you can find on pinterest but don’t have the time or abilities to make yourself. 🙂

And since this, usually outdoor, market happens only once a month, I generally make it a point to go. This weekends Cleveland Flea was holiday themed and held indoors (thank goodness).

So Saturday after tumbling class, #BabyAri and I drove up to meet Allison from Fashionably Cleveland at the Cleveland Flea on St. Clair. Parking was an absolute nightmare. If it wasn’t for the promise of fun local finds and good company, I wouldn’t have even bothered to find a spot. Unfortunately when we got inside, my anxiety shot through the roof!

Don’t get me wrong — I am so grateful for the organizers of the Flea. They are doing something wonderful and it’s bringing our community together. But? Each month it’s getting increasingly difficult to do any actual shopping because there are too many people and not enough space. The setting inside was intimate, but the crowds were not. I was baby-wearing with the Mei Tai, but that didn’t make me any less anxious about people running into me & Ari.

I saw plenty of people navigating the crowds with strollers, but that was impossible. I could see it on their faces.

The only spot we found a bit of space + air was the food and wine area. Allison and I sipped on some mulled wine while Ari was able to get out of the carrier to move around and dance a bit (seriously — kid absolutely LOVES to dance!). I bought some Brewnuts, which are teeny tiny donuts made from local craft breweries seasonal offerings, and I had every single intention of eating them. But as soon as I grabbed one from the bag, Ari took it from my hands and ate it. Like, gone. Next one? I got a bite. That’s it.

They were really good though. Really good. And Baby Ari approved for sure!

After we snacked we did some more browsing. I bought a couple of Christmas presents (which I can’t mention for fear those people are reading 😉 and had them gift wrapped before we left. But I honestly just couldn’t even focus on shopping. I couldn’t relax enough to browse, search and buy things I don’t really need, but do love.

Luckily events like the Cleveland Flea are on the rise! Akron is having it’s 5th Annual Crafty Mart this weekend. Plus an ongoing Pop Up Shop! I’m hoping that these events are much more laid back. I already know that I can count on some awesome vendors being there.

Oh – and post-Christmas?? I’ll be sure to post my Flea finds! 😉

** Images borrowed from the #ShopTheFlea hashtag on Instagram & the Flea’s Facebook page. **