earlier this month we took a road trip to our college town for a wedding. we absolutely love making trips to columbia & especially when we see dear friends come together to celebrate the real gift of marriage. of course, road trips are not always in the budget. instead of spending a lot of money on our friends’ wedding gift, we decided that our presence was their present. i’m not one to show up empty handed, though, so i made a little gift for them with things i already had on hand & one other inexpensive addition.

this little mason jar full of treats would be perfect for any occasion from a wedding to a birthday gift or a housewarming surprise hung on the front door knob.

to make this gift, i simply gathered my supplies… a little mason jar with a handle i already had on hand, lavender from the garden, a purchased inexpensive teal towel from the store, some tags, fabric & washi tape. this gift cost me $4.

i decorated the tag with little letter stamps & washi tape & strung it around the jar with fabric cut into ribbon. i wrapped the cute little towel in complimentary fabric & placed it in the jar. i added a bundle of wonderful smelling lavender to the jar & out the door we went to our sweet friends’ wedding.

it was such a lovely event & i hope they loved their gift just as much as i enjoyed crafting it up!

love,

natalie

in october 2013, i will:

– save & not spend

– prioritize dinner

– make pesto

september was wonderful. we took a little road trip to oklahoma where i met an amazing group of incredible women. we also hosted a farmwarming for our dear family & closest friends. we even checked off some of those home improvement projects from our list. 

i know october will be even better. this month is full of some amazing stuff. i am packing up next week & heading to war eagle crafts fair, a wonderful tradition for the women of my family. we’re also hosting a handful of friends at our house for exciting autumn festivities. i’ll be gearing up for craft shows & the holidays in an effort to make some of our gifts.

this month, as we spend time with family & friends, i’d like to stay mindful of where i put my money. aside from some exceptions that i have already saved up for, such as the trip with my family, i hope to save rather than spend money. our budget is always tight & especially now that i am awaiting a paycheck due to the government shutdown.

additionally, i will prioritize dinner. we’ve had some pretty lousy dinners recently so i hope to get back in the swing of things. i always meal plan, but i hope to incorporate more of our garden bounty into our meals. of course, this requires extra planning, but this month i hope to take time for dinner prepping & making in order to save more.

finally, let’s bring on the pesto. we have bushes of basil growing just out our front door & i hope to freeze jars & bags full of pesto this month. 

happy october, friends!

love,

natalie