lately…
:: we’ve added a new member to our family- a young pup with a big personality. her name’s dandy & she’s the perfect friend for our sweet huck. we’re still in the potty training stage so all of the rugs are tucked away in closets until she’s fully trained. she’s making big progress, though & our home feels much warmer with her in it.
:: framing prints & finding a place for everything in our home. unpacking the last of our boxes & settling in for the cooler months.
:: finding plenty of eggs in our coop after a bit of a break. just in time for sharing with friends & making delicious quiches from the last of our summer veggies. decorating the coop, too. with a bright & cheery banner.
:: pulling out the wool socks, hats & scarfs for this cooler temperature. enjoying the crunchy leaves & all of the colors so much during this beautiful autumn season.
:: harvesting the last of our summer veggies for sharing, freezing, drying & canning. this weekend i’m preserving pepper jelly!
:: a good mail week! jumped for joy when i found a big package full of candles from sweet amber of oakmoss. pure excitement here. licorice vanilla is my favorite.
:: planted our autumn garden – arugula, lettuce, salad greens, carrots, beets, radishes, turnips & so much more. a little late this year, but at least those seeds are in the ground!
:: beginning another knitting project. i’m loving the rhythm of knitting these days. having girls over for hot cider & red wine for an evening of knitting!
:: dreaming up handmade ideas for christmas gifts, which involves my dusty sewing machine. i better get to work! what are you dreaming up this holiday season?
:: almost a month until the little craft show. we’ve been working since june & i really can’t believe it’s almost here!
:: i really can’t believe it, but we’re leaving for california in less than a week! we’ll be in san francisco for the first leg of the trip & then we’ll road trip down to LA. any great spots i should know about? local food, thrift shops, quirky neighborhoods, delicious coffee? please do let me know!
love,
natalie
i am so very excited to share with you my favorite little corner, our home apothecary. i wanted to share this space in film, but the lighting is very low so it’s very grainy. i hope you don’t mind!
when we first moved into this home, i knew i wanted a place for storing & organizing all of my supplies for the handmade recipes we love so much. earlier in the year, i was inspired by amanda’s own kitchen apothecary & soon after, i found amber’s cabinet full of supplies for soap making.
during the summer, i found this cabinet with smudged glass & scratched wood but fully functional at a yard sale for $20. i brought it home & with a little elbow grease, leftover white paint & spray paint, it came to life. it’s the perfect little cabinet & it makes me smile.
atop the cabinet sits a vase of cotton from a farm nearby, a beeswax candle, incense, found objects & this herb drying rack, also found at a yard sale for $5. it is so convenient & it makes our home smell wonderful. i am currently drying parsley from the garden. earlier this year i dried mint & soon i’ll be harvesting oregano and thyme before our first frost.
on the first shelf includes a small collection of books on homemaking, herbal healing, holistic health & natural body care recipes.
i also have a handful of supplies on the first shelf, including beeswax, essential oils & containers for holding homemade lip balms, deodorant, & hand salves. a great resource for supplies is mountain rose herbs. all of my baskets & jars for holding supplies were thrifted for just a dollar or two.
on the second shelf includes quarts of homemade applesauce, a collection of pottery, a favorite photograph by abby & a thrifted basket full of miscellaneous vases for around the home.
on the last shelf includes preserved peaches, quick pickles, salsa & an array of jams & butters.
i am not an expert whatsoever in the topic of handmade concoctions, but it’s an ever-growing interest of mine & i love having this little space to inspire & educate. i hope you enjoyed my little tour!
love,
natalie
war eagle weekend is a favorite of mine. this year my mom, aunt, cousin & i celebrated our girls’ weekend with handmade goodness, delicious food & a few too many sweets. it was a small group this year, but we still loved it. this was my sixth year in attendance, but my mom has been going with her mom since she was thirteen. it’s a family tradition. here are some posts from years past {here & here – oh, how my hair has grown!}.
this year, as always, we hit up our favorite spots:
sparky’s for dinner.
& my friend, vanessa’s booth, the mosaic butterfly. i purchased the little house mosaic up above. it made me smile.
i feel so lucky to be part of a family with such a rich family tradition. i look forward to this weekend every year – just 363 days ’til next year’s war eagle!
share some of your family traditions! i’d love to hear!
love,
natalie