every time i return from a trip, i feel a hint of discontentment with our home. yet oftentimes the littlest tweaks are quite significant in changing the feel & mood of a space.
today i thought i would share a little list of simple things i love to do within our home to make it feel fresh & new again.
1. light my favorite candles – there’s nothing quite like the warmth & coziness of a candle burning. i love the gather candle from our shop & burn it in our kitchen next to the sink.
2. make the bed – luke & i begin each day by making the bed together. it’s a quick bit of time to connect & chat about our goals for the day while we fold the blankets & pile on the pillows. also, it’s such an easy way to calm the chaos of home.
3. flowers in unexpected places – go out to the garden & harvest a bouquet or grab one from the grocer. create mini bouquets throughout your home in the most unexpected places – the bathroom, your bedroom dresser, atop the coffee table. every time you turn the corner, you’ll smile!
4. set the table – gather your favorite linens, a bouquet of flowers, a candle & your favorite china. set the table & ready your family for a wholesome meal together. it’s the simplest way to reconnect with your family & ground yourself to your sacred place.
how do you freshen your home & it’s corners? please share in the comments!
love,
natalie
one month ago, our 1997 13ft shadow cruiser camper lovingly named susie q joined our family! see the first blog post HERE.
we’ve slowly made small changes inside over the last few weeks to better fit our family & our own aesthetic. today i thought i’d share some before & in-progress photos!
BEFORE:
& NOW:
it’s amazing what a can of paint, some fabric & pops of color will do!
with the exception of the floor & carpet insulation around the top bunk, i painted every square inch of susie q. in total, it took me about 20 hours. i coated the laminate cabinets & faux wallpaper walls with this primer first. once it was dry, i painted two coats of white primer + paint all-in-one from the hardware store. it’s holding up very well & stains wipe off easily with a magic eraser!
i also painted the front of our mini fridge in chalkboard paint & love doodling cute quotes & phrases to the front!
my biggest splurge inside the camper was having the cushions professionally reupholstered. i was able to find a great coupon to joann’s fabric store for the gray linen blend fabric, which cost about $125 in the end. the trim fabric was found at hobby lobby for just a few bucks. it cost $200 to have the cushions reupholstered so i spent about $350 on this project.
it was well worth the expense, though! the new cushions zip off for easy cleaning & i love how much the new cushion colors brighten the space!
i was able to shop our home for most of our accessories & artwork. it’s so fun what you’ll find when you start shopping your closets & drawers!
above – i cut a piece of cork board to size for the side of our nightstand & added postcards, fun photos & more of places we love & adventures we’ve been on. we plan to add to the board as we travel to different places!
my sweet cousin gifted me the cute tea towel when she heard about our camper! i was able to find a cheap hook at walmart to hang it near our sink.
i also added fresh flowers & candles throughout our space. woven baskets & cute plastic plates are great for corralling like-items together.
i am always on the lookout for extra camper storage solutions. i found this great wire bin at walmart on sale for just $6. it hangs over the door of our closet for storing books, magazines, coloring books & color pencils.
most everything else came from inside our home. the mugs are from 1canoe2 & the globe print is from meg’s shop.
we still have a handful of changes to make, including curtains, but it’s always so nice to see a little progress & lots of hard work!
what do you think, friends?
love,
natalie
i am so excited to have my husband, luke, in this space sharing his tips for planting annual flowers! if you have a garden-related topic that you’d like us to blog about, please comment below! thanks!
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When we first moved to our farm and were planning out the garden Natalie had to convince me to devote space to flowers instead of planting it all to vegetables. I was reluctant, but conceded to her request. By the time the zinnias, cosmos, and sunflowers were in bloom I was so glad I let Natalie persuade me. Seeing our summer garden with flowers in full bloom always brings a smile to my face.
Here I’m going to discuss seeding summer flowers like zinnias and sunflowers, which we just planted in our own garden this week. For those of you in our region (Zone 6) it is time to plant summer flowers! For those of you North of us, wait to seed until soils have warmed or transplant after you’ve passed your last spring frost date.
I usually start zinnias from seed in the greenhouse, but this year I wasn’t able to so I’m just going to be talking about directly seeding in this post. Like with our directly-sown vegetable crops I start by digging a shallow furrow with a triangle hoe to plant into. I like having my drip tape laid out first so that I can use it as a guide to keep my rows straight.
Zinnias might just be our favorite garden flower. They are so vibrant and colorful and make beautiful summer bouquets. Especially since we can’t buy zinnias at the store, they are such a special treat to grow in the garden and have in our home.
Because zinnia seed is light and non-uniform I find it easiest to sprinkle by hand. Zinnias should be sown 2 inches apart and then thinned to 9-12 inches between plants once they are starting to crowd. I recommend using a ruler at first to get a good handle on the correct spacing. They only need to be buried a 1/4 inch deep, so be sure your furrow isn’t too deep.
Sunflowers are a must for our garden as well. Not only are sunflowers a gorgeous accent in the garden, they are great for attracting and feeding pollinators which are vital for your flowering summer vegetable crops.
Because sunflower seed is large and fairly uniform I find it easiest to use the seed packet as a little seeder. I fold the lip of the packet so that the seed comes out one at a time and I tap the side of the packet to control how fast the seed slips out. Sunflowers can also be sown at 2 inches between seeds, 1/2 inch deep. Thin to 4-6 inches between single-stem varieties and 18-24 inches between branching varieties once the seedlings have started to grow.
Once the seeds have been dropped in the furrow I will use a trowel to scrape the soil back into the trench and cover the seed. Be careful not to bury the seed too deep. And make sure there is good seed-soil contact when you cover the seed, even taking the flat end of the trowel to pat down the soil to make sure it is firm.
Lastly, be sure to water in the seed thoroughly giving the beds a good soak with a water hose. I use drip tape for irrigation, but I will still water in my seeds with a hose-end sprayer to make sure they have plenty of soil moisture for germination. And be sure to keep the beds from drying out until the seedlings emerge. At this point it is critical that your seeds have plenty of moisture.
Stay tuned to see how our zinnias and sunflowers do this year. I can’t wait for those summer blooms!
-Luke
P.S. If you’d like to purchase flower seeds for your own garden, we have our favorite varieties for purchase at Freckled Hen Farmhouse. Click HERE to shop our selection of garden seeds!