We live in a world of conspicuous consumption. People make money to buy the things to make us happy enough to make more money to buy more things. Even the penny has value, as much as we treat them as useless; in great quantity, they can buy happiness too! I am equally guilty of it conspicuously consuming, I make no bones about that. I work hard, as does my husband; it took a long time for us to get to a place of comfort—we are not rich, but with a little saving and careful money management we …
Fun Weekend Project: Vintage Charging Station for Electronics
Tell me if this sounds like a familiar scene at your house: Yelling, "WHERE'S MY PHONE?" at least once per day. Spending five minutes of your life you'll never get back untangling power cords. Searching every dusty corner and under couch cushions for the right charger for your phone. Damn you, manufacturers. Vowing to find a solution so you never have this problem again. Annnd repeating the whole mess again day after day after …
The Reality is that DIYing is a F-ing Mess
At the intersection of inspiration and exhaustion lies the belief that all things are possible, where we forget our own limitations. I saw a beautiful, do-it-yourself Christmas decoration several weeks ago on Sweet Cabane's Instagram feed and forgot for a moment that I enjoy DIY and crafty things only in theory and in other people's Instagram feeds, because the reality is a f-ing mess. But, like all capable women, I took on the challenge. It's not too late to whip this up …
Fun Weekend Project: Vintage Map on Wood
You've seen the Pinterest posts telling us how to make things with scrap pieces of wood, or leftover pallets, or barn boards. Inevitably the projects end up on a funny Pinterest Fails slideshow somewhere when the instructions become too complicated and we lose steam. Seriously, if the fun weekend project loses its fun appeal, we're checking out. I'm not about to tell you that there's isn't planning and commitment necessary to make the vintage map on wood project, but the results will be …
Super Easy DIY Scottish Serape Shawl
Last summer, my husband surprised me with a visit to The Fergus Scottish Festival. I didn’t know where we were heading until we pulled into a dusty field, which doubled as a parking lot, that the most Scottish experience this side of the Atlantic was our destination. If I had known, I would have cleared my schedule for the entire weekend and made sure we were there to enjoy every caber toss, every raised glass of whiskey, and every kilted wonder that passed through the admission gates. As …