I Left My Curling Wand in the Dust

Earlier this year I professed my love for my curling wand.  I used it for quite a long time... until enough was enough and I had to give it up.  I had a terrible issue with burning my wrist over and over.  It wasn't any flaw in the wand itself, just a problem with my own clumsiness.  Anyway, instead of going back to a traditional curling iron, I decided to try out this method of curling your hair with a straightener.


I like the natural waves this method creates.  As you can see, I use a GHD straightener and I love it.  It has rounded edges so there are no creases in your hair while you're running it through for curls and it heats up really fast.  Here's an example of the finished product:


Anyway, this is my current routine for curling my hair.  What kind of curling iron/wand/straightener do you prefer?  No heat curls are always a great alternative.  I'm going to try curling my hair like this next!  xo.

Make Your Own Leather iPad Case

I've been shopping for a case for my iPad mini for the past couple of weeks.  There are a ton of great cases on Etsy, so I was just planning to buy from a handmade artist.  As I've been making, making, making things for work purposes (I'm working on an ecourse, starting ornament season, etc), I decided I needed to make a craft for myself.  I visited our super duper leather store here in town, Springfield Leather Co, and found the perfect scraps to make my own iPad case.


To get started, I first measured my iPad.  There's no point in making a case if your electronics won't fit inside, amiright?  I decided to make mine 8"x10".


Next, I used my rotary cutter and straight edge ruler to cut one 8"x10" rectangle from my leather.  I never knew love until I met my rotary cutter.  It seriously makes cutting so much simpler and cleaner.


After I cut out the first rectangle, I used it as a template for the next one.  I knew I wanted to use the natural edge of the leather scrap for the flap, so I traced around the rectangle and continued my line upward, so the natural edge was incorporated.


Next, I chose the lining fabric and cut it out.  I pressed the edges with my iron, keeping in mind that the lining needed to fit just inside the leather pieces.  After the lining was pressed, I used Tacky Glue on the corners to keep the fabric in place while stitching.


After the glue was dry, I set all the pieces together and ran them through my sewing machine.  I have to be honest, it was a little tricky getting all these pieces through the machine, but with a little extra guiding, I was able to get them through.  I used glue to secure the top edges of the lining in place and once that was dry, I was all done!


My little case is perfectly imperfect and I love it.  Sometimes you just have to make a little something for yourself-- it's good for the creative soul!

Happy Friday, friends!  xo.

These Are The Days

"These are the days."  Have you heard this saying?  I hope to say that proudly for my whole life.  I don't see it as a matter of boasting on how great your life is, but rather, a way to always be appreciating the season of life you're in.  These ARE the days, and down the road, those will be the days, too.  I believe it wholeheartedly.

These are just a few photos from a couple of weekends ago.  We went out to a winery with some friends for a folk music festival and the weather was perfect for it.  The girls danced about, Poesy went around petting every, single dog she could, and it was an all-around pleasant time.  It's getting cooler here and I'm pretty sure fall weather is leaving us, but I'm glad we took advantage of this day.  It was a good one for the books.

I hope you all are having a great week so far!  xo.

Passing On Traditions and BucketFeet

Man... I remember being a kid and eagerly anticipating that moment my mom would get all the leaves raked into one giant pile.  That first jump into the fluffy mound of leaves was one of the best parts about fall.  As an adult, I have a different kind of appreciation for fall (hot tea, knit hats, and baked apples), but I still love it as much as when I was much younger.  Being a sentimental so-and-so, I'm trying to pass that love on to my kiddos.  Sure, I'm not as good in the yard-work department as my mom was (I rake almost never), but spending time in the colorful outdoors is a must this time of year.


Outfit Details:
Katie-- Dress: c/o Emerging Thoughts;  Tights: ModCloth;  Hat: thrifted;  Shoes: c/o BucketFeet
Hope-- Sweater: gift;  Jeans: Target;  Shoes: c/o BucketFeet

I don't wear sneakers as often as I probably should-- it takes a pretty snazzy pair to get me excited.  Our shoes from BucketFeet are definitely in that "snazzy/get me excited about sneakers" category.  They have over 10,000 artists in 35 different countries designing their footwear.  You can find styles for women, men, and kiddos, and their backstory is pretty interesting, too.  You can read about it here and meet some of the designers here, if you're interested!  They are a really neat company!

**BucketFeet is offering the first 25 Skunkboy readers to make a purchase 25% off their order with the code SKUNKBOY25.  You can see some of my favorite styles in the photo above.  Dots, Delta, Fat Sugar, Jason Atienza

Happy November, friends!  I can't believe it's here already!  xo.

*This post was sponsored by BucketFeet but all opinions are my own.