New On ABM!

Here's what I was up to last month on A Beautiful Mess!

I shared a fun and simple way to spice up a ponytail with the CrissCross Ponytail technique!

I shared my recipe for making your own Grapefruit Mint Poppyseed soap!  We have been using this stuff like crazy-- it smells so good!

Elsie and Emma released a new e-course called "Blog Life" and I got to help Elsie out with a little  bonus video.  It's included with the e-course when you purchase.

I don't know how April passed by so quickly, but I have a whole list of projects to tackle for this month.  I can't wait to share!  xo. Katie

Weekend Snippets

We had a pretty fun and eventful weekend!  Johnny and I (with the help from some talented friends) played on our local late night comedy show on Friday night.  The girls even got to come along and watch, thanks to some of our amazing friends.  

On Saturday we hit up an art festival, spent some time relaxing in the park, and in the evening I took the girls to see the Cinderella ballet.  It was really beautiful.  Hope enjoyed every little bit of it, but being a 3 year old and having an already full weekend, Poesy spent most of her attention span in the first half.  It was still a really good time, and one of those things we don't get to do very often.

On Sunday, Hope had her very first piano recital.  I could tell she was nervous (you can see the nerves all over her in the photo above), but she held it together very well and did a wonderful job on her songs.  I think the first of anything is usually the scariest, and now that she knows what to expect it should be a little easier next time.  I was just proud of her for doing it!  I would've been scared out of my mind as a kid.  I was not brave in the least.

What did you do this weekend?  Whatever it was, I hope you got a little relaxation time in!  Happy Monday!  xo. Katie

Weekly Wears: Girl Gang

So, probably at some point in your life you've had a "thing" for something.  Maybe it was something totally normal, or maybe it was something a little different.  I don't know what category mine falls into, but I have a "thing" for clear plastic.  Let's travel waaaaayyyyy back in time to pre-teen Katie with her clear plastic backpack and remind ourselves that nostalgia plays a large role in what we wear, what music we listen to, etc.  I will rock a clear plastic purse/coat/backpack/shoe/umbrella any day of the week.  Now you know.  Or, maybe you already did know.  ;))

Coat: c/o ModCloth;  Shirt and Jeans: c/o PYLO;  Shoes: Minnetonka;  Bracelet: c/o MataTraders

Lucky for me, it's been pretty rainy around here lately so I've been getting some miles out of this coat.  Don't be fooled though, I really would wear this on a sunny day if I felt like it.  Hey, I like what I like.  ;)  xo. Katie

Family Portrait Challenge // 3 & 4

I realized I never posted our family portrait from March and now here we are in May!  The top photo is our April portrait and the bottom is our March portrait.  I think February is going to reign champ when it comes to my favorites for the year, but we shall see.  It will be fun to see changes each month in photos, even when they are subtle.  Take our little porch swing for example: here, I was in the process of painting it mint, until I decided that yeller is better.  We are so used to it being yellow that I hadn't even thought about that partial mint paint job.  I think physical changes in family members will occur the same way.

Don't forget about the disposable camera challenge!  I'm still shooting away, but this roll is definitely going to take me more than a month to get through.  It's not too late to start if you want to get on board!  Happy Thursday!  xo. Katie