want. read. wear. need. | july 2014

want / hello sweatshirt

read / made by hand

wear / birkenstock sandals

need / fossil


+ lazy days
+ angel hair pasta
+ reading in bed

home in pennsylvania

I've spent the last 5 days in my hometown in Pennsylvania and it has been wonderful. I forgot how beautiful this part of the country is and how much I absolutely love it. These past few days have been full of good food (so much pizza), a massage, shopping with my mom and sister, Indian food, playing with my adorable nephews, and relaxing. It really is going to be hard to leave and go back to Texas but I have so much to go back to there. I'm feeling really lucky these days.

+ outside wine time
+ fresh starts
+ pennsylvania

favorite books | july

I've been in the mood to make things lately.

ok, I'm always in the mood to make things. I'd really like to be able to make a few simple clothing items and I've looking through sewing books trying to get better at it. These are a few books I've been loving to look at for ideas on sewing, cooking and making homemade items for around the house.

Sew U 

The Kinfolk Table 

Handmade Living


+ farm dreams
+ watermelon
+ reading in bed

weekly links | July 28

I could spend all day here daydreaming about buying a cabin in the woods.
 
I've watched this commercial over and over and it is perfect. 

I really want to make this while I'm home and have my dad to help me. 

I might try a capsule wardrobe. I love simple. 

Sweetgreen's menu makes me want to eat salad all day. 

I'd love to try and make one of these beautiful patterns. 


+ playing board games on the floor
+ lightning bugs in the grass
+ summer morning light

keeping things simple

I had a wonderful birthday this year. I went out to lunch with my friend Deb and talked over Thai food. Spent the afternoon preparing for my trip to Pennsylvania and got a pizza with Philip in the evening. We had some beers and tried to go to the movies to see Boyhood but the theater was full, maybe next week. That movie trailer looks amazing.

Recently I've had a desire to simplify my life in every way. I spent a few weeks in July going through our apartment and donating items to lessen the clutter and it felt so good. I wrote some birthday goals for myself on the plane ride to Pennsylvania and they are pretty simple as well.

buy less stuff
be nice to myself
be calm
have more fun every day
be patient with others

They all sound so easy but I know it will be challenging. I'm working on breaking them down into activities to help me follow through and make progress on living my life with these goals in mind. I love the idea of spending less time buying stuff and more time doing things I love to do. I'd love to meet more people in Austin too. Why is so difficult to make friends when you're in your thirties?

+ strong coffee
+ family time
+ good pizza

How I get rid of stuff

I have been slowing going through all the rooms in the apartment and trying to get rid of things. We don't really have a lot that we don't use or love because we move so often. We've moved almost every year for the last 7 years that we've been together. Before that I was in college and moved every year to a new apartment for the school year. I've lived in 10 apartments in the last 12 years. That's a lot of moving and it makes me tired just thinking about it. When we moved from Seattle to Pittsburgh, we got rid of everything even our furniture. We were able to fit everything we owned including our pets into a 4 door sedan and a teeny tiny trailer.

I like to keep the amount of things we own to a minimum and my desire to own less seems to grow every year. I've also been working on buying things that last longer and using items until they're worn out. I donate a lot of the stuff we don't need because we didn't really use it that much and it still looks good.

My new plan of attack is to buy less stuff. I've started making list before I go to Target and not buying anything that isn't on the list. It's been challenging but I know I don't need any of that stuff and I'll probably be putting in the donate pile in a few months when we move again.

This is how I get rid of items:

DIY painted can planters

If you're like me and enjoy buying a new plant every time you leave the house then you are probably running out of pots to plant them all in. Well this idea is going to help and also save some money so you can buy more things you need, like plants.

This DIY is pretty darn simple.

1. Eat food out of a can. I suggest spicy black bean tacos.

2. Wash can to remove label and use scrub brush or goo be gone to get rid of any glue residue. Also sand any sharp edges around the top to avoid future injuries.

3. Use spray paint to paint can, I used two layers.

4. Use a small nail to poke drainage holes in the bottle of your can.

5. Put plants in beautiful new planter!

+ sleeping in too late
+ blueberry mini pies
+ watermelon mint cocktails