NEST … with inspiration from the creative mothers in my life

by Julie on May 17, 2013 in NEST with 1 Comment

IMG_8644

This Mother’s Day made me think fondly of all the creative talent that my mom and mother-in-law have and how much my children absolutely adore and cherish the handmade gifts from their dear grandma and grammie!

IMG_8649

The kids and my amazing mom … they love their sweet grandma! My mom has such a special gift of patience and creativity. She has always made loving gifts for all of her 21 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren and she even made my wedding dress!!

IMG_8645

These blankets lovingly made by my mom are the ones my boys sleep with, snuggle up with when they watch movies, use to build forts, hold tight when they are sick, scared, or sleepless, take on long trips, and the ones we pack along to go camping. These are just a couple of the many blankets handmade by my mom and usually a few are always found on their bed for snuggling.

IMG_8646

More handmade goodness from my mom and my aunt Anna Louise

IMG_8638

A special dress made by my mom.

My kids prefer to have my mom mend all of their clothes, they have even asked her to mend their socks (that I did not allow her to do). I COULD mend their clothes, but grandma’s mending is ALWAYS much better and filled with more love and way more patience.

IMG_8624

My dear sweet girl and her Grammie (my mother- in-law).

IMG_8640

Grammie made a collection of doll clothes with great little details… mini buttons, ribbon, rickrack, and coordinating fabric. She also lovingly makes fantastic photo albums of the entire family (8 siblings and families, soon to be 26 grandchildren!!). Each family sends their favorite pictures and she creatively weaves a year long story through an album of pictures and presents it to us at Christmas. It is such a cherished gift for our family and definitely a labor of love.

IMG_8641

IMG_8642

Reflecting on the love and patience of my mom and my mother-in-law allows me to appreciate motherhood even more and value the importance of making and creating for my children and with my children.

I know firsthand how much time it takes to make something by hand, but the meaning and connection is so strong when time is spent laboring over a crafted gift for a loved one.

What handmade gifts are special to you and your family? I would love to hear.

Thank you Moms, we are so blessed!

Julie

NEST + CREATE + NOURISH … on this mother’s day weekend | inspiration by luli sanchez

by Julie on May 11, 2013 in CREATE, NEST, NOURISH with 4 Comments

mothers

lovely watercolor images by Luli Sanchez

Blessings to all of you lovely mothers this weekend!

NEST … by embracing your family and all of the special mothers in your life.

CREATE  … by taking a few moments to think creatively, maybe just looking at inspiration for a project or possibly beginning one that has been lingering in your mind. The images above are certainly inspiring me lately.

NOURISH … with (hopefully) some peaceful moments to yourself to rejuvenate and reflect on the goodness of motherhood.

Julie

Pin It

NOURISH + CREATE … inspired by the HALO foundation

by Julie on May 7, 2013 in CREATE, NOURISH with No comments

Save-the-Date-1-300x214

Take a look at this fantastic worldwide foundation based right here in Kansas City.  Halo stands for Helping Art Liberate Orphans. “Liberating through Art” how exciting!! They have a strong focus on providing art therapy for the children that they work with and in addition to helping children globally and across the US, they are helping at risk children right here at their headquarters in the West Bottoms of Kansas City.  My thesis in college was designing an Art Therapy Center for children and know first hand how powerful it can be for these children to express emotions through art. I worked closely with Raw Arts, a great Art Therapy program in Boston and it left me with a passionate heart for artistic therapy and how it can change lives.

I had the opportunity to meet the founder this past weekend and witness how incredibly passionate her whole team is about providing this supportive, nourishing, and creative network for children worldwide. Look here for ways to connect with Halo, learn about Club Halo and possibly host a fundraiser at your school for them.

Hope you are inspired by HALO and inspired to promote their creative spirit!

Julie

Pin It

NOURISH … with mini tostadas | inspired by naturally ella

by Julie on May 3, 2013 in NOURISH with 6 Comments

IMG_8525

IMG_8521

We’re planning to make more of these yummy tostadas with homemade tortillas this Cinco de Mayo weekend. We recently bought a tortilla press and  … IT IS FABULOUS … can’t believe I’ve waited this long! The kids all love to press them and especially these little mini ones. We use this recipe for homemade corn tortillas from Naturally Ella and they are ridiculously easy and taste SO fresh. For these mini tostadas I created a potato goat cheese topping but used her kale- cilantro chimichurri from this recipe for breakfast tacos, which are also so, so good!

IMG_8522

IMG_8519

MINI TOSTADAS

Homemade corn tortillas (naturally ella) For these mini tostadas we just made the tortilla balls 1/4 to 1/2 the size of hers.

INGREDIENTS

2 white potatoes sliced

2 small sweet potatoes sliced

1/2 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

olive oil for cooking potatoes

salt and pepper to taste

goat cheese for crumbling on top

microgreens (optional, only if you have them)

DIRECTIONS

Saute potatoes until cooked with chopped onion and garlic in olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place desired amount on warm tortillas and top with the chimichurri sauce from naturally ella (found above) and crumbled goat cheese, and micro greens, if you are using them.

Hope you enjoy a festive Cinco de Mayo weekend with your family !

Julie

Pin It

NEST … recycle + color series

by Julie on May 1, 2013 in NEST with No comments

recyclecolor3+

Kitchen image via spark creative   |  Floral image credit | paper and type

Wishing you all a happy first of May!

This kitchen looks quite inviting and it has a nice mix of vintage and modern touches. Great natural light, reclaimed wooden beams, open floor plan, and a fantastic moving island (which of course you would want locking castors or the kids might decide to take it to another room entirely). What about that whisk light? Here’s a tutorial to make your own. Let me know if you find one and decide to try it- it is a nice touch and absolutely love the idea of reusing an industrial whisk for a light.

The ranunculus flowers on the right are some of my favorites and the mix of vases settled into the wooden crate makes quite a clever arrangement.

Have a lovely start to your May!

Julie

Pin It

CREATE + NOURISH … with DIY mother’s day essential oil scents | by five and one

by Julie on April 26, 2013 in CREATE, NOURISH with 2 Comments

essential-oil-scents

Mother’s Day Essential Oil Scents |with Printable Gift Tag

Nourish the mothers in your life with these simple essential oil scents made by blending almond oil and natural, fragrant essential oils. After you make these as a gift you will want to experiment to create fragrant blends for you and your family. What is lovely about these roll on bottles is that you can lightly dab a little on the wrist and rub in for a soothing aromatic scent or simply inhale slowly to enjoy the aromatherapy benefits. Lately my daughter has had a tough time settling down at bedtime so I have used a night time blend with lavender and almond oil to rub on her chest and feet to ease relaxation. I have used essential oils for years and especially loved them while being pregnant.  Careful consideration should be taken with essential oils while pregnant since they are very potent, but some can work beautifully for relaxation.  A great reference book is Aromatherapy and Massage for Mother and Baby. Another great essential oil blend that I use often is this Rosemary Lavender Chest Rub. It works great for breathing easier and clearing up congestion.  The kids love chest and foot massages with this while they are feeling under the weather and it takes a very small pea size amount of oil for each massage. If a blend is ever too strong for you just add more of the carrier oil. I hope you enjoy this simple way of creating a unique scent for someone special or for yourself. For another Mother’s Day gift take a look at this Citrus + Herb Sea Salt DIY with free printable labels.

SUPPLIES

Assorted essential oils (I used Aura Cacia oils and these can be found online or at a natural health food store)

Almond oil (or another carrier oil such as jojoba oil)

Glass perfume bottles from Making Cosmetics (they have an amazing selection of items for making your own cosmetics)

DIRECTIONS 

Step 1  - fill glass container 1/4″ from the top with carrier oil

Step 2 –  add in one of the following blends

These are some favorite scents but feel free to smell samples and create a blend that works for you.

Lavender, Grapefruit | 3 drops lavender, 6-7 drops grapefruit

Rosemary, Grapefruit | 2 drops rosemary, 6-7 drops grapefruit

Rosemary, Orange, Clove | 2 drops rosemary, 6 drops orange, 1 drop clove

Rosemary, Sweet orange | 2 drops rosemary, 5-6 drops sweet orange

Bedtime blend | 1-2 drops of lavender

Step 3 – print out the following labels and attach with decorative washi tape.

Essential oil scent labels (Save labels to your desktop and print on clear 8 1/2″ x 11″ label paper ) The clear labels do not stay on the glass bottles by themselves but I like the added touch of the washi paper for decoration.  You could also use a white or kraft brown colored label sheet.

Enjoy experimenting and know that you are using a scent that is nourishing you and the environment.

If you already use essential oils, I would love to know you favorite blends.

Julie

Pin It

HAPPY EARTH DAY … and a reminder about the first family hike of the season.

by Julie on April 22, 2013 in CREATE, NEST, NOURISH with No comments

hikingozarks

Happy Earth Day my friends .. it is finally a beautiful day here in Kansas City and life is getting busier with the garden and other outside projects. We’re currently carving out a little spot for a strawberry patch to add to our growing list of fruits and berries in the backyard.

I wanted to remind you all of our first Spring Family Nature Hike coming up this Sunday at 3:30 at the Parkville Nature Sanctuary. We usually meet at the front parking area, but take a look at the details here.  Also, the May hike has been cancelled but we will have another one in June and maybe a couple of hikes in the summer.  Look for details on a Five and One trip to Beanstalk Children’s Garden this summer.  It is a fantastic place to get inspired and we will be doing a tasting tour of some of the tasty fruits and veggies they have growing.  It is a great place to explore garden life and the five senses with children.

Enjoy this beautiful day connecting to nature with your family!

the photo above is one that I took of my family while we were exploring a trail with many caves in the Lake of the Ozarks.  

Julie

Pin It

NEST + NOURISH … celebrate earth day by planting a butterfly | wildflower garden

by Julie on April 19, 2013 in NEST, NOURISH with No comments

swallowtail

It’s so lovely to finally see the blooms of spring and our kale, swiss chard, and peas sprouting in the garden. I guess they don’t mind being covered in a foot + of snow! Last year by this time we were enjoying these lush blooms. It is taking a bit longer this spring, but love to see this new life begin. The photo above is a black swallowtail butterfly enjoying our wild bergamot last summer.

I recently read this article on the monarch butterfly and their decline sadly due, in large part, to genetically engineered crops and herbicides. We have slowly added in native shrubs and flowers to attract butterflies and it’s so great to see them around the background during the summer. Take a look at some of these beautiful wildflower palettes below by Landscape architect Piet Oudulf for a little inspiration on planting a butterfly garden or maybe just a few milkweeds. (view more images here on Scott Weber’s pinterest board).

Here is a great resource from the Missouri Department of Conservation for ideas on Native Plants for your landscape.

f6cbd526a5c08f0edca56e1dff1b8a23

West-Cork-1

This last image is the High Line in New York, where Oudulf designed native plantings for the public park built on the elevated historic freight line above Manhattan’s West Side. What a fantastic blend of nature within the city.

hi-line

If you would like to add more native grasses and wildflowers into your landscape a favorite local sale of mine for buying wildflowers and herbs is the John Wornall House annual herb/wildflower sale, coming up on April 27th. They have a great selection from the Missouri Wildflower Nursery. Also, the Prairie and Wetland Center is a fantastic resource for finding native plantings and seed mixes. Would you like to know more about why growing native plants is so important? Here is a great explanation. Also if you do not live in Kansas City, here is a great resource for finding native species to plant in your area.

Enjoy planting some natives with your children and provide a welcome habitat for birds and butterflies.

- Julie

 

Pin It

NOURISH … with a new breakfast favorite + unprocessed recipes from bona food magazine

by Julie on April 17, 2013 in NOURISH with No comments

I am posting a new favorite breakfast idea for a few dear friends that are taking processed foods out of their diets. The recipe link below is a basic chia seed pudding recipe that is great on its own and very satisfying, but can be enhanced in so many ways by adding one or more of the following ingredients…

 avocado, dates, nuts, chopped fruit, shredded coconut, or cocoa powder

Chia Seed Pudding | Food and Wine | cooking note : I replaced raw honey for the agave nectar in this recipe.

Making almond milk | Oh She Glows | store bought almond milk can be used in the recipe above, but if you would like simplified ingredients this homemade version is the ticket.

Also, Bona Food Magazine has some super tasty unprocessed food ideas and their current issue has some great breakfast recipes. Take a look at their current issue here. Be sure to browse their past e-magazines for more healthy recipe ideas.

Screen-Shot-2013-04-16-at-2.44.44-PM

bonafood

Below are images from a previous Issue of Bona Food Magazine with more great Breakfast recipes.

Screen-Shot-2013-04-16-at-5.08.19-PM

Hope you enjoy some of these refreshing ideas for starting your day and nourishing yourself and your family!!

Julie

Pin It

NEST … recycle + color series

by Julie on April 12, 2013 in NEST with No comments

recyclecolor2

RECYCLE  +  COLOR SERIES

A nesting series pairing an interior image for inspiration that includes a recycled detail or vintage/reclaimed furnishing + color palette inspiration for paint, textile, and accessories. Images for color palettes may include the work of an artist, a textile, or a natural environment.

I am mixing in more of the NEST portion of Five and One with this new series, since before staying home with my lovely children my background included Interior Architecture and Design and Furniture Design. I will be focusing on featuring ideas for blending recycled and reclaimed furniture and finishes to complement the modern home. 

I pretty much love everything about this interior vignette on the left (via casa tres chic). The mirror, the mix of vintage and antique furniture, the creamy white interior, and the lovely view to the outdoors. A nice addition to the color palette would be a rich blend of blues like the colors in these hand painted Rebecca Atwood pillows. I really like the exposed brass zipper and the natural cotton/linen backing paired with her hand painted designs. Take a look at more of her lovely handpainted designs and creative process here. She also posts design palettes and creative inspiration on her blog that are incredibly inspiring.

- julie

Pin It
← Older Entries