Friday, December 10

Printable Bookplate Stickers

Hey guys, I had an idea for the boys stockings that I'm super excited about and I wanted to go ahead and share it now in case you want to make a set for your kids as well! 

I was looking at the Read Aloud Revival gift guide for book-lovers and one of their ideas was bookplate stickers. I loved the idea of the boys being able to mark the books they get each year, but I did not love the ones linked in the gift guide. So, I headed to Etsy to see what else I could find. I came across some custom book stamps that looked amazing.... but $30 per stamp was over my stocking budget. I also looked at custom bookplate stickers that ran around $8-10 for a set of 12. They were cute, but it was still more than I wanted to pay, especially since the bigger boys already need more than 12 stickers. 

But then I suddenly realized... I can print my own stickers!
 

A set of 120 printable Avery labels was under $10. Now I'm looking at 30 labels per kid for under $2.50 each! Those are stocking-stuffer prices, folks. And I had a ton of fun designing a unique set for each of the boys that I think they will love. 
 
I made a PDF of each design that you can download below for free and print on your home printer (you'll just need these Avery labels). You can write in the names before you gift them, or leave that up to the kids (it would be so sweet to have their handwriting saved in their books). If you're feeling a little more tech-y, I also have a jpg version so you can upload it into a program like canva to type in the names before you print. Make sure your printer is set to print full-scale so the stickers will line up correctly. Click on the links below to download the printable sheet for each design:


Happy stuffing! (Ok, probably could have done a little better there. But it's almost Christmas, guys!)
 
What are you putting in stockings this year?
 

Tuesday, December 7

DIY Modern Farmhouse Christmas Stockings

New year, new stockings... again.... How often is it normal to get replace your stockings? Growing up we had the same stockings my whole life (my parents still use them!) and I feel like that's the normal thing to do. It's all part of the nostalgia of Christmas, right? But here I am replacing my stockings for the... fifth time? I've started from scratch every time we added a baby (since we needed to add a new stocking) but almost every time I breathed a sigh of relief that I could finally ditch stockings I didn't love and try again. Here's what I've tried so far (you can read the full saga in this post):

  1. Failed Sweater Stockings
  2. DIY Flannel Stockings - I ended up hating these. I was on a tight ($0) budget and made them out of leftover flannel from other projects that didn't match my Christmas style. I won't totally knock this idea though - I think a cute plaid set would feel wonderfully cozy!
  3. Cheap Hobby Lobby Stockings
  4. $5 Christmas Stocking Hack - I actually really liked these ones! And I honestly don't have a good reason why I didn't just make a seventh one to match for our newest addition - it was just so much red when so many of them were up there together, and! So this time I'm trying something that feels a little more organic - like a collection we can add to over time.

And now I'd like to introduce you to my newest stocking love: mix-and-match modern farmhouse stockings!

Saturday, November 27

2021 Gift Guide - Stocking Stuffers

Check out my gift guide for KIDS here.

Check out my gift guide for ADULTS here.

I've got one more gift guide for you this year, and it's all about the stockings (speaking of which, I'm hoping to have a new DIY stocking tutorial for you next week!) I made separate guides for adult stockings and kid stockings, but I'm going to stick them both in this one handy post - so scroll on down if you're looking for ideas for the kids! 

Like the rest of my gift guides this year, these are truly some of our favorite things that we use on a regular basis. And FYI, when I asked my mom and sister what they would put on this list the first thing they both said was "good kitchen scissors" and I already had it on here as one of my top picks. So I guess my #1 stocking stuffer recommendation is kitchen scissors. If you're looking for trendy cutesy stocking stuffers that most people have never even heard of, you've come to the wrong place. But if you want an honest-to-goodness gift that will be used for years, I've got the guide you're looking for, folks. So let's get to the good stuff:

ADULT Stocking Stuffer Guide :

1. Simple Circle Earrings  /  2. Hot Cocoa Mix (or make your own!)  /  3. Popcorners (or their favorite snack!)  /  4. Silicone Spatulas  /  5. A Slim Wallet  /  6. An Infuser for Loose Leaf Tea  /  7. Bobby Pins (because we always lose them)  /  8. A Garlic Rocker  /  9. Good Kitchen Scissors  /  10. A Wrist Magnet  /  11. Silicone Straws (especially good if you're gifting a straw cup!)  /  12. Tallow Balm (or your fave lotion)  /  13. Isotoner Mittens  /  14. A Pinecone Necklace  /  15.  Erasable Gel Pens (or my other favorite pens)  /  16. A Pen Light  /  17. A Pocket Knife  /  18. Jeopardy Desk Calendar (may or may not fit in a stocking - but my father in law has this and saves the cards all year to play jeopardy whenever the whole family gets together! )

Wednesday, November 24

2021 Gift Guide for Adults

Check out my gift guide for KIDS here.

If you're like me, you love finding a really great gift guide full of really great ideas that will make your shopping really easy this year! But finding such a guide can be pretty frustrating.... because a lot of lists like this don't actually have anything on them that I want to buy. I don't want a list of trendy ideas that sound cool but aren't truly practical or useful. I don't want to give gifts that will be clutter by January. 

That's what inspired my 2021 list. It's full of things that we truly love and use on a regular basis. You can choose anything on this list and know that it's tried-and-true. Hopefully it's helpful and you'll find some great gifts for everyone on your list!

1. Wingspan Game  /  2. Cozy Minimalist Home Book  /  3. My Favorite Sweater  / 4. A Tin of Tea  / 5. Chicago Cutlery Knife / 6. Good Mixing Bowls / 7. Cast Iron Pan / 8. Mesh WiFi / 9. Insulated Travel mug (small / large / straw cup) / 10. Art Prints (tree rings print / vintage painting print) / 11. Wool Socks  /  12. The Best Notebook  /  13. History Books (Washington: a Life / 1776)  /  14. The Perfect Mug  /  15. Gift Card  /  16. A Plant  /  17. Laptop Stand  /  18. Keepsake Ornament  /  19. Bluetooth Speaker  /  20. A Good Puzzle  /  21. Outdoor Blanket  /  22. Handheld Espresso Maker  /   23. A Custom Necklace  /  24. 7 Wonders Duel Game  /  25. Kreg Jig  /  26. A Good Drill   /  27. Compound Miter Saw 

Saturday, November 13

2021 Gift Guide for Kids

There are a lot of gift guides floating around out there - but how do you know which suggestions are really good? So for this year's gift guide, I'm sharing our tried and true favorites. The things my kids truly love and use daily. Hopefully it will help you find the perfect gifts your kids will love! And since I only have experience with boys, I asked my sister (who has two girls) for input as well (there were several items that overlapped both of our families!). So you should be able to find something for everyone! 

1. Mega Wedges    2. Kozy Couch    3. Kingdomino Game   4. Roller Blades   5. Picasso Tiles   6. Floor Puzzle   7. Wingfeather Books   8. Perler Beads (and boards)   9. Bow and Arrow   10. Legos (or Lego Friends)   11. Schleich Animals   12. Pirate Jewels   13. KiwiCrate Moon Darts   14. Dollhouse   15. Brush Markers   16. Disney Frozen 2 Pop Adventures

 

My minimalist heart looks at this list and thinks, "man, that's a lot of toys," but keep in mind that we really do limit the amount of toys we actually give each year. So while this is a big snapshot of the toys we have, I would never plan on getting so many things in one year. We try to stick to the four gift rule: something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. Which means one toy-type item per kid. Because managing too much stuff isn't fun for anyone. Here are some favorites from every category:


---- "Want" Gifts ----

Gifts to Get Them Moving

We have a house full of boys, which means a house full of energy! So gifts that involve big movement have been a huge it at our house. One of the best gifts we ever gave them was building a rockwall with monkey bars in the playroom (you can find our free plans to build your own here). Since then we've added a couple play couches and a pair of mega wedges and it has transformed our playroom into a building/climbing/fort-making wonder land. 5/5 stars would 100% recommend both of these items. We also have a few large flat bed sheets just for fort-making. We also love gifts that encourage outdoor play. We've gotten hours of play in the driveway from roller blades (don't forget helmets and knee pads), but they also love scooters and bikes. They also love making stick forts in the backyard, which is so much better when they have weapons to defend their territory - especially this bow and arrow, this other bow and arrow (definitely recommend one of these for each kid!), and a few good swords.

Gifts for Creative Building

Our boys also love to build! Our legos and picasso tiles are both used daily. If I had to list a top two toys in our house, those would be it. Instead buying a new building toy for Christmas, I would just buy more legos and picasso tiles to add to their collection for making bigger builds. They love them that much. Right now my boys are really into minecraft legos, but my sister says her girls prefer the lego friends sets. Kozy couch is also worth mentioning again for kids who love to build!

Gifts for Artists and Creators 

Our boys also get a big kick out of making things, and their preferred medium is perler beads! They've been using them for years and haven't tired of them yet - because there's always something new to make! We started with kits but now we just buy big packs of colored beads and plain boards and they make up their own patterns, or we'll print patterns off google (usually for 3D minecraft characters right now). This year their grandma is surprising them with the mini perler beads they have been begging for. For little artists, both my kids and my sister's kids love brush markers, and my older boys have had a lot of fun with these portable watercolor kits! In the past we've done KiwiCrate subscriptions (or just bought single boxes without the subscription) and they've loved everyone so far. This year I'm eyeing this Moon Darts Box and this Wrap Rockets Box. They have tons of options for different ages!

Gifts for Creative Play

We love toys that allow lots of options for creative play. Toys that can't be used for multiple things are often toys that will be used the most! Our kids love having animals and little guys they can use in dollhouses, jungles, under the table, and even in the tub! All of our kids like schliech animals, my boys love the imaginext action figures, any my sisters kids love playmobil characters with changeable clothes and the disney pop characters. This last one is super random, but has been one of our most played with toys - fake jewels. Whether they're looking for treasure, bartering in their "shops," or stocking their forts, these jewels get daily play in some way! My sister also recommends collecting a few velveeta cheese boxes (they use them as barbie cars, dollhouse rooms, treasure boxes, cooking pans... just about anything!).

Puzzles + Games

Every year we also put a family gift under the tree that we can all enjoy together like a puzzle or game. Some of our favorite family games lately are King Domino (we're gifting this to a few people this year!), Sushi Go Party, Bohnanza, Dice City, Monopoly Deal, Ticket to Ride, Wingspan, Sequence, and Blockus. Our smaller boys really love this Under the Sea Seek and Find floor puzzle and their alphabet puzzle, and this Lego Minifig Puzzle was a favorite for our big boys!

---- "Need" Gifts ----

This is a really broad category that can be literally anything your kids need (or that would be super handy for them to have). It's a great chance to replace worn out items, invest in quality items that will last for years, or find things that will make their life a little easier. This could include anything like: new shoes, noise cancelling headphones, a sleeping bag, a duffle bag, rain boots, a bank, etc.

---- "Wear" Gifts ----

This one's pretty self-explanatory - if they can wear it, it counts! A new hoodie, cardigans for church, warm boots, a ball cap for their favorite team, cozy pajamas, minecraft tshirts, even a fun costume for dress-up. We got our six year old the cutest hat and jacket at Walmart this year. (And yes, I have no problem bundling a couple things together like a hat + jacket that for this category!)

---- "Read" Gifts ----

Last by definitely not least, the "read" gifts. Probably my favorite category. We love good books and we love reading together, so every year I bundle together several good books for each of the boys. I match the reading level of our older boys so they can read to themselves at bedtime, and stick to picture books or read-alouds for the younger boys. I also add a couple books for the whole family under the tree that we we will read aloud together. My favorite resource for finding new books for them is Read Aloud Revival. Sara has put all kinds of hand book lists together, and she pre-reads everything to make sure they are totally clean and child-appropriate (which seems harder and harder to find these days!). For my boys, I usually just pick a new book from her Books Boys Love list and so far they have loved every one. She also has a list of Books Girls love, favorite picture books, and more! I recently discovered Good Book Mom who does similar book suggestions and got my 8-year-old the Last Firehawk series she reviewed. He read almost a book a day! There are so many good books on those lists, but here are a few of our absolute favorites so far: Wingfeather Saga (probably our #1 pick!), Growly Series, Green Ember Series (on sale right now!), My Father's Dragon Series, Edge of Extinction (gifted this to my 9-year-old last Christmas and he said they are the best books he's ever read!), The Hobbit (this illustrated version is the bomb), How to Train Your Dragon Series (the audio book version read by David Tennant is amazing - we were able to get it through our library!), The Sign of the Beaver, Seven Silly Eaters, If I Built a House, The Big Honey Hunt (our youngest loves these older Berenstain Bears books!), The Complete Brambly Hedge, Tales that Tell the Truth, Ramona Quimby age 8, Mervin the Sloth, Don't Push the Button, The Ark the Reed and the Fire Cloud, The Giant Jam Sandwich, The Cook and the King, and The Alfie Out of Doors Book. I guess I better stop there. So much for "just a few." Did I mention this is my favorite gift category? 


I hope this guide gives you a great starting point as you look for gifts for all the kids on your Christmas list! I'm hoping to share another guide soon with give ideas for adults, and a quick guide for stocking stuffers. So stay tuned!

Want more ideas? Check out my minimalist gift guide for kids! And you can browse all my past gift guides here.

What would you add to this list? What are your favorite tried-and-true gifts for kids??


Saturday, October 2

Boys' Closet Reveal (Low-Budget Makeover!)

Hey guys! It's time for the closet reveal! You saw a peek of it in the bunk room reveal (check that out here if you missed it), but the final details are done and this closet is already working hard for our boys. This was a 100% low-budget use-what-we-have project because seriously, guys, you don't have to spend a fortune to create a beautiful home for your family! Here's a reminder of where we started and where we left off during the bunk room reveal:

 

And here's their closet today: 

 

Monday, September 20

Macrame Rainbow Tutorial

My sister and I put together some fun little macrame rainbow kits for a local craft fair, and I thought I'd share the instructional video with you guys, too, so you can make your own! 

You may not have a kit, but you only need a few simple supplies to make your own at home - and you can make it any size you want, with as many colors as you want! Get creative and have fun!

Here's all you need to make your own:

  • soft rope that frays easily (I love the "nautical rope" from Dollar Tree)
  • 3 colors of yarn (or more if you want more bands on your rainbow!)
  • a wooden bead (optional)
  • hot glue gun
  • scissors
  • ruler
  • fork
And here's the video instructions:


If you follow the instructions exactly, you'll end up with the cutest little ornament-sized rainbows that will make sweet little Christmas gifts! Yep, I said it. #itsnevertooearlyforchristmas 

Have fun, and let me know if you give it a try! :)

Thursday, July 22

Bunk Bed Plans

Today I'm sharing plans for the regular double bunk bed we used in our boys' new bunk room

**Returning to this post more than 3 years later...we still use these bunk beds every day. They've held up great and love them as much as ever!**

We built the bunks as two separate units (a freestanding triple set and double set) so if we ever change course later and decided to split them up, we can! They also disassemble into a few large pieces for easy moving. We painted them all a muted green ("Retreat" from Lowe's) which feels perfect for a boys room without being over-powering. And I love the contrast that came with leaving the ladders and railings natural wood.

You can find the triple bunk plans here.

Monday, July 19

Triple Bunk Bed Plans

Guys, it's time for bunk bed plans!

You probably already got a look at the bunks during the room tour (if not, you can check out the full tour here) and today I've got plans ready for your to build your own. We'll start with the triple bunk today, and you can find the double bunk plans here

**Returning to this post more than 3 years later...we still use these bunk beds every day. They've held up great and love them as much as ever!**

We built the bunks as two separate units so if we ever change course later and decided to split them up, we can! They also disassemble into a few large pieces for easy moving. We painted them all a muted green ("Retreat" from Lowe's) which feels perfect for a boys room without being over-powering. And I love the contrast that came with leaving the ladders and railings natural wood.


These plans are based on Ana White's modern bunk beds, but I modified them to fit our needs and space a little better. Besides creating a triple bunk version, I also changed the overall height of the bed and moved the bottom bunk all the way to the floor (with slats underneath for air flow) to create as much head room as possible. I put a lot of thought into the bunk layout and decided to set the double bed at different heights than the triple to give as much headroom as possible to those bunks (especially so I can sit up on the bottom bunk for bedtime reading). 

Thursday, July 1

Boys' Bunk Room Reveal

Ladies and Gents, this is the moment you've waited for....

The boys bunk room is DONE and I am so excited to share it with you! This room used to be our guest room, but we realized that we could make the space work for our family so much better if we turned this into a bunk room for all five boys and turned their old (bigger) room into a dedicated play room. I don't know about you, but there are a couple things I was tired of:

  1. Boys playing with toys when they should be going to sleep.
  2. Stepping on those toys when I go in to check on them at night. 
  3. Boys who couldn't nap while their brothers played. Or play while their brother napped.

So we decided to ditch the guest room and create a dedicated sleeping space that is only for their beds, their clothes, and a their favorite books. This allows their bigger room to house the toys along with plenty of open floor space to play and, of course, the monkey bars + rockwall play area we built for them a couple Christmases ago. 

Ready to see how we fit FIVE BOYS (and all their clothes) into one room? Let's check it out!

**Returning to this post more than 3 years later...we still use these bunk beds every day. They've held up great and love them as much as ever!**


Thursday, June 10

homeMAKER - new to my Etsy shop!

My Etsy shop is looking totally different these days, and I don't think I've ever loved it more!

I don't have a lot of time for stocking handmade items right now because I'm knee deep in all the goodness (and hardness) of homemaking. But that got me thinking - I'm a homemaker in the traditional sense of the word, but I'm also a literal homeMAKER because I love all the DIY magic that turns this house into our home. There's something wonderful about creating and nurturing a home for our family in any and every way. And I think it's something that's not celebrated nearly enough!

So most of my shop is now dedicated to all of the home-MAKERS out there! Whether you're building your own furniture, working to make your home more functional, creating a warm and beautiful living space for your family, cooking up a wholesome meal (or tasty dessert) for the people you care about, establishing the environment of love and gentleness you want your little ones to grow up in, or doing any of the countless other things you tirelessly do to care for your family and the home you share with them, YOU are doing the hard and holy work of truly making your home. 

You can grab one of the items below to you rock your role as a homeMAKER, or use them as gifts for the other inspiring homeMAKERs in your life! You can jump to a certain item below, or check out the whole homeMAKER section. And keep scrolling for a few other fun items available in my shop!

homeMAKER:


These are my faves, but I also have the homeMAKER print available on several other products like stickers, tote bags, and aprons, and more. Check out the entire homeMAKER line!



Friendly reminder: it doesn't have to be perfect to be GOOD. This is one of my favorite quotes in homemaking - whether we're talking about sharpie on the wall, ordering pizza after dinner gets burnt, or living in a rental that's definitely not your dream home. Things don't have to be perfect (they won't be most of the time) to be good! This mug is perfect for those hard days when we can all use a little reminder.

Sign Language:

Last but not least, I have a few fun designs featuring my sign language print! I do offer a free poster print download that you can use to make your own poster, but if you want an easier option my shop now stocks several sizes of poster prints. And you can even get the sign language alphabet printed on a mug or tshirt!


Note: All these items are original designs made by myself and my sister, RBH Studio (check out her shop, too!), but we use a third party company to print and ship everything so we can still fulfill orders during this busy season of life. It feels like a perfect balance for my little shop right now. :) 



Thanks for checking out the shops, and happy homemaking!

Wednesday, April 28

Sign Language Poster FREE PRINTABLE

I've always had a super hard time decorating my walls. The last couple years especially so, as I've worked to curb my tendency to over-buy home decor by waiting for something I really love that is a good fit for the space. But I also wait something that is affordable (thrift stores are my jam) and it often takes me quite a while to hit that sweet spot where beautiful meets affordable. Which, for me, sometimes results in empty walls for years at a time. I mean, we've lived here over five years and we still have several blank walls! BUT I was finally able to fill one empty space in our home library with this sweet sign language alphabet poster!

I spent ages trying to decide what I even wanted to hang in there - since it's our main homeschool space, I knew I wanted something that would be educational, but still beautiful. As I'm learning to better embrace my roll as the keeper of our home, I really want to create spaces that are beautiful, comfortable, and useful for my family! When I came across the idea of a sign language alphabet poster, I knew it could be just what I was looking for. 

Now I've seen sign language posters before, but none of them were, well, cute. In fact I found several free printable options on pinterest, but none of them had the cute factor I was looking for. And while I found a few beautiful posters with the more simple style I wanted, none of them fell into the budget I was looking for (the cheap-to-crazy-cheap range). So I decided to make my own! And I turned it into a printable so you can make one too!

Tuesday, February 16

Hot Chocolate Mix

Guys, it is cold out there. I can't think of anything better than snuggling up with a warm drink, so today I'm bringing back our favorite homemade hot chocolate mix recipe!

There are a lot of hot chocolate recipes out there, but here's the thing: my husband says this one is the best. And he knows hot chocolate. You know how people like to start the morning with a hot cup of coffee? He starts every morning with hot chocolate. And this isn't a new thing; he's a life-long hot chocolate man. My in-laws like to tell about the Alaskan cruise they took when my husband was 10, and guys, he drank all the hot chocolate on the boat. So when he says this one is his favorite, you can go ahead and stop looking. You have arrived.

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