The One Room Challenge Begins!
Exciting news! The Fall 2020 One Room Challenge has begun! Check out all of the details!
You can get all the details on the One Room Challenge and my projects here:
I hope you will stop by!
XOXO
A
Family Game Night
Recommendations for Family Game Night including all of our favorite games
Happy quarantine! I hope you all are well and are staying healthy.
I have lost track of the days and the weeks. I just know we have a few weeks of school left and then we will be entering a summer unlike any we have ever encountered. Yowza! But we will get through it together.
One of our new favorite parts of quarantine is Family Game Night — even on school nights! After dinner we all play a game, and I’ve collected a list of our favorite games together to share with you! I hope they give you some ideas for family fun together!
It’s almost time for gardening here in Colorado. In fact, this weekend I’m getting my annual dividend of compost from our compost service — fresh compost delivered! Hooray! I’m so ready to dig in the dirt — but I have some weeding to do before that comes. Phew! That’s my project for the next few days. And then I’m going to put in veggies and flowers in our raised beds. We also need to freshen up the Dinosaur Garden! I’m excited to get that cleaned up so Bambino can play there again.
I hope you are wearing a mask. Remember: my mask protects you; your mask protects me. If you need to make a mask, here are my recommendations. I finally got a few rolls of shop towels, and I’m happy to report that they make easy filters in these masks.
Be well! Stay safe! And stay home!
XOXO
Angela
Staying Home and Staying Cozy
How are you spending your Coronavirus confinement? I have a few ideas in case you are starting to lose your mind.
My dear friends, it has been a minute! Actually, more than a few minutes. I took some time away from writing to work on other projects, and then COVID-19 happened. One month ago today, in fact, we started to shelter in place. Aside from daily social-distancing walks with the dog and the child, we really haven’t left the house. And like so many of you, I’m juggling school lessons with a spouse working from home and my own work projects, too.
It is a lot.
And let me tell you: if you aren’t ok, that is totally ok. This is a remarkable, historic time. It is scary and insane and strange and monumental all at once. And it is ok not to be ok.
But now that we are a month into this with no real end in sight, I have gathered a few ideas and resources which might help you make your own confinement a little easier.
DIY Face Masks
First, I have put together tutorials for making face masks in three different styles. I have made more than 30 masks, and I tried several different ways to make them. Finally I decided on three different masks that seemed to work best — and are easy to make. If you need to make masks for your family, I hope you’ll try these out. Let me know how it goes!
Hygge Makes Everything Better
Early on I chose a word for this period knowing that a focus would make everything a little easier. My word is: hygge. What’s hygge? It is the Danish concept of coziness, happiness, and goodness — all rolled up together.
Focusing on hygge has allowed us to jump into our confinement with joy and love. My husband travels a lot for work, so having him home for an entire month has been amazing! We are cooking a lot, snuggling on the couch, reading even more, and I’ve taken up needlepoint which is a wonderful distraction.
I have updated my What I’m Reading Now list — lots of good book suggestions!
I am also journaling — sometimes angrily, sometimes creatively, sometimes with great sadness. And we have become Zoom experts — along with the rest of the world — from class meetings to get-togethers with friends.
But I’m also doing a lot of sleeping — or at least reading in bed. And I have some tips for sleeping Scandinavian-style which is all about bringing the hygge into your bedroom. We love it!
Small Home Projects
We aren’t tackling anything big right now. The Spring One Room Challenge was supposed to start on April 1, but it has been postponed to May at the earliest. But we have been doing small projects around the house. Our kitchen, for example: we were supposed to remodel it this spring, but those plans have been put on hold. So we have taken on a few small projects — temporary fixes for a truly dysfunctional kitchen. Small projects like this can ease the daily stress of living in a house that doesn’t work well — even if they are temporary fixes.
Celebrating
I’ll be honest: I didn’t feel much like celebrating Easter. But as the day approached, I realized just how much we needed a celebration in the middle of it all. We have also celebrated two big birthdays for family — one with a Zoom-call party and another with a silly drive-by parade. Life goes on, and we can still celebrate milestones, even if we can’t do it in person as we would like.
And when I did hang the Easter eggs from our branch chandelier and put out the Easter decorations, the change was welcome, and we had a wonderful family celebration.
In the next few weeks I will share some of our favorite recipes and projects. It is almost time to get out into the garden again — despite the fresh snow today! And one day soon we will be back to something that approximates “normal” again.
But until then, stay safe! Wash your hands. Wear a mask. And stay home as much as is humanly possible.
XOXO
Angela
Happy Valentine's Day!
A round-up of simple and inexpensive Valentine’s crafts, ideas, and decorations!
Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us, and I have gathered a few projects to help you celebrate this holiday of love! Enjoy!
I have simple, homemade Valentines to make:
I have ideas for simple Valentine’s decor…
And some easy Valentine’s Day projects using a Cricut, too:
I wish you all the happiest of Valentine’s Days! Love and joy to you!
Non-Alcoholic Cocktails and More!
A new addition to the Giving Guide: a great list of ingredients for non-alcoholic cocktails. Stock your bar or give as gifts!
The stockings are hung. The tree is up. And this weekend we will celebrate Sankta Lucia day — the best combination of our Scandinavian and Italian heritage! The Christmas season is in full swing at our house! And I am nearly done with my Christmas shopping, too. Phew! I have lots to ship off across the country this year, so last minute shopping simply won’t work!
I have a few lists that may be helpful as we wind into these most festive weeks. No matter what you are celebrating this year, it’s always nice to have some guidance in the beverage department, and my dear friend, Aaron Sherman, is on hand to help! Aaron is a sommelier, and he has pulled together three fantastic guides with drink suggestions that will fit any dinner, party, or giving needs you may have this season. His wine list is delicious, and I toast the New Year with him annually, so I can tell you those champagne and sparkling wine choices are superb. New this year: a list of non-alcoholic options including fancy drink syrups and bitters which will impress even the fussiest of guests.
A lovely bottle of wine or bubbles makes a great host or hostess gift, and if you are entertaining make sure you have options on hand for friends who aren’t imbibing, too. Aaron has great suggestions for every scenario!
Another consideration: giving consumables like food and beverages — especially if they are in glass bottles that can be recycled — is a green gift option. There are several other greener options on the Thoughtful Giving Guide as well. If you are still shopping, be sure to check it out!
Budget-friendly gift suggestions for everyone on your list! Lists include:
My Favorite Gifts | Gifts Under $15 | Gifts for Mid Modern Lovers | Gifts for Children | Books to Give Gifts to Make | Wines to Give | Bubbles for the New Year
Wishing you all a great week ahead!
Cheers!
Angela
The Thoughtful Giving Guide is Here!
The list of the most thoughtful and useful Christmsa gifts for everyone on your list is now available!
I have been searching all year for unique, useful, and thoughtful gifts, and they are now collected together into one place. The 2019 Thoughtful Giving Guide is here! Enjoy!
Budget-friendly gift suggestions for everyone on your list! Lists include:
My Favorite Gifts | Gifts Under $15 | Gifts for Mid Modern Lovers | Gifts for Children | Books to Give Gifts to Make | Wines to Give | Bubbles for the New Year
ORC Week 5 Update and More
Happy Halloween! This week has been all about making a Halloween costume which won’t require a coat since we got almost 10” of snow this week! It’s cold but beautiful! So I’ve been making a very warm Harry Potter costume, and Bambino and his dad turned the wand on the lathe. So fun!
The One Room Challenge Week 5 update is live, and it is filled with organizational ideas that could be adapted for any home office, art studio, sewing room, or crafting space. I hope you’ll take a look!
ORC Week 5
Organization Solutions
And I know you’ve been worried about my lighting situation! LOL! Well, it is solved, thank heavens! There are more details in the ORC update, but let’s just say… this isn’t what I imagined for the Workroom, but it works very well!
Next week: the big reveal! Lots to do before then, but I’m excited to share that with you next week!
Oh, and Christmas is coming… but let’s get through Halloween first.
Happy Halloween!
XOX
Angela
Thoughtful Gifts
The story of my beautiful Mid Century basket, a flip-through of the 2019 edition of The Nice List, and more!
Today I have a new story — the story of this beautiful, Mid Century basket which was a gift from my dear friend Ruth last Christmas. It’s currently on my dining room table filled with gourds and pumpkins. I love it. Read all about where it came from here…
And here’s a video flip-through of the 2019 edition of The Nice List! If you have already ordered your copy, it is in the mail to you! This week I will be scheduling some Plan-with-Me events — times when we can meet up on Facebook live to talk, ask questions, and get started on using The Nice List. I’ll have tips and ideas for you, too. So watch for that event schedule coming soon!
Happy Monday, friends! Here’s to a great week! The next One Room Challenge update will be coming on Thursday. You’ll get it in your inbox on Wednesday if you are a subscriber!
Cheers!
Angela
