Little Touches

Rustic Stick Snowflake Wreath {& other Christmas Photos to Melt Your Heart}

Posted on by kenz

DIY Stick Snowflake Wreath

Christmas has been pretty low-key around these parts.  I mean, I’m sure Evelyn is singing Jingle Bells at the top of her fetal lungs, but we have been so busy and wrapped up with getting ready.  This project was so fast, so easy, and most importantly FREE.

I walked around my back yard and gathered an armful of sticks, like a crafting  pioneer woman.  Except those poor ladies didn’t have hot glue.  How terribly unfortunate for them.  Nor did they have Netflix.  2 of the things I needed for this short little craft.

DIY Stick Snowflake Wreath

My good buddy Reggie suggested that I watch a documentary called Children Underground.  Sounded great.  Here’s the description:
“…a profoundly intimate and heart-wrenching drama about homeless children struggling for survival on the streets and in the subways of Bucharest, Romania”

A very eye-opening film, however, might I suggest not watching something that will make you cry whilst hot-gluing.  Because you will forget you have hot glue on your fingers… and you will wipe your eyes.  And then you will cry more, because HOT DANG, it burns.  But as suggested by Reggie: follow it up with this on Netflix to feel better.

Back to the wreath.  It was easy.  I drew out a snowflake on a piece of paper and laid out the sticks accordingly.  Some of them I broke or bent to make the shape.  Then I hot glued it, and wrapped the middle with some twine to hold it together extra good.

DIY Stick Snowflake Wreath

DIY Stick Snowflake Wreath

When I finished gluing the stick snowflake wreath together, I actually thought it looked REALLY dumb.  Kinda like an elementary school Christmas craft.  It was uneven and just kind of janky looking.  It didn’t look AS bad when I hung it from the light to take pictures, but on the front door I was like “K, this CANNOT stay.  GET OUT!”  But newsflash: It stayed.  And it has grown on me.  And when people come over, they like it.  So I guess it doesn’t suck as much as I thought.

DIY Stick Snowflake Wreath

I think one of the things throwing me off about the door, is that the wreath is right over the window.  I dunno, it just is “off.”

DIY Stick Snowflake Wreath

My very un-festive and small front porch.  One of these times I’ll paint the door, and put up a garland on the railing.  But not this time.  We’re just lucky to have a snowflake on the door this year.

DIY Stick Snowflake Wreath

I finished it just in time to match the weather.

DIY Stick Snowflake Wreath

And since I’m so behind on blogging, I’m going to dump all our other Christmas photos into this post.  I don’t go crazy with holiday decor.  We put up a Christmas tree, a garland, and stockings.  But it’s enough to feel our home with Christmas cheer and warmth.

Easy Christmas Decor

Easy Christmas Decor

Easy Christmas Decor

Easy Christmas Decor

Easy Christmas Decor

Easy Christmas Decor

Rustic Utah Design

Posted on by kenz

I thought I’d do something a little different today.  We’ve been focused on the really big parts of our open concept renovation.  “Cabinets this day… lay flooring like this… paint all the walls… build a half wall…” etc.  But we haven’t really talked about the design of it.

What’s our flavor?

I feel like our house used to be a collage of different colors and designs all over the place.  Not much “flow.”  We’re trying to think of our house as a whole, and not each room individually.  But that has evolved into tying in the design to our surroundings.  Aka, what’s outside the door.

Wasatch Mountains

There are so many styles of design to love.  There’s Hollywood Lux, East Coast Beachy, Asian Zen, Tropical Bamboo, Southern Cottage, and so on.  I decided I really needed to tap into the inspiration all around me in Salt Lake City.  When I said “Rustic Utah” this horrific image flashed in everyone’s mind:

Rustic Utah

To everyone’s relief, I had some different, and more up-to-date ideas on how to incorporate some Utah Design into our lives.

The name of our granite counter tops is “Pebble Beach.”  Outside our front door are the most gorgeous Wasatch Mountains.  They are beautiful, and part of our every day lives.  If you are a Utahn, you have a weird attachment to the Wasatch Mountains.  There’s a granite quarry in these mountains 20 minutes from our house, where all the granite was pulled for the Salt Lake Temple, probably the most iconic building in Salt Lake.

Wasatch Mountains

Temple Quarry

Salt Lake Temple

We wanted our granite to be a color and pattern native to our area.  It’s pretty dead on!

To the West of our house, the view from our backyard is the Oquirrh Mountains.  They are a little smaller in height than the Wasatch, but they are home to the Copper Mine, the largest open pit mine in the world.  The Oquirrh Mountains inspired us to incorporate copper accents into the picture.

Oquirrh Mountains

The State Motto of Utah is “Industry,” so having industrial elements was a must.  Mixed metals, woods, and leather.  It needed just a sprinkle of tribal to touch on Utah’s Native American history.  And that’s how we came up with our Rustic Utah design!

Rustic Utah Mood Board

1//2//3//4//5//6

What do you think?  Is it tacky to decorate based on your surroundings?  Or do you think it helps tie the inside and the outside together?

2 Rugs, 2 Dogs, 2 Much Trouble

Posted on by kenz

This one time, not at band camp, but online shopping, I found this rug from Urban Outfitters that I crushed on.  It brought out my inner hipster.  And I was mad hot that they didn’t have it in my living room’s size.  It was like shopping for a prom dress, and only finding it 2 sizes smaller.  Luckily, I thought of a solution that would work with rugs, and not so much prom dresses.  Buying two, and putting them up next to each other.

And it seemed to work.

Continue reading →

Bringing Our Wedding Home

Posted on by kenz

Two years ago today I married the most wonderful human on the planet.  I have no doubt that Aaron and I were custom made for each other.  There is no one on the Earth who could tolerate and love me so perfectly.  Of that, I am positive.  (I’m quite the terror, I’ve been told.)  He is the ideal life adventure partner.  He’s the Jones to my Indiana.  The Brave to my Toaster.  The Earhart to my Amelia.  The fuel to my Cessna.  The Drew to my Nancy.  The Peeta for my Katniss.  I could go on forever.  Good thing our marriage will… go on forever.

Wow, anyway.  Am I giving you a cavity with all this sweetness?

Continue reading →

DIY Spa Bath Tub Caddy

Posted on by kenz

Luxury For Pennies

Did you guys see that Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw yesterday?  Gnarly.

Valentine’s day is coming up.  And maybe you want to make yourself a gift, for a romantic night to yourself 😉  If that’s what you’re into. It’s way better than sending yourself a dozen roses from a “secret admirer.”

I saw this post by Everyday Simple (look at item #2) featuring different Valentine’s gifts.  The spa-like bath tub caddy stuck out to me, and I thought “Hey!  I am 100% capable of making this for myself.  Do it to it Lars.”

Continue reading →