What She Made: For The Little Ones

3 February, 201417 July, 2014 oursweetsomewhereLeave a comment

What Kate Made:

I have three beautiful nieces all under the age of four in the same household. Both my brother and sister-in-law are both in the military, which means lots of traveling for the entire family. I decided to make something that was easily used while traveling.

Growing up, I loved paper dolls and would play them all the time, so my goal was to try to make a compact travel version of this classic.

Betsy McCall was introduced by McCall’s Magazine in 1951. The first ten years are available for download and print here. Be prepared, because if you are like me and love vintage fashion you will have such a hard time picking out what outfits to print for your dolls! I ended up printing six different issues for my nieces, but that could have easily doubled if I had the time. Looks like I’ll be sending new outfits to them in the future! I picked three dolls, two brunettes and a blond like the girls, and cut them out along with all the outfits. Don’t cut out the folds like you would if you were not making them travel-friendly because we are going to use velcro instead.

This is a super tedious task, but I did it on a Saturday while watching enriching documentaries. SIKE! I totally binged on CSI reruns.

Once you have all your dolls and outfits cut out it is time to create the backdrop for them. Grab an extra manila file folder from your home office and some extra construction/scrapbook paper. Make one side of the folder a wardrobe and one side the stage for the dolls.

Glue everything to the file, including dolls. Trim around so that your scene and wardrobe fit inside. (I chose to leave the dresser off so that I could glue it on later for a pocket.) I then took my file to Staples and got that and the dresser laminated for about seven dollars.

To save some money, I “laminated” Betsy’s outfits on my own. Using packing tape, I covered the front and backs of the outfits and cut around them. This took some time, but it saved money and again I was able to all kinds of educational documentaries (I secretly love you Mac Taylor!).

Then I just quartered some 7/8″ sticky back Velcro and stuck the pointy end to Betsy and her friends undergarments (see picture on the right above), and the soft side to her outfits. Easy as pie!

The girls can take their dolls with them on the go. They fold up easy and can go into their book bags, suitcases, or in the pocket of the backseat of the car.

What do you think?

What Jamie Made:

To be completely honest with y’all, the DIY project that I ended up creating for this weeks’ theme was definitely not what I originally intended on making! Afer a few, or should I say, many tries at creating a pacifier clip (with materials that could not be found in stores), my patience started to grow very thin. In pure frustration, I called Kate to vent about all of the issues that had been going on with my current project. Thanks to her wonderful and creative spirit, she encouraged me to think of something else that I could make with the materials I already had on hand and around the house.

An ‘aha!’ moment happened when I came across some scrap materials in (believe it or not) my boyfriend’s box of crafts! Thus came the idea of creating a simple baby name banner.

I used an assortment of scrapped felt pieces, ribbon, and a few pre-made banner flags to make this quick, DIY banner! Other materials that I used to make this involved a pair of scissors, an exacto-knife, and a glue gun.

As you can see, each banner contains three layers of felt: the larger brown circle, the smaller white circle in the middle, and a shape or letter on top. All three of these pieces were glued together and attached to each banner with the glue gun. Next, I took the exacto-knife to create evenly spaced slits for the ribbon to weave through.

The great thing about making banners is how versatile they can be! Even after being knee-deep into making this banner, I kept on thinking about more alternatives to the ribbon (such as hemp string or baker’s twine).

This project ended up being so much more for me than what it started out with. It’s already been gifted to my sweet nephew, baby Gio! Sooner or later I hope to get some use out of this in a photo shoot with him or when his 1st birthday comes around at the end of this year!

xoxo J&K

Finding Pinspiration

31 January, 201411 June, 2014 oursweetsomewhereLeave a comment

It's a fact; we love Pinterest! Its ability to inspire you with almost every idea imaginable is quite weird, but ever-so brilliant! And because we enjoy pinning so much, we plan on sharing five of our favorite finds each week that have inspired us in some way or another.

Kate's Inspirations:

My husband and I moved back to Columbus and started renting the cutest 1910's townhouse. While we have done a lot to the place to make our own, there are still some rooms (both bedrooms and the kitchen) that we have not even touched! It is time for some inspiration.

Green Onions | Justinia Blakeney
Bed On The Floor | From Moon to Moon

I think I have found our future bedroom color. What do you think? It feels calming yet has some energy to it. There are tons of accent colors so I can keep my current taupe duvet or change it up easily.

Grandma's Quilt | Diary of a Quilter
It Is Well With My Soul DIY | Trisha Brink Design
Tiles and Woodstove | Stone Cold Weirdo

I love the idea of coming home after work, sitting in front of a warm fire (or in my case sitting on my register) under a handmade quilt. I want our home to be comfortable, classic, but with some vintage charm. These three photos depict that perfectly.

Jamie's Inspirations:

My boyfriend and I purchased an amazing two-person desk from Ikea not too long ago; it's the kind of desk that you're able to mix and match different table tops with a variety of legs styles! Some of the latest pins that I've come across focus mainly on desk accessories and what I would want.

I love collecting little treasures like this ridiculously cute succulant and the gorgeous hand-drawn calendar of only some of the places I hope to see some day (so far, I can check off two on here: Chicago and D.C.)!

2014 Calendar | Anthropologie, design by Rifle Paper Co.
Hoya Plant | The Sill

DIY Cork Board Design | Apartment Therapy
Tripod Desk Lamp | Wanelo
DIY Mousepad | Lovely Indeed Blog

That DIY cork board design is cheaper than molasses and is one of the coolest workspace wonders I have ever seen. The polkadot mousepad is just as lovely too! Oh, and how about that gorgeous lamp?! Hello minty goodness!

Stay tuned for more of our weekly pinspiring finds!

xoxo J&K

What She Wore

29 January, 201416 July, 2014 oursweetsomewhereLeave a comment

Jamie and I have decided it is tough to stay warm and look cute. Sometimes I try on three different variations of an outfit because the first two end up looking frumpy. They key to layering in the winter is to pair more fitted items with the warmer (less flattering) items.

What Kate Wore:

So it is cold in the Midwest. I mean, frigid. Lucky for me I have some adorable sweaters and warm knit tights to keep me warm!

I am obsessed with these skinny tuxedo pants. I got them years ago from Anthropologie. They are so versatile and can go with sweaters, a blazer, or dress up a tee. Because they are skinny, I can wear a heavier sweater without feeling bulky from top to bottom.

Do you love my sweater? Thanks, my Mama made it for me! She is an expert knitter. I have tried to convince her to open an Etsy shop but she says she knits only for fun since she is retired. Luckily I am benefiting from her hobby! I just go onto sites like Ravelry and find a pattern I love, pick a color and she sends it to me when it’s finished! How awesome is that? My goal is to someday be able to knit half as well as her. Wish me luck because that is going to require years and years of practice.

I get more compliments on these shoes than about anything else I wear. It makes me so happy because I picked these up at a thrift store for only a dollar! They are so snazzy and make me want to tap dance every time I wear them.
The “dress socks” are actually a pair of knitted tights! I opted for these to help keep me warm. I love the way they just peak out from under my pants but secretly they cover me up completely to help keep my toasty!

What Jamie Wore:

Like Kate mentioned earlier, it can be really challening during the winter months to dress up warm without looking too frumpy…especially with how cold it’s been lately! Because of that, I’ve found that my most comfiest days involve wearing thicker leggings and my favorite pair of riding boots! To dress these two up a bit, I threw on a simple blue dress that I purchased from the sales rack at Forever 21 this past summer, and a striped sweater I picked up from Marshall’s (that has the cutest brown elbow patches — unfortunately, not pictured).

These boots are my favorite pair, EVER. They are so comfy and wide enough to fit around my calves (even with a pair of jeans)! I’ll admit that they are a few years old, but thankfully they’ve kept up well in their condition! I found these bad boys while on a mini-vacation to Ann Arbor in a store that I would not normally shop at because of how it’s mainly known for selling prom-like dresses, ha! Thank you Windsor!

As much as warm scarves and cute boots can be fun, I think it is time to chill out dear Mother Nature and give us some tempratures that are not in the negatives! Thanks!

xoxo J&K

What She Cooked: Soup

25 January, 201416 July, 2014 oursweetsomewhereLeave a comment

This winter season has brought nothing but crazy winds, bitter cold, and icy snow for the both of us. So for our first post ever, we thought what better way to warm up this week than with a delicious bowl of soup!

What Kate Cooked:

I have fallen in love with Lucky’s Market, a new grocery store here in Columbus that specializes in bulk items, local foods, and delicious fresh produce. When I came accross these beautiful tomatoes on the vine, I knew I had to make some chunky, hearty, and flavorful tomato soup! I like my soup to be chunky, it keeps things interested. But you could easly puree this and make it into a smooth soup too!

Ingredients:

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes 
2.5-3 lbs tomatoes on the vine 
3 Tbs olive oil 
4 cloves of garlic, minced
 ¼ Tbs butter 
1 medium onion, chopped 
2 Tbs tomato paste 
4 Tbs flour 
2 C broth (chicken or veggie)
 ½ tea chipotle powder  
½ Tbs oregano
 ¼ tea cumin 
1-2 Tbs brown sugar

Salt and pepper

Greek yogurt (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a cookie pan with foil. Wash and dry your tomatoes. Cut them and half and squeeze/scoop out the seeds and gunk. Line them face up on your cookie pan and drizzle them with olive oil. Sprinkle with the minced garlic. Pop them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Here is where I poured myself a glass of red wine.

Open the can of whole tomatoes and let the juice drain out. But save it because we will use it later!

Chop up an onion while you are melting 4 Tbs of butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and give it a stir. Once it is translucent (about 5 minutes), add the tomato paste and flour and stir until coated.

Take the drained tomatoes and break them apart and into the pot. I used my hands but you could chop them up on a cutting board. Add the spices, salt and pepper to the pot and give it a stir to coat everything. Now add the reserved juice and broth.

Don’t those roasted tomatoes look delicious! Once those were done my mouth really started to water and my belly started to growl!

Add the tomatoes to the pot, cover, and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

Uncover that yumminess! You are almost done! I mashed my soup with a potato masher right in the pot, but if you tend to like your tomato soup less chunky you could puree it!

I had mine with some delicious cheesy garlic bread on a baguette I picked up on the way home from work. Fabulous!

What Jamie Cooked:

For my take on this week’s soup recipe, I chose to make something quick and easy that would work conveniently with my busy work schedule. This simple chicken and rice soup (adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod) took only about an hour before it was ready to eat, and made great leftovers for my lunch the next day at work. To simplify my prep time, I decided to pick up an already-prepared rotisserie chicken from my local grocery store.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp EVOO
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped 1/2 inch thick
2 celery ribs, halved + chopped 1/2 inch thick
1 medium jalapeno*
5 fresh thyme sprigs
8 cups of chicken broth (low sodium*)
1 cup of water
1 cup long grain white rice
1 1/2 cooked chicken breast, shredded

*Optional

Start off with a good-sized soup pot over medium heat and tablespoon of olive oil. Add in garlic, onion, celery, jalapeno, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook and stir veggies for about 5-6 minutes until they’ve softened. Pour in the chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. Then, add in your rice and shredded chicken and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Continue to cook uncovered on medium-low heat until the rice becomes tender (about 30 minutes).

Serve hot with a baguette of your choice. Thanks to the wonderful suggestion from Kate, the next time I make this soup, I plan on substituting the long grain white rice with some orzo. MmMmm!

Cheers to winter. Cheers to soup. But most of all, cheers to good friends and the beginning of this blog. Here’s to finding inspiration together in our every day lives, wherever we may be!

xoxo J&K

Our Sweet Somewhere

Two besties separated by distance but together in spirit.

What She Made: For The Little Ones

Finding Pinspiration

What She Wore

What She Cooked: Soup