Music Monday

So there is this band called First Aid Kit. They are a folk-duo made up of 2 sisters from Sweden. I love love love their music. Their voices are smooth, hypnotizing, and glorious. You know that feeling you get when you've been trying to cut wrapping paper in a straight line, but it's been tearing, then all of a sudden the scissors just start gliding cleanly through? Yeah, it's kind of like that.

If you like Fleet Foxes or Blitzen Trapper, you will love First Aid Kit.

This is one is one of my favourites, and I love their album 'The Black and the Blue' I can listen to it all day & dream of falling asleep in a field of daisies. (Then probably waking up horribly sunburned, because sometimes I forget to put sunscreen on!)

Ode to the Clouds

First off, let me say: THIS MAGAZINE ROCKS MY SOCKS! It is dandy & spiffy in every way! It makes me want to go flea market shopping for treasure & then go into creative mode to fill my home with whimsy & vintagy goodness. (Yes, I just made up & used the word 'vintagy' get on board with it!) This mag only comes out every 3-4 months, and I was oh, so happy to discover that the newsstands here on base carry American Magazines, and this one was included! I just picked up this new one today & I am in love with every page!!

Also, I would like to take this moment to show off my awesome version of 'Starry Night' by Vincent Van Gogh. I drew this for my mom on 'Draw Something' & I think I did a decent job considering I was drawing this on a small iPhone screen.

Okay, and on to the clouds; England really knows how to make clouds. I don't know why it's so different here than it it is anywhere else I've been in the world, but every day I am just in awe of how beautiful they are. I don't even mind that I've hardly seen the sun in the months that I've lived here. The sky seems so much bigger here than in the states (I know, physically impossible!) & so the clouds seem to be bigger and somehow more grand.

I took the above picture while I was driving (gasp!!) but in my defense, I was driving around 15 mph & there were no other cars on the road! So I figured I was safe! This was so strange. It was dark all day, clouds rolling in & out. Then it was dark, but it was also light. It was strange, and I've never experienced anything like it before. 

This is the view out of my living room window. The other day Layla & I were sitting on the couch, Layla was watching cartoons & I was enjoying the constant change of clouds outside.

Music Monday!

I've found some amazing bands the past few weeks thanks to music monday posts on other blogs, so I thought I'd join in!
This week I'd like to share with you the band The Head & The Heart.
Here is the video for 'Down in the Valley'
It's a lovely song. I can listen to it, and the entire Head and the Heart album over and over again, all day long!! Please enjoy!
& happy music monday!

Homemade Detergent

In my previous post that had recipes for homemade cleaning supplies I posted a recipe for a liquid laundry detergent. We used it, and we didn't like it. After a friend posted a recipe for a dry detergent, I knew I had to try it! It's awesome, cheap, and it smells SO GOOD! I love it! Plus, the original recipe makes a HUGE batch that lasts forever!

I decided to make a new batch today & Layla wanted to help me out.
I ended up making a smaller batch to fit my containers. I didn't feel like going out to buy a new container, since I didn't have one that would fit a whole batch.

Here is the recipe as Sandra posted:

4 lb 12 oz box of Borax
4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
3 lb 7 oz box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap (or Zote)
3 lb container of Oxy Clean, or two of the smaller ones, to make about 3lbs
1 container Purex Crystals

Start out by grating your soap with a cheese grater. 

Combine all the ingredients in a 5 gallon container. 

Store and use however you like.  Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load.

I switched it up a bit, by just not putting as much in. If you have a smaller container, just use one bar of soap. Then use just 1-2 cups of each of the other ingredients.

I just started pouring the ingredients in & eyeballing it. It turned out fine.
Layla had a lot of fun making this with me!

*Sandra mentioned on her blog that if you have a front loading washer it needs to be added to the barrel and not the dispenser.

Friday Favourites!

I'm pretty sure I've blogged about her before, but it's been a while! Plus I've just received some new Katie Daisy prints that I need to show off!
I've made no secret of my hatred for the house the military has forced us into for our first 12 months abroad. Since moving in I have been trying my best to make it liveable. I can't do anything about the horrible plumbing, but I can make it a bit prettier! So I turned to one of my favourite artists & raided her etsy shop The Wheatfield for some prints to add to my collection.

The prints I already owned and love:

this is my "filled with joy" print in my living room. I have it hanging in my living room near my bookshelves because books fill me with joy!

These two prints are also in my living room. I love the colour scheme, they match pretty much everything in my house.

This is hanging in the hallway at the top of my stairs. I think this was the first print I bought from Katie Daisy. I was searching for Ralph Waldo Emerson inspired art on etsy and I was drawn to this print. That was when I found Katie Daisy and fell in love with her work. It was so hard to decide which print I wanted! I loved everything in her shop! I'm sure that one day I will own everything in her shop.

I picked this one because Jer loves astronomy and stargazing. This hangs in our bedroom near the book pages I embroidered with the Galileo quote "I have love the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."

This is one of my new ones! I was excited to order it because since moving to England we haven't really had much sunshine. We've had more rainy days than sunny days. I love the rain oh so much, so I've not had a problem with it. This print is just perfect for where we live!

These are the two other prints I ordered with the rain one. I've loved the ampersand since the first time I looked at Katie Daisy's shop. I don't know why it's taken me so long to order it, but I finally have it! These two still need to be framed, I have yet to find frames I like, but I can't wait to hang them & enjoy them everyday! 

MONDAY!!

The Weather::
It's been SO weird! It will be bright, not a cloud in the sky and then BAM it's black as night!! Then 10 minutes later, no clouds, bright & sunny! It's been difficult to get used to.
On My Reading Pile::
Emma and the Vampires
On My T.V.::
Grimm is new tonight!
On The Menu This Week::
Homemade chicken nuggets
Healthy chinese food

lots and lots of smoothies (I just got a new blender!)
Looking Forward To This Week::
I ordered the Hunger Games Trilogy (I have no plans on reading it, it does not sound like my cup of tea,) but I will be making HG themed crafts to sell in my etsy shop! I'm looking forward to making them because I've already had so many people show interest in the items!
On My To-Do List::
Vacuum. Basically get my house ready for a guest arriving in about a week and a half! 
What I'm Crocheting or Creating::
Right now I'm working on a scarf I'll be listing in my etsy shop in August. It's really pretty!
Looking Around The House::
Glitter. Layla and I were playing with glitter and now it's kind of everywhere.
From The Camera::

I've been feeling slightly better with my costochondritis so I decided to shake out the legs and see if I could maybe run a bit. We all headed out to the track and we did a few laps as a family. Layla loves to go out and run & we took our time. I was a little sore, but I'm happy to say that after a warm bath and some motrin, I was FINE!! I think if I take some motrin before I run, I'll be able to tackle a 7-miler on Saturday!!

Favourite Blog Post This Week::

I always enjoy the posts from Tracy

Something Fun To Share::

In addition to my Hunger Games crafts, I'll also be listing lots of yarny goodies as well as some Jane Austen & Pride and Prejudice and Zombies goodies! 

washi tape & a care package

I have the coolest friends ever! I've been having a hard time dealing with my injury & not being able to run or really do anything active, but I cheered up today after receiving some pretty sweet packages in the mail today!

First was a care package from my friend, Kim! She told me she was sending something, and I had NO IDEA what to expect coming from her =) She sent quite the surprise for Layla and I! She sent me some really cute novelty items from what sounds like a really cool store, including a moustache luggage tag (GASP! AWESOME!!!) She also sent Layla some fun stuff, Dora the Explorer snack storage, a WHOOPIE CUSHION, and a (this is my favourite!) Little Miss Austen Pride and Prejudice book for kids!!

This Pride & Prejudice book is a counting primer that goes up to 10. Each number is assigned something from the book; British Soldiers, Bennet Sister, English village, fancy ball gowns, etc. It actually comes from a line called baby lit & they have also made a few other classics into children's books! Romeo & Juliet, Alice in Wonderland, and Jane Eyre!! Pride & Prejudice has beautiful illustrations and the others look just as cute!!

I also got a package of WASHI TAPE that I ordered off of etsy. The walls in my house are made of brick, so I can't hang all of the frames that I have. A few of them are hung with sticky hooks from the hardware store, but I have some that don't fit on the hooks. Since some of the walls look bare I decided to make some pretty things out of book pages to hang on the wall, but to spruce it up even further I decided to order this beautiful washi tape!

CUTE, right?! Etsy has such a great selection, and I found a shop that sold a lot of different patterns. The tough part was narrowing down which ones to get! Actually, the shop RhinoandRoo has a great selection of crafty supplies. I also received my items quickly after ordering & they are just as cute in person as I thought they would be!! I only picked them up a few hours ago, but I've been busy wahi taping up things all over the house!! 

The book pages I've embroidered with quotes that I love. The Galileo one I did for my husband & hung near his side of the bed. I liked it, but I didn't love it. All it needed was a bit of washi tape!

Home sweet home in the entryway of my house.

Cath Kidston postcards on the door to my closet. 

I'm sure I'll find more things to washi tape around the house. I have more Cath Kidston postcards, I just need to decide where to put them. I'd also like to do something to spruce up my kitchen, just not sure what yet!