Things around the house...

This morning Im sharing images Ive captured on my phone throughout the past week or so.  I have about 100 I could share, so for now, here are just a few.  These are mostly wonderful moments in between all of the work that has gone on.  I had a heavy work load this past week, but accomplished so much!  

I also wanted to say to my friends and family out there who may be reading this, I have been internalizing my feelings a bit more about my dad lately.  I guess its the different waves of emotions you go through when grieving.  So far I have shared so much so openly, I think a part of me wants to take those feelings within a bit more and work things out in my head.  I havent felt much like talking on the phone to anyone, especially those of you who I havent yet had a conversation about my dad with.  I think I relived it so much in the first few weeks Im wanting to lay off it a bit with others.  I will share again as the time feels right.  Please just dont take it personal if I have not called you back yet.  I just need some time in this area.  And know that this season will change, and I will feel back to being a social butterfly eventually...

THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE LATELY

loving every day these pretty flowers are still alive that James brought me.
I received this adorable pic of miss Leena in the mail and was so delighted to hang it on my fridge!
I read more of my Post Secret book on the way to town.  Does anyone have this book?  Its incredible to peek into the dark corners of peoples minds.
I received this adorable beanie and the necklace below (along with a precious painting) from Rachael of Talk to the Trees.  She is an incredible girl with a heart of gold and the soul of a fairy.  Love her.
For about 5 minutes the other day we got an incredible storm!  It poured down rain out of nowhere and the trees were just swaying back and forth!  We were actually scared they might just root out of the ground and fall over b/c the ground has been sooooo dry.  It was amazing!
James and his daddy and a friend worked so hard for several hours the other day tearing down some trees in our yard.  It was a necessary move in order to bring a shed onto the land.  Plus it was a cluster of cedar trees that were choking out an oak tree, so no it can thrive again.  I was so proud of all of their hard work.  And is that not the cutest pic of James and his daddy's butt, ha ha!  He is going to hate me for posting this :)

Bella watching the rain
Bella and Violet hanging out together.  They usually are on the rug at different times, so its so cute when they are chillin together.  They both curl up on the blanket, I love it.  This is the only place in the house Violet can play chew toy b/c the floors are so slick here.  So its basically their play mat :)
James snuck a pic of me and Violet sitting on the porch in the morning with our coffee, watching the birds and the morning sun peek through the trees.
This has been what my jewelry room has looked like for weeks!  With so much work in there, I just cant keep it clean. 
I have squeezed in some work out time, which includes hooping.  Im still no good at it, but I do love it.  I mostly just love hooping to the feel of music.
Nico has been a little chirping fool.  I here him right now playing with his bell.  I love when he sits up on his little painting.  So cute!
James has been playing guitar everyday.  I love it.  He has been writing lots of new melodies and is going through alot of his old stuff and re-writing some.  Im so glad he has found this inspiration again.
TODAY is the LAST day to enter this awesome giveaway!  And also the LAST day to become a sponsor for September.

PEACE,
Laura

Meet the sponsors...

This month I was honored to have some pretty amazing sponsors.  Some have been friends for a while, and some I have just recently met, and have already fallen in love with on personal levels.  These girls are truly amazing, each in their own way.  I highly recommend checking out each of their shops and blogs and seeing for yourself!  And Id like to give a loving shoutout to Betsy, of O Bella Organics, who has decided to close up shop and blog for a while to concentrate solely on her amazing family of four.  I think this decision will help her grow and bond in many ways and Im truly impressed with the woman she is.  Thank you Betsy for being you!
 blog -- shop
blog -- shop
blog
 

PEACE,
Laura

Fringe Tee Shirt DIY...

 Im sure most of you have noticed that the trend of fringed shirts has been huge lately.  I love that they have transitioned from not just vintage motorcycle and rocker tees, to any every day tee.  A few weeks ago I made one with a Skyline Fever shirt, an orange owl one... and thought Id do another for a DIY b/c it is just so easy.  I was asked by a girl at the pet store how to do it b/c she said she tried and failed miserably.  So Im here to show you today just how simple it really is.  Im sure there are already a bunch of tutorials out there on this, but here is my way. 

All you need is your shirt and a pair of sharp scissors.  *you may want to practice on an old shirt first if you are afraid of messing up a good shirt*  Lay it out nice and flat on a hard surface.

The first thing I did was cut the edge off of the bottom and both sleeves.  This gives it the nice thin rolled look instead of the thick edges.  Then just cut the neck in a half circle.  The wider the circle, the more off the shoulder the shirt will be.  You can always cut more, so I suggest to not cut all the way to the shoulders at first, just to see how you want it to fit.

Then decide how far up you want your fringe to be.  You can make long fringe or cute short fringe.  I went about half way up with mine.  I placed a ruler (you can use anything straight and long) just as a place marker to keep me going in a straight line.  Then holding both sides of the shirt together, begin to cut strips in a straight line all the way up to your marker.  They really dont have to be perfect or the exact same thickness b/c once you wash and dry the shirt, the fringe will naturally roll up a bit and you wont even notice.
 *if you want, you can do the same thing to the sleeves*
 and there is your shirt!

I hate wasting things, so I thought Id also show you an easy, quick & versatile way to use up the scraps that are left over from the edges you cut off.  I used the bottom (cut in two strips) and a piece of lace to make a braided headband.  *you could also make bracelets with the sleeve parts*

Just cut your fabrics all the same length.  I always pin my strips to a pillow for braiding to hold it in place.  (dont mind the kitty hair on my pillow)
 For the closure I used two brass clamp style findings that I had laying around in my jewelry room.  But if you dont have anything like that to use, you can always just hand stitch the ends up, and also hand stitch some yarn or other trim for the ties.  Get creative, there are probably a ton of different things laying around your house you could use instead.

 Once you have completed this easy and fun tutorial, have fun snapping some photos and send them my way!  Id love to see!

 And for those of you who dont want to hassle with doing this yourself, but would love a Skyline Fever shirt decked out in fringe, you can now add this too any shirt or dress by adding this option to your cart at checkout.

PEACE,
Laura