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Let's just stay in this weekend, m'kay? Coffee & cuddling with the cat for me. I'm wiped out after our trip back to Florida this past week. It was so comforting to see the whole family again, & hanging out with all of Heather's adorable nieces & nephews made up for the grueling 25 hour car ride down. Even though I'm proud of us for moving & I know we made the right choice, it's hard not to miss home. It felt good to be surrounded by familiar places & faces.

This week's links:

• I'm itching to try this ceramic painting technique
• These cat pajamas are cat's pajamas
• All I want is for this feminist superstar to photograph my wedding ceremony
• The cutest little school bus turned RV for a perfect summer road trip 
• So moved by my city's response to the death of our local legend, Prince
• Dreaming of our next adventure
• All the cabin eye-candy

xoxo,

-m.e.

out & about | adventures in adulthood

Incoming tide at Lake Superior

Doing | Saying hello to you guys! How are all of you? I'm also knee-deep in wedding planning. We've finally figured out a season for the big day (winter), & we've got some general ideas for colors (small victories!). I've also been packing away all of my winter gear & trying to figure out where in the world I put all my shorts. Summer is fast approaching.
Watching | House Hunters in every flavor. Thanks, Netflix!
Listening | So my iPhone broke (RIP), which means I have to whip out the old iPod Nano from high school if I want to listen to music on my way to work. It's been a serious trip down memory lane jamming out to what's leftover on my old playlists. Some of my favorite rediscoveries: The Dresden Dolls, The Robot Ate Me, & old-school Sufjan Stevens.
Feeling | I'm feeling everything right now. A lot of adult-type things are stressing me out (our upstairs neighbors have a water leak that's happily introduced itself to our ceiling, trying to secure a new phone, planning a trip back home, etc. etc.). There are also a lot of good feelings happening, like those that come with warmer weather & new adventures. I'm feeling in the mood for a bike ride, too.
Loving | The dozens of daffodils lining the streets in my neighborhood.

xoxo,

-m.e.

P.S. More snapshots of our weekend at the lake.

pencil eraser stamps

A lot of the things I make are out of necessity, like when we needed a place to put our mail or when colder weather demanded a jacket for the pupper (my new favorite term for dogs). Sometimes though I just get an idea in my head & want to try it to see if it works. A lot of the time it doesn't (see this hilarious disaster) - sometimes it does. I've had this idea in the back of my head for a bit now: can pencil erasers can be used as stamps? I grabbed a pack of pencils, some kraft paper, tags, & bakers twine for a couple bucks at Target's One Spot (a.k.a. the dollar bin) & set about testing my theory. The answer is whole-heartedly "yes!"

Side note: Because Heather & I both have wedding planning on the brain in an almost pathological way, she saw these tags & said, "Ooo! Are those for our wedding favors?"

To make eraser-tipped stamps, you'll need:

• A new pencil
• A sharpened pencil for tracing
• An x-acto knife

Simply trace a shape on the top of your pencil's eraser (choose simple shapes like hearts, crosses, or triangles). Cut away at the remaining eraser with the x-acto knife. Erase any pencil marks from your new stamp. Ta da! A new stamp. Plus, if you don't need to stamp anymore, just trim the top of the eraser & it transforms back into a normal pencil.

Okay, maybe these would be cute tags for wedding favors. Dear god help us, & we haven't even settled on a color-scheme yet.

xoxo,

-m.e.

P.S. More kraft paper crafts!

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Maybe we're crazy, but wedding planning is in full swing & we literally have a discussion about it every day. I'm sure the hyperactive need to brainstorm will wear off at some point, only to morph into a type of excited stress as the day approaches. There is a lot more to think about/plan for than I had initially considered. Color schemes, locations, honeymoon scheduling - all that stacked on top of my plans to (yes I'm crazy) make my own dress. Okay, I know I'm crazy, but I'm going to do it. I'm torn between materials though. Lace? Satin? Cotton? Why are there so many options!

This week's links:

• The cutest little woven bike basket DIY
• Uber gives me the creeps, but this ride-sharing business I can get behind
• There's a new muppet who speaks Pashto!
• My other favorite DIY of the week: this wooden lunchbox
• An octopus' escape a la Finding Nemo (how are these creatures so smart?!)
• What to do when (devastatingly) the wine cork breaks
• These vintage pet portraits speak to me on a spiritual level

xoxo,

-m.e.

P.S. I can't imagine planning a wedding before Pinterest was invented.

black & white painted vases

Even though all I want to blog about is wedding planning (don't judge my premature preparation craziness), there's still tons of time until the big day. In the meantime, it's spring! For the first time in a long time I'm excited! The reason being is that I can't say I really cared for spring in the past. In Florida, spring means the mosquitos are back, the pollen is thick in the air, & the rain never quits. So in my mind, spring = gross / no thank you. But flowers happen! & bees, fresh breeze, & greens popping up everywhere. So there's lot to be excited about.

Spring keeps making its way indoors because I have no self-control & keep buying flowers at the grocery store. We got rid of all our vases when we moved, so I decorated these to match our new little home.

I got these milk jug vases from Target in the craft section for a few bucks, & first prepped them with white acrylic paint. Then I dipped a wide brush in black paint & dabbed the pattern on. Side note: I don't know if it's a phase, but I'm totally digging on monochrome color schemes with simple, no-fuss patterns. Phase or not, it's totally overtaking our living room. Okay, end side note. I didn't put a seal on these vases because they really don't need one. I've gotten them pretty wet filling the vases with water, & the paint looks the same as it did when I applied it.

All I want to do is open all the windows & fill the apartment with armfuls of flowers.

xoxo,

-m.e.

P.S. Try stenciling a flower pot too!

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out & about | weekend in tofte

Two weekends ago, Heather & I (& our dog Doria!) treated ourselves to a weekend getaway trip. Minnesota has a lot to offer once you drive past the endlessly flat farmland & hit the northern hills. If we'd kept driving we would've arrived in Canada! Being so close to the border has me wanting to renew my passport, because why not? We didn't go that far north - instead we spent a self-prescribed long weekend on Lake Superior. I could've spent a month there. It was gorgeous, & we're already planning a trip back.

Over the weekend we mostly just relaxed & stayed warm indoors, because it was freezing. We did do some of the laziest hiking ever, i.e. we drove the car a few miles to a lot, then parked, then walked 1/8th of a mile to Temperance River. Side note: this is my favorite type of "hiking." We walked down to the beach too, & the driftwood mixed with snow was just perfection.

A relaxing getaway was exactly what we needed. This perfect weekend also came with a little surprise that I've been dying to share with all of you. Drumroll please!

...

We got engaged!!! 

First off, I've been dying to ask Heather for a long, long, long time to be my wife, it's just been a matter of waiting for the perfect moment & figuring out what I wanted to say so I wouldn't stumble over my words (which ended up happening anyway because I was too freaking nervous). Second, I'm absolutely relieved that she said "yes." We've been discussing tying the knot for a while, & in my heart I knew she'd agree, but still. Nerve-wracking! Third, I'm so happy about what's to come. I cannot wait to see what our lives together have in store.

xoxo,

-m.e.

P.S. Heather & I just passed our five-year anniversary, here are my gushingly cheesy thoughts on that too!

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I'm looking at this picture of the lake as I'm writing this out, wishing I was back there right now. Last weekend Heather & I took a mini-trip up to Lake Superior. It was exactly what we both needed. Just some time away, hiking around, & general taking it easy. Heather took a bunch of beautiful photos that I'll be posting soon. Ugh, it was so pretty. It was also encouraging to explore so close to our home & find such a difference in sceneries. We really haven't ventured outside of Minneapolis until now, & there is so much picturesque wilderness so close by! Mini vacations are the sweetest. I'm feeling recharged & so ready.

This week's links:

• Trying to become a better thrifter - following these tips
• Need to make these DIY collar clips ASAP
• Be inspired by this 9 year old girl just crushing all those in her path
• Following her on Instagram for the perfect embroidery
• Thinking it's high time I make a wall hanging - inspired by all these
• I love the idea of a fabric ladder, but first I'd seriously need to pare down my fabric stash
• Why a fine-arts degree might be a good idea (as I breathe a sigh of relief)

xoxo,

-m.e.

P.S. Update: Now that I've started, I can't stop making vegan "chicken" salad. It's a staple in the fridge now.

mini mail organizer

Space is a major issue in our teeny apartment, & I'm always looking for different ways to organize things. Most things have a place, but the biggest offender of mess in the house is incoming mail. I'm pretty good about getting rid of junk mail immediately, but the more important stuff just kind of sits around in an unattractive pile until I feel like dealing with it. The mail needed a teeny home, on a teeny wall next to the countertop where it usually flops itself down. 

Not having power tools at my disposal, I'd been on the hunt for the perfectly-sized storage solution for weeks before I found this vintage bottle opener at Target. It was exactly the width of our little sliver of space, & the perfect vessel for paper bills.

Here's how I transformed this once bottle popper into a mini mail organizer:

• Removed the metal bottle opener & bottom hook with a screwdriver
• Filled the hole left by the screw with wood filler
• Once that dried, sanded it down flat
• Painted the whole thing with white acrylic paint, & stenciled on the letters
• Mounted to the wall with handy-dandy Command strips (#rentersrejoice)

Hooray for small space solutions! Hopefully this will inspire those of you who are on the hunt for the perfect organization solution. It's out there, just stay mindful (& never leave home without a tape measure!).

xoxo,
-m.e.

P.S. More storage solutions to be found in this DIY!

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life | links

Instagram @wecanmakeanything | Twitter @wcmanything

Weekend goals: chillin' like a villain.

This week's links:

• I just had a birthday & here are my thoughts on the matter
• The art of bed-making
• Helpful tips on choosing decor as a couple
• In love with this concrete hexagon
• Absolutely need to make an in-home marquee board
• All the harmless April Fool's pranks (okay maybe not - caramel onions is a definite relationship-ruiner)

xoxo,
-m.e.

P.S. It's raining & cold - perfect time for these DIY rain boot cuffs.