Drafts & Crafts

lifestyle blog

Garden Mama

Closet

April 25, 2017 by Drafts & Crafts

An adorable printed tee should be apart of every mama’s uniform! I am swooning over this comfy look for spring and summer!

{Garden Mama Tee: Southern Trunk}
{Jeans: Forever21} {Sandals: Lord & Taylor}
{TC’s romper: Pikku Myy}
{Baby Bonnet: Briar Handmade}

My search for a cute mama tee is over! I had been wanting to buy a printed tee with some kind of mom slogan on it for quite some time. Then my IG friend, @govictoria, created a line called, The Southern Trunk. They have several sweet t-shirts for moms, dads, local lovers, and kids! Of course when I saw “garden mama,” I had to have it! I think every mama needs some causal t-shirts that can be thrown on with a pair of jeans or jean shorts, comfortable and practical for chasing after babies! I can not say enough good things about Tanner’s romper from Pikku Myy on Etsy. The romper comes in several different colors, both long sleeve and short sleeve, and it is the softest material! What are some of your favorite spring styles?

Keep in touch,
Dani

 

10 Spring & Summer Activities for Toddlers

Mommy & Misc

April 19, 2017 by Drafts & Crafts

It is extremely hard to believe next month we will have a toddler on our hands, or as I would like to call him, a tod-fant. I am sharing 10 fun activities to check off your spring/summer bucketlist with your children.

photo by Verance Photography

  1. Take a trip to the beach to splash in the water and build sandcastles.
  2. Have a picnic and pack a snack, a frisbee, and some bubbles.
  3. Plant some flowers or herbs in the backyard.
  4. Build a water table out of 2 x 4’s and a large plastic bins.
  5. Play in the sprinklers or hose or fill up water balloons.
  6. Take a family bike ride! We recently bought the child cargo trailer off craiglist. They are expensive new so local Facebook mom groups, second hand stores, and craigslist are great places to check for used trailers.
  7. Plan a craft day with other moms and children, set out picnic blankets and snacks! I want to have friends over to make bird feeders.
  8. Make and popsicles eat them!
  9. Take a day trip to a zoo or aquarium.
  10. Make homemade play dough on a rainy spring day, or summer if you live in Florida like we do!

What are your big plans to stay busy with your kiddos this spring and summer? I can’t wait to check these fun activities off of our bucketlist!!

Keep in touch,
Dani

5 Baby Items that I Never Used

Mommy & Misc

March 31, 2017 by Drafts & Crafts

Sharing five baby items that we never used to help others moms with registries and save them some money and time!

I can not believe our baby was this tiny! Tanner was 3 weeks here! 

  1. Diaper Warmer- Tanner’s changing table is not the biggest so we never put out the diaper warmer. Also, living in Florida, we do not experience really cold winters.
  2. Decorative Car Seat Straps– I registered for little bear straps for Tanner’s carseat, they are cute, but I never switched out the straps and pads that came with his car seat. I think it is safer to keep what comes with the car seat.
  3. Bottle Warmer– I bought this after using a friends and I never opened it. Tanner drank his bottles at room temperature. If the breastmilk came out of the refrigerator, we ran it under hot water for 2 minutes. Also, something you can do if you are at a friends house or at a restaurant.
  4. Cup to trap pee– I thought this would come in handy for a baby boy. While, I did get peed on once or twice, I did not use this product and chances are you will not either each time you change a diaper. Save your money 🙂
  5. Manual Breast Pump– I never found myself in a situation where I needed a manual pump. I always used my Medela pump that plugged into the wall. I even had an outlet for the car which was extremely convenient when on the road or running errands!

With Tanner’s first birthday approaching, I wanted to share the 5 items that I still have never used/are unopened in Tanner’s closet. These items are just products that we have managed to live without. I do have some friends who enjoy these items, but for Tanner we did not find them necessary. As moms, I feel like it is great to talk about the items that we did not use so hopefully we can save a trip to the store or spending the money on pointless things. I do still plan on trying to take a few items back in exchange for diapers. What are some items that you never opened??

Keep in touch,
Dani

Spring style with #gjewerly

Closet

March 28, 2017 by Drafts & Crafts

Spring is in the air and I am talking about easy breezy style, showing off a beautiful handmade necklace by Gjewerly, and announcing a fun giveaway!!

{Top: Free People} {Jeans: J. Crew}
{Shoes: Lord & Taylor}
{Bag/Diaper Backpack: Mink Kay @minakay.co}
{Necklace: G Jewelry @shannonrosegreene}

{Tanner’s Romper: Pikku Myy @pikkumyyboutique}
{Sandals: Baby Gap}

Spring is in the air, which means style is transitioning: out with the booties and in with the wedges. Spring means some warmer colors and all things white. I have recently been trying to minimize my clothes and curate my closet so when I saw my friend, Maria, wearing this Free People blouse, I knew I had to have it! The blouse may be a little on the pricey side for a stay at home mom, but it was worth every $. You can dress it up or dress it down, but this flowy shirt will make you feel like one. sassy. babe. There is nothing easier than throwing on a loose shirt and long necklace to make a statement. I am swooning over my new diaper backpack by Mina Kay. This camel leather bag is a dream!! More pockets for us on the go mama’s to stay organized and be able to find every item in a second!

My favorite part about blogging is collaborating with other local creatives and learning about what drives their passion. Shannon from #Gjewerly is a gem and has been making jewelry since she was a child. Shannon shared her story with me and told me about how she has always been passionate about making jewelry and uses the process as a bit of therapy for the anxiety that she deals with. I am so grateful that Shannon shared her story with me because there are many people that I know that struggle with anxiety and it is such a huge part in what drives her creativity. Shannon makes every clay bead by hand and only selects the perfect ones out of each batch. Also, Each necklace is made with gorgeous leather rope. Be sure to head to Instagram to enter the GIVEAWAY where you could win TWO Gjewerly necklaces, one for you and one for your OG! If you are a local here in Jacksonville, you can find Gjewerly at Wolf and Cub and Wolfgang clothing boutiques. What is your easy spring go-to style?

Keep in touch,
Dani

Omelette Bites

Kitchen

March 25, 2017 by Drafts & Crafts

I am obsessed with all things breakfast and wanted to share this simple life hack, omelette bites. 

My husband and I began Whole30 this week. Whole30 is a clean eating plan where you cut out sugar, grains, legumes, alcohol, and diary. People often do Whole30 to see what food does not agree with their “system,” however, I am only doing Whole30 because I want to see how much weight I can loose from cutting out carbs and dairy, mostly. The truth is that I eat wayyyy wayyyy wayyyyy too much cheese and bread. Cheese and bread are my love languages, I am not joking. I want to be the best version of myself, so I begged my husband to jump on board with me, to keep me accountable. We are in day 5 of the challenge. Today has actually been the most difficult day, thus far. I am attributing that to the fact that it is Saturday and we would usually be brunching, carbing, and enjoying a mimosa or 3.

With that being said, I thought it would be fun to give a few updates and recipe ideas over the next few weeks. I love everything about breakfast food, but there is not a whole lot of options when you have to cut out all of the good stuff. Luckily, you can eat eggs on Whole30. Whole30 goes much smoother when you do A LOT of meal prep. These omelette bites are great for anyone on the go. I made 16 on Monday and my husband and I ate them for the rest of the week. For anyone not on Whole30, you could add cheese, bacon, and sausage to them! YUM!

{Ingredients} to make 12 omelette bites

  • 8 Eggs
  • 1 pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 large onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • pinch of sea salt
  • pepper to tase
  • muffin/cupcake tin
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Heat olive oil in skillet and sauté chopped pepper and onion for 5 mins over medium heat.
  3. Coat the muffin tin with olive oil so the eggs do not stick. I usually use a paper towel and quickly run my finger along each muffin opening.
  4. Place a small spoonful of sautéed pepper and onion into each muffin spot.
  5. Scramble the 8 eggs in a large bowl and fill each muffin spot 3/4 of the way. Sprinkle on desired spices.
  6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Keep in touch,
Dani

Easter Basket Ideas for Babies

Mommy & Misc

March 22, 2017 by Drafts & Crafts

With Easter less than 1 month away, I wanted to share some items that you could put in your baby’s or toddler’s basket.

As some of you may know, I am all about holiday traditions! Every year growing up my parents hid our Easter basket somewhere in the house. It was SO EXCITING for my brother and I to wake up on Easter and look all around the house for our baskets! Even though our son will only be 11 months this Easter, we will begin the same tradition. So before church on Easter Sunday, we will “hide” Tanner’s basket. It may sound silly to hide a baby’s Easter basket, but I am looking forward to this grace-filled holiday and beginning a new tradition as a family of 3! You may be wondering what type of items can you put in a baby’s basket so I created this blog post to share some items that would be perfect for a baby or toddler easter basket.

1. Plum and Sparrow Hand Woven Basket

This basket will be fun for all year adventures

2. Fancy Frogz Knitted Bunny

Every baby needs a bunny for Easter

3. Baby Gap Sandals

a practical gift for spring and summer

4. Gerber Cookies

for children who are too young for chocolate, these are yummy, trust me 😉 put them in a cute bag for your babe to enjoy

5. Jesus Storybook Bible

perfect first bible for a children filled with all of your favorite gospel stories (adults will love this too)

6. Blah Blah Book and Doll Set

the cutest little knitted and a book to go along with the blush toy

7. Egg Decorating Kit

what kid does not love dying & decorating eggs?

8. Guess How Much I Love You Book

a sweet story with beautiful illustrations of a bunny and his mama bunny

9. Mini + Meep “Locally Grown” Shirt

adorable organic cotton t-shirts and onesies. 10% of proceeds go to children in need!

 

What are you putting in your kids baskets and what holiday tradition does your family have?

Keep in touch,
Dani