i really like quick and easy dinners.

i don’t even work in the winter and i still like them. i need that extra time to eat chocolate chips out of the bag and rewatch episodes of weeds on netflix. not at the same time, of course. so, you obviously see why quick is good. if you roast your peppers in advance or use jarred ones, this sauce comes together in the time it take to boil the pasta.

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are you sick of everyone talking about the weather? let’s all forget about the frigid temps (high of -14F here in wisco today…brrr) and find some cool things on etsy.

click on any photo to be taken to the seller’s listing

print from FreyaArt

charm from SpringStreetStudios

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i got sucked into the pendant light trend.

but they sure are priiiiicey if you don’t make them yourself. so head on over to Snake Head Vintage and get yourself some supplies, because we’re making pendant lights today! for JUST UNDER $30! buying one of these already made will likely cost you between $50 and $100. and it’s so easy. with only a teensy bit of guidance from mr. cogs, i finished this in well under 30 minutes.

i actually made seven of these. two are for our newly-decorated bedroom (check back soon for a big reveal of the reason for so much blood, sweat and tears in our house lately) hanging on a bracket mr. cogs made out of a square dowel. you can hang yours on anything, like a shelf bracket, a hook, or a branch mounted on the wall. the other five lights i made are wired together above our breakfast bar. i love love LOVE them. so lets get started, because you need one of these cute vintage-style lights.

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 tools: wire stripper (click here to see what that looks like) and a phillips screwdriver
materials: desired length of 2-wire cord, light socket, plug and lightbulb
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unscrew the socket into 4 pieces.
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attach the cord to the socket

{1} tie the end in a knot, leaving 1-1.5 inch tails. strip them a half inch from the end. twist the wires and wrap them around your screwdriver to create little hooks.
{2} unscrew each of the screws on the socket until there is enough room to slide your wire hook around the threaded part of the screw. hook the wires around the screws, black wire to bronze screw and white wire to silver screw. hook them so that the wire is traveling in a clockwise direction. tighten the screws and pull on the wires to make sure they’re secure.
{3} thread the two parts (including cardboard piece) onto the other end of the wire and pull it through to the socket.
{4} screw all the socket parts back together.
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disassemble the plug
by pushing a screwdriver through the hole until the parts are loose enough to pull out.
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attach the cord to the plug
(hopefully your dog didn’t chew on your plug, too)

{1} slide the cord through the hole in the plug base. strip 3/4 inches off the end of the wire and create a hook again.
{2} similar to the socket, attach the wire to the prongs. again, black to bronze and white to silver.
{3} insert the prongs back into the base, screw heads facing out.
{4} insert the center piece between the prongs.

 There you go. Super cute, huh!?

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i’ve been gone a long time. a long LONG time.  sorry for that.

but i’m making a killer comeback with a little project for you. an advent calendar…in the form of ornaments.

kyle and i got our first christmas tree last weekend. it flew off the top of the car on hwy 51. whoops. then we found out it actually fit inside the car.

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bright colors are my favorite. geometric shapes take second place. these etsy picks combine the two so geometric shapes don’t have to be jealous.

deer brooch from sketchinc

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hanging planter from hruskaa

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necklace from fawnandrose

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what a sunshiney day. i LOVE sunshiney days. here are a few etsy picks to continue your happiness on this sunshiney day!

salad bowl from nicoleporterdesign

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digital print from printsmitten

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colorblock candle holders from fifiduvie

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what’s that, you say? you’ve procrastinated with the task of finding your mother the perfect gift for mother’s day? fantastic, because I have a few suggestions. moms are the best and deserve a little something. these are all mom-approved; i know because i got them from my mom’s etsy favorites. so get on it, there’s not much time left!

fold-over clutch or makeup bag from decozonestudio

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upcycled burlap planters from 5thseason

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wood vase from stampel

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Take a breath of fresh air. The weather has finally become bearable, so it won’t freeze your lungs to do so. Then check out these fresh Etsy finds.

creamer and sugar set from rosslab

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skin stuff from heartyourskin

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boho necklace from divinalocura

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I had the day off because of the rain, and instead of being productive…it’s been a web-surfing kind of day. Seriously. Look how many tabs I have open.

Much of my time was devoted to pinterest. I love pinterest. Who doesn’t?! Here are my favorite pins today. (please excuse the terrible formatting. CSS code and I are not getting along! EDIT: my issues seemed to have mysteriously resolved themselves. anyone else hate being a code dummy?)

neon and white from sarah yates, credit: a house in the hills

modern patio look, credit: gardenista

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These seafoam green and turquoise hues always reminds me of summers spent in Cape Cod while growing up: drip-drop castles in the sand, peanut-butter-and-fluff sandwiches for lunch, quahog hunting at low tide and my grandma’s whoopie pies waiting when we get home from Skaket Beach. These memories are enough to warm my heart, even on a cold and rainy April day.

backpack from buluchu

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faux deer head from whitefauxtaxidermy

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switch plate cover from calyrew (my mama!)

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