DIY Herbal Soap

I recently discovered a quick and simple way to make your own custom herbal bar soap!
You only need a few ingredients and basic supplies from your kitchen.

Supplies:
soap base
herbs (i used chamomile)
essential oil
container to use as a mold
double boiler

Step 1:

Cut the soap base into smaller pieces so that it melts easier in the double boiler.

Step 2:

Once the soap base is melted in the double boiler, add about 2 teaspoons of herbs for every pound of soap & about half a teaspoon of essential oil.

Step 3:

Pour into a soap mold or any small container and let sit for 24 hours.

And, you're done!
Enjoy.

-sarah

Mini No Bake Cheese Cakes

Cheesecake is hands-down my all time favorite treat and I have an obsession with collecting cupcake wrapper.... so, I was pretty excited to try out this little recipe:

Step number one: crush up some graham crackers or some crispy cookies & fill the bottoms of the cupcake wrappers.

Step number two: mix together 8 oz of cream cheese with 1/4 cup of sugar.

Step number three: fold in 8oz of whipped cream.

Step number four: spoon topping into the prepared cupcake wrappers.

Step number five: adorn with any extra toppings you fancy.

I used vanilla wafers for my crust. 

Enjoy!

-sarah

DIY Grocery Bag.

Recently Jake and I upgraded from a twin bed (all the better for cuddles) to a full, so now I have been left with a pile of sheets that I can not longer use. I decided to do a little repurposing and make some cloth bags to use for the grocery store. Very simple!

Materials:
2 pieces of fabric 20x15 inches
2 pieces of fabric 29x4 inches
scissors
iron & ironing board
sewing machine

Once you have cut an ironed out your 20x15 inch fabric pieces, hem & pin 1" at the top (15in. side). Sew down the folded edge of both pieces.

Next, take the two 4x29 inch pieces of fabric and fold them lengthwise with the good side facing  inwards & iron the along the crease. 

After you have sewn the straps from end to end, trim the edge and turn right side out and iron.
Pin the straps onto the panels (approximately 3 inch down) and sew them on by using a box or an x stitch.

Once your strap are completed, pin the edges of the panels together (good side facing inwards) and stitch all around. Turn right side out and you're done!

Happy grocery shopping!

-sarah

Andrew & Lexi.

A couple weeks ago my darling friend, Rachel, and I had the honor of photographing Andrew and Lexi's wedding. Photographing weddings with Rachel gives me the freedom to focus more on film while she shoots digital and that makes weddings much more enjoyable for me! Here are a few of my favorite shots:

They are such a sweet couple!
Beautiful wedding and beautiful people.

You can see more of my wedding work here.. <3

xo
sarah

A Very Etsy Christmas

Decorating for Christmas has always been one of my favorite things. Throughout the year I am always on the lookout at thrift and antique stores for unique Christmasy finds.  

It recently occurred to me to look on etsy for the same type of things and I figured I would share some of the treasures that I found.

Christmas owls.

Green & red tea pot.

Adorable tiny deer.

Vintage story book.

Handmade ornament set.

Vintage cups.

Handmade tree ornaments.

Embroidery hoop ornaments.

Cute bunting.

Electric candle.

Well I hope that everyone is having a wonderful little holiday season and I would love to hear some of your ideas when it comes to decorating for Christmas.

-sarah

DIY Doubled Sided Rick Rack Napkins.

I've been slowly teaching myself how to sew by starting out with very simple projects. I recently started to make my own cloth napkins & I wanted to share one of the patterns that I used.
They are super cute & easy.

For this napkin you will need:
Two 18x18 inch pieces of fabric
Rick rack
Pins
Sewing machine

To start you place the two pieces of fabric with the right sides facing each other, then pin the corners to make sure that they are lined up.

Next, you will want to lay your rick rack just along the edge of your fabric and pin all the way around. Leave about about a two inch opening, so you can turn the napkin right side out when you are finished sewing.

The next step is to sew all the way around, turn right side out, & stitch up the opening.

That's it! Simple and fun. I'm sure they would make great Christmas gifts as well!
Enjoy.

-sarah

Fresh Berry Muffins.

Here is a quick & tasty little recipe for berry muffins. Since it is right in the middle of raspberry season I have been baking with them a lot. This was one of my favorites so far (along with a crostata but i'll save that for a later day.)


Fresh Raspberry Muffins:


6 tbs of butter
1/3 cup of milk
1 egg + 1 yolk
3/4 tsp of vanilla
1 1/2 cup of flour
3/4 cup of sugar
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
3/4 tsp of salt
1 1/2 cup of berries

Mix together all ingredients and bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 min.

Enjoy! And remember that you can use any other type of berry in place of raspberries.

Have a beautiful weekend!

-sarah

Lovely Handmade Etsy Finds...

I have a lot of admiration for those who can think up and produce unique handmade items. While Etsy's vintage section will always be fun... my favorite part of that site is the emphasis on promoting & selling handmade goodies. Here are a few of my currant favorites:

Canal St. Dress by KLING SHOP.

Embroidered Loom by Clever Apple.

Leather Ballet Shoes by Bali ELF.

Mr. & Mrs. Tea Cups by Wandersketch.

Crocheted necklace by Bobbi Lewin.

Woodland animals by redtilestudio.

Crocheted slippers by peoplewebs.

Bamboo napkin rings by Frenchfelt.

Lace bunting by Ami Elisah.

Be sure to check out these sweet little shops! And if any of you guys happen to know of some great handmade shops pass them this way!
Happy shoppin!

-sarah