Living With Kids: Liz Young
This home tour feels a little romantic to me. It’s got all the makings of a perfect story. There’s the storyteller herself, the serendipitous discovery of the perfect forever home after a series of inspiring wanderings, a painful separation of lovers, an in-house bakery and creative studio (which basically translates – to me, at least! – to a 24-hour access to gorgeous cakes and big ideas), and lots and lots of bikes. I’m not sure the bicycles add anything to the story, but they sure add fun to the Young family’s afternoons! We all want our homes to work for our families, but the Young house truly works with them. And after a lovely glimpse of this home, I think it deserves a raise. Friends, please meet the Young family and their delightful home. I just know you’re going to fall in love!
…DIY: Moonlit Mummy Lanterns
I like to keep a few last-minute decoration ideas on hand for any given holiday or event. Some years are busier than others, and I can’t always go all out with preparations. But if I have some easy ideas in my back pocket, then it’s much more likely that I’ll be able to add some instant magic to the house.
My internet friend Amy, wrote a book called Washi Tape Crafts. It has tons of ideas for cute ways you can use washi tape, and even offers technique guidance — like how to get a good precision tear, how to weave with washi, and how to create specific shapes. Most of the ideas are for anytime crafts, but some are centered on specific holidays, and when I saw the mummy lanterns, I thought they were a perfect last-minute Halloween idea!
Happily, Amy sent over the instructions so I could share them here.
…Dowager Countess Maggie Smith Quote Napkins
I adore the Downton Abbey series, you too? For those who are unfamiliar, Downton Abbey is a British period drama set in the post-Edwardian era and tells the story of an aristocratic family and their servants. The styling is out of this world! The ensemble of characters makes the show award-winning. However, Violet Crawley — the Dowager Countess of Grantham, portrayed by the indelible Maggie Smith, is my very favorite. She has the best lines.
With her unforgettable one liners in mind, these napkins came to be.
With the help of a letter stencil, the words of Violet Crawley will make for fun dinner conversation. And wouldn’t these make a great gift for the Downton Enthusiasts in your life? So find your favorite quotes, Downton or otherwise, and let’s get started.
…Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
School has started. Fall is here. Life is as busy as ever. It’s a great time to start relying on slow cooker recipes to help get dinner on the table. And what could be better as cooler weather returns than a plate full of slow cooker Beef Stroganoff?
Stroganoff originated in Russia, but different versions have popped up all around the globe. This one is a pretty basic, traditional one made with big chunks of stew meat, flavorful cremini mushrooms, and red wine. The low and slow cooking time transforms the stew meat and it becomes super tender. All you need is a big bowl of buttered egg noodles and you’re set.
Any meat+sauce over egg noodles works as a comfort food for me, but I have a special fondness for Stroganoff because of a funny little childhood memory. My little brother Jared was making a spotlight poster about himself for an assignment — hobbies, favorite colors and foods, stuff like that. For the food example, he cut a picture of stroganoff out of a magazine, just to represent that he liked food in general — he didn’t know there was a name for the dish in the photo. But his teacher saw the image and recognized it has Beef Stroganoff and determined — to Jared’s surprise and confusion because he didn’t know what it was — that his favorite food was specifically Beef Stroganoff.
Throughout the rest of our childhood and into adulthood, any time Beef Stroganoff was seen on a menu, eaten in our home, or mentioned in any way, someone would be sure to comment, “Hey Jared, look, it’s your favorite meal!
A silly little memory that is making me nostalgic today. I hope it reminds you of a funny memory from your own childhood home. : )
This recipe makes enough for a gathering of friends or a large family. It’s great with some green veggies or a salad on the side.
…Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies
As soon as the weather drops, and fall is in the air, we starting making pumpkin cookies. It’s like our family’s official welcome to the new season. By the way, I prefer mine without chocolate chips. So whoever is baking that day usually makes half the batch with and half without. Find the easy recipe we’ve used for twenty years now below.
…Big & Small DIY: Sturdy Household Containers
Busy homes are pretty much always in need of storage containers to organize stuff — why not make them ourselves! This Big & Small project is all things fun and functional. The materials needed are minimal and the best news is, you probably have everything in your house already. It’s ideal for all ages and perfect to do side by side.
Both Bigs (grownups) and Smalls (kids) can follow the same instructions and simple technique but will simply vary the tape used. Small children can make these containers using washi tape. Washi is a light but colorful tape perfect for small hands.
Bigs can use duct tape to make larger containers for both display and utilitarian purposes. Chances are you’ll find more and more places you want to use tailor-made containers with this technique. The combination of duct tape and plastic also makes these containers usable both in and outside the house. How cool is that!?
Round up building blocks or safari animals with bins in the playroom. Use them to sort and store paints and ribbons in your craft space. Try one as a rubbish bin, and another as a plant pot!
These containers are also fantastic up-cycle projects when you use re-cycled plastic or paper bags. Let’s get started.
…Dessert for Two: Peanut Butter Cup Deep Dish Cookies
Many of us crave a little something sweet after dinner almost every night. As we sit down on the couch after the sprinted final lap of dinner, dishes, baths, and bedtime, we may find ourselves craving a victory lap of chocolate. That’s why we love recipes for two. They offer an after-dinner fix without having to bake a dozen batches of cookies.
Let’s get to making!
…Dessert for Two: Peanut Butter Cup Deep Dish CookiesRead More »
Wooden Postcards with Image Transfer
When I was in 6th grade, I got to take a trip to Hawaii with my dance group (it was called the Super Steppers, in case you’re curious). One of the main things everyone told me I must do in Hawaii is mail home a coconut in its husk. No box. No padding. Just write the address on the coconut with a marker and slap on the stamps. Of course, to my 11-year-old ears, this sounded like the coolest thing a person could possibly do. There’s something so fun and funny about getting a non-standard letter or package in the mail!
These postcards are admittedly not as extreme as a coconut. But. They are made of wood! And they are awesome to find tucked in between the bills and junk mail! I’m a huge fan of photo transfers — they’re practically magic. And image transfers + wooden postcards sounded like the perfect storm of fun, useable, good-looking projects.
To up the charm even more, these feature historical images from New York City, and I love how they turned out so much!
I should note from the beginning, these handmade wooden post cards are not the same as paper post cards. Due to their width and weight, they are priced similar to a large envelope or a ‘flat’. But they’re worth the extra stamp — their unique, one-of-a-kind quality makes this snail mail more like art work.
It takes some work and patience but the outcome is definitely worth it!
On to the postcard how-to!
…Living With Kids: Amy Doak
Amy seems like the type of friend who will always tell you like it is. The unedited truth, if you will. Those of us who have a treasured friend or two like that know how valuable a trait this is! So I can assure you that if you’re thinking of starting an online endeavor or company of your own, Amy has some solid advice for you. And if you’re ever worried about your child not displaying traditional boy/girl qualities, worry no more. Truly.
A number of lovely reminders, just ahead. Please enjoy Amy, Friends!
…Recipe: Homemade Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenders are one of those basic menu staples, beloved by all ages, but home cooks often avoid them, because there is an erroneous idea that they’re hard to make, or that you have to cook them in a vat of hot oil. And many people tend to avoid vats of hot oil. So today, we’ve got a super easy chicken tender technique with no vats of hot oil required.
You’re going to LOVE this recipe! Come see how quickly these come together.
…Make Your Own Leather Earrings
Let’s make some tiny leather earrings — for ourselves, or as a gift. The natural texture of the leather and the soft pop of color is perfect for fall and winter.
Leather is an easy material to work with. It’s soft, but keeps its shape. It doesn’t fray or wrinkle (unless you really, really want it to) and the texture and color options are endless. With a few bucks and very little time, you can make yourself a whole new batch of accessories. They’re so simple and easy to make it’s barely a tutorial — come and check out this easy, satisfying project!
…After School Snack Placemats – Free Printable!
It’s Back to School season! Here’s a fun option to make after-school snack times a little more playful. I drew up some simple illustrations and had them laminated as placemats. A fox, a cat, a man and a woman.
The idea is basic as can be: the kids use their snacks to fill in the shapes. Any type of veggie or fruits or nuts could work for this.
…Recipe: BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Our family loves a good barbecue — Ben Blair makes the best burgers ever. But every so often it’s nice to switch things up a bit, so how about some pulled pork sandwiches? You could use any kind of sauce you want, but for this one, we’ve used a homemade bbq sauce of sorts with two secret ingredients!
Let’s talk about these secret ingredients. Have you ever had bourbon bbq sauce? It has a nice smoky, sweet flavor. And true, you could add bourbon to the sauce recipe if you wanted, but this one uses liquid smoke and vanilla extract. Don’t worry, it doesn’t end up tasting like cupcakes or anything. It’s really good. (Trust me!)
Plus, you can’t have pulled pork sammies without a pile of coleslaw, right? There’s a good homemade recipe for that below too, and it’s as easy as can be to put together. The coleslaw in the pictures is made with a coleslaw mix from Trader Joe’s that has shredded kale and Brussels sprouts too. You can use any kind of slaw mix you can find or like best.
Ready to get cooking?
…Living With Kids: Michelle LeBlanc
Michelle LeBlanc is that friend you want in the next dressing room or, better yet, sitting outside your closet every morning! “Nope,” she would shake her head politely and stylishly. “Not yoga pants again.” It’s clear that her aesthetic is based on ease and good lines that will connect all the dots in your days, no matter where you may land. Now let’s see how she’s prettily living with kids, shall we? Enjoy!
…DIY: Easy Alphabet Toothpicks for Sweet Treats
Here’s a terrific idea for last-minute celebrations and forgotten holidays! It works for graduation, new babies, mother’s day and father’s day, birthdays, new jobs, new houses, and on and on. You’ll want to bookmark or pin this one and keep it handy. It’s awesome because it looks special but only requires kindergarten-level crafting. Can you cut basic shapes out of paper with scissors? Then you’re good.
Pick up some baked goods at the grocery store. Cupcakes are cute, but donuts or muffins or brownies (or cake or pie) work too. Grab your sweets and let’s get to work!
…Caring for Teen Skin
Note: Deborah Harju was interviewed in a Living With Kids home tour. Deborah is an esthetician and she casually wrote, “I hope my kids will one day appreciate that they could go through their teenage years without the dreaded acne phase.” Well. The Design Mom inboxes lit up! Readers wanted to know more. Can you really avoid the acne phase? So I asked Deborah to share her secrets. Lucky us!
Adolescence is a pretty tough transition period for any child. Unpredictable hormonal changes on the inside! Crazy physical changes on the outside! And us parents? We are learning to adjust our parenting techniques right along with them.
…Recipe: Firecracker Pops
Christine Chitnis has a mouth-watering book called Icy, Creamy, Healthy, Sweet. It’s all about making yummy frozen treats — like ice pops, slushies, and floats — without refined sugars. There are 75 recipes, including vegan and dairy-free options too, and the photos are gorgeous.
Christine sent over a recipe from the book called Firecracker Pops (find it below). Have you ever made popsicles at home? Do you have a favorite recipe or fruit combo? And did you ever make them as a kid? Also, have you ever tried the Zoku? I haven’t, but friends swear by it. Apparently it freezes popsicles super fast.
…Living With Kids: Jillian Murphy
It’s been noted a few times in these tours that a homeowner’s true nature appears during a renovation. A worrier worries even more, someone who has a hard time making decisions will probably be on the phone (or maybe Pinterest!) a lot, and a procrastinator will get to that project tomorrow. Or next Wednesday.
I’m intimidated by Jillian‘s reno-style: She had a home water birth at 11:00 am, and renovations were back on by two that afternoon! So remarkable. As is this tour, especially for those of you interested in eco-friendly renovating and decorating. Enjoy, Friends!
…Homemade, All Natural Facials
Rachael Weesjes is an esthetician, and she generously offered to share her fabulous at-home concoctions to solve our skin concerns. These are natural, food-based, creams and cleansers — I’m betting you’ve got all the ingredients you’ll need in your kitchen right now. So let’s get started! Glowing skin, straight ahead!
…Recipe: No-Churn Berry Ripple Cheesecake Ice Cream
Something we miss when we’re in France is American ice cream. There’s no question France is very good at desserts, in fact, France is very possibly the reigning dessert country in the world. But I confess, I much prefer American ice cream to French ice cream. This is mysterious to me, especially since I live in Normandy, the famed dairy region of the country. The dairy products here are insanely good. The cheese is legendary. The yogurt aisle is epic. But oddly, I find the cartons of ice cream in the grocery store freezer ho-hum (and even more oddly, they don’t really do chocolate milk — but that’s a topic for another day).
All this to say, I asked Lindsey for a no-churn option — a freezer recipe that doesn’t require a machine. And boy, did she offer up a stunner. Don’t you just want to lick the screen? I can not wait to make this!
This No-Churn Berry Ripple Cheesecake Ice Cream is hands-down one of the easiest and tastiest recipes you can make. You don’t need an ice cream maker, hence the “no-churn part.” If you’ve got a freezer, you’re in business. Simple to make, tastes like a million bucks, and so rich! There aren’t any eggs like a traditional custard-based ice cream. It gets the creamy richness from cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk.
…Recipe: No-Churn Berry Ripple Cheesecake Ice CreamRead More »