twelveOeight

Lace + leather floral bohemian dream catcher

January 26, 2017 By Tanya 2 Comments

I must have a thing with strings of lights, layers of texture and dream catchers. Or a variation of one like the one we are making today.

When I was sifting through my craft supplies and found this embroidery hoop, and a yard of lace fabric I begin thinking about some of the open centered dream catchers that I have seen and loved.

Some have dyed ombre’ yarn, others have lots of greenery and flowers, this turned out having a bit of everything I have seen and loved.

Strips of lace, a little yarn and a few wooden beads, a piece of leather and some white pom poms for good measure.

This dream catcher came together pretty quickly and since our bedrooms all have at least one (yes I suppose you could say I love to make them!) this one may end up in my office refresh. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Boho Style, DIY, home decor

Slow cooker white chicken chili

January 22, 2017 By Tanya Leave a Comment

We use our slow cooker year round, in the summer a big pot of pork carnitas or baked beans keep the kitchen cool by avoiding turning the oven on.

And in the fall and winter…well…it’s a slow-cooker-palooza every week and I find myself using ours at least three times a week if not more.

I love to make big batches of beef chili, spaghetti sauce to freeze and homemade refried beans in my slow cooker. Beans seem to work their way into many dishes as they are a great source of protein, easy on the budget and really good for you.

I decided to do a little use-what-you-have cooking before we went on our monster Costco and Winco shopping trip recently. I like to do a quick re-organize of my pantry shelves and deep freezer so things don’t get “lost” in the back and never used, and so I stock up but avoid over-buying. Which is very easy to do at Costco.

I saw that I had some frozen chicken breasts, and canned white beans, along with a can of green chilies in hand I knew I had the makings for a belly warming pot of good for you white chicken chili. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Gluten Free Recipes, Slow Cooker Recipes, Thrifty Living

DIY recycled t-shirt wall art

January 17, 2017 By Tanya 3 Comments

I graduated from High School in 1989.

That puts me at 45 today, and while some things have changed so much, my love of rock t-shirts, all things Stevie Nicks, and dreams of travelling Europe with a backpack and train pass have never changed.

I grew up on a small working farm, raised by my organic-gardening grandparents while my mom sorted fruit for a local orchard.

On sunny days you could find my running between the fruit trees and when the weather was cold, pouring over my mom’s impressive collection of records and deciding if I needed to sew a new halter top.

Years have passed and I think I still have her first Beatles record in my own collection buried between some New Order and the Doors.

Somewhere in my teens a love of thrifting and upcycling emerged, and I suppose some might say hoarding. I have however purged collected items many times over, keeping a core group of treasures that I am sure I could not live without. So we will not call it hoarding but curating a collection of things that bring us joy.

Yes, that sounds so much better.

Recently while trolling through my local Goodwill I came across a navy tank top that had an embroidery skull that caught my eye. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Boho Style, DIY, home decor, Thrifty Living

6 pretty home trends you will love for 2017

January 8, 2017 By Tanya Leave a Comment

The Portland area has a wonderful mini blanket of snow this weekend topped by some dangerous ice that is keeping my inside enjoying my coffee and fireplace today.

So I have to admit, while I like to keep up on trends, my home is an eclectic mix of what I love. A mish mash of farmhouse/boho/and lots of painted furniture.

I have forecasted trends that you may remember, most not brag-worthy but still worth mention:

The Bomber jacket. Long before Top Gun this girl rocked a leather bomber jacket. It was not because I was cool or saw into the future, we lived in Minneapolis and my Step-dad had a sweet leather jacket from being overseas. And it was really cold, the jacket kept me warm, more function than style.
Skinny jeans. Any of you “peg” your jeans when you were younger perhaps? Then you nailed that trend long before it was mainstream. We were soooooo cool.
Ok last one, spray paint. I spray painted all of my furniture and accessories forever before spray paint was cool. I was a single mom trying to make her house look amazing on a zero budget so again, not about style as much as revamping what I had to last a little longer. Funny thing some things stick as I am sure I have 75+ different colors and kinds of spray paint. That is another day.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Decorating, DIY, Modern Decor

A new year + making peace with my size 16 body

January 2, 2017 By Tanya 4 Comments

I know I am not the only one who has struggled with their weight.

That it’s not just about what size we are, but what we see when we look in the mirror. Who looks back at us and do we approve or make a list of everything that needs to change.

Living in a society where youth and the media’s opinion of beauty are prized, sometimes it’s really hard to feel like you can even throw your hat in the ring at a size 16.

But this is where I have landed. I have gained and lost hundreds of pounds. Been so thin my doctor and friends were concerned, and been carrying enough weight that a flight of stairs kicked my ass.

Finding out I was dancing with Type 2 Diabetes a few years ago, and having suddenly lost my Mom to Diabetic complications three years ago has weighed heavy on my heart.

Myself and my body have found a happy place with a balanced diet, no weight gain, and the energy that I need to keep up with the demands of working full time, my family and home and trying to find a little creative time too.

I am a size 16, I wear a 1x sometimes a 2x depending on the brand and I am happy. I have waited so long to even say it out loud. I was afraid I was giving up or back on the road to another rapid weight gain, but after spending a couple years healing from an abusive relationship and learning how to love myself again, something new was born. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Being happy, body acceptance, Thoughts

Painted mantel in the darkest of greys + Christmas sneak peak!

November 17, 2016 By Tanya 2 Comments

The painting bug seems to strike at unexpected times.

I would think of spring and fall first, as one you are purging and refreshing your space for warmer weather and the other getting cozy and bringing in warmth all around you.

But right before Thanksgiving, not something I thought we would tackle.

Until I removed everything from our fireplace wall and hung a Barn Wood Christmas sign that I made. Then I realized to really make the sign pop, the wall needed to be darker. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Christmas, DIY, Farmhouse Style

Apple pie hard cider

November 13, 2016 By Tanya 5 Comments

We just came up with this little number this weekend and I had to share.

Not only is this a refreshing, crisp glass of apple pie with a kick, but this will keep those tootsies warm on cold nights too.

I love a quick seasonal drink that I can throw together for friends to enjoy, and this little apple concoction is just what we need for some relaxing late Fall entertaining. And by late Fall I mean some of my Christmas stuff is up and it’s beginning to look a lot like Santa’s Workshop up in here. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Entertaining, Gluten Free Recipes, Recipes, Thanksgiving

10 budget friendly Christmas DIY’s

November 10, 2016 By Tanya 9 Comments

We are going to make a day of it this year, with warm boots, mittens and lots of cocoa to find our tree.

I cannot wait.

Like, literally. So in the meantime Santa’s little dress workshop can still be full of Christmas cheer and working on lots of projects while I wait for late November and tree-finding day to arrive.

This is my favorite time of year (I know I say that about every season) so I guess I love celebrating and decorating and that is why Christmas brings back so many memories. And makes me want to get to creating every chance I have.

Here are some of my favorite Christmas projects for a little inspiration and hopefully a few thrifty ideas to begin the season with excitement and joy. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Christmas, craft, DIY, Dollar Store Projects, Food Gifts, How To Save Money

5 thrifty to ways to breathe new life into your home right now

November 7, 2016 By Tanya 4 Comments

Since returning to work full time, I have found that more than ever my home is the warm nest I look forward to returning to each day after work.

And while I don’t have the time to accomplish large projects in the evenings and on weekends, I can little things on a regular basis that add up to something wonderful.

None of us have unlimited time or resources to have a perfect home. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Decorating, DIY, Farmhouse Style Tagged With: DIY, Farmhouse Style, twelveOeight

Black and white DIY Thanksgiving pumpkins

November 4, 2016 By Tanya 6 Comments

Can you believe that it’s going to be Thanksgiving in just a few weeks?

Neither can I. We were just knee deep in summer a minute ago it seems, and the wonderful holiday season has already arrived.

Being that it is my favorite time of year I will take it however. I don’t know about you but I get a little (ok massively) excited when the holiday baking displays begin to pop up at the grocery store.

Marshmallow crème we are ready for you!

But before I get ahead of myself and begin to mentally put up our tree (too late I already have the colors, theme and location in my noggin) we have Thanksgiving to look forward to.

No matter where this Thanksgiving finds us, one thing is for sure, it’s such a good time to stop and really realize how truly blessed we are.

Time to spend with family or friends, or however you want, and food. Good food y’all.

I have had this little blog of mine for about four years now I think.

A lot has happened since then, and returning to work just under two years ago has meant not near as much time to write and share. But that return to work was necessary as I left an unhealthy life behind and struck out on a new path with my kids.

This Thanksgiving finds me very thankful, for a great career I love, the ability to provide for my family, and a man in my life who supports me and encourages me to do the things that bring me joy.

Looking back I am not sure how we made it, it’s been a rocky path for sure. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autumn, Craft Ideas, DIY, Dollar Store Projects, Thanksgiving