happy halloween

matilda rockin' out as snow white

this weekend sam and i made a concerted effort to celebrate halloween.
we went to six stores to find the perfect snow white wig. (isn't it hysterical?!)
we took matilda to eddie's trick shop.
we watched the zombie walk. real life walking dead. we saw everything from dogs and kids to senior citizen zombies.
matilda and i watched it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown.
we forced ourselves to stop working on projects and watched the strangers (good grief i really don't like scary movies).
trick or treating tonight! we will all eat one or two pieces and then that candy is getting trashed. i'm hardcore like that.

just curious, as adults do you still dress up? i love people that get really into it, although i have to admit it has been a hot minute for me. i think my last costume was a 50's housewife pre-baby. halloween isn't typically my favorite holiday, but being scared was kinda fun this year.

handmade charlotte for anthropologie

hi! this week has been kind of a downer. i'll be back to regular posting next week. just popping in to share these gorgeous beauties. my friend rachel who is a master curator and finds the most beautiful things and shares them on her blog handmade charlotte, has collaborated with anthropologie to create a mini-line of unreal girl's clothing. this little plume coat makes my head spin and all of these items were handmade on her farm.

her mother is a semi novice antique dealer who sets up at the local markets. she travels abroad a few times a year with her mom. she only carries buffalo nickels, wears indian head pieces and collects vintage buttons that her mother sews on her beret.
- rachel faucett

so proud of you rach!

a night in serenbe

a week ago today we drove down to serenbe, this idyllic escape not far from the city of atlanta, and stayed in the "mimosa cottage." how cute is this house? double-sided fireplace, screened in porch, subway-tiled bathroom, overstuffed beds with cream linens, brownies waiting for us. heavenly.



tea time was at four. i could have drank my weight in the mint tea and matilda was very happy with her bunch of grapes, pimento cheese, and pickled okra. we had our afternoon snack at the inn sitting under the covered porch, watching the rain come down...
we had reservations at six at the hil in the community of serenbe. my chicken pot pie hit the spot for a rainy evening. sam had the steak and fries and we ordered a pizza for matilda. all so good.


part of the charm of serenbe is the wildlife and farms. they have an organic farm, stables, chickens, goats (we had one spend the night on our front porch), donkeys, pigs, bunnies, and tons of wild flowers and a lovely pond, meditation labryinth, tree houses, and more. it is captivating. we were so ecstatic to be able to schedule an animal feeding for matilda after our fabulous, warm breakfast in the dining room. she was beyond excited. one of the donkeys did get a little overzealous so for the rest of the week it was, "that honkey bit me."


if you live near atlanta there is no excuse not to go.
i owe a very special thank you to rachel for gifting us with such a magical overnight stay.

it's friday!

we took a little road trip this week and the in-ground trampolines at the serenbe inn were perfect for mouth wide open photo ops.

this weekend i have high hopes for:
sleep - forgot to mention that matilda has had late night cravings for two weeks. at two am or so she wants a snack. i don't give her one. she keeps trying.
comfort food - i'm thinking chili.
sewing - must.finish.projects.
solitude - been feeling really stretched thin. that's life, right? i want to do something ridiculously self-oriented like get my nails painted or shop alone. i'm crazzzzy like that.
hugging my brother - jake has been on an amazing adventure since early this year. he's worked on several different farms out west and is couch surfing his way home (he was under strict rules to forward me all of the people's info that he was staying with). i can't wait to see him!

what do you have high hopes for this weekend?

banner red bed

i mentioned earlier this week that we had finally transitioned til to a twin bed. i've heard so many horror stories from friends and customers about taking their babies from their cribs to toddler/twin beds. my mom told me to wait as long as i could! i have to say that i think waiting until matilda was older was a good move, granted she never tried to climb out of her crib which would be an entirely different story. this weekend we picked up the iron bed i slept on until i was 13! it was white when i was tiny and then once i hit middle school i begged my mom to paint it black which it stayed until we painted it banner red for matilda. i have such an affinity for red. it just makes me happy. back to the bed, my mom told me that it originally belonged to the candler family and was being stored by my great grandfather and they let him keep it. it still has the orginal clay feet. i love it.

we had the bed all set up and ready to go and then at 6:30 sunday night (bedtime is at 7) and then we panicked and sam ran out to get a guardrail. it's been three nights and i still panic she'll fall out. sam ended up grabbing this guardrail from babysrus (didn't see it online). it's wooden and technically to be used to convert a crib to a toddler bed but it still works with a twin. not quite as hideous as those mesh things but we will fo sho be craigslisting this bad boy when she's done with it.

sweet dreams so far and no getting out of bed just yet. knock.on.wood.

how was your experience when your little person went to the big kid bed? did you jump right to a twin/ full or stick with a toddler bed?
matilda was definitely concerned about her crib and where it went and tears might have welled up in my eyes when sam broke it down and took it out of her room.

sources: the sheets were an amazing score at a garage sale way before matilda was even in the picture (secretly hoping for a little girl to sleep on them), the green pillows are "vintage" anthropologie, the monogrammed pillow is from pottery barn, the duvet is from target, the bedskirt is shabby chic for target, and the adorable dolls are blabla.

ps you can find me over here today!

coconut chicken + peanut sauce

ok, so i can't take credit for this dinner. i have to give credit where credit is due. sam graham can cook. he gets down with his bad self in the kitchen. i clean. the kitchen. a lot. it's worth it. this dinner was created out of necessity (the mother of invention). we were so burnt out on eating the same thing that sam came up with this super simple and savory/sweet dinner. this sauce comes from one of our most used cookbooks and makes my mouth water.

coconut chicken
organic chicken breast
egg
shredded unsweetened coconut
salt
pepper
garlic
rudy's rub
coconut oil

cut chicken in to strips. have one plate with broken egg, one plate with shredded coconut and spices. first dip chicken in egg, then coat in coconut mixture. cook over medium high in coconut oil until golden brown.

peanut sauce
(from the bride and groom's first and forever cookbook)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup water
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
1 T honey
1 T asian sesame oil
11/2 t peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 t minced garlic
pinch cayenne pepper

combine the peanut butter, water, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. season with cayenne pepper. the sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for 1 month.

i like dipping the chicken and kale in the peanut sauce. yumz.

maps

last week i had a little incident with a guy who came to my door trying to sell us something. i don't know about you ladies out there, but i am sure as heeecccckkk not opening the door for some random dude when i'm home alone with my daughter. luckily guinness loses his mind when men come to the door, so that helps, but because i have glass at the top of the door the guy saw me and there was really no way to avoid the situation. after he finally left (shaking his head and cussing at me under his breath) i ran to finally make use of the map wrapping paper i bought just for this reason. a while back i saw this great picture and was completely inspired. i wanted a creative way to keep our living room private and i love how this easy project turned out. i just measured the window panes and then used hot glue to attach the paper to the window.

moments...

our pumpkins perched proudly on our front porch.
matilda in her new orange sweater (thanks kim and alan!) laying on a twin bed.
beautiful roses from mama's garden with my favorite wine in the background.
my first of a limited edition batch of tiny aprons for seed factory.

we spent the weekend doing little and big projects. it's amazing how happy a new $13 doorbell can make me (it lights up!). sam also put in a peephole in our front door which i really enjoy. the big project was working on transitioning matilda into her new bed. pictures coming soon!

instagram actions

so, i am totally addicted to instagram. i admit it. it's my current favorite social media. did you know you can look at it online through statigram? in case the app isn't enough for you, i discovered these free instagram actions through this cute blog.

i chose to use my two favorite actions: nashville and early bird. you can also choose whether or not to add a border. surprisingly lord kelvin ain't all that bad without the sketchy white border. who knew?

ps my friend lindsey made this dress for matilda. isn't it perfect?

happy weekend.

diy: welcome home wreath

bringing your baby home for the first time is one of life's sweetest moments. you are beyond excited to be able to sleep in your own bed and you have this perfect little person that you want to introduce to their home. it's beautiful. i'll never forget bringing matilda home, introducing her to guinness for the first time, and the warm fuzzies when we walked to our back door and were welcomed by a beautiful handmade wreath from our sweet neighbor.

i wanted to return that touching gesture to christy and erik as they brought their baby home. their little one came early so i scrambled to whip up this yarn wreath. christy isn't a frilly girl, so i thought the mustard yarn and the peacock blue ribbon would fit the bill.

start by making a loop out of garden wire around the foam ring (this will be covered by the yarn) and then around to form a "hook." then begin by tying the yarn on with a small knot and then wrapping, wrapping, wrapping the yarn all the way around the ring. i then tied the ribbon to the top of the hook and hot glued it to cascade down the wreath. i made the sign in photoshop and then used double-stick tape to attach it to a doily that i glued to the back. the bird was the finishing touch.

i can only hope that it warms their heart like our wreath did ours.

flatout pizza with baby kale + organic valley cheese

i think the first time i heard about flatout bread was from (never home) maker. i looked for it at whole foods and could never find it, but when i took a trip to good ole costco with my mom for til's party i stocked up.

i made pimento cheese roll-ups with them for the party and after that it was pb&js, quesadillas, and now pizza. since we really don't eat bread, its made an awesome substitute. you could also make delightfully thin-crusted pizza out of ezekiel tortillas.

for these pizzas you will need:

flatout bread
olive oil
garlic
tomato sauce (preferably organic)
oregano
salt
organic raw cheese
toppings

for these pizzas i coated the bread with olive oil and a little real salt and stuck them in the oven at 350 until they were lightly toasted. i then spread tomato sauce on top with a sprinkling of oregano. covered with minced garlic, shredded cheese, and baby kale. popped them back in the oven on broil until the cheese was hot and bubbly. fastest lunch ever, made complete by my favorite condiment.

the possibilities are really endless, just nothing too heavy because the bread can't handle it.

blogging tips + tricks part 2: communicating

one of the hardest parts about blogging is getting your name out there. there's nothing worse than working your butt of on a post and seeing that big, fat 0 in the comments section.

when i follow these simple rules, i always see my numbers go up:
-post on a regular schedule. if that means three times a week, then post three times a week but try to post on the same days: ex mon, wed, fri.
-tweet and facebook new blog posts.
-if applicable, pin your own posts. i've found this works best for style boards, crafts, and recipes. i've seen a huge jump in visitors since the invention of pinterest.
-be nice. being approachable and responding to people's questions helps you build relationships. i've met so many cool people through blogging. you know something that really helps when it comes to me responding to y'alls questions? doing this small little thing.
-taking time to thoughtfully comment on other blogs that inspire you. i will tell you that i can smell a chronic commenter from a mile a way. wanna hear my biggest pet peeve? leaving a comment and then asking people to check out your giveaway. i have a lot of blogging pet peeves but i'll leave you with that tasty morsel.

i'll talk in more detail later about social media, but for now do you use google analytics? you should. you can't chart growth if there's nothing to measure it by.

did i leave something out? you.tell.me.
what keeps you coming back to your favorite blogs?

buy that pretty phone here

two signs of fall

sunday we drove up into north georgia to visit burt's pumpkin farm for the first time. the drive was stunning: gray skies + orange leaves, winding roads, farm after farm. there was no one in sight and then we got to the farm. where did all of those people come from? matilda was beyond excited to help pick out heirloom varieties of pumpkins (the uglier the better in my opinion and they better have a long curly stem). there were rows and rows of pumpkins and gourds and people. if you know me, i'm not really big on crowds but it was so festive and it just felt like fall. it was jacket and boot weather, y'all. we were sad we didn't get to take a hayride but i think 2012 will be our year. we DID however manage to fit a super long corn stalk in the back on my car. my porch will scream fall soon enough.
when we got home from the farm i warmed up the quart of soup i was lucky enough to snag from staplehouse. did you hear they're introducing soups to their ever-growing fan base? once the email goes out announcing the soup of the week, first come first serve will get their very own brown-bagged soup. letmetellyou there might have been some moaning happening in my house as it was being consumed. we are huge fans of jen and ryan's and are beyond thrilled that we got to take a little piece of staplehouse home. sign up for their email list at staplehouse.com for more info.

and the winner of the giveaway is:

thanks to everyone who participated!

my first quilt

all of my friends are having babies right now it seems. my dear friend karina is due in november with a baby boy. i wanted to make something special for her. she is light and love and all things happy. she is the type of person that brings out the best in everyone. i need friends like that.
i had planned on making something else but decided to make this "quilt" after seeing this tutorial on the purl bee. i followed most of the instructions except for i used a soft, fleece backing and two fabrics. i also wanted to try "quilting" the fabrics together. i used a sewing marker and drew vertical lines four inches apart and then sewed straight down. fun! i'm no where near modern quilter's guild, just dipping my toes. i finished the quilt with orange embroidery floss. the fabrics i used are michael miller's orange stripe and sarah jane for michael miller making paper hats in yellow.

i couldn't resist including a copy of our favorite night-time book, also available here for you locals.

thank you to my beautiful sister for modeling for me

ps today is the very last day to enter the giveaway...i'll announce the winner on monday.

wishing + hoping

1. these smartwool socks are at the top of my list.
2. i want these every fall, but truth be told they make my feet look ginormous.
3. memories of festivals
4. perfect rosy sparkle.
5. karen walker sunglasses

with the temperatures cooling down in georgia, my fall wishlist is growing. these are just some fancy things i'm pining over this week.

speaking of wishlists...check out my top ten yoga must-haves.

welcome home charlotte

last week our dear friends and neighbors, christy and erik, had their sweet, tiny baby charlotte. isn't she perfection? jet black, curly hair and the daintiest little face. she already has her mom and dad wrapped around her finger. it is so cool to watch your good friends become parents. nothing like it really. they are so great with her and calm! christy who is incredibly together, was already walking around with her hair done no less at the hospital. she's a go getter, that one. i took these pictures of them just a few days after charlotte was born. i wanted you to see what a great job chris did on the nursery. this is just a peek, but i love the creative art collage and the menagerie of monsters. the colors are so fresh and calming and there are so many handmade touches. christy is one crafty lady. it is SO them and these photos make me really happy. congrats friends!

blogging tips + tricks part 1: photography

let me preface this post with a disclaimer: i am by no means the authority on blogging or photography. there are plenty of people who are more influential than i am and even make a living out of it, BUT i have learned some things over my three years of blogging that i'd love to share in hopes that they will help you on your own journey.

when i started blogging i was pregnant and i had no idea what i was doing. i've always kept some sort of online journal (what's up livejournal) and wanted to blog about my favorite baby products, etc. through that my dear friend lauren asked me if i wanted to blog for pregnancy and newborn. although i have not made substantial money through blogging i've had a lot of great opportunities because of it. i kept up with homemade grits to catalog matilda's first days and to keep my family posted on our family happenings. eventually i started learning to use a dslr and my blog started looking more professional which leads me to...

blogging tips + tricks part 1: photography

one of the main differences between a hobby blog and a more professional-looking one is a good camera. if you are going to invest in one thing for your blog it should be that. in my opinion. also, i like taking pictures on my phone as much as the next person but blown up they never look good. look at the difference between these two pictures of matilda:


do you see how grainy the top picture is? now, let's take this a step further. you should know some basic editing skills. there are plenty of cheap ways to edit pictures. flickr uses a program called picnik. it is not perfect and definitely can drive me bananas when there are issues but it works.

let's compare this straightouttathecamera photo and the one i edited in picnik:i used the "velvia" curve and then adjusted the layers. if you can swing it, it's extremely helpful to learn some basic photoshop techniques. i just ordered this book which came highly recommended. photoshop is the best program for photo editing and making collages, etc.
if you have photoshop, the pioneer woman has great actions that are free. for a really helpful tutorial on actions check out this post.

ex of before and after using actions (pw's colorized action with the opacity tweaked for each layer):

also, with pictures i really appreciate larger photos. you get so much more of "the picture." i have set the width of all of these photos at 600 which you can do with some very basic html. you'll want to make sure that the main body of your blog is at a width of 600 or higher, otherwise the image will be cut off.
img width=600 src="inserturl" surround this text with <>. teach yourself basic html. here's a good site to get you started. again, look at the difference:

width of 300:

width of 600:
lastly, if i'm going to show a vertical picture, i usually will stick it with another vertical shot so that all of the pictures are the same size and width.

let me know if you have any questions. again, these are my preferences and what i look for in blogs i like to read.

um ps can you tell how much i like that striped shirt?!

matilda + rosie (plus a giveaway)

for matilda's second birthday my mom gifted her with a rosy cheeks baby doll. being the creatives that we are, she was named rosie. matilda has been totally in love with her ever since. she cries for her if we leave her somewhere and insists on sleeping with her. she's really a perfect doll for a little person because she's so soft and her clothes are easy to take on/off. safe for all ages and also winner of creative child magazine's seal of excellence. she also has lots of cute accessories. we love her stylin' clothes and the bassinette and changing pad are so vintagy and sweet. i am SO excited to be giving away a rosie doll of your choice. even if you don't have kids, this doll would make an amazing gift for a little one. the holidays are right around the corner!
more about the doll:
"super soft velour, embroidered facial features, ID bracelet for personalization and removable cotton jersey knit wrap top. soft fleece diaper with velcro closures for added play value. adorable outie belly bottom and lifelike bottom enhances baby doll charm. suitable for embroidered personalization. a wonderful gift idea to help an older sibling welcome a new baby home!"

i have to tell you that i purposely do not do a lot of giveaways but could not turn down working with the super nice people at north american bear company to give away matilda's favorite toy.
to enter please visit north american bear company and leave a comment telling me the name of the doll you'd like to win.
additional entries if:
you like homemade grits on facebook
you post about the giveaway on your blog, facebook, twitter, etc (make sure to leave me a link or tag @lesleywgraham on twitter)
you subscribe to homemade grits

please leave a separate comment for each entry! winner will be chosen on friday. good luck.

north american bear co. is also on twitter and facebook!