Father's Day is two weeks away and I've got a list for you! If you're not into making a homemade arts and crafts gift for him this year, I hope that you are able to refer to this list to help pick out the perfect gift. Dad's can be difficult to shop for, so I hope you are able to find some inspiration here!

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1. Monopoly - I love this classic spin that L.L. Bean did on the infamous Monopoly board game. For all of those die hard monopoly dads out there, this is the gift for them! The playing pieces include a tote, dog, bean boot, canoe, lantern and a moose. Not to mention the board is reversible, allowing you to play scrabble as well! Bingo!
   
   
2. Nest Cam - My most recent fascination. I'm looking into investing into a couple of these babies myself. Not only does all the footage upload directly to the cloud so that it is not stored on the device, you can also access it from you flip phone at any time. For an extra $10/month you can buy storage and your footage will be recorded into the cloud. Not a bad gig, you can't put a price on safety!
   
   
3. Homebrewing Kit - This gift is perfect for the beer connoisseur dad who wants to put his brewing knowledge to the test. It includes all of the equipment needed to brew two gallons of delicious and fresh beer.
   
   
4. Dollar Shave Club - I don't know if this is something that everyone's dad would want to take advantage of, however it eases the task of buying new razors/blades each month. Sign up for a couple bucks each month, and they will ship them straight to your door. Easy, easy.
   
   
5. Vineyard Vines Tie - These are a classic! If your dad is a tie-wearer, consider splurging on one of these fun, bright, and critter filled ties. I'm sure it would brighten his day, and everyone who sees him wearing it!
   
   
6. Drill Kit - If he doesn't already have one, I'm sure your dad would appreciate a drill kit. It's such an easy gift that everyone needs.
   
   
7. Hometown Map Puzzle - I know I write about this puzzle ALL of the time, I'm obsessed with it. His home would be represented by a house shaped puzzle piece, while the rest of the puzzle makes up the surrounding terrain. When he finishes the puzzle, have him glue it, frame it, and hang it on the wall!
   
   
8. Yeti Tumbler - These are great for both hot and cold drinks. They would make a great addition to his camping supplies or for everyday use.
   
   
9. Man Crate - This is for the manly man dad. Pick out the crate that fits your dad best and enjoy watching him open it with the crowbar that they send with it.
   

What are you thinking about getting your Father for Father's Day?

Mother's Day Gift Guide

With Mother's Day less than two weeks away, it seemed appropriate to build a list of gift ideas that can be used to help pick out a gift for your mom! I wanted to share my top picks that I think mom's would appreciate and get a lot of use out of!

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What are you thinking about picking out or making for your mom for Mother's Day?

Baby Shower Gift Idea!

Two of our nearest and dearest friends from high school are expecting a little bundle of baby boy joy this June making L and I both a self-proclaimed aunt/uncle! Unfortunately, we are unable to make the baby shower later this month, however, we did put together a little something for him that will hopefully be an heirloom keepsake.
They asked that in lieu of a card, everyone bring a book instead, an idea that I absolutely love! While perusing Old North's gift shop the other day, I saw the classic, Make Way for Ducklings, leaving me nothing but inspired - what a fitting book that every kid should have! I dragged L down to the Make Way for Ducklings statues in the Public Garden and had a kind tourist take this fun picture of us with the happy Mallard family looking their springtime best!

We taped this picture on the first page of the book and wrote a little note to him.
In addition to the book, I found a shop online that handcrafts natural, heirloom wooden toys that can be personalized. I fell in love with the cow teether, as well as some personalized blocks that spell out his name. They're fun, original, and smell so good! These gifts alone were enough to give me baby fever, they are all so cute --- no babies anytime soon for us though.

I spent way more time that I should have wrapping them up to send them out for shipping, but hey, wrapping's my favorite!

Hopefully these gifts will be a constant reminder as to how much his Auntie K and Uncle L love him! (:
What's your favorite baby shower gift idea!?

The Day of Love… tomorrow

Can you believe tomorrow is Valentine's Day!?

Sure snuck up on me!

Today, is also my one year blog anniversary! 

One year ago today I published my first post that was about making a Valentine's Day gift for L!

So in honor or a full year of blogging, I bring to you this years Valentine's Day craft!

Each year, I try to make something handmade and crafty for L. While this is our 5th Valentine's Day together, I can not for the life of me remember what we did for out first two together. Isn't that sad? We were in high school. There is only so much that can be expected.

I do remember that for V Day 2012 I made the "52 Things I Love About You" card deck, and V Day 2013 I mod podged basically every picture ever taken of us onto two huge wooden letters that read "L & K". So in an effort to keep the crafting alive, I whipped up a fun framed project that commemorates the two places where we have lived.

Inspired by Pinterest, I printed out maps of the states we had lived in together, and cut them out.

I got about halfway around the Cape when I realized I should have used my Silhouette to cut these out. Lesson learned.

I used an 11" x 14" floating frame to display the states.

I used my labeler to print out the city and state of each location as well as cut out small hearts and a mount for the labels. 

Happy Valentine's Day! (tomorrow)

DIY Decorative Letters

When this small boutique in town opened, and started to sell these cut out wooden letters, I went crazy and started collecting the entire alphabet. They were so much fun to decorate, hence this post.

I started with the 'M', which was a wedding shower gift for Ashleigh.

I then made an 'N' for one of my sisters...

...and an 'S' for the other! 

All you need is the wooden letter, decorative paper, black paint, decorations and Mod Podge. Simple, Easy and Fun! 

--K

DIY Wedding Shadow Box

Sometimes at 2 in the morning, I find myself not sleeping, and up doing crafts instead. I don't know why, but that's just what happens. 

Landon's sister recently got married this January, actually 3 months ago today to be exact! I've known Ash for several years now, and I'd like to say we've grown pretty close and she's practically a sister to me! She likes the eclectic, vintage look, so her wedding theme was very neat! The bridal party was a blast, and the wedding and reception itself were so much fun! 

After the wedding, I made sure to keep the Save The Dates, Invitations, Wedding Program, and other random things. I wanted to compile them altogether and make her a wedding shadow box!

Well... month one passed and all the trinkets were sitting in my room collecting dust. I had good intentions for them, I just didn't have the time or energy to go out and collect the rest of the things I needed for the project. 

So finally, 3 MONTHS LATER (I know, I know... I put it off for awhile), TODAY, when Landon and I were strutting around Walmart in search for something to eat, I said "Hey Landon, I wonder if they have shadow boxes here?" So we went over to the picture frame section, and TA DA!! Who would have thought Walmart would have shadow boxes? Thrilled, I picked up a 12" x 12" one and began brainstorming. Now I HAD to finish the project, I had all the supplies! 

So now, here I am, covered in glue at 4 in the morning blogging about the Wedding Shadow Box that I made for Ash. (: 

First, I started with a shadow box. This one had a burlap background which was awesome! Went well with the theme.

Next, I collected all kinds of "memories" that had to do with the wedding.

Finally, I compiled everything together and VOILA!! a wedding shadow box! (: The flower pressed up against the glass and is kind of covering Jon's face... what can ya do..

This was such a fun project, and it's really neat for anniversaries, wedding gifts (3 month wedding gifts... oops), etc. (:

--K