I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, crafter, and blogger living in rural New England. As seen in Martha Stewart Living, Food Network Magazine, and more! | Tutorials, DIY, crafts, parenting tips, recipes, money saving tips, product reviews, local product features, New England living, intentional living, and more! |
Newsletters are where it's at now and I'm jumping on the bandwagon ;)
Please feel free to sign up for my weekly newsletter in the form below. I manage the list myself and don't share your information, so you don't have to worry about getting spammed.
I plan on sending out one email per week, tops (we all get enough emails everyday already, right?). In the weekly newsletter I'll share a summary to some of my latest posts, any giveaways I'm hosting for the blog, as well as what's new in the Etsy shop and exclusive coupon codes.
Don't forget, I can make custom Christmas ornaments too! Here is a custom one I made for my husband's business, Build Interactive.
If you're thinking of ordering a custom ornament this Christmas season, please do so soon. As we get closer to Christmas it gets harder to take on custom orders. You can always contact me through my Etsy Shop or the contact form on my blog for more details. Thank you!
It's been a long, loooong time since I knit anything but when We Are Knitters contacted me to see if I wanted to try out one of their kits and give one away to a lucky follower I was excited to say yes. There's just something about curling up in a cozy chair and knitting that melts the stress away. (Don't forget to look for our exclusive coupon code and enter the giveaway to win your own kit!)
We Are Knitters has tons of kits available to choose from - including scarves, hats, sweaters, blankets, and even dresses! But since it had been so long since I knit anything I decided to be safe and go with the
Downtown Snood kit from their beginner level selection of kits.
The wool for this kit is premium 100% natural Peruvian wool which is amazingly soft and thick with 35 colors to choose from. In fact, I loved it so much I got an extra skien so I could make the project twice. (You are also able to purchase wool skeins separately right from their website.)
In the kit you find your wool, wooden knitting needles, pattern, needle, and a label for your finished project. Embarrassingly, I do not know how to read a knitting pattern (ha) but it was written so simply even I could understand it. And what's even better, We Are Knitters (WAK) has great video tutorials available to you so you can study how to do the stitch and easily pause the video to practice step-by-step.
I definitely recommend watching the videos with your knitting needles and some scrap yarn in your hands so you're able to practice before you start on your nice yarn from WAK. But after some practice I was able to get it down and was kitting away a mile a minute in no time.
The project went quickly and now I have some gorgeous handmade scarves to wear now that the cold weather is setting in.
We Are Knitters was also kind enough to share an exclusive coupon code with my readers - just use the code BIRCHLANDINGWAK at checkout to receive 15% off your order!
GIVEAWAY
Would you like the chance to win your own Downtown Snood Kit in your choice of color? Just visit We Are Knitters
HERE and sign up for their free newsletter. Givewaway will end October 24th.
EDIT 10/26/16: Winner chosen and notified - Congratulations Kristin B!
- I received these materials for review from We Are Knitters but all opinions expressed are my own. Please see our Disclosure Policy for more information. -
The Fryeburg Fair in Fryeburg, Maine has been around since 1851 and while our family hasn't been going quite that long, it is long-standing tradition to go every year and we love it. Why is it so great? Well let me share why we love it so much.
History
In our technology-driven world today, it's easy to take for granted things like power tools, heavy machinery, grocery stores, and easily accessible information. But back in the day, everything you owned and everything you ate came from your own two hands. If you couldn't build it, grow it, or fix it you weren't going to make it. Ingenuity and hard work is what you survived on.
At Fryeburg, they do a wonderful job showcasing and honoring the past with great museums full of old tools, working "one-lunger" engines that can run anything from an apple sauce maker to a wood splitter, Loretta's Kitchen (a working old-fashioned kitchen), blacksmiths, and more.
In the event you see kids carrying around a length of heavy chain at the fair, don't worry - they didn't break out of jail. The blacksmiths have a great tradition of making a chain link for kids when they come to the fair and every year they can add another link to their chain.
Livestock
What's a fair without animals? Well you're in luck, because Fryeburg has lots. Horses, oxen, dairy and meat cows, chickens of all kinds, goats, pigs, rabbits, and more. It's always fun to see all the different types of animals and watch the competitions.
This horse has a better hair than me. So not fair.
Entertainment
Throughout the week, there is always awesome live entertainment scattered throughout the grounds but a great perk of the fair is the headliner shows put on almost every evening. These shows are often big names and admission is included with your entry fee to the fair that day (just get to the show early to claim a good seat).
This year we saw Brothers Osborne play and it was a lot of fun to see a band you hear on the radio in person, just wish my cell phone took better photos from a distance ;)
Brothers Osborne warming up.
Family (of course!)
The biggest thing we love about the fair is spending time with loved ones and seeing our little one enjoy and appreciate the animals, the fun, and the history (even if she might not understand it all just yet). Both of our families come from a long line of farmers and woodsmen and that's a heritage we don't want to forget about.
Fall is here and that means decorating up your front porch with, you guessed it - pumpkins! I've rounded up 15 very different pumpkin-themed decor ideas for you. Just click on the author's name to be brought to the original post for the how-to details. Enjoy!
Creating a registry for your first baby is a lot of fun - and pretty overwhelming. A lot of people either end up registering for way too much stuff or not enough - so we're here to give you some tips to help find a good balance. | This post contains affiliate links |
Bring a Recently New Mom With You
If possible, bring a relative or friend who's had a baby within the last two years - but someone who won't be overbearing and force all their choices on you. This mom's insights will be invaluable as you navigate the overwhelming selection of Babies 'R Us. Show her the products that catch your eye and get her honest feedback on them - she'll think of things you haven't thought of (how hard something would be to clean, how often you'll actually use it, how quickly baby will outgrow it, etc). She'll also help you think of items you maybe hadn't thought of (like a carseat mirror, a mattress cover for your own bed, etc).
Less is More
As tempting as it is, don't put every single cute thing you see on your registry. Make sure to only put what you *really* need (plus a few fun things too of course). The reasoning is, there's a good chance family and friends will just buy a lot of the fun stuff on your list and overlook some of the most important items, leaving you to purchase the necessities.
Wide Variety of Price Points
Not everyone can afford shopping at Pottery Barn, or will be able to afford to buy you the $500 crib or $200 car seat. Yes, many baby essentials are expensive - but make sure you have items that everyone can afford on your list too. Think bottles, sheets, teethers, wipes, etc.
Think Beyond Newborn
Don't just register for newborn items - make sure to think ahead to what your baby may need their whole first year. Eventually they'll need a high chair, feeding items,
a push toy, etc. Make sure to think beyond the first three months and include some items for when they get a bit older.
Choose Products to Grow with Baby
If possible, choose items that do double duty and will grow with your baby. Carseats are a big one: you have the option of choosing an infant carseat (one with a handle that detaches from the carseat base) and then buying a toddler or convertible carseat later that year when baby outgrows it. -OR- you can choose a convertible carseat from the get-go, one that's good from around 4-70 pounds, so you just buy one carseat and you're good for the next six years or whenever it expires (yes, carseats do expire). Other items that you can choose to grow with your baby are convertible pack-and-plays, high chairs/boosters, and carriers.
Don't Register for Baby Clothes
Other than some necessities (side snap onesies for newborns, sleep sacks, etc), don't register for clothes. Why, you ask? The most practical reason is that clothing availability changes so often (sometimes a few times within a season) - so when you add a cute outfit to your registry today, there's a good chance it will be unavailable in a month or so. Another reason is that shopping for baby clothes is so special and enjoyable for your family and friends, you don't want to deprive them of that. And yes, you probably will end up with some outfits that aren't in your taste, but if it makes Great Aunt Madge happy it's worth it.
Politely let your family and friends know that contributions to your baby's savings account are welcome. It's important to start saving early and even if it's small, it's worth putting money away little bit, by little bit.
Something for You Too!
Don't forget Mama too! Ask for something practical that you need or that will help make things a bit easier. Maybe a gift card to a maternity shop so you can invest in some great nursing bras or nursing-friendly clothes. Or maybe a one-month subscription to a meal delivery service, because every new parent knows how rough that first month can be (and the last thing you want to do is drag your sleep-deprived self and a newborn to the grocery store).
I hope I gave you some helpful tips on planning your baby registry! If you're looking for some ideas on specific items to get, be sure to check out our Top Baby Must-Haves post.
Just dropped off another batch of ornaments to the wonderful Straw Cellar in Wolfeboro, NH!
The owner Carrie does an amazing job at creating the most beautiful little gift shop featuring lots of New England-made products. Definitely stop in if you're ever in town!
Just a little reminder to give back when you are able, even if it's something small.
Over the course of the summer we've been blessed with a lot of produce from our garden - we enjoyed it, shared with family and friends, and froze quite a bit for future use. Last week we picked the last of the veggies and pulled out the rest of our vining plants to get ready for winter. We ended up with quite a few squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes and rather than try to squeeze them into the freezer we opted to bring them to our local food pantry where we know the donation will be greatly appreciated.
Giving back doesn't always have to mean volunteering a day of your time or making a large monetary donation - it can be giving back in small ways everyday to help your neighbor and those around you. We all need to remember this more (myself included), and next year we'll make a point to share even more of our produce with the food pantry all summer long.
