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! |
Wiglesworth’s Mercantile is a brand new shop coming to Portsmouth’s Market Street next month and I am so excited to share that they’ll be carrying some of our ornaments and other small crafts! The owner Anne has a great vision of making it a place catered to carrying locally-made New England products. (You know how much I love local products, and I can’t wait to visit this wonderfully curated store once it’s open!)
| This is post is part of a Partnership and contains affiliate links |
Summer is just around the corner and you can’t go wrong with nautically-inspired jewelry to compliment any outfit. If you’re on the hunt for some, definitely check out Massachusetts-based company Sailormade. Sailormade is best known for their Brummel Bracelets but have a wide variety of jewelry, accessories, and gifts to make you feel like you’re right on the Cape. Before you shop, click my link below to get a $10 Credit applied to your order:
Because someday the kids will go back to school… (Right..? Right! fingers crossed) I ordered our youngest her own pink monogrammed L.L. Bean Boat and Tote to match Mama and big sis for when she hopefully starts school in the Fall. I love that each will have her own tote for school to stay organized and carry snow gear and sports things, and that these bags are something that will grow with them and be used for many years to come.
A bag for each of us and each of us has our own color to keep us organized. Our oldest’s bag has been through the wash many times and is a bit softer and more broken in :) These bags get better with use!
L.L. Bean Fashion
| This particular post is not sponsored by L.L. Bean but contains affiliate links and my personal opinions |
Happy Earth Day! Back in the ‘80’s my Dad bought these Vermont State Parks t-shirts on a camping trip for himself and baby-me... somehow they survived all these years and now me and my kids wear them. Vintage ;)
Hope you have a great Earth Day and can find a safe way to better your household or neighborhood during this Pandemic.
Rummaging around in my parents basement a few weeks ago, I stumbled across a stack of Vintage Table Talk Pie Tins that had been my Grandmother’s. Back in the day (approximately the 1930’s-1950’s), people would buy these store-bought pies with an extra 10 cent deposit that would be reimbursed if you returned the clean pie tin back to the store… but apparently my Grandmother chose not to, haha. These pie tins were a fun vintage find, and sentimental because they had once belonged to her. Since we didn’t have a kitchen clock I figured turning one of these tins into a clock would be a fun idea - and here’s how I did it. | This post contains affiliate links |
The first step to creating your clock is to purchase a clock kit that has the right diameter hands for your pie tin, so when they are mounted in the center of the tin they can move freely all around the face without touching the sides (very important).
After some measuring and browsing around on Amazon, I settled on this Mudder Clock Kit - I liked the style of the hands and they would fit perfectly in my particular pie tin.
Next, carefully measure to find the center of the pie tin and poke a pilot hole through with a small nail and hammer. After that, make sure your pie tin is well supported and on a safe area for drilling (I used some scrap 4x4 posts as a work station). Then carefully drill out your hole, starting with your smallest drill bit.
In order not to “rip” the tin, it’s very important to start small and work your way up in drill bit size. I started with the smallest drill bit and then worked my way up, using every-other-drill bit in the set going up in size order.
If you get a large burr, carefully cut it off with a pair of small wire cutters before you move up to your next drill bit size.
Please note: Keep in mind that these pieces of tin are SHARP so use care and be mindful of the metal shavings you may drop while drilling. Make sure to clean up the shavings well after your project is done.
Periodically check to see if the threaded clock mechanism can pass through your hole yet. For this clock kit, I needed to jump up to a larger drill set in order to finally work my way up to the size hole I needed (in this case it was a 5/16” drill bit).
Once the hole is the correct size, use a round file to clean up any little burrs around the edge.
Now it’s time to assemble your clock - follow the manufacturer’s directions on the best way to assemble the clock hands for your particular kit. Keep in mind that clock kits and especially the hands are VERY delicate so take care assembling them.
Once your clock is assembled, install the battery and set the time - now you can enjoy your new Vintage Pie Tin Clock!
Are you interested in making your own Vintage Pie Tin Clock but need a pie tin?
I’m selling some extra pie tins* in my Etsy shop, click the button below to shop:
Despite what the three feet of snow in our yard says right now, Spring will be here soon! And Spring in New England means… Mud Season. You know, those weeks when everything is wet and muddy and you can’t get in your house without tracking buckets of mud and sand in. Thankfully Maine Rope Mats has us covered and was kind enough to send us one of their lobster rope doormats and give one away to a lucky follower too! | This post contains affiliate links and an honest review of product provided by Maine Rope Mats |
Trust us, you need a durable doormat year-round and especially during Mud Season - so why not make it fun and functional? Maine Rope Mats are all handmade in Waldoboro, Maine with colorful lobster fishing ropes in seemingly endless color combinations and designs to choose from; including flags, stripes, and the beautiful double-weave design we chose for our mat here.
These mats are made to last and will not rot, mildew, or fade and can easily be cleaned out with a garden hose (a must after the muddy season!). Maine Rope Mats also offers a line exclusively of recycled rope-only, which is a great way to re-use and recycle the lines that lobstermen can no longer use for their traps.
Maine Rope Mats also has lots of other great products made with lobster trap rope including dog leashes, baskets, bracelets, key chains, and dog toys - so many fun products to choose from!
We’re in love with our new Maine Rope Mat and are looking forward to using it and enjoying it for many years to come!
- I received this mat from Maine Rope Mats but all opinions expressed are my own. Please read our full Disclosure Policy for more information -
One year update…
Just wanted to hop on here real quick and add that we are still loving our Maine Rope Mat! In fact, we love it so much that I bought a second one in a different pattern for our back door too.
Warmer weather is coming and it’s time for a wardrobe and gear refresh! Here I’m sharing some of my favorite warmer weather and outdoor picks from L.L. Bean for Spring and Summer. | This post contains affiliate links |
I know I’m not the only one that has family and friends that are hard to shop for… but a gift box from New England’s Finest is always a great idea! New England’s Finest offers curated themed gift boxes to bring a taste of New England’s Finest to their door (or your own door if you’d like to enjoy these goodies for yourself). New England’s Finest was kind enough to send me their Ultimate New England Sampler box to enjoy with my family and I’m excited to share what’s inside! | This post contains affiliate links as well as an honest review of products provided by New England’s Finest |
The Ultimate New England Sampler Box is PACKED full of delicious New England-made goodies! In fact, I couldn’t quite get the box closed again after I looked through it, it was that full. All of their gift boxes offer free shipping and this particular box is currently on sale at the moment too, which makes it even more of an amazing deal!
The Ultimate New England Sampler Gift Box includes goodies such as: Goodnow Farms’ Almendra Blanca Dark Chocolate Bar, Untapped’s Chai Waffle, Homefree’s Vanilla Mini Cookies, Lucy’s Really Nutty Pecan Granola, Pork Beach Sauce Co’s Maple Blueberry BBQ Sauce, Port City Tasty Ranch Dill Pretzels, Cold Hollow’s Maple Vinaigrette, Jack’s Maple Apple Crackers, Coastal Maine Popcorn Co,’s Chocolate Covered Strawberry Popcorn, Potlicker Kitchen’s Beer Jelly, Bixby & Co’s Sea-Salted Caramels, and Homefree’s Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies. (You can check out the unboxing of this amazing gift box over on my Instastories today!)
One thing I particularly love about NEF as a company is that for every 10 gift boxes purchased they donate a gift box to a family receiving care at Boston Children's Hospital as a way to give back to the community. So if you're looking for that perfect gift for someone (or yourself!) who loves New England or is a New Englander at heart, be sure to check out New England's Finest and get "a little flavor and charm from the Northeast."
Follow New England's Finest on Facebook and Instagram to see their latest promotions and boxes.
- I received this item for review from New England's Finest but all opinions expressed are my own. Please read our full Disclosure Policy for more information -
