beach times are good times.

Just a shot from our our latest Sunday morning adventure...this was our first visit to one of our local beaches.  It was just good all around!  x Mandi  

i mostly just want to instagram stuff.

A lot of the time I find myself really just wanting to take pictures of stuff to share on instagram, like... say, my outfits while at work for some reason.  I was feeling summery today. PS - you can follow my photo taking @mandicoulter or through followgram if you like! x Mandi

find me in the country.

Well, we did it , we are officially moved!  Our new home still has a long way to go but it is getting there bit by bit!  While our internet was down for the last while I have also been doing a lot of thinking about blogging recently (or I guess NOT blogging really) and I have realised that I do still enjoy it but maybe want to take a simpler approach to it all.  Maybe more on that all another day, but for now lets just go with this! xo Mandi

at the moment...

It is summer here, we are packing and doing stuff at the new house non-stop and working too...all good reasons for a little blogging break right?  I think so and can possibly see a few more in the near future until the house and family are all settled.  I am a little worried what our internet will be like once we relocate but am still so excited for the move!  

Here are a few house related things that I have on my mind right now...

- these mats from IKEA, darn cute and the price is right!

- somehow getting one of these onto my property.  Sigh, someday. 

- this and this from UO and possibly diying this!  SO good.

- finding the perfect little book shelf, see here.  

- fire pits! Just can't wait!!

xo Mandi

happy early birthday, dear Clarky!

Tomorrow we are celebrating this little boys special day and I think that dinner out downtown and a visit to our new frozen yogurt place are on the agenda.  I have been working on a special gift for him (here and here) and I really hope he loves it and he can be even more super-super-duper in it than he already is! Happy Thursday! x Mandi 

an easy gathered waistline.

I thrifted this linen slip dress a little while back and decided that it just needed a few small alterations (like a gathered elastic waist and some strap shortening) to make it something cute and summery.  So here is how I do an easy gather around the middle!

supplies:

note: you will also need a sewing machine!

1> measure your elastic to see how much you will need.  To do this hold it around the area where you want your gather to be (usually the small part of the waist) and add about a half an inch.


2> figure out where you want your gather on your garment.  I measured about 9.5 inches down from the armpit hem.

3> flip your garment inside out and have the front of it facing up.

4> we now want to mark where we will sew the elastic with the pins.  I measured 9.5 inches down on each side and stretched the elastic across marking on each end and in the middle with a pin.

5> using a zig zag stitch sew your elastic down, pulling it taught to gather the fabric as you go.  

6> once you get the front side done you can now just sew the elastic across the back joining it up with the beginning of the elastic.  Back stitch to secure elastic and cut off any excess.  Ta-da, now you are done and should have a semi-straight elasticy waist to enjoy! x Mandi

fill in the blank Friday (part 10)

It's Friday everybody!  See all the others here!

1.  Something that is very near and dear to my heart is  my boys, of course .
2.      Friday   is good cause to celebrate .

3.  The most fun I ever had was    doing anything spontaneous. Like day trips, camping, or fairs. lol

4.  True friends are   the ones you can say anything too and know that they will get where you are coming from.

5. Something that makes me terribly happy is    quite time.  A little calm goes a long way for me!

6. A good way to spend a sunny day is    hitting a few yard sales in the am, playing outdoors in the afternoon and a good bbq in the evening.

7.  My favorite celebratory food is   margaritas, or sangria!  Those are definitely "foods" when we celebrate ;)

x, Mandi

guest post::brown bobbin!

Hey Make it Dear readers, My name is Melissa (I blog over at Brown Bobbin) and I am super honored to share this little DIY with you today...

A while back I bought a bunch of Ikea rugs after I saw a pic on craftgawkers that showed a bunch of rugs sewn together to make a large area rug.  I did sew 3 together and then I was over it.  A few weeks ago I made a friend a big bag out of one of the leftover rugs.  It was super easy and I loved it so much I decided to make one for myself...since i just happened to have more rugs.

Here is how I made it. 

1. Get your rug or if you don't happen to have an ikea rug hanging around, I guess fabric will work just fine...you just won't have the fun fringe edge.

2. Fold rug in half and sew both side edges together almost to the top. Stop about 4 inches from the top.

3. On inside of bag fold corner out to form a triangle.  Sew about 2 inches from tip of corner straight across to make the triangle.

4. Turn bag right side out.
5. Fold top edge over about one inch and sew.  This makes the casing for your strap.

6. Sew some straps.  I used some vinyl that I had and made it about 3/4 inch thick.  Length of strap is just to your liking.

7. Feed strap through casing on bag and then sew strap together to form a large loop.  Push part where strap is sewn together to be inside of casing.

8. Hand sew strap to bag where strap enters casing.  Cinch up the top and then sew the other side where the strap exits the casing.

Fill that big bag up and go have some fun!!!
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Thank you so much for sharing this fun project Melissa, how perfect is it for summer?  I can picture it in every colour and being a part of some sunny adventures!  xo Mandi

A little lookie-loo!

Someday hopefully very soon I will be back around here to share a new restyle project with you made from a thrifted little slip dress.  Until then here is a peek!  And don't fret, the tutorial is in progress as we speak I type! xo Mandi

it sure is true.

image here

Just a little note that I thought was worth sharing while we are working away at a few big, big things in our lives!  New jobs and new houses are taking up lots of energy right now but it will all be so worth it by the end of summer when we are in the new spot.  I am totally using this as my mantra (and passing it on to husband as well) and you should feel free to, too!  x Mandi

In case you wanted to know...

This weekend I finally started my next quilting project, our driveway is being put in at the new lot and today is full of banana pineapple bread and sunshine.  Sounds like a pretty perfect weekend to me!  Hope yours is being good to you too! x Mandi

makeovers and fun new things!

photos:cuddles,make mine melon polish, swim time, chocolatey chickpea cookies, we always heart smoothies, omg it snowed yesterday!!

We have had an impromptu blog makeover here (by that I mean I redid my header and sidebar photo and of course couldn't stop there!) and I am so far liking the new look!  I am a total novice when it comes to blog design but wanted a simple, pretty feel and I hope that you like it too!  Just a few things to note: you can now visit my instagram stream with followgram, see my sewing profile at burda or follow along with bloglovin' and you know you can still see all of my pins too through the new sidebar.  Next up is possibly a button to grab for anyone who may like it and a blog roll section for daily reads. It is so nice to have a change and be able to freshen things up every now and then!

I just have to mention too how much I am enjoying instagram for android now that I have my cell phone back!  It is just too much fun!  Are you on instagram? Leave me a comment here if you are, I would love to find some nice new people to follow! x Mandi 

diy colour block top!

I had been seeing a lot of pretty colour blocking styles around for a while and really wanted to try out a project of my own and here it finally is! I found this thrifted top in my closet that I do like (soft fabric and pretty button closure at the back) but it never really got any wear. So it was decided that she would serve me much better with a little makeover. Here is how boxy got a restyle!

HOW TO: First, I cut the shirt into four separate pieces (front, back and two sleeves) and left all of the finished edges intact. Next, I cut my contrast colour into the shape of the bottom half of the front of the shirt. I went from just above my bust for the second colour. Then I sewed the shirt all back together in the same basic shape it was before. So now it fits a little better and has a pretty navy blue bottom to hang around with!

I also added a rounded hem that turned out a little wavy and it is only driving me slightly crazy that there is a string hanging off the bottom of it! Haha oh well. I think I am still pretty happy with it! x Mandi

busy, busy times.

Well it has been quite around the blog lately and I am really hoping to get back into a posting groove soon but here are a few things I wanted to share with you all, some biggish news and just some other little updates!

: Our land is officially ours as of yesterday, we are all too excited and a little nervous (I think Jason may even start to sleep again at night soon)!!

: Me and these two cool ladies have decided to hit the craft fair scene again this summer and will be vending at an event this June! Wooohoo!

: I have been pinning lots of meals and supper options lately and have been trying to spice up our food related lives! This recipe is next up. YUM.

: We have had a string of sickness in the house that I have so far managed to avoid. The boys are mostly better at this point so I am seriously hoping I am in the clear!

: There is a fun restyle project that I have just finished up that I'm kinda bursting to share and hopefully will be able to soon. (HINT HINT-- think colour blocking. OH yeah!)

xo, Mandi

happy easter weekend, friends!

natural egg dyes, found here

We are just headed into a four day long weekend here and are excited for some egg dying with Jessi, a little chill time and an egg hunt that we are hosting too! I am really hoping the weather will be hospitable for our get together on Monday, all though it is definitely calling for rain. So fingers crossed even if it does drizzle a little the kids will be too pumped to notice and won't freeze since it is supposed to be warm. I have some outdoor decor planned and am pretty excited to hide chocolates, eggs and other goodies for the kiddos!

In other news, my phone has been sent away for repairs (tearsss!) and since it is my go-to for blog photos you may notice a few less personal pics around here. So I guess I will just be doing a lot of pinterest borrowing for the time being. Or more than usual, I suppose. Thank youuu, pinterest for all you do! Haha.

Also, we are in full on "terrible two" mode with Caden. He has always been more of the needy child in our house but has now become so emotional and demanding -- and has more tantrums in a day than I would like to count! I know it is a phase and Clark totally went through it too, but it sure does take a lot of patience some days! And a LOTTTT of deep breaths. Sighhh...have you been through this stage? How did you survive? Any tips are fully appreciated.

Hope you all have a fabulous Easter weekend! x Mandi

a new cut for momma!

I finally got around to getting myself to the hair salon last week and I am so happy I did because I actually decided to go ahead and cut some bangs! I have had bang envy for so long, especially after seeing pretty brunette ladies like this and this but was a little concerned about the maintenance and the fact that they may drive me crazy (I also always have slight hair cut anxiety but love love love my stylist and always feel good in her hands!) but I am really glad I went ahead and did it. So this is how my new look turned out!

I have stocked up on some new styling products and am pretty stoked for a messy top bun! What do you think about bangs, are they a yes or a no for you? xo Mandi

you pretty spring thing!

(from here)

This week we had a bit of a heat wave in our area and it really felt like spring was upon us! The kids were all in shorts and I even wore bare legs one day myself (which is amazing for March, I will say!). It seems like the weather is cooling off a bit the past few days but I now totally have spring sewing and crafting fever and am taking all of my inspiration from this colour combo! Mint and coral, ftw! x Mandi

a little bear hat...

Just one of the few things I have been up to the past week or two!

We are on March break in these parts and even though the kids are not in school I was lucky enough to get most of the week off work! So far we have gone to meet a friends sweet baby (who this little hat was of course for), had fun at the reptile zoo here in Kingston and enjoyed a chilly afternoon at an outdoor Maple Madness event. Now Clark and Caden seem to have both come down with something, so today will be a stay-at-home-keep-our-germs-to-ourselves-kind-of-day! Hope you are all well in your worlds! x Mandi

we did it, did it it!

I am so excited and relieved to announce that our house has sold!! It all happened so fast -- just four days from listing to signing the closing paperwork to be exact!! -- that we have really been kind of celebrating and just enjoying the moment. Here are a few things that have been filling our days...

kitchen dance parties,

finishing little projects,

sewing heart printed dresses,

building snowmen,

and hanging with this pair.

I will be back later this week to spill the whole house story, just wanted to finally share our happy news! x Mandi

fill in the blank Friday (part 9)

Well here we go with week 9, you can visit all the others who are playing along here!

1. The highlight of my week was having the day off yesterday with the boys and Jason. We got a lot of things accomplished and relaxed a little too.

2. If I had to classify my interior design aesthetic it would be relaxed and easy with random hints of colour and thrifted finds.

3. My first vehicle was a suzuki sidekick. I learned to drive standard and left the top off in the rain too many times in that thing!

4. An item I need to have in my day in order to function is coffee in the am. Absolutely.

5. My favorite way to waste time is pinterest!!

6. Right now I could really go for a yummy lunch, like something cheesy and melty.

7. This weekend I will be working a short shift saturday morning, hopefully doing some sewing and taking the boys to my parents for an overdue visit!

Happy Friday, friends! x Mandi