teacher gift idea - diy mason jar to-go cups

i absolutely love creating little goodies for those who bless & serve others. i happen to know some incredible women who volunteer in the school garden where i work. at the end of our spring semester with our students, i gifted these little mason jar to-go cups full of goodies to them. they were a huge hit so i thought i'd share a simple tutorial of how i made them. if you're searching for an inexpensive teachers gift idea, this is perfect!

i squealed when i found these regular mouth ball mason jar lids & straws at target. they're less than $5 for 4 sets at the store so don't be fooled by amazon's expensive price tag. 

i grabbed two regular mouth mason jars from my canning cupboard & filled them with goodies - crinkly strips of colorful paper from target, chocolates & caramel. every amazing person who serves needs chocolate - can i get an amen?! 

i dug through my scrapbooking goodies & made tags with card stock. i added a cute initial sticker to personalize each of their gifts. i wrapped the mason jar with strips of fabric cut into ribbon & hung the tag with string. i added a little thank you card from white willow grove (giveaway coming soon!) & a little glitter clothespin for an extra pop of cute. 

do you have any fabulous & inexpensive volunteer or teacher gift ideas? please share!

love,

natalie

vintage market days of nwa & a little shop update!

what a wonderful weekend we had! we started the weekend off a little early participating in vintage market days of northwest arkansas. everything was gorgeous. i learned so much about participating in a vintage show & met a few of your friendly faces. thanks for saying hi!

i'm dreaming of one day having a little trailer full of handmade & vintage... isn't this just perfect?

my gal pal, brandy of bella vita jewelry, has the loveliest jewelry. love that lady.

& here's my booth - full of little bits of this & that. handmade & vintage. rusty & scrappy.

 it was such a great time. i cannot wait to apply for the september show! 

oh, hey! it's me with a jar of happy flags. speaking of happy flags, there's a shop update coming up this friday!

 backyard bbqs, mason jars full of wildflowers, homemade apple pie, freshly squeezed lemonade, dirt roads & fireworks. it's almost the fourth of july! celebrate with a happy little set of red, white & blue happy flags! post. there will also be reversible headbands!

love,

natalie

in the thick of craft show prep

there's dust & rust under my nails, spray paint in my hair & i haven't worn "normal" clothes in days. our house is a disaster & i am on my third cup of coffee already. people, we're in the thick of craft show prep. my favorite kind of madness. 

we've been pulling rusty, chippy, vintage goodness from the barn. i've been hoarding for months. luke might even be more excited than i am for the upcoming shows because he gets his workspace back. "um, luke may i use part of your shop for just a couple of items?" two hours later & a mountain of vintage... thank goodness he loves me. 

i am even sewing up a handful of reversible headbands & happy flags. we'll also have quirky little planters with succulents & rusty buckets filled with zinnias. oh lordy, it's going to be good. 

i finished up this pretty little lamp earlier this week. fabric scraps speak to my heart. 

if you're local, stop by vintage market days (i'll be there on friday only) & the junk ranch & say hello!  i might get in a shower before then... 

happy junkin', y'all! 

love,

natalie

love your neighbor

how do you love your neighbor? 

luke & i ask ourselves that question a lot. you see, farming isn't the most lucrative career choice. surprise! we live simply, relatively speaking. i am thankful each day for a husband who manages our finances so well. we stick to a budget & find so much freedom in living within our means.

yet discontentment often creeps into my heart, especially when it comes to giving. i am a gifter. gifts are how i like to be loved & i long to love others in that way, too. this may look like purchasing an item from an instagram adoption auction, donating money to those in need, or purchasing the perfect gift for a friend's birthday. it isn't selfish, consumer-driven, lavish gifting; it's the kind that comes from the heart. in this season, we simply don't have the funds to love in that way.

so yet again we ask ourselves, "how do we love our neighbors?"

simply put, we love our neighbors with what we do have. 

this concept took me a long time to grasp. i mean really, who wants what we have? surprisingly, many. we have fresh eggs, baskets full of greens, bouquets of wildflowers & bundles of kale. we have a lot to give. so i began filling baskets, creating bouquets, gifting eggs & loving our neighbors. it's quite simple yet it allows us to support our community.

so how do you love your neighbor? begin looking around. it might just be right in front of you... or outside growing in your garden. 

how do you share what you have with others? little gifts or your time? i'd love to hear how you love your neighbors.

love,

natalie

exterior house renovation progress: happy painted door & porch furniture

oh, what a productive weekend it was! we spent most of our time outdoors planting (48! oh my!) tomatoes. i also managed to sneak in a bit of painting. 

if you've been following along, you know we are slowly renovating the exterior features of our home. here's a before & after of our painted brick. i finally got around to painting our robin's egg blue door the prettiest terra cotta orange (toffee glaze by valspar).

although the blue wasn't bad, i wanted a color that matched our painted brick a bit more. i painted our outdoor light the same orange color (light found at a yard sale). we also ripped off our storm door with the outdated brass details. we are now saving up for a simple cedar screen door. you can't beat the sound of an old screen door opening & closing.

a front door isn't as happy without a warm greeting. i found the "hello" decal on etsy.  at one recent craft night with a girlfriend, i made the wreath. i love how it matches everything on the porch.

slowly, over the last handful of months, i have been painting our outdoor furniture on our back patio. this space is huge (!) - like bigger than our living room huge - so i wanted to make it pop.

i finished up the last of the painting with this bench & coffee table in a cream & light blue. i also spray painted a couple of old picture frames in matching colors. 

i cannot wait to show you our patio once i finish up a few more projects. it's coming together quite nicely.

----

in random news, heather finished my landing page! you can now go to www.nataliecreates.com & have access to our shop, the farm & my blog all in one space! i am so thankful for heather & her many talents. isn't it lovely?!

pssst, don't forget to enter the bella vita jewelry giveaway!

love,

natalie

blog love

big hugs to these guys for supporting my blog. it means the world.

life coaching with hannah pasquinzo

bella vita handmade jewelry

free spirit jenny

nesting gypsy

the classic butterfly

a woman's haven

there are some spots left for june! head on over here & support my blog today! yay! 

love,

natalie

bella vita jewelry giveaway!

i am over the moon with excitement for today's giveaway! brandy of bella vita jewelry is a dear friend of mine & one talented lady. we have known each other for several years. i met her when i was co-directing the little craft show. brandy is one of the most driven people i have ever met. simply put, she inspires me. 

her jewelry is amazing. i have a collection of brandy's pieces, including the sweetest custom necklace she made for my 3rd anniversary. her jewelry is unique with a sweet bohemian feel. it's easy to wear on date night or dress up a t-shirt & jeans. when brandy graciously offered to do a giveaway on my blog, i was giddy. y'all, she's the real deal. i cannot wait for one lucky reader to receive a pair of her earrings.

to enter, simply...

1. visit her shop.

 2. "like" brandy on facebook or follow her on instagram

3. leave a comment! please include your email address & what/who inspires you.

i'll choose a random winner next wednesday, 5/14! happy winning!

love,

natalie

p.s. can't wait to win? brandy is offering a discount of 20% to any natalie creates reader. simply include the code "chirp" at checkout. xo.

++giveaway closed! jennifer, you are the winner! brandy will email you shortly.++