the homemaker's wedding gift basket idea for under $25

when luke & i first married, we didn't even have hand soap. i was saddened when we arrived home from our honeymoon & i used our first target gift card on cleaning supplies. instead of purchasing cute picture frames for our wedding & honeymoon photos, i was buying mops & sponges with gift cards. 

you all know i'm a sucker for a good ol' handmade gift basket (example: this, this, this & this). i get a kick out of staying within the budget when giving gifts & i love when those gifts are personal & meaningful.

so when we were invited to attend a couple's shower for luke's childhood best friend, i went straight to the cleaning isle of target. i don't know the bride as well as i would like, but i was certain she would rather spend her wedding money on lamps than dish soap.

our budget was $25 & i spent just under that amount. i purchased the woven basket for $2 at a local thrift shop & filled it with fun supplies from the big box stores. i included dish washing soap, hand soap, dryer balls, hand towels, sponges & cleaning spray. 

i also made our homemade laundry soap & included the recipe (you can find the recipe here). i spray painted the jar lid, added a scoop from the target dollar section (i purchase those in bulk when they're available & add them to handmade gifts often) & tied a fabric ribbon around the top with the recipe tag attached. 

i tied ribbon around the cleaning products for a pop of color & included a happy flag in the basket. i also added a little chalkboard from my crafting stash with a fun little clothespin. it all came together for under $25 & they loved it.

if you have a bit of extra cash, you could also include: a pack of toilet paper or paper towels, cleaning wipes, bleach, dish scrubbers, handmade crocheted dish towels or a gift card.

what are some of your go-to gift basket ideas? please share!

love,

natalie

p.s. check out my homemaking page for more gift ideas!

blueberry season is here!

hip hip hooray for blueberry season! 

every year we take full advantage of blueberry season. we jump in the car & head to our favorite u-pick blueberry farm, sta-n-step. this year i brought along some of the families from our church. even the littles can harvest blueberries! 

among the rows of blueberry bushes, we snacked on fresh blueberries & harvested gallons for the taking. we talked as we picked & absorbed the incredible landscape around us.

do you visit u-pick farms during the summer? 

 

what are some of your favorite recipes for enjoying blueberries? 

we love eating them fresh & freezing them for smoothies throughout the year. i am also experimenting with a grain-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free muffin recipe. if it's successful, i'll make sure to share the recipe!

love,

natalie

rest & renewal: girlfriend getaways

last weekend was one of those heart-filled up, laugh until you cry, memories made that we'll talk about forever weekends. the ladies from our church community & i packed up & left for a night away.

we left our kiddos, jobs, housework, unread emails, responsibilities, stresses & worries with the promise of renewal & rest. 

we laughed & we cried. we played games & went shopping. oh how we ate & drank! we swam in the pool, relaxed in the hot tub & painted our nails. we chatted until the wee hours of the morning & woke up to more soul-filling conversation, coffee in hand.

we received that renewal & rest & so much more.

sisterhood. it's important & it is so necessary. 

so often we get so deep in the thick of life that we forget to pour energy into those around us. we also forget that we - ourselves - need a break! just like a regular date night with our partners, we need that connection with our girlfriends. 

earlier this year i decided to start pouring energy & love into the ladies within our church community. i felt a lack of connection, due in part to my laziness, & i wanted to remedy that. my solution -  i began inviting these ladies to weekly coffee dates.  

don't get me wrong, we are all so different - in our interests, our life seasons, our ages, our backgrounds, our politics & our beliefs - yet we bring so much to the table when we share our thoughts, perspectives & experiences. 

these early morning conversations among coffee & scones began growing & soon turned into a deep sisterhood. each week as we shared coffee together, it was evident that we all carried so many responsibilities as caretakers, homemakers, employers & employees, single parents, students, partners & wives. we needed a break together to rest & rejuvenate from the richness of our roles. 

do you plan regular getaways with your tribe? do you have that group of girlfriends in need of a break & craving rest? call them up right now & plan a weekend or just a night away! 

here are some ideas & tips for girlfriend retreats & getaways:

- plan in advance. it takes time to arrange childcare, take off work & plan your getaway. contact your gal pals well in advance & you're more likely to have a successful, well-attended getaway.

- invite gals who are already connected to ensure an authentic, rich weekend. it could be women from your church, mothers from your play dates, old high school friends, or co-workers in your office.

- choose a retreat or getaway that's affordable for everyone. we spent $50 each for gas, lodging & two meals. we kept fees low to ensure this retreat wasn't a financial burden to anyone. have a conversation about your retreat ahead of time & agree on a budget. 

- use your resources! perhaps someone has a family cabin in the woods or a lake house. use your resources to find interesting, unique & affordable retreat locations. 

- mix it up. try different places for your retreats. if you stay at the beach during one retreat, plan a quiet getaway in the woods for another retreat. mixing up locations keeps the tradition fun for everyone!

- get away often. plan yearly or even seasonal retreats. with each retreat, your friendship will grow deeper & you're sure to feel rejuvenated in your everyday roles if you frequently plan getaways. 

do you get away with your tribe of gal pals? i'd love to read your experiences, tips & ideas for girlfriend getaways!

love,

natalie

blog love

i simply couldn't do what i do without these fantastic natalie creates blog love supporters! 

big high fives to this month's small businesses & bloggers-

life coaching with hannah pasquinzo

the rosy life art

amaginarium

my paper pinwheel

the rare bird

interested in joining in? there are some spots left for this upcoming month! just take a look here & purchase an ad today. it's easy, inexpensive & means the world to me! 

thank you!

love,

natalie

in our garden

on wednesday, over at tend, i shared the progress we are making on our 1,000 sq. ft garden. it's amazing how much goes unnoticed, in terms of growth, unless it's captured in photograph.

here's our garden just eight weeks ago:

here's our garden this week:

june 18th, 2014

isn't that so amazing? i was blown away when scrolling through instagram late one night & i came across that first photo & the date.

that's why i love amanda soule's practice of capturing her garden & it's changes each week. it's proof that the little spare moments we have between this & that to weed, water & love really do add up to something much bigger than ourselves. 

i thought i'd take you on a little tour of our current garden happenings...

we're harvesting bags full of basil for farm customers. our cucumbers have yet to grow up our trellis. that's another project for another day, yes?

we grew some of the most beautiful cabbage this year. luke has big plans for jars of kimchi & sauerkraut. our annual flowers are doing so well. the only change i will make for next year is to plant zinnas in front of the road. they're covered up by our giant sunflowers!

we're slowly adding homemade tomato cages to each of our 48 tomato plants. i insisted on a garden full of tomatoes for putting up jars of homegrown goodness. our perennial flower bed is just stunning. this is truly the garden of my dreams.

here are a few of my other favorite gardens & gardeners:

- i love elise's approach to gardening. she started with containers & has since moved up to raised beds. her approach is simple & invites others to dig in!

- amy takes full advantage of every inch of her postage stamp-sized yard.

- this image is forever inspiring. 

what are some of your favorite gardens? are you capturing the progress of your garden? please share! leave a link in the comments so we can all see!

love,

natalie

amaginarium usa corkboard giveaway!

confession: i am holiday decorating obsessed. 

i've got a pinterest board to prove it.

since owning our home, i have looked forward to decorating our mantel for the holidays. twinkle lights & glittery reindeer? check! fall leaves & bright orange pumpkins? check! patriotic happy flags in old blue mason jars? check!

so of course when amanda, one of my sweet blog supporters, of amaginarium messaged me to offer a giveaway on the blog, i squealed in delight. people, my fourth of july mantel is usa pride aaaamazing. this usa corkboard is so cute! (luke even likes it!)

the usa corkboard came with a lovely little pack of arrows to pin onto the map. i added two blue arrows to ours - one to our sweet northwest arkansas home & another to our lovely college town of columbia, missouri.

she even sweetened the deal with that adorable corkboard arkansas sticker. 

this map is perfect for the littles learning usa geography. get the kiddos involved by adding arrows to relatives' hometowns! it's also a fun tool for planning roadtrips & vacations! there are endless possibilities.

after the fourth of july is over, i plan to hang my little corkboard map in our creative corner. i am slowly working on this space, adding a big table for spreading out our creative projects & hanging art on the wall for inspiration. this map would also look darling in a guest bedroom for vistors to add arrows to where they live or a homeschooling corner in your home. 

above is a little visual of how i hung the corkboard map - fabric ribbon, a bit of pom pom yarn to add spunk & hot glue. easy peasy, friends!

as always, our giveaways are super easy. to enter to win a map of your choice (this one, this one, or this one), simply:

1. visit amanda's shop - amaginarium

2. leave a comment with your email address

3. within your comment, share how you would use your usa map!

i'll choose a random winner on monday, june 23rd, & include the winner's name here.

can't wait to win? amanda is offering 25% off to natalie creates readers in her shop. just enter "STARSNSTRIPES" at checkout! 

-----

friends, there are some blog love spots left for the month of july! support natalie creates! for just a small fee ($10-$20), your lovely ad will be on the left-hand side of my blog. with that you also have the option of doing a giveaway on my blog! help me continue to make thoughtful, creative content! it means the world, friends.

email me at natalie.j.freeman(at)gmail.com or visit here for more information!

love,

natalie

-----

comments closed! congrats, lindsey! amanda will email you soon!

meaningful date ideas... that don't break the bank!

when luke & i first married, date nights were a top priority. dates were a way to demonstrate our love for one another & set aside our daily responsibilities to focus on our marital needs. we had a scheduled date night every week & we really thrived in our relationship when we made these intentional choices.

dates are still a priority in our marriage, but over the years we have allowed them to go unscheduled due to work responsibilities, farm chores & all the other stuff that comes with life. when we do go on a date, it's usually planned that evening because we're simply too tired to make dinner & wash dishes at home. 

half asleep, we drag ourselves to a restaurant, somewhat engage in conversation (usually about work responsibilities, farm chores & so on...) & eat until we're miserably stuffed. sound familiar?

last week we decided enough was enough. we're ready to make dates a priority again. we scheduled a date night & went out for coffee. during coffee, we had fantastic conversation & brainstormed a list of activities that we both enjoyed doing together. 

working within our budget of $40/month for dates, we compiled a list of meaningful date ideas that wouldn't break the bank. looking for date inspiration? below you'll find our list!

- enjoy a gourmet picnic of fancy cheeses, meats & olives in the park

- visit the farmers' market on saturday & enjoy brunch afterward (we've got a crush on the farmer's table cafe)

- rent a red box movie. purchase a bag of candy from the grocery store & make stovetop popcorn

- go on a long walk around the neighborhood (bring your cameras if you're photographers!)

- bring a quilt out to the backyard & look up at the stars

- go to a matinee movie & sneak in your own favorite sweet treats

- throw your water shoes & swimsuits in the back of the car. drive out to the nearest creek & play for hours 

- make homemade cocktails & grill out on the back patio

- ride bikes while holding hands

- enjoy breakfast at your favorite cafe or bakery (we love little bread co.!)

- take a trip to your local bookshop. purchase a coffee & chat while flipping through magazines together. 

- explore surrounding small towns

- build a sheet fort & watch a movie inside

- walk around downtown & visit the local shops

- attend outdoor concerts together 

- purchase local theatre tickets & enjoy an evening of fantastic talent. theatresquared is our local theatre & we have enjoyed several of their shows! they're @theatresquared on IG. 

- make an ice cream bar at home with your favorite toppings & enjoy a scoop together

- go to a u-pick berries farm & harvest berries during the summer months

- take dance classes together & show off your moves any chance you get

- share beers together at your local brewery or favorite bar

- sample your favorite dishes from local food trucks & carts

- schedule a day of fun in a new town (we love eureka springs & prairie grove!)

what are some of your favorite date ideas that are meaningful & don't break the bank? please share!

love,

natalie