for the love of summer accessories

y'all, i can't stress enough just how life-changing the capsule wardrobe project has been for me. over the last year it has helped me to let go, buy less & rebuild a well-curated wardrobe that's simple, comfortable & me.

today i thought i'd share the love for accessories! having just a handful of classic, well-made pieces along with a fun variety of accessories makes getting ready each day so easy.

i got this simple dress from old navy & i wear it every week. i love pairing it with my tan saltwater sandals or my turquoise sandals (as shown) for a pop of color.  

the beaded statement bracelet from noonday collection is also a staple in my wardrobe. it matches everything, it's easy to wear & noonday holds a dear place in my heart.

i also recently discovered a deep love for better life bags. just like noonday collection, better life bags gives back. they equip women struggling from various employment barriers with a career at better life bags sewing each unique piece. it's absolutely amazing & every bag is so well made. i just want to hug these women! 

i have also found my way back to my first true love, the stud earring. don't get me wrong, sisters. i love a good pair of big earrings. but truly, the stud earring is so versatile. 

i just recently discovered kurandza & fell head over heels. kurandza is a purpose-driven fashion company that empowers women in mozambique through education and employment opportunities. i love wearing their stud earrings with a simple chambray dress or a pair of jeans & a tee! plus, they're only $20! win, win!

the friendly folks at kurandza want to love on natalie creates readers with a generous discount of 20% all week long in their shop. simply enter "nataliecreates" at checkout for the discount!

also, there's a fun giveaway over at my instagram for a $50 kurandza shop credit! just head on over to @nataliecreates for the details, y'all! it's simple & fun!

clearly, i am no fashion blogger (i have some serious respect for those out there that are!), but i do love feeling good in my clothing. my biggest hope is to inspire you to take a bit more time to cultivate a wardrobe that makes you feel great. 

for the love of summer style, what are some of your favorite accessories currently in rotation?

love,

natalie

homegrown cherry tomato soup

we're swimming in baskets of cherry tomatoes, y'all! 

if your meals look anything like ours right now, you're enjoying those delicious sungold cherry tomatoes with every. single. meal. 

here's the part where i introduce you to my newest cherry tomato recipe obsession.

homegrown cherry tomato soup. 

i know it doesn't look like much, but it's taste makes up for it's looks (i promise).

this recipe uses up what's already in the pantry while offering a punch of sweet & slightly sour flavor. it's heaven in a bowl & a perfectly appropriate meal for those 100 degree summer days. luke even agreed. 

homegrown cherry tomato bisque

serves 2 large servings

1 berry basket of cherry tomatoes, preferably of the sungold variety

1/4 cup good balsamic vinegar

10 large garlic cloves, minced

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

coarse sea salt, to taste

freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 yellow onions

handful of fresh basil or 1 tablespoon of dried basil

3 cups chicken broth

sprinkle of parmesan cheese, optional

1. preheat the oven to 500 F. in a medium sized bowl, combine the tomatoes, vinegar garlic, 3 tablespoons of olive oil & a generous sprinkle of salt & pepper. mix well. transfer the mixture to a baking sheet, making sure to pour juices evenly on the tomatoes. bake for about 30 minutes until the tomatoes are lightly charred on the edges.

2. in a large saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil & sauté the onions. add the basil & cook until the onions are soft. stir in the roasted tomatoes & add 3 cups of chicken broth. bring to a boil, lower the heat & allow to simmer for about ten minutes. 

3. once the flavors are nicely combined, using your immersion blender or food processor, blend the soup to your liking. sprinkle salt & pepper to taste & serve. we added a handful of parmesan cheese to ours, which was nice. 

enjoy with a hunk of good bread & a green salad! 

love,

natalie

slow down, breathe & release

today i thought i'd share some quiet moments from this week.

the last few days have been hard, but they serve as a reminder to slow down, breathe & release.

let's meet back here on friday. xo.

love,

natalie

baskets of vegetables from the garden

when it gets a little too crazy for comfort, all i need is a big ol' basket of dirty vegetables from the garden. 

can i get an amen?

the garden is my favorite reminder that we've got this, we're taken care of, we can keep moving, we're growing. 

here are the potatoes we harvested from the garden when luke demonstrated planting way back in march. check out how to plant potatoes here.

it's like magic, y'all.

if baskets of veggies don't perk you up, a fruit crisp should do the trick! my go-to recipe is from skinnytaste. 

how do you calm the crazy? please share!

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on another note, i am over at @epantry on instagram all week long sharing my everyday tips on cleaning, homekeeping & more! head on over & follow along, y'all!

love,

natalie

july - the month of home projects.

july.

 the month of home projects.

before leaving for europe, we made a big list of home projects for when we would return home.

now we're settling into july & it's full force ahead finishing projects & fluffing our nest! 

our back patio is in need of new benches & we just acquired a fabulous outdoor table that's craving a bit of spray paint. luke's also building window shutters & flower boxes to give our home that personal touch. we purchased an above ground pool on sale during memorial weekend & at the end of the month, we hope to finally have it ready! 

of course, i love goals so i am excited about what's ahead! i can't wait to update you as we check things off.

do you use the summer to complete home projects? what's planned for your home this summer?

love,

natalie

in the garden: july 2015

if you're new to this space, welcome to the "in the garden" series! during the spring & summer months, in celebration of gardening, i share a garden overview of what our garden currently looks like along with what we plan to plant throughout the month! welcome!

unlike most summers at the farm, we were away from the garden the entire month of june. it was a big decision for us to make, but ultimately we decided that life's too short so we took our big trip. thankfully, we had the best farm sitters ever that took amazing care of our little homestead.

in the garden - july 2015

so much has changed in just one month! see the june garden here.

right before leaving the farm for the month, we harvested almost all of our spring crops including cabbage, beets, onions & potatoes. we now have plenty of empty space for late summer goodies!

it was extra rainy this past month (very uncharacteristic to our region) & our flowers loved it! we have the most impressive flower garden this year. i am harvesting big bouquets of flowers daily for our home, our friends & our family. it's such an easy gift to give & it's free! 

we are harvesting big bowls of sungold cherry tomatoes (our favorite variety!) every day & eating them for breakfast, lunch & dinner. 

i have finally filled in our entire front landscaping beds with perennial flowers & the echinacea are just stunning this year!

we are also harvesting big baskets of basil for pesto. we eat it fresh with every meal & freeze the extra for the wintertime. 

bell peppers are coming in nicely. we will eat these beauties with tacos, burritos & fresh with dips.

this is our side flower bed with cosmos, queen ann's lace, basil, lemon balm & zinnias.

we are finally harvesting big & juicy cherokee purple tomatoes from the garden! we are also harvesting a few eggplant at a time. last night luke made eggplant parmesan for the first time this year  & it was gloriously good!

other garden news:

+ we are fighting weeds this time of year with nightly weeding dates in the garden. we heavily mulch to keep the weeds at bay, but you can still find us in the garden working away plot-by-plot.

+ we lost our entire crop of garlic (about 300 cloves!) to the rain. every single clove rotted. it was quite heartbreaking, but this rain has taught us a lot.

+ we are planting cucumber & squash this week. in this area, squash bugs are almost impossible to control. last year we planted our squash after july 4th & didn't suffer as much as our other gardening friends. we're going to try it out again this year & see what happens! i will report back.

what is happening in your garden? please share!

love,
natalie

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backyard cookouts & fresh party food ideas

this weekend, like most folks, we celebrated the 4th with with a backyard cookout!

since arriving home from our trip throughout europe, i've opted for fresh foods & salads over heavily prepared meals. i am craving caprese salads, bruschetta & pesto with cucumbers. blame it on italy, y'all.

for our friends' backyard party, i gathered an array of fresh ingredients in pretty little bowls. i brought along a small bowl of soft cheese from the farmers' market, homemade pesto, home-pickled sugar snap peas, spicy pickles & chopped cucumbers for dipping.

i was craving popcorn so we brought along a big bowl of sea salt caramel popcorn. this is my go-to recipe, friends. we'll be making it many more times this summer, that is for certain!

i also brought along a pretty bouquet of flowers from our farm complete with a happy flag for the special occasion. 

what are your go-to fresh party foods? please share!

love,

natalie