Friday, October 31, 2014

Little Riot Clothing

Hey y'all! I've been so busy. I've been gaining my clientele back as a hair stylist, and start school full-time again on Monday after an 8 week break. It was nice while it lasted! On top of that, I've been busy working on a kid's clothing line.

I just launched the website today, actually. My fabric is in and everything is available for orders! I'll be selling leggings, beanies, bibdanas, and turban headbands. Eventually I'd like to add some custom designed t-shirts and onesies but, for now, I'm going to keep this at what I can handle. (Right…)


Go check it out! Buy some stuff! Everything is super affordable and and super duper rad.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Levi Lately


I've been so bad at keeping up with weekly pictures of Levi. We stay so busy, and I have plenty of pictures so I'm not guilt tripping myself too hard! He will be 5 months old in just one week! Time has really been flying.


Levi loves to be held. All of the time. I love to wear him around the house and everywhere we go in the Ergo. He's just starting to take more interest in the world around him, all wide-eyed and curious. Speaking of wide-eyed, he has the prettiest blue eyes! Diaper changes are always enjoyable (for him) and he loves to kick and squirm and talk while being changed. He's an amazing sleeper, and we really don't loose too much sleep especially since I'm breastfeeding and we sleep-nurse all night. I feel such a strong bond with him already and my heart is so full of love. I never stop talking about him when we're apart! Basically, he's the coolest. 





I love you, little dude.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Closet and Wardrobe Organization

I'm hosting a clothing swap this weekend, so in preparation for that, I started cleaning out my closet. I like to put away summer and winter clothes during off seasons for two reasons:

1. I hate clutter and it makes things look a lot better while taking up less space.
2. It's way easier to pick your outfits when they're all weather appropriate.


Now, I'm not the type of person that has a problem getting rid of things. I'm always looking around the house for things to get rid of and take a minimalistic approach to things. I understand that most people aren't like that! So, while organizing all of my clothes the other day, I started thinking of ways to make the process easier. I totally plan on using this concept for my husband, because he's a t-shirt hoarder and it drives me crazy. :)

I start with three categories: Keep, store, donate. I go through my closet first because that typically takes the least amount of time. Then I make my way through my dresser. I take all the clothes I haven't worn in the last 6 months and put them on the bed. If you have anything you aren't sure about, put it in the pile as well. Things that don't fit go, too. Why save those old shorts for "next summer when I lose weight" and create that burden for yourself? If you do lose weight, buy yourself a new pair next year! If I feel like I want to keep a certain item, I try it on to be sure I still like it. If you like to hold on to things, be strict with yourself about this step. I like to take whatever item I'm thinking about keeping and put different outfits together with it. This will give you more inspiration and motivate you to wear it more often.

Next, divide the clothes. Do you want to store it for next season? Is it better off going to donation? Remember that your closet isn't any better for how many pieces of clothing you have. What makes your closet great is having quality pieces that make you feel good about yourself. Things that you love to wear. Things that make you happy to get dressed for the day. It's way better to have 20 amazing things in your closet that can be remixed a variety of ways than 50 things that you never wear, or things that don't even fit!


Pictured above is my final result. In the back row, I have a bag of trashed clothes like old socks and underwear. I put summer clothes in the box for next year. The bottom left stack is for my clothing swap this weekend. The middle stack is for donation. The bottom right stack is what I decided to keep.

Keep in mind when you start this process that the point is to get rid of things that you won't wear! So even though I do like some of the things I'm sending off, they're not doing me any good by hanging in my closet. Your "keep" stack shouldn't be bigger than your "go" stack. 

Have any extra tips or ideas for organizing your wardrobe? Let me know in the comments! 

Monday, September 29, 2014

Levi's Birth Story


On May 14, I woke up around 2 in the morning with some mild cramping. I was five days overdue, and I felt like Levi would be coming very soon. I climbed out of bed, made myself a big smoothie, and walked around our house in anticipation of my natural birth. Corey wakes up for work at 4:45am, so I let him sleep until then. I really enjoyed just walking around alone, drinking my smoothie, thinking about our future, and sitting on my yoga ball when a contraction came along. By the time he woke up and called in to work, my contractions were 3 minutes apart. I put on my tight miniskirt that I bought for this day. We called the midwives and let them know that we would be coming soon.

We left for the hospital around 6. After being sent to admissions, I was told by a nurse to lay down in a bed while she started an IV. I told her that I didn't want to lay down and that the midwives had agreed that I didn't have to have an IV put in. She put one in anyway, and then told me that I couldn't drink water after I had asked Corey to bring me my water bottle. She left the room for over 30 minutes. I was furious, and scared about my hospital birth at this point. I later found out that Corey left the room and yelled at the nurse to get me to the midwives and to my birthing room. She came in with a wheelchair, but after some discussion, let me walk to the room.

Once in our room, I ran a bath. Corey's mom brought him breakfast to eat while he sat next to me by the tub. We were notified that our doula was on the way, and around 8am she walked in the room. The whole atmosphere changed immediately- she was such a positive influence on everyone. I climbed out of the tub and she set up a weighted yoga ball while I dried off. I tried multiple positions, but my favorite was definitely the yoga ball. When a contraction would get too strong, she would massage my hips while I leaned on whatever was around me- Corey, the bed, the ball. She had me in a state of meditation for hours. I think our room was mostly silent besides me humming and her words of encouragement. Then I hit 9 centimeters.


Things get a little hazy here. I stayed there for what felt like a very long time. I kept wanting them to check me (even though I originally didn't want to be checked) so that I could know how close I was to the end. I was in a lot of pain and the doula had to keep refocusing me. (For time reference, at 11:00 I was 9 cm and 100% effaced, but I didn't start pushing until 1:45.) Corey was amazing at supporting me. He stayed close to me the entire day, let me breathe my bad breath right in his face, and didn't say a word when I would push him away in pain. Sometimes my doula was all the womanly support I needed and craved.

Pushing was really hard. I had been in labor for almost twelve hours and I was tired. Levi's heart rate was dropping, and they were putting an oxygen mask on me. I had to sit through at least five contractions without pushing so that I could bring his heart rate back up, and that was incredibly difficult. They kept telling me to stop pushing, but it was just instinct. It was all I could feel. Eventually, I had to get an episiotomy. When they said the word, I immediately started to cry. My doula, once again, was the one to keep me calm and focused. She stared straight into my eyes every time I would open them. I remember feeling like she was just an angel. We were so closely connected for that day. After 25 minutes of pushing, Levi was born at 2:14 pm.

I didn't let him out of my arms for over two hours. We delayed the cord clamping, weight check, and didn't bathe him until he was home. What an overwhelming love it was, seeing and holding him for the first time. I physically felt my life change forever, for the better.



Monday, July 14, 2014

DIY: Vintage Step Stool Chair


Almost a year ago, I found this chair on the side of the road. I swiftly turned around and stuffed the dirty thing in my trunk. I set it in the garage for a few months and kept debating whether or not it was worth fixing up because it was so dirty and rusted. While working on another project, we used a palm sander to sand the top of the chair and it came out so nicely that I knew we had to keep it! So I went and got paint and a butt load of painters tape and this beauty was born!




The first two pictures are from before we did anything but wipe it down a little bit. Then we used a wire brush attachment on the end of a power drill to get all the rust off the chair. This took some time, because there was a lot of rust! Then we used some enamel primer to paint a few coats on top of the seat because it was the most damaged part of the chair.


I spent probably an hour putting tape on this thing, it was so aggravating! But I wanted to make this thing beautiful, so I made sure to do a good job taping it up. Afterward, I took it outside and put two coats of red glossy spray paint, letting it dry between coats. I think it looks perfect in Levi's room!


Thursday, July 10, 2014

Our First Garden


One thing that I don't like about our house is lack of a yard. We had to tear down a forest to build our chicken coop, and then the garden. Since we're surrounded by trees, our house is mostly shaded and doesn't have near enough sun for the majority of plants and vegetables. We cleared out some land that gets about 7 hours of sun a day, built a raised bed, and filled it with organic soil over the course of a few days.

I bought organic seeds, determined to do it the right way, but it just wasn't happening. Everything sprouted, but wasn't growing well and after a heavy rain, they were done for. So we had to get transplants instead. They're not organic, but it's okay. I'm having to be okay with things like that recently. Like I never wanted to give Levi gas drops, but the homeopathic stuff wasn't working. So now he gets gas drops. And I'm convinced we have Monsanto crops... but it's okay.






We're growing cucumbers, squash, zucchini, red bell peppers, and jalapeƱos. Our bell peppers have tiny little buds that showed up yesterday. I hope that animals won't be a problem, as you can see deer prints in the last picture. I'm so excited to see some veggies start sprouting! 

Monday, July 7, 2014

Levi: Weeks 1-4


I thought I'd start a series for Levi's weekly pictures. I'd actually like them all to be taken in the same place, because I love seeing babies progress in those pictures and how they start to fill out the space. It's adorable. I'm a slack mama and haven't committed to doing it yet, though. I can't believe he is almost eight weeks old! Here's weeks one through four:

Exhausted after his first bath.

Bein' sweet in the morning

Nap time.

At exactly four weeks, these were his first smiles!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Outfit: Blue Daisy


I pretty much take any opportunity I have to dress up these days. By dress up, I mean put on clothes that don't consist of pajamas or dirty jean shorts. Life is so crazy! I guess it wouldn't be life with a newborn if I didn't get spit up on every time I took a shower or put on regular clothes. Last weekend, Corey's mom came over to watch Levi while we went to eat lunch at one of my favorite taco spots and to try a new sno-cone place that recently opened up. It's so nice to get a break sometimes, even if it's only for an hour or two.

blue daisy top, daisy crop top, blue crop top, black circle skirt, h&m circle skirt, h&m black skirt, TJ Maxx, TJ Maxx top, post pregnancy outfit, zebra vans, zebra print vans

blue daisy top, daisy crop top, blue crop top, black circle skirt, h&m circle skirt, h&m black skirt, TJ Maxx, TJ Maxx top, post pregnancy outfit, zebra vans, zebra print vans

blue daisy top, daisy crop top, blue crop top, black circle skirt, h&m circle skirt, h&m black skirt, TJ Maxx, TJ Maxx top, post pregnancy outfit, zebra vans, zebra print vans

top: TJ Maxx // skirt: H&M // shoes: Vans

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Chicken Adventures


Recently, Corey and I got some chickens and two ducks. We originally bought 3 chickens and then ordered 9 more online. Yes, I went and picked them up from the post office! I've been really interested in homesteading for a while now, and since we bought our house in the winter, we hadn't done too much. We finally got around to building a coop (but that's for another post) and getting the chickens. We've been housing them in a brooder until they get a little bit bigger and don't need as much protection. They are so cute and fun to watch, but a lot of work!




We have to pick out the wood chips from their feeder daily and from their water multiple times a day. They like to kick the wood chips all around the place, so they land in the water constantly. Their water also has to be fortified with electrolytes, and they drink a lot of water! We just removed the heat lamp and placed them outside a few days ago, and the next step will be moving them to the coop! There are actually 19 chicks and 2 ducks in the brooder right now, because we're housing the other chicks for my parents until they get a little bigger. I'll share more updates on them as we make progress!


Monday, June 16, 2014

Levi Gamble



Whoa. It's been a long time since I blogged! I took a little while off because moving in to our house required a lot of work, and my pregnant body was exhausted! I was also going to school full-time (still am) and working. I worked up until my due date, and Levi joined us 5 days later! I enjoyed my time away from blogging, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting back at it. It's my outlet. Life with a baby is really challenging, but so fun! My heart is so full. I'll post more about him and my birth story soon, but I just wanted to pop in and introduce my new little buddy.

Levi Gamble was born on May 14, 2014, weighing in at 8 pounds 12 ounces.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Treasures #6


bowl // $1


vintage fabric // $2


skunk family // gifted!


pyrex mug // $.25

How adorable is that little skunk family? My aunt in Oklahoma sent me a package full of goodies and those little cuties were included. I have a slight addiction to kitchen ware, so I really try to limit myself to the best stuff- But if it's cheap enough, I get it anyway. Seriously, a quarter for a Pyrex mug... Sold!

Monday, May 5, 2014

Recipe: Baked Kale Chips


Kale chips are one of those things I knew I'd like, but I pushed off trying them for so long! Eating well has become pretty important to me, and I want Levi to feel good about eating healthy foods as he grows up. These kale chips literally melt in your mouth! They're great. Make them!


Wash your bundle of kale thoroughly. Blot leaves with paper towels before tearing, then tear off 1-2 inch pieces. Make sure you leave out the big stem in the middle because they can be bitter!


Put your kale in a mixing bowl and toss with one tablespoon of olive oil and one teaspoon of coarse salt. Lay out in a single layer on a baking sheet (you may need to use two) and then bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes.


I made two batches, one with garlic powder instead of coarse salt. The garlic smelled really good while baking, but I wasn't digging the taste once they came out. Especially compared with the EVOO and salt combination! These could really be spiced up any way. Next time I think I'll mix some Sriracha in with the oil for a spicy version!

Friday, March 28, 2014

Craft Room Inspiration

The craft room has honestly been the last room I've thought about decorating! Having our living room, bedroom, and nursery ready took priority, so I'm just starting to think about how I want to put my craft room together. Luckily, Corey and I both get our own rooms to do whatever we want with. :)

BEFORE PICTURE

1 // 2

As you can tell from the before picture, the room is pretty spacious! I bought some storage stuff from Michael's when it was 50% off so I'll be making good use of that. I really like the open shelving in the first picture and how pretty all the washi tape looks stacked up that way. I have a desk that I painted teal last year and was in my previous craft room, but I'd love to have a big ole table like in the second picture.

3 // 4

Until a big table is an affordable option, I'll probably put my desk against the wall like in pictures 3 and 4. I love the use of peg boards in craft rooms! Since the walls are white right now, I'll probably get a peg board and spray paint it a bright color. Again, I'm digging the shelving in all of these rooms!

5 // 6

I like to be pretty organized, so having places to store all of my supplies is important to me! There are so many ways to store fabric (like in a file cabinet) but I like this cheap idea of using plastic drawers. I can't wait to post pictures of how the craft room is coming along! 

Friday, March 14, 2014

Living Room Inspiration

1 // 2

Our living room is extremely open and spacious, so I've been trying to figure out how to close it in a little bit since filling it up isn't exactly in our budget! While I would love a bright & colorful couch, I'm not ready to keep it clean while raising our first child. Instead I'm thinking of white walls with lots of color added in through other things. I love the cardboard mounted deer head in the first photo, and the modern, happy feel of the second living room. (I've actually been eyeing that living room for years, it's so perfect! Click the link for more pictures.)

3 // 4

Since we have so much room, I'd love to fill a wall with prints, or build a cubed bookshelf to sit against the wall. I have some serious coffee table envy from all of these photos I've been pouring over. I really love Scandinavian style though, so I think we will go with some light birch wood touches.

(clockwise) 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

My heart is set on this Ikea sectional sofa! Having a sectional would really help control the space since it's shared with a dining room, and the gorgeous gray color is perfect. It's been so hard finding prints that I want to hang in the living room, but I really enjoy these two. It's funny, because when I don't have money, I look at prints I want to buy for days. When I do have money and want to buy them, I can never decide! Whatever ends up on the walls, I cannot wait to put it there.

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