Domestic Fashionista

Having Less Stuff

I was inspired by this great video by Dawn of Minimal Mom on 25 things she no longer buys. The past couple of years I have been going much deeper in getting rid of stuff in our house. After baby number three it was simply out of necessity. Our house was feeling crowded and lacking the peace I wanted. So I started getting more and more ruthless.

Last summer I did a giant all house purge and I am working on doing a second one this year. I also reread The House That Cleans Itself which gave me the kick start I needed to tackle our home now that we are a family of six. Fortunately we are getting rid of baby stuff now and along with that just comes reconsidering toys we have accumulated from birthdays and holidays this past year.

I am starting to see areas in our home that I really like how they feel - more spacious and peaceful. Right now that is:

+ our kitchen - less stuff on counters and everything put away and decorations on walls and not surfaces

+ our bedroom - surfaces clear except lamps and a diffuser

+ laundry room - we now have room for the pack n play so that with everyone home this summer, each child has their own room for nap/quiet time so I can keep my sanity!!!

We are making our home work for us and really it all starts with having less.

A friend of mine recently asked me how I kept my house so clean. It was such a nice compliment! Of course I tidied up a bit before she came over. But really I think it came down to simply having less stuff. I don't want to spend my days being a stuff manager. Being able to put everything away and for everything to have a spacious unstuffed place has allowed me to be a more present mother.

Dawn is one of my favorite minimalists to learn from because she is a mom! Her tips are practical and she still has kids at home. I always walk away inspired from watching her videos.

Paper Sewn Garland Tutorial

I often get asked for instructions for this simple paper sewn garland. I have made them for various birthdays and they are such a beautiful and easy way to decorate. It is basically just shapes cut out of card stock and then sewn together through the sewing machine.

Here is a quick little video I made to explain the process:

To make this circle garland, I made two long strands. One to line the window with photos and then another as our outdoor backdrop.

Directions:

Cut out or punch out shapes out of card stock and then run it through a sewing machine. I used three pieces of 8.5x11 per color (4 colors to make the two long strands) and a 1-3/4" circle punch.

Here are some examples of what the two strands came out as:

For our oldest, we went all out with a larger birthday party. I made a bunch of garlands using different shapes. Here they are as I was making them. I definitely recommend hanging them if you make a lot so that they don't get tangled.

And here they are at the party. They look so great hanging in trees.

Our Daughter's 1st Birthday Party

Our daughter recently turned one and we celebrated with a sweet and simple first birthday party. We mostly kept things the same as we have for our other kids' first birthdays. Our little traditions include photos from their first year and a photo backdrop with their cake.

For her gift, she got this easy to fold kiddie pool/ball pit that we filled with balloons. It made for a fun photo op and gave our big kids plenty of balloons to play with!

The prettiest mermaid stuffie! I wish they made more in different colors and skin tones! We would collect them all. ;)

I always love going through our year of photos to print out for the party. It is quiet therapeutic for me as a mother to see a little highlight reel of the year. Getting to that first birthday is a major milestone! It is always so nostalgic for me to look back at the year we had together. I am so grateful for our sweet girl!

The ball pit can double as a pool or sand pit. It has a plug to hold the water or sand in. We are mostly using it as a playpen for outside. And it would be a great option to bring to the beach or on a trip as a foldable travel pool for little ones. She can already crawl out of it so it makes me wish we had gotten it sooner when she was less mobile. But regardless, it made for a great party prop and I appreciate it can be used in a variety of ways that fit the age and season we are in (I'm thinking sensory bin as she gets older as well!).

She was so happy to play in her pool of balloons! It was so sweet!

And, of course, the big kids were thrilled to join her!

After breakfast, playing, and her morning nap, we headed outside for a few first birthday photos. I got the most beautiful flower crown headband on Etsy. It is so gorgeous and heirloom worthy.