TERRARIUMS

This was originally going to be a post on how to make fun, creative, and affordable terrariums. Well it still is, however, I got super excited to make mine, and forgot to take step-by-step photos while I was creating them....
So, it won't be quite as exciting, but definitely still fun! :)

Who doesn't love these little creations?! Mine were super easy and most of what I used was found nearby my apartments.

What I used:
-soil
-rocks
-moss
-strange weeds of some kind
-a fish bowl I had lying around the house and a large jar
-succulents (the only thing I had to actually buy)

1. Go on a nature walk to gather your items.
2. Put it all together. Start with the soil, then the succulents, then just add your rocks/moss, and whatever else you can come up with!
3. Lightly water.

Done!

Pretty simple, right?

This is what mine turned out like:

my collection of potenial containers

terrarium #1

terrarium #2

happy creating! xo, rachelle

a s t o r i a.

These past few days have been packed with bits of goodness. I have been able to connect with my lovely canadian friends, Kaylee and Mandie. We met in Astoria, OR for a brief rendezvous. We stayed at this wonderfully nostalgic hotel. (I found a grreat deal on groupn!) Our trip was packed with amazing food, coffee, laughing, sea lions, sunny weather, long walks, shopping, beaches, convertibles, movies, reminiscing, not seeing the column, and little sleep.

xo, rachelle

invisible children. JOSEPH KONY 2012

Watch this & raise awareness.

Spread the word, get it out. Do something.

DIY : liquid soap

Here's a little 'do it yourself' project that I set out to accomplish a while back. I made a gallon of liquid soap for only $6. It was a lot of fun making it, mostly because I knew I was saving money! :) ( Oh, and thanks to pinterest for the idea.)

What you will need:

1. A bar of soap (1-8 oz)

2. grater

3. 2 tbsp. glycerin (I used vegetable glycerin)

4. cool empty bottle

5. 1 gallon of water

 1. Grate the whole bar of soap.

 2. Fill a pot with 1 gallon of water.

3. Add the soap shavings.

 4. Add the glycerin. 

  5. Turn the heat to medium/high and stir till all the soap dissolves.                       

6. When the soap dissolves, it should look just like soapy water.

7. Let it cool for 10-12 hours. It will harden and resemble liquid soap. 

(I had to beat it with a mixer to make the consistency more even.)

8. Fill your empty bottle with your soap and enjoy! 

 

This is efficient and a great way to save money. I bought this particular bar of soap -(Mrs. Meyers in the scent of Basil)- for around $6.00 at New Seasons. (It smells soooo good). If you buy the liquid kind in the same brand, it's about $3.99. When you make it yourself, there's heaps of savings and you get a whooole lot more for your money! That my friend, is a deal!

Happy creating!

xo, rachelle

valentine's day.

I happen to actually love this day. I'm a big fan. I love an excuse to pour out love to the people I care about in extra amounts. And, also I love falling in love and the idea of falling in love. :) It makes for a very wonderful day. One of my favorites.

I made valentine cards and painted my nails red. I was given this lovely handmade headband and wore it all day. :) Take out from Baja Fresh and a cheesy redbox movie is on the agenda for the evening. Maybe even a bubble bath later on perhaps. It has been a lovely day indeed.

happy valentines day, xo

rachelle

sail.

I have discovered a song I really like. 

It's called Sail, by Awolnation. You really should give it a listen.

And this is just something I stumbled upon. It's pretty funny. At least, it made me laugh. :) Please watch this too. :)

xo, rachelle

Snowy days

This past weekend my roommates and I had the pleasure of hosting our wonderful friend, Kristine! She is truly a gem. I treasure every minute with her. We even had some snow this weekend! Not a lot, but for a few minutes it looked like a wintry wonderland. sigh. I miss snowy days sometimes. It was refreshing and made me want to snuggle up with some hot tea! And I may or may not have done just that..... :)

 

snow from the view of our porch

xo, rachelle

a late new year's posting.

I know it's a little way over due, but I thought I would share my new year eve's events with you all. I had a lovely evening spent with a friend. We ordered pizza and watched Letter's to Juliet. Then of course watched the ball drop with our champagne in hand.

I wanted to do something special the next day to celebrate. Growing up in Ohio, we always celebrated with sauer kraut and sausage for new year's. I always looked forward to this time of year just for that reason alone. I thought this was a tradition that was shared among the entire nation. When I moved to Oregon, I found out how wrong I was unfortunately....No one does that here. Needless to say, I decided to bring back this ol' tradition of mine. I decided to invite some people over and make a night of it. I must say, it was quite delicious and I look forward to making it again soon!

I put the sausage right into the sauer kraut, covered it with foil, and baked it for close to 2hrs. at 300 degrees. It doesn't look all that great, but it was, I promise!

I rolled the baked potatoes in a mixture of pepper -red+black, roasted garlic grapeseed oil, and salt before sticking them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 1 1/2 hrs. This made them extra delicious.

I added a salad and a friend brought dessert. We ate, caught up, and played games. It was a lovely way to start the new year. I am so thankful for those I can call friends.

I decided to make a new year's resolution this year. Usually I don't. I spent some time reflecting on the past year, then made some goals for the new one. My main goal for 2012 is to cultivate healthy relationships. I believe people need relationship among one another and those can often be very good and thriving, or ones that bring you down and rob you of joy. I want to surround myself with friendships/relationships that make me better. I want to pour into them with my whole heart. I desire to be a better friend, daughter, sister. I want to have healthy boundaries for myself. This involves recognizing my needs in a relationship and voicing them. It involves me speaking out, standing up for myself, and knowing my limits. I want to start living a healthier lifestyle just in general. Emotionally. Physically.

I have started a work out program (me and the rest of the world). It's called Insanity. And it pretty much kicks my butt every time. BUT I am slowly getting in shape! It sucks and my body hates it right now, but I will push through! I bought brand new tennis shoes. My converse wasn't really working out all that great. It has been years since I have invested into legit tennis shoes. I thought this was a good time to do that, plus they were on sale. :) I am pretty excited about them......

I hope you all had a wonderful new year's! Cheers to new adventures. 

xo, Rachelle