New Year / New Intentions

Lauren...

Learn // Screen printing and macrame. Actually, I should probably start off with "learn to take time for hobbies"! #lifeiscrazybusy
Macrame intimidates me quite a bit. For being a hairstylist, I'll admit I'm not the most dexterous person. But there's so many amazing new and vintage macrame wall hangings out there that I'm completely inspired to give it a go.
My husband, Matt, is an artist and screen printer and I'm always bugging him to let me be his apprentice. This is the year that I'm going to bully my way into his studio and make learn from him! ;)

Make // Sunday night "family" suppers. I adore throwing a good dinner party! But hosting can be stressful, time-consuming, and expensive- just generally a lot of work. While you can't keep me from going all out on occasion, I want to focus on gathering close friends and family together more frequently for casual meals. After all, sitting around the table sharing good food with good company is what it's all about anyway.
(Full disclosure: I'm not afraid to admit this resolution is inspired by a recent binge-watch Parenthood marathon. Beyond being a source for a good cry (like, every. darn. episode.), those dreamy Braverman backyard family dinners under the bistro lights have got me feeling some type of way!)

Do // Take one photograph every single day. I inherited my Grandmother's Canon AE-1 35mm a few years ago and it's been sitting on a shelf collecting dust ever since. For shame! Of course I'll still shoot digital and snap photos on my camera, but I'm excited to get back to my baby photographer roots and shoot more film!

Explore // Yoga. Calling myself a casual practicing yogi would be a stretch. It's been an pretty infrequent part of my life up to this point, which is crazy because I LOVE the way I feel after a yoga class. Strong, clear headed, and balanced. This year, I'm joining a studio and getting my zen on regularly!

Claire...

Learn // Finally take a pottery class. I've been talking about it for years. It always seems to slip my mind until one day every couple months I think.."Pottery! I need to take a class." and then I instantly forget. This is the year I won't forget.

Make // DIY projects with my new miter saw! I am so exited to finally have one. I can't wait to start using it. Shelves, night stands, picture frames, furniture...my DIY project list has just increased dramatically. #gamechanger

Do // Adapt and stick with the "Buy One, Donate One" rule. Recently I have started to clean out my closet and purge a bunch of unwanted items. I'm not a shopaholic, but I do love a great sale! To keep my wardrobe on the smaller size, every time I buy something, I plan to look in my closet and donate something I hardly wear.

Explore // My last road trip was so amazing, after we came home not even a full week went by before I started to plan more adventures. Our next long trip will most likely be a "family cousins camping trip". This will be my first real grown up family vacation with extended family and I couldn't be more excited! Know of any great campsites or cabin locations in the Midwest? Send them my way!

10 Random Things / 02

10 Random Things about Claire //

1. I have only gone to one hairstylist my entire life until this year! Not a huge fan of change, can you tell? Lauren recently started styling my hair and I couldn't be happier. Maybe blondes really do have more fun.
2. My favorite movie is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Harrison Ford, duh! Yep, I'm a total child of the 80's.
3. I love the big city life, but I always daydream about buying land in Montana and living in sky country forever.
4. Are you a twin? My sister and I wish that we were, so whenever we go out together, we always try to convince people that we really are twins.
5. My favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla.
6. I carry a crystal around with me in my purse and constantly rub it searching for positive vibes.
7. When I can't sleep, I rub my feet together for a couple minutes and it knocks me right out.
8. My car's name is Herbert.
9. I've known my husband for over 15 years and we've spent a majority of that time together.
10. I have an unhealthy obsession with chorizo. You guys, I can't stop eating it!

10 Random Things about Lauren //

1. My favorite Spice Girl was/is Ginger.
2. I've never traveled outside the country. (Unless you count a day trip to Windsor, Ontario. And I don't!) That's got to change in 2016!
3. I knew my husband was "the one" after dating him for a week.
4. I've seen every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation at least twice.
5. Black is my favorite color.
6. I have a bunch of nicknames. Most of my friends and family call me Lola, Lolo, or Lo. But my Mom calls me Annie.
7. I wrote a love letter to Christian Slater when I was 8 years old. He stole my heart in Robin Hood!<3
8. My spirit animal is a fox (shocker, eh?)
9. Mustard is the best condiment.
10. I'm not sure I have a celebrity dopplegänger but I've been told I look like a young Linda Ronstadt.

Now it's your turn. We want to know a random thing or two about you!

LIFE/STYLE : Lately...

Winter is in full swing! And while the Midwest has been lucky enough to avoid blizzards and "snowpocalypses", we're still pretty settled in to our routines of snuggling up under blankets and passing the time indoors during these cold weather months. So today, we thought it would be fun to break up the monotony a bit and share what we've been in to lately!

Claire:
Watching // FRIENDS just got added to Netflix in the beginning of the year, so on those blustery winter nights when all I wanna do is curl up on the couch in a blanket and drink tea; I've been in front of my tv watching this classic.

Trending // The L.L. Bean Boot has been popping up on everyone's feet lately and mine are no exception. My pair finally arrived on my doorstep (after ordering them 3 months ago) and they have been glued to my feet ever since. Order yours but be prepared to wait! Word on the street is you'll be behind 100,000 orders (omg!)

Listening // Lately I've been on a quest to find more current artists that catch my interest. My record collection is full of multi decade classics, but my new artist selection is a bit light. Alvvays has hit the spot and this Toronto indie-pop band has been played heavily in my home.

Learning // I've been a lover of ceramics for a long time and I've always wanted to learn how to make my own pieces. I took pottery in high school, but haven't touched clay since. This is the year! Bowls, vases, cups....here I come!


Lauren:
Watching // I'm completely caught up in Peaky Blinders. Have you watched it? The first two seasons are on Netflix now and a third season is scheduled to be released soon. If you're in to period piece dramas, boys with dapper hair cuts and British accents, gangster films, and Nick Cave, (just a few of my favorite things), you're going to love it!

Trending // Claire and I are both in the midst of giving our homes little makeovers. Currently, I'm loving that the color black is popping up everywhere in interior trends. I've been toying with the idea of painting a wall in our bedroom black. It's such a bold look. Here's a list of other trends for 2015. I'm pretty much loving them all!

Listening // I'm utterly smitten with Nikki Lane. She's got this whole outlaw Loretta Lynn thing going on and it's just so good. She's playing a show here in Chicago soon and if you know what's good for you, you'll go!

Learning // So maybe I'm like a year late to this whole calligraphy trend, but I've been toying around with it and hand lettering lately. It's just such a relaxing and repetitive art form, and a totally classic skill to have. I've got my eye on this starter kit for beginners (so lovely!) and am on the look out for local calligraphy or hand lettering workshops. Heard of any? Should Foxtail + Moss host one!? ;)

What are you digging lately? We'd love to hear!

Intentions for a New Year

The new year has started off as a quiet one for us.  A blizzard hit Chicago New Year's Day and more or less snowed us in until this morning.  We've had plenty of time to sip coffee and think about what we want our 2014 to look like. This year, we each decided to focus on four general intentions rather than specific resolutions.  Learn, Make, Do, Explore.


Claire

Learn  //  Macramé.  This is going to be the year I finally teach myself!  I want to get some of my plants off the windowsills and make some macramé hangers for them.

Make  //  Make a woven wall hanging for my living room.  Last year I started to teach myself how to weave and I fell in love with it.  This year I'm going to step up my skills and create a wall hanging.  Super excited about the possibilities.

Do  //  Send more mailed letters and postcard to friends/family.  I am lucky to have friends and family all over the country that are awesome pen pals.  Life can get pretty hectic and I don't keep up with it as much as I'd like.

Explore  //  Visit the Cheekwood Botanical Garden in Nashville, Tennessee. My husband and I are planning a trip to Nashville this year to see family. We are both huge nature lovers. Whenever we travel, we always make it a point to explore at least one garden, state/national park, or lake. See what your city has to offer!


Lauren

Learn  //  To be more patient and revel in the moment.  I have a habit of always thinking five (ten, twenty, one hundred) steps ahead. Consequently, I forget to appreciate "the now" and overlook what is already in front of me.  This year, I will try harder to slow down and enjoy the act of just being.

Make  //  A new dining table using repurposed wood and scrap lumber.  I'm only mildly handy with a set of tools so we'll see how this one goes.  But I've been daydreaming about the dinner parties I can throw and that is inspiration enough to see this project through!

Do  //  Volunteer my time and talents to something bigger than me.  I love what this organization is doing and I can't wait to get involved!

Explore  //  Chicago! I've called this darling city home for nearly 8 years and there is still so much I have yet to see and experience.

10 Random Things

10 Random Things about Lauren

1. I'ved lived in 6 different states thus far in my lifetime. (Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee)

2. I am an only child.

3. I habitually over punctuate with exclamation points. Handwritten letters. emails, text...I can't help it! I guess I'm just really excited! All the time!

4. Karaoke. I love it so much.

5. Growing up, I had two imaginary friends named Sarah and Nobbie. 

6. I'm obsessed with making lists. They're scattered all around my house and half the things on them aren't crossed off but I just love making them.

7. I could eat brussel sprouts for every meal and never grow tired of them.

8. I'm more of a skirts and dresses kind of girl. Its pretty rare that you'll catch me in jeans.

9. My husband and I daydream constantly of moving to the Tennessee countryside, buying an old farmhouse and raising little goats. One day... 

10. I play the ukulele. Kind of.

10 Random Things about Claire

1. My spirit animal is an otter.

2. One thing you can always find in my purse is Burt's Bees Chapstick.

3. I always bust out the robot on the dance floor. It's my go to dance move. Always a crowd pleaser.
4. When I was young, I had a ferret names Sid. I constantly wrote and performed songs about ferrets to him. He was not impressed.

5. I have over 50 plants in my home. My green thumb is out of control!

6. My husband and I have a secret miniature toy collection behind our medicine cabinet mirror.
7. I hate ketchup, but love tomatoes.

8. I have a mini glass bottle necklace that's filled with my dogs puppy teeth. Kinda love my pug.

9. Cheese is my favorite food. I'm slowly trying to teach myself how to make my own.

10. If I could walk around barefoot all day I would. No socks or shoes for me!