She's got eyes on the back of her head

Crickets. It's been quiet on the old blog lately and I apologize for this. Things have been kinda crazy with Thanksgiving - working extra shifts at work, family in town, and everything that goes along with the aforementioned. It's been a great few days. All of my cousins were in San Diego for the holiday festivities. I've always had a pretty tight-knit family and I am so blessed to have such great relationships with my cousins. Now that we are all doing our own thing, it is so special when we all can get together in the same room.

Thanksgiving went really well this year. Usually, we have a giant Thanksgiving at my great-aunt's house. There are always so many people there that by the time I get to the turkey, it's already cold. One year, we actually ran out of food. This year, the family drifted off to their little sub-cliques, so Thanksgiving was much more intimate. I helped my mom with the cooking (and learned how to make squash casserole, so yummy!) The recipe is straight OG. My grandmother taught my mother and my mother taught me. I will share it eventually. Here's a pic of our turkey and our dinner table*:

(*If you're on Instagram, let's be friends! @darynmax)

There hasn't been a shop update in awhile, but I've finally gotten back into the swing of things. Here's a little sneak peek (and when I say "little", it's because I ran out of daylight to take pictures). This is really one of my favorite batches to date:

In other news, babygirl got a little crafty with the glue-gun last night (well, not really... just had some leftover googly eyes). I got eyes on the back of my head (sing to the Beatles - I get by):

This time off from work has been really great - rejuvenating really (almost). Only 2 more shifts and then it's off to Colorado on Friday to visit my very best friend in the whole wide world! This will be my first time back since I graduated almost a year and a half ago! So excited!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well. One major holiday down, one more to go!

Sack Race

I love the raw, organic quality of burlap. I still regret the time I stumbled across a variety of old feed bags at a thrift store and did not bring them home with me (especially now, when I think about their versatility):

These upcycled totes are made by White Apple Threads. I actually picked one up for myself at Fiesta Del Sol a couple weeks ago. It's the perfect beach bag!

I spotted these amazing burlap-covered planters at Anthropologie awhile ago. I took a picture of them but I can't seem to track it down. After a thorough google search, I discovered that somebody else also admired this display and took the liberty of making their own (complete with tutorial).

Terrarium Imaginarium

Fifty-something keys, tangles of hemp and embroidery thread, an odd thrift-store find, and a hanging cord kit later, I bring to you a DIY key chandelier. Tres anthropologie, non?

With this new lighting fixture, I think it's safe to say that my living room is complete (for now).

Yes, those are terrariums on the coffee table if you were wondering. Such a fun project! All you need are some bowls (thrifted these for .50 cents - $2), some small pebbles or rocks, filtered carbon (found at Petco in the aquarium section), cactus mix, and some clippings from your neighbor's yard.

Pour a 1-2 inch layer of pebbles (or rocks) into the bottom of the bowl. Now, sprinkle some carbon on top. The carbon helps in filtrating the air inside of the terrarium so that it won't stink. Next comes the cactus mix. You want to use enough cactus mix so that your clippings can take root, but not so much that your plants are sticking out of the bowl when you arrange them.

When it comes to arranging your succulents, there aren't any real rules. I personally have a tendency of placing my tallest plant in the middle, but this is entirely up to you. However, make sure that your plants are at least an inch apart from one another. They need room to grow!

Now comes the fun part - decorating your terrarium. I used leftover pebbles and figures (dinosaurs and mushrooms, mostly) made out of polymer clay (a fun project in itself).

Terrariums need lots of light, so keep your mini ecosystems near a sunny window. They don't need a lot of water. I'd say every 2-3 weeks or so.