Finders Keepers: Affordable Decor

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post Art, Decor, Home 2005 Views

towel / lamp / rug / art
I’ve said it probably a thousand times before, but I love decorating my apartment with affordable things. But that doesn’t mean I have to miss out on beautiful pieces. Last weekend we did some Christmas shopping at World Market. Every time I go to World Market I fall in love with that store more and more. It’s like an affordable Anthropologie! I LOVE Anthropologie but we all know that sometimes it’s more of a splurge. So anyway there we were Christmas shopping when I came across a few items that I just couldn’t pass up, the hand towel and rug. Our poor little downstairs half bathroom has been neglected ever since we moved in a year and a half ago. It was time I put something in there to spruce it up and these two items were perfect! I also love that lamp! I think it would be perfect for our office since desk space is prime real estate. And last and certainly least (because it’s FREE) is this beautiful downloadable art piece. The only cost is printing. I need to find a spot for this in my apartment ASAP.

Much Loved Stuffed Animals

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post Photography 1789 Views

Photo Credit: Much Loved by Mark Nixon
Aren’t these just the cutest? These little guys sure got lots of love. I never had a stuffed animal that I was this close to growing up. I was a pillow person. My pillow was what I loved most. I did however have a giant Winnie the Pooh that my Grandpa got for me. He was pretty special. My brother burned his butt with a lamp and then threw him down the stairs. He told me he had gotten rug burn. I believed him for the longest time. You’ve gotta love those mischievous brothers. 

DIY Cinnamon & Copper Pine Cones for the Holidays

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post Christmas, DIY, Fall, Holiday, Thanksgiving 4328 Views

Every year when the holidays come around I pick up a bag of cinnamon scented pine cones. This year I decided to spice up my pine cones by adding a little copper paint to them. I love how these turned out. You can use these for so many things throughout the holiday season. You can decorate your mantel, string them together to make a garland, use them as place settings on your Thanksgiving table, and when it comes time to set up your Christmas tree — hide a few in the branches.
Here’s how you make them. It’s pretty simple:
You will need:
  • Cinnamon scented pine cones (Ralph’s and Joann’s both have them)
  • Copper paint
  • Paint brush
Paint just the tips of the pine cones. Let them dry for a couple of hours and then have fun decorating your house with all your pretty pine cones. Next time you come home you’ll be greeted with the warm and cozy scent of cinnamon!

My Perfectly Sweet Chai Tea Latte Recipe

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post Fall, Health, Recipe, Winter, Wudabar 20251 Views

While I’m participating in the WundaBody Challenge I’ve been cutting sugar out of my diet. I think that’s probably been the hardest part for me. Especially in the evenings I usually like to have something sweet. The first week I started the challenge I remember going to Trader Joe’s and seeing that they had just gotten all their seasonal food out. There was pumpkin butter, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin everything! Trader Joe’s I love you but you’re just cruel. At that point I knew if I was going to make it through this challenge I would need a little something to curve that craving. And that’s where this Chai Tea Latte came in. It’s easy, yummy, and just sweet enough to make me feel like I’m not totally missing out on dessert.

Ingredients
1 chai tea bag
2/3 cup boiling water
2/3 cup almond milk
1 scoop organic stevia
Vanilla (optional)


Directions
1. Pour the boiling water in your mug and let the tea bag steep for 4 to 6 minutes in the water.
2. Next heat up the almond milk just until warm. Then pour into your mug.
3. Add 1 scoop of the organic stevia. The one I buy from Trader Joe’s comes with a little scoop. It’s TINY but adds plenty of sweetness (probably around 1/16 of a teaspoon).
4. If you want add a few drops of vanilla to taste.

I love sipping on this in the evening while relaxing on the couch and catching up on our shows. It makes for a pretty good way to end the day.

His & Hers: Tools of the Trade

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post Graphic Design, His and Hers, Motion Graphics 2623 Views

Jake and I are both creatives but we use very different things to make our little works of art. Here are some of our favorite things we each use on a daily basis.

It’s always fun finding new and helpful things to keep us creating. So if you know of any special pens, apps, tech, or any materials for that matter that you just can’t get enough of, we would love to know!

Wars on Kinkade

Jake Blog Post Artwork, Parody, Star Wars 1746 Views

I don’t have to say much about today’s find from artist Jeff Bennett; the artwork speaks for itself. I can’t think of a better way to spice up a Thomas Kinkade painting.

I would totally hang that fist one over my work desk. Happy Friday and have a great weekend everybody!

Let’s Play Nice

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post Blog, Health 2582 Views

Jake and I love blogs. Whoever invented these little things is brilliant. I love being able to get an inside look into the everyday lives of people I’ve never met, but now call friends. I love that I get to watch babies grow up, couples get married, and even seemingly insignificant events in bloggers lives. That’s why Jake and I decided to start a blog too. We wanted to share our lives with our family, our friends, and the world. This blog is just that: our little spot on the world wide web to share our lives with whoever is interested and wants to come along for the ride. I want to be real with you guys. I feel like a lot of you really have become my friends, people I can get advice from and laugh with. So first let me say thank you to all my readers who have been so sweet and encouraging to me has I pursue my dreams and live out my life. I couldn’t be more gracious to you guys. You really are the best.

But the truth is, everyone can’t be as awesome as you guys. Some people are rude and just plain hurtful.

Yesterday I updated you on the WundaBody challenge I am participating in. It’s something I’m excited about, so naturally I wanted to share my experience with you guys.  However, one anonymous reader posted a comment that came across as very hurtful and degrading everything I am doing in this challenge. It made me think that maybe they just didn’t understand what I’m doing this challenge for or even what the purpose of my blog is. So I want to step back and clarify a few things just in clase I wasn’t clear enough in my previous post. In a nutshell, this challenge is my little search for a better, healthier life. That can mean a lot of things for a lot of people; but for me as of right now it means trying to eat healthier foods and work out regularly. I’m giving up foods that could potentially be harming me (or potentially not) but I won’t know until I test them. So far I can honestly say I am feeling great and that’s what is important.

I’m in no way saying that you guys need to go out and do what I’m doing. I’m simply just sharing my life with you.

And finally, I am not getting paid for writing any of these posts. The lovely people at WundaBar are allowing me to participate in their program and I am very grateful to them for making it available to me in this way.

So again, thank you to all my supportive readers. I love you guys!

I happily welcome comments and feedback. I LOVE hearing from you guys! But please refrain from posting rude content. It’s not constructive. There is enough of that on the internet already so I would like to keep it off my blog.

Thanks for understanding and bearing with me as I share my heart in a not so light-hearted post today. Jake does have a much more Friday-worthy post for you guys. So come back later and check it out. I promise it’s a good one.

WundaBody Challenge: PT 2

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post Health, LA, Wudabar 2095 Views

I thought it was time I gave you an update on the WundaBody Challenge I have been doing. If you missed my first post about it, you can find it here.

The challenge is, well, exactly that — a challenge. I’m going to be honest here; the first week sucked. My body was detoxing from not having any of those seven foods (soy, corn, gluten, dairy, sugar, eggs, and peanuts). The fact that my body is affected that much by these foods and goes into a kind of withdrawal when I don’t have them tells me right there that those are probably not the best things for me. That first week I felt tired, weak, and just blah. I remember that Thursday specifically. Erika and I were busy getting stuff together for Dana’s baby shower and at one point I sat on the couch and didn’t think I was going to be able to get up. It was probably around 7:30 at night and all I wanted to do was crawl in bed and not open my eyes for a very long time. 
Thankfully though that was the lowest it ever got and I made it through! It was all uphill from there. By the next week I started to get tons of energy. No late afternoon crashes and the biggest difference I’ve noticed was how I slept. I started to fall asleep much faster, get more restful sleep and I even started waking up refreshed BEFORE my alarm feeling ready to get up and start my day. This is crazy for me people! It used to take me at least 30 minutes to wake up and then slowly mozy on down to the couch to lay there for a few more minutes before sipping my coffee in a desperate attempt to wake up. 
Now I get to start challenging back in some of the foods I’ve taken out to see how I react. I’ve already challenged some, but I’ll wait to update you on that until the end of the challenge when I’m done with all the foods. So far I’m loving this new way of eating and living. Who can say no to feeling better and healthier?
Disclosure: WundaBar Pilates has graciously offered the WundaBody challenge to me in exchange for sharing my experience (good or bad) here on our blog. The content of my posts are my honest opinions and experiences and are not influenced by WundaBar. 

Decorate Your Desktop: 05

Jamie Bartlett Blog Post, Wallpapers Decorate Your Desktop, Fall, Hand Lettering 5819 Views

Desktop | iPhone | iPhone5 | Android
It’s another beautiful fall day today and we might even get some rain! I hope you all are enjoying fall so far. Although I hear it’s already coming to a close for our family in Michigan. They already have their first snow. That’s just crazy!
You can find more decorate your desktop designs here.

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