Deep thought thursday...

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Wandering Wednesday: Castlewood Canyon State Park

How was your holiday weekend? I know it feels like ages ago now, but I wanted to share a little snippet from mine. All weekend, I had the itch to do something outdoorsy, but things kept getting in the way. And then there was Monday. I really feel like we should have a three day weekend way more often (right?!) just to be able to do all the things we wanted to do but couldn't cram in those short two days. It's such a nice feeling to know you have one more day. Saying that, even when Monday rolled around we had appointments and other errands to squeeze in, but by two o'clock I was ready. This is strange to admit, but I was seeing all these photos of people on Instagram on vacation and out in the world and I thought, "I need to do that". So way to go social media for forcing me to want to do something valuable with my time. I guess sometimes it's not all bad. 

I did a little research on day hikes and found this one. It's an easy to moderate 3ish mile hike that seemed perfect for the amount of time and energy we had. There are all sorts of trails around the canyon, so longer hikes are definitely an option, but we were limited with daylight so we stuck to the shorter one. There is a small waterfall only about 5 min into the hike (depending on the route you take) and ruins, including remnants of the Castlewood Dam that burst in 1933 sending 15 foot high wave of water into Denver (crazy, huh?). The weather was on our side and the late afternoon proved to be a great time to set out. At times it looked like it was going to rain on us, but it never did, and the clouds were a really nice shield from the heat. By the end of the hike, everything was glowing with that magic hour wonder-- my favorite time of day. 

Wandering Wednesday: Park Days...

So in the summer, you can pretty much find me at the park. We are there a lot. Laying on blankets, chatting, playing frisbee, bocce...you name it. Rob is kind of obsessed with park games, and actually built a ladder ball set a couple weeks ago. (here is how it's done for those of you who are curious) We even have a bag packed right by our front door ready to go with blankets, magazines, and all the necessary items. I'm telling you we are pros. Since the closest hiking trails are still about 20 miles away, it just seems like easiest way to access the outdoors. Did you know that Denver has the largest city park system in the nation, with over 200 parks? How amazing is that?! I tend to prefer Cheesman for playing, and City for running/walking, but that's mainly due to proximity. Almost all of our friends have dogs so it is a nice excuse to get everyone together. Now I'm just trying to figure out a way to sneak Piper in ;)

Introducing Piper {the kitten}...

Last week, my life got a whole lot cuter.
Meet Piper.
He is my first, I-picked-him-out-and-paid-for-him-and-everything, animal.
It has taken some time, but I have been aching for a furry creature in the house for a while now.
There is something about coming home and being greeted by your pet that just makes you feel so good.
And I'm a cat person. I can't deny it.
So here is a little introduction to his sweet face, and the first of many more pictures to come!

MAKE: Bleached Oven Mitts

You can never have enough oven mitts laying around in my opinion. I am pretty sure I have about three different sets in my kitchen right now. I love this little craft project because a bleach pen is a great way to add a unique design to any solid fabric. I got the idea from my Design Sponge at Home book that demonstrates the same technique on tea towels. So go crazy and be creative!

Materials:

A set of solid oven mitts any color

Newspaper or paper bags

1 bleach pen

pencil and sketch pad (optional)

rubber gloves

MAKE:

Lay down newspaper or paper bags to protect your work surface. 

Sketch out your design beforehand on some paper if desired

Lay the solid mitts down on your work surface and draw your pattern on the fabric with a bleach pen

Let the finished oven mits set for 1 hour

Wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands rinse the mitts in cold water.

 (make sure all the bleach is rinsed off to avoid smearing)

Let the mitts dry fully before use.

Wandering Wednesday: Horseshoe Craft + Flea Market

Phew! This has been a big week! and it's only Wednesday. It is like the hot weather suddenly came through and life's been a little crazy ever since! go, go, go, summer, summer, summer! This past weekend I jammed my days with outdoor activities, because I cannot express how long I feel like I have waited for this weather to come. On Saturday, the gals and I headed over to Tennyson St. to take a look at the Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market. It is definitely one of my favorites in terms of craft fairs because it includes vintage and found items. It's literally the perfect place to shop for birthday gifts or new baby presents ;) I love exploring all the booths and browsing the vintage goods. I feel like it is such a good source of inspiration, and I always like to see how people are displaying their craft. My friends Kelsey and Eric had a booth called Rucksack Curated Goods that focused on vintage camping accessories-- think thermoses, flannels and books on birdwatching. I think they've got a really cool thing going and am super excited to see more from them! (check out their Facebook here!) On our way home, keeping in the summer spirit, we stopped for a cold treat! It doesn't get better than eating ice cream, talking and laughing with my ladies. Bring it on summer...

Today is the day!

It's all happening! Can you feel it? Today is the beginning of something life changing!

Deep thought thursday...

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Wandering Wednesday: Yesterday...

Yesterday, I brought my camera to work to do a little in house shooting. Funny enough, I never ended up using it, but I was really thankful I had it with me for my drive home. It had just poured rain in Niwot for about an hour straight, and as I was leaving the studio, the sun peaked out just enough to create these wonderful streaks in the sky. There was one instance when I actually pulled over and got out of my car, but most of these photos were actually taken from the driver's seat. That top one, my favorite of the bunch, was taken in traffic. Yep, a not-too-shabby commute.

Deep thought thursday....

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Wandering Wednesday: Salida, Mt. Princeton and Leadville.

                                             ^^ the BEST bloody mary I've ever had

It's kinda funny to be writing this post today, to be thinking about how lovely the weather was this weekend, and how grateful I felt to be living in such a beautiful place...and now it's snowing outside on the 1st of May. Just when I thought we were in the clear. Well I guess I have one more thing to be grateful for and that's that all this nonsense waited until the weekend was over. 

I can't say no to a trip to the mountains. Not ever. So this weekend I found myself back at Mt. Princeton, enjoying the healing hot springs, clear air and gorgeous mountain views. I looked at the weekend as an opportunity to completely relax and unwind. We stayed in the cliffside rooms, and it was strictly a lady adventure this time. Liz brought her mom, who was in town from New Jersey, and invited me and Steph to join. We had lots of laughs, drank too much wine, and soaked ourselves in the warm river under the starry sky until we were literally kicked out. On the way home we took a couple pit stops in Salida and Leadville to do a little antiquing. Pretty adorable, those two towns....I want to go back and explore more some day, but this weekend was just too short to cram it all in.