Crafty Saturday #65

It has been quite some time since I have published a Crafty Saturday post, but the truth is that I really enjoy them, so I plan to keep it up on this blog reboot. I'm not sure about the Tumblr Tuesday posts, though. They could be tricky to put together, but I know that some people really liked it. What are your thoughts?

In the meantime, enjoy this collection of festive crafts for the home that I adore (and I think you will too)!

Jingle All The Doorknob, via aunt peaches

Pinecone Fire Starters, via Something Turquoise

Paper Holiday Wreath, via Confetti Sunshine

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Currently: 16 December 2015

Listening - nothing right now. I was trying to load a show, but my internet is really failing me right now.

Eating - I just had some plain pasta. not the healthiest choice, but it could certainly be worse

Drinking - water 4eva

Reading -  I'm currently in the middle of a few different books (and I'm almost done with my 50 book goal!). you can check out all of my books on GoodReads (goodreads.com/wildflowerchild)

Watching - I need to catch up on American Horror Story: Hotel. I've only watched a few episodes, but I'm enjoying it so far

Planning - the weekend of Urban Nutcracker performances. for more information on the Boston-based spin on the traditional Nutcracker that I am performing in, visit urbannutcracker.com

Wearing - my standard sweatpants and flannel (I don't wear much else when I am lounging around at home)

Nails -I should probably consider taking this off of here since I never paint my nails anymore (although I wouldn't turn down getting a mani/pedi if someone wants to take me for one...)

Feeling - like I never have anything to say when I write these posts. do you all like them?

Weather - it has been unusually warm for December (yesterday it was around 60F/15C), but I am cold already

Wanting - blankets and snuggles!

Needing - to finish purchasing Christmas gifts! I think I have an order to place on Amazon and another super secret order to place and then I will be done

Enjoying - holiday lights! they are so festive and always put a smile on my face. this picture is of La Salette, a Catholic Shrine that my family has always visited to see the lights. I have so many memories from there (not by me-click on photo for source)

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50 Books in 2015: 16-20

I think it's quite obvious that I have neglected this blog for far too long. I am 94% of the way through with my 50 books in 2015 challenge, yet here I am only posting reviews for books 16-20.....

It's time for me to get to work, and bring this blog back up into something I'm proud of!

Now for the reviews for this batch of 5 books:



The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had a love-hate (mostly love) relationship with this novel. I'm pretty sure it is a sign of a brilliant novel when you can hate it and love it at the same time, and that it can make you sad, uncomfortable, joyous, and so many other emotions within the one week that you did nothing but read the book. In the end, the book came full circle in a truly splendid way. Not only was the storyline well-written, but I found the poetic verses to be captivating. Each line was a story in its own. It is well worth a read.


Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself by Rich Roll
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As someone who already follows a plant-based diet, I found this story fascinating and inspiring. It is the memoir of Rich Roll, a man in his middle ages, who finds inspiration to switch to a plant-based diet, and become an elite athlete. It follows him along his journey, through both his triumphs and challenges.




The Power of Trees by Gretchen Daily
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I did really enjoy the blurbs written about trees that were throughout the book, but I was not pleased at all about how irrelevant the photography was (except, of course, that the subject was trees). Sure the pictures are beautiful, but if I'm reading about a magnificent African tree, I do not want to see a scenery of a coniferous forest.




Goodnight Mind: Turn Off Your Noisy Thoughts and Get a Good Night's Sleep by Colleen E. Carney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Most books about sleep tend to repeat the same information that all other books have already mentioned. Yes, this book did that, but it also had some bits of information that I had not thought of before. With that being said, I felt that the book jumped around from topic to topic (and then back to another already visited topic) very frequently.




Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pardon my pun, but I thought this book was marvelous. I found myself not being able to put the book down at some points. There are many surprising twists and turns throughout the book that the reader would never expect (yet they somehow all end up making perfect sense),






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The Ely Watch by JORD

Hey everyone! I'm very excited to be sharing this post with you today. I was contacted by JORD, a maker of hand-crafted wood watches, to try out and share my opinion of their watch, and I am so glad I did - this watch rocks!

The watch that I chose is the gorgeous Ely watch in Green Sandalwood & Maple.

Truthfully, I chose the green sandalwood and maple watch for the gorgeous color, but sandalwood is one of my favorite scents for incense and essential oils, while maple is one of the most familiar trees to me, having grown up in New England.

On their site, JORD explains the inspiration behind the Ely watch:

Our hometown of St. Louis has a downtown dotted with historic brick buildings. Varying in size and structure the modest designs have remained relevant to the modern day businesses and homes that now inhabit them, like the Ely Walker Warehouse - now lofts - that our Ely is named for. Its classic styling and construction has stood the test of time. Time honored style will find no lack of appreciation in the present day.

In order to show off my beautiful new watch, my friend, Jen, and I went out for a walk around Gammino Pond in the town that I grew up in.

I really wanted to take pictures with this watch out in nature to showcase the beauty of its natural elements.

The JORD website also includes some interesting information about the materials of its products.

Did you know that the average tree height of a maple tree is 90 feet? They also include information on wood sources, sustainability, and more for each of their products, as well as information on the watch movements and glass.

"Sustainable, efficient, simple, and influenced by experiential living, JORD owners don't just have somewhere to be, they have somewhere to go."

Unique Watch
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