Day 26: Make time to play

by Jourdan Fairchild in ,


  Just before the holidays, life was a whole lotta work. And not much play. And then during vacation, I turned off. Well, not really. But finding that balance between livelihood and life sure is tough. Always has been, always will be. Spending time with friends and family over the holidays was just the reminder I needed that nothing else is more important. I'm resolving to be more present in the new year. To try to be more efficient so that I can take moments to play—like we did this afternoon in a snowy park—with the people (and pup) I love most. Desktop16


Happy Easter!

by Jourdan Fairchild in ,


I won't even big to tell you how many outtakes it took to pull this sucker off (just imagine me pushing the self-timer button and running to sit in the perfect position below my ears). And even though Andrew has a test first thing tomrrow, he waited patiently for me to get it just right. What a trooper! But seriously, I hope you're having a ridiculously happy day with friends and family. Tomorrow, I'm heading to North Carolina for the week, whether the sun shines bright, the sweet tea flows, and my sister always welcomes guests with copious hugs and glasses of wine. I'd say spring is looking up! PS: Weird-o vintage Easter cards

 


Dyeing day

by Jourdan Fairchild in ,


I was swept up in a bunch of assignments last week, but got back on the crafting bandwagon last weekend to dye eggs with the ladies. I gathered a bunch of random materials, including the classic PAAS dye, yarn, stickers, glitter. We also tried the silk fabric dyeing technique, but if I'd read the instructions more closely, I would've realized that the fabric has to be 100% silk. D'oh! Per usual, we weren't trying to decorate the most beautiful eggs ever—but we sure had fun in the process. We reminisced about childhood Easter celebrations, and when we screwed up our designs, we just peeled the suckers and ate the them right then and there. Plus, anytime you involve some tasty mimosas, you know it's gonna be a good time (priorities, people!).   


Love notes

by Jourdan Fairchild in ,


Do you remember the story behind Valentine's Day? According to legend, Saint Valentine was a Christian saint who was imprisoned for marrying soldiers forbidden to wed and ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire. While in prison, it's said that he healed the daughter of his jailer. Before his execution, he wrote a letter signed "from your Valentine" as a farewell to her. And so many, many years later, we still write notes and give presents of love in his name.  Every Monday, I devote my time and appetite (and sanity) to a few things I love: girlfriends, wine, cheese, bread, and The Bachelor...although that last one's definitely more of a love-hate situation. This past Monday, the girls and I upped the romance by making our own valentines. I pulled some supplies out from the depths of my craft bureau, and we set to work post episode. Here's what we came up with:

If you don't have the time, supplies or energy to make your own notes, I suggest sending an e-card, like the one below, that benefits Hurricane Sandy Relief. Because, as well all know, there's nothing sweeter than giving to those in need.  


Country Living sledding party

by Jourdan Fairchild in ,


As my recent posts reveal, I've admittedly warmed up to winter this year. Typically, I grumble and groan from December till March (seven years of NYC winters will do that to a Southern girl). But now, I'm spoiled with a car that allows me to escape the wind, rain, and ice. Plus, this is the punniest Chicago winter on the books. So rather than play in real snow, I'm letting my memory take me back to a photo shoot from last year in the great state of Maine. Country Living asked me to write the story, which was a collaboration with the wonderful Kate Martin of Beautiful Days Events, and it's finally out in the February issue! Although the snow looks abundant, we barely had enough on the ground to pull it off. Leave it up to genius photographer John Dolan—who also shot my wedding for CL!—to make it look truly magical.


Snowy snapshots

by Jourdan Fairchild in


Is anyone else having a hard time focusing on work in 2013??! I spent the morning clicking through photos of our week in the Northwest. And then I learned about the new-ish curbed.com site that's solely devoted to ski towns. Unfortunately for the Fairchilds, I'm not a born snow bunny—but I'm up for most adventures, particularly when I'm packing hand and toe warmers (those things are total game changers!). Plus, the white stuff makes for some pretty photo ops. Here are a select few, including one of a yard in Sandpoint, Idaho featuring a entire village of snowpeople. 


Glitter that hits the spot

by Jourdan Fairchild in ,


Last week, I suffered from a bit of blog blaséness. I'll blame it on my new family in Washington, who kept me entertained with skiing, sleigh rides, and an abundance of food and wine. Before we left Chicago, I had crafted and photographed my latest installment of the Blank Wall Project for New Years. So even though I'm super behind on sharing it, perhaps it'll provide some last-minute inspiration—or spark ideas for 2013. Inspired by this idea by another Chicago blogger I follow, I started by coating one wooden disc at a time with this special glue, then immediately following the glue with a coat of gold glitter. I let each disc dry for several hours, then coated them all with glitter sealing spray. To affix the dots to the wall in a random pattern, I relied on my trusty glue dots. Cheers! 


11th hour Christmas cards

by Jourdan Fairchild in ,


Happy Christmas Eve! We're running around this morning before catching a flight to Washington, where we'll be celebrating our first Christmas together—and first as a married couple—with Andrew's family. And even though we've been planning our cards for a while now, it took some time to order our supplies, print everything off, etc. But the last-minute hustle was worth it because we saved some major cash. Here's the breakdown: *DIY cards: $48.50 for supplies for 75 cards *Cards from Minted.com: $1.63 each, $122 for 75 cards

At the end of the day, they cost us a whole lot less...plus they're incredibly personal. 


A night of 3 c's

by Jourdan Fairchild in ,


'Twas a great evening last Sunday when the gals and I gathered to celebrate the following three c's: cookies, crafts, and Christmas. We went wild with glitter, decorating glass vases and ornaments, and we even transformed plastic horses (leftover from my wedding) into sparkly ornaments. We stuck skewers from the grocery store into pom pom balls to make drink stirrers for New Year's Eve, and stamped craft paper to make our own wrapping paper and gift tags. All the while, we munched on the most decadent cookies ever (I made this recipe for bacon oatmeal raisin cookies). What did I learn from this night? The more—in this case of crafts, cookies, and glitter—the merrier.