Miles & Daydreams

spring is coming

With the official switch of seasons approaching, I wanted to give you a quick tutorial on how to create this simple spring wreath. I usually create wreaths for the different seasons, so this wreath has been up since the beginning of March and will probably stay up until fall 🙂 The materials for this wreath were purchased at Joann and cost under $20.00. The trick to buying from Joann is to download the app and use their coupons. You can also find coupons on the website!

Materials Needed:

A grapevine wreath: These cost about $6.00 at Joann. I used the 12 inch wreath.
Yellow flowers: This specific flower is on sale for $4.00 from $7.99. You would purchase two to get the same look as my wreath.
Burlap ribbon: This is currently $7.99, but with a coupon you could easily get it for $4.00 and you won’t use the whole lot for this project so you will have some leftover for more fun!

How to:

Take the wreath circle and your flowers. Trim the flower stem so that you have enough stem to place into the grapevine wreath to secure the flower. I usually add a dab of hot glue to the back of a few petals and secure it to the wreath that way, too, but it’s not necessary if you feel the stem is holding it well enough.
Take your burlap ribbon and create a bow. Here is a great tutorial on how to create a bow of ribbon. This site gives you several options for different types of bows 🙂 once you complete your bow, attach it with string or hot glue.
Finally, attach your hanging string through the top of the grapevine wreath and you are all done!

3 steps and 1 beautiful spring wreath! Let us know below if you try it and tag us in your photos on our Instagram!

♥- J

locus of control

I had a whole post planned about how to stick to your new years ‘resolutions’ but it doesn’t seem fitting or right at the moment. I, instead, feel called to write about our country, the people in it, and what I plan to do about what’s going on.

let’s make it clear.

HATE HAS NO HOME HERE. period. i put this sign in my front yard as soon as i could find one to purchase, after PEACEFULLY PROTESTING and MARCHING in my local Women’s March after he was elected. keyword: PEACEFUL. i marched with folks of all colors, genders, religions, ethnicities, and sexualities. it was a truly beautiful and moving experience, coming together in love, because we knew what his time in office would mean. and sadly, our deepest fears came true yesterday. we had been anticipating it his entire presidency.

how to say “no” in 2021

I’m not going to talk about 2020 anymore, we’re over it, it’s gone. bye. but 2021.. that’s a different story. she is full of hope, anticipation, wonder, possibility and fingers crossed: travel, hugging friends, coffee shops, etc.

in my last post with 21 things to aim for in 2021, I spoke about wanting to have better boundaries at work. I want to preface this by saying I work for an amazing company who values me as an employee and values my mental health. these issues I will be describing are completely and 100% of my own doing. as an empath (and therapist), I often find myself fully booked for a week of clients and having another client call and say there’s an issue and they would like to be seen. me being me, I usually (in the past) would say okay and add them to the beginning or end of a day, thus making my days and weeks much longer and busier. while this happening once in a while isn’t such a bad thing, I was finding myself doing it over and over again- sometimes multiple times a week. in 2021, I am vowing to not overbook myself at work, but this is only one way I am vowing to say no in 2021. I also want to say no to: plans that make me feel stressed or unhappy and things I am not interested in.

2021- Ready or not, here we come!

2020: it’s been a year.

for most, the prospect of 2021 looming just a week away feels almost like a second Christmas. while we’re not naïve that just because the calendar changes, all the woes from 2020 will disappear, but it sure will feel nice to turn the page and close the book on 2020.

today, I wanted to share 21 things I am aiming for in 2021. some big, some small but all important and special.

21 things to aim for in 2021

to continue this fun adventure of blogging with Kyoko ❤
to read at least 20 books (shout out to projectread 2021)
to be outside more (riding my bike, hiking, just sitting and reading)
to explore at least 2 national parks- camping/hiking
to travel to NYC or Montreal with Kyoko
to start my journey as a spin instructor and give it an honest shot- not sure if it’s going to be for me, but I am giving it my all and seeing what happens
to work on building more mindfulness to my emotions and whether I keep them in or share then with others
to put my phone down during family time
to have better boundaries at work
to increase my yoga practice
to be more forgiving of myself when I make mistakes
to continue to become a stronger ally to those who need it
to eat more salads 🙂 haha
to start a garden
to allow myself to have more fun
to continue to train my pups
to exercise more patience
to keep a feelings bullet journal
to spend a few months learning more deeply about a topic (recently started Crash Course government on YouTube)
to say yes to more adventures
to pour into relationships more to strengthen them

I am sure I can come up with many more, but these are the first bunch that came to my mind. Please share your goals for 2021 with us in the comments ❤

♥- J

how to take care of ‘you’ during the holiday season

one of my favorite photos from our Yellowstone trip

The holidays are usually about giving: gift giving to others, donating to charities, sending cards to everyone and their grandmother, giving your time and attention to those in need or your family while you’re visiting. However, I find that these are the times that require more self care and mindfulness for how “I” am doing. While you know from our Instagram how much we love to give gifts and support others, it’s really really important to not forget to give yourself some grace during the holiday season. So I have gathered some of my favorite self care tips and tricks for you!

thank you. merci. gracias.

a very short and sweet post today to say THANK YOU for following us both along on this blogging adventure! we started this blog as an experimental way to forge our path in the blogging/social media world. it was also a way for us to connect during this global pandemic, being several states apart and unable to visit one another. it gave us something to focus on amidst all the chaos. we also wanted to share our thoughts on life and current events, and to make space for others to know they weren’t alone. and of course we wanted to curate thoughtful, pretty, and current content via sharing things we both enjoy such as diy’s, crafts, cocktails, holidays, and other bloggers/artists/nonprofit/home decor enthusiast accounts we follow. so for all 5 of you out there who have followed us along, we thank you kindly. happy holidays from florida and kentucky! we love ya!

thoughts on the holidays and minimalism

The idea for this post started with me thinking I would share some of my tips for not over-spending or being to ‘consumery’ at the holidays. As I began preparing to write it, I had a lot of other thoughts and feelings– so I’m asking you to go with me on this little journey.

reclaiming holiday cheer: let’s do this!

lets take a deep, collective breath together and own this truth: we are ALL tired and feeling stressed-out. the holiday’s are a stressful time of year during typical times, but with Covid numbers raging out of control right now, we’ve all had enough. we’ve all lost so much this year: some of us loved ones, some of us jobs, relationships have fallen apart under the stress, and we’ve all lost precious time. many of us are coming to terms with not seeing our families for the holidays for the first time in our lives; others of us are currently engaged in a strict stay-at-home 14 day quarantine in hopes of safely spending the holiday together. then on top of this, we have to purchase gifts, decorate our homes, try not to over-indulge in our favorite holiday foods, etc etc. i say…. enough. this season is about JOY, and we are going to reclaim it from 2020, damnit!

a blog post about gift wrapping. (you love me)

yes, you read that title correctly: this whole post is about wrapping gifts and the joy it brings me! in fact, one Christmas, i voluntarily wrapped gifts for a friend who was a new mama and super busy and just needed this task done. i think that is probably how most people view this: a task that needs to be completed. however, i LOVE wrapping. it’s relaxing for me and a chance to show some creativity. and in 2020, we’ve all had to find joy in small, simple things. i blame my love for gift wrapping on my Mom and my Aunt Shirley. as a child, and even still to this day, they both always wrapped the prettiest Christmas gifts using fancy ribbons and bows, and fantastic papers. when i was a teenager, i asked my Aunt Shirley to teach me how to properly wrap a gift and how to make some simple bows (she actually worked in gift wrap at a department store when she was young!). and thus the gift wrapper elf that i am was born. keep reading for a (very) little tutorial on how i’m wrapping this year’s gifts!