stripes and a how-to for braided bangs

jeans: ae, striped top: f21, tank: zara, wedge sandals: graceland, watch: michael kors

not ok: 

the weather since we got here... no real summer in sight!

writing all these blog posts in my head during the few minutes it takes me to fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning and always being too tired to actually take down some notes, then of course forgetting everything.

being away from the hubs for another 3 weeks.

having to wake up at 6.45 am every morning due to my own personal (and very cute) alarm clock.

all this delicious food that constantly screams "eat me!"

having to drive a manual for the first time in years tonight - not looking forward to that.

totally ok:

several wonderful and lovely emails i've been receiving from you guys - wow, i really appreciate those :)

going to yoga and pilates class with my bestie tonight

all this delicious food that constantly screams "eat me!"

a bang braid on bad hair days

the little man's rad walking skills

seeing the huge smiles on my family's faces every day, mostly due to the little man of course

watching euro cup soccer games every night

taking walks through the fields

and for all of you who'd like to know how to braid your bangs:

1. part your hair pretty far on one side (whichever side works best for you)
2. select three strands of hair to braid with and do a reverse/inverted french braid where you simply braid the hair under instead of over and keep adding hair in mostly from the top of your head
3. important: don't braid too tightly! keep that braid low on your forehead as you go
4. pin somewhere by your ear or finish off braid and tie with a skinny hair tie
5. i also use some hair spray to control fly aways
6. practice, practice, practice! 

it's really super easy but it may take you a few tries to get it right. i seriously wear the bang braid all the time now, especially on a bad hair day when i don't get to wash it. 

oh germany!

yes, we made it! everything went great flying over even though we had to deal with a tight flight schedule and made it on our plane in Newark with only 20 minutes to spare...

imagine us being the last people on the plane and then me demanding nicely asking the person in the middle seat to move to a seat in the row behind us so we could have an extra spot for the babe. in the process also confusing another poor passenger who suddenly thought he was in the wrong seat and moved across the isle, as well as collecting a few awkward stares and mean glances from a couple of girls behind us. but hey, i know what i gotta do to make this whole experience the most bearable for everyone involved. once we got settled in the flight was a piece of cake and logan slept for over 3 hours of the 7.5 hour flight.

so today i#m just sharing a few pictures of some of the things we've been doing around here. the weather could most definitely be nicer but the food makes up for it. i will return to the states needing to buy a clothing size up... 

if you'd like to see what we're doing here on a daily basis just follow along on instagram: @theforgeblog

diy: lace inset jeans

when my mom is in town we always do a lot of shopping. it's fun and definitely part of our girl time. we have a local discount store where you can find some really amazing deals on name brand clothing. some of the things they sell have minor (or major) imperfections so you have to be careful and selective. this time and thanks to my mom's hawk eyes, i scored a pair of Joe's jeans for $2!!! they had a 4 inch rip right below the right side pocket but were otherwise in perfect condition and fit like a glove. i fell in love with them and figured i could do something to that rip to make it less revealing. i contemplated adding some floral fabric over top or some vintage lace on the inside. i didn't want the embellishment to be too attention grabbing and a little more subtle so I opted for the lace.
i am a big fan of iron on transfer paper and usually do all my appliques with it before sewing to add some extra detailing. i noticed before that it doesn't work as well with denim but since i didn't want to pin the lace i used it still.

here are instructions on what i did:

you'll need

a pair of jeans to embellish
some sand paper
scissors
a piece of lace or fabric of your choice
iron on transfer paper
iron
sewing machine
matching thread

i first cut the rip in the jeans a little bit bigger and sanded the edges to give it a more natural look

then cut out a piece of lace and a few small strips of iron on paper which will go on the edges of the lace. make sure not to cover all of the lace with the iron on paper or all kinds of debris will stick to it once you peel the paper off. it also wouldn't be sheer anymore.

turn your jeans inside out and place the lace and transfer paper in the right spot. iron on and let cool completely before removing the paper.

be very careful when you turn the jeans back out because the iron on bond won't be very strong. now your lace should stay in place well enough for you to easily sew around the edges with the machine.
i used a zig zag stitch and really like how it turned out. i also accidentally sewed over the pocket a little but it's still usable so it wasn't a big deal.

that's it! you just gave a ripped pair of jeans a whole new life.

diy: a first birthday party

so i am fully aware that nobody except for me wants to see this many pictures of my child but it was his first birthday and he is the cutest so you'll just have to deal with it :)

we had a great party on memorial day weekend with a ton of cake and a pancake breakfast. he loved it all: the people, the presents, the food. we were so happy most of our friends and family could share this special day with us. logan only had one mini meltdown when one of his little friends started crying and it scared him into a hysterical cry as well. it was actually a little bit funny for us parents to watch.

my mom and i made a banana shaped cake, cinnamon cupcakes, a chocolate coconut loaf, an apple cinnamon loaf and my all time favorite: my godmother's recipe for carrot cake. we also had fruit salad, strawberry and pineapple skewers, a vegetable pizza courtesy of the MIL, iced tea with mint from the garden and freshly squeezed lemonade.

i never got a chance to take pictures of the decorations and food set up before people came so this is all i have. i used streamers and balloons indoors and out on the porch. i made logan his shirt with the appliqued number one on it and he actually kept it quite clean all day long. the birthday invites are my own design as well and will be available in my shop as a diy printable/download later this summer.

so that was his party. low key, all diy, not a crazy amount of people - just right.

i still can't believe my baby is now a toddler.

happy first birthday little man! mama and papa love you so much.

the life of the jet setting family

if you're into rating your days on a scale of 1- 10, thursday was kind of a bummer for us. probably a 3 or a 4. we had to say goodbye for a whole month as the hubby left for another road trip and the rest of us will be leaving for germany in a few days until he finally meets up with us there in july. needless to say, the whole preceding week was somewhat overshadowed by impending departures. 

i hate that feeling of restlessness that always creeps up in me before an upcoming trip. we are such frequent travelers you'd think it wouldn't phase me anymore... but that nervous feeling deep down in my stomach still makes a return every time. i get stressed out over things i still have to get done before we leave and totally overwhelmed to the point of where i just want to crawl into bed and curl up in a ball to hide from the pressure of leaving my life behind for 6 weeks. 

i worry about packing, that we will forget something important, about the house and the dogs, my garden, bills getting paid on time, the hubby being by himself - missing his little guy and me (hopefully) ;)... oh, you get the point! 

don't get me wrong, i look forward to each and every trip, my family, all the things i miss when i'm here at home but i hate the days leading up to it. 

so thursday was one step closer to me feeling normal again. does that sound weird? not seeing my husband for a whole month brings me closer to feeling normal again? 

well, the way i see it, it is just an inevitable part of our life. it will always be this way and i have accepted it and learned to deal with all the craziness that comes with being a bicultural family. we started out like this and we continue to be torn between two places. 

once my feet step off that plane and all our bags have safely arrived at the baggage claim i know the real excitement will set in. that's when i relax and i'll be ready to take it all in once again. that's when i'm home again. 

a guide to pattern mixing

I shared this over at love stitched last week so you may have seen it already. If not here is my very own take on pattern mixing. 

Pattern mixing can be simplified to fit your everyday needs quite easily. Plus, it is a ton of fun :) Most of you are probably already "beginning pattern mixers". A floral dress with a striped handbag, a striped skirt, white tee and a dotted scarf? 

These are outfits most of us pair up on a daily basis and yes, they are considered pattern mixing. If you’re really apprehensive about mixing your patterns and haven’t even done these before, this is probably the best way for you to start. The effect is subtle but it's there and you don't have to worry that you're overdoing it. And as a bonus, you probably already have everything you need to pattern mix in that closet of yours. Don't you love it when you don't have to go out and spend any money to create a few new outfits? 


If you’re already bored of the beginning pattern mixing stage, how about taking it a step further with these options? 

floral blouse, leopard flats by John Lewis, skirt from topshop, striped tank from general pants co., vivian polka dot satchel from brahmin

Pair your favorite jeans with a flowy, floral top and add a twist with an animal print belt and flats. Not into the animal print thing? How about your favorite skirt a striped tank and a patterned bag? Make sure to stick to 2-3 colors to keep your outfit cohesive. 
A boldly patterned handbag that ties in the same color of the skirt you’re wearing will do just that. Also make sure to keep your textures to a minimum. A pleated skirt shouldn’t be paired with a heavy knit cardigan or a ruched blouse when you’re pattern mixing.

Even though I like to be creative when it comes to my own outfits I am also one to stick to the shapes and patterns that I know look good on me. Anyone else addicted to stripes? Well, my closet includes an overabundance of stripes so I like to pattern mix different stripes together. 


If you’re not really comfortable with pattern mixing (yet) but want to give it a try, make sure to stick to the shapes and patterns that you love and that flatter you most. You will feel so much more comfortable and be able to wear you new look with confidence. 

floral dress by romwe, striped bag from debenhams, tsumori chisato striped skirt "cats"

Another basic principle that works for me when it comes to pattern mixing is to stay away from too many accessories. I am more of minimalistic dresser and don’t wear much jewelry at all. When pattern mixing, you want those patterns to speak for themselves instead of having the focus diverted to a bright necklace and big earrings on top of that attention grabbing handbag.

If you are really into accessories make sure to make them part of your pattern mixing and don't go overboard - less is more. 


One final rule I always follow: Never wear more then 3 patterns in the same outfit!

the perfect end to a perfect day

This story has a long introduction but the mushy ending is coming, I promise!

Last Wednesday was one of those days you remember for years to come, one of those days you make great memories. We spent the day as a family, just the three of us, no stress and no obligations, away from all the things that needed done back at home. Jason has been working so hard lately and between all the road trips, different time zones and busy home stands we barely get to spend any time together. So when the first off day in 3 weeks finally rolled around we had great plans to go see the baseball game (how ironic!), stroll through the city, stop wherever looked good, eat great food and finally, instead of driving home, to just spend the night at a downtown hotel.

We made it through 8 innings of the game no problem but then the missed nap time really started to show its evil face. So we made our way to the hotel, a brand new stuffed animal parrot in hand and took a little break before heading back out into the city. We strolled around, bought groceries, stopped for coffee and tea with a sleeping toddler in the stroller and soaked in lots of sunshine along the way. On the way back we had dinner at Atrias and sat outside right by the river while the sun slowly started to set. By the time we got back to the hotel with our full bellies and aching feet it was just past bedtime for the little man. Bath time in the hotel tub turned out to be more of an adventure than in our boring old tub at home and soon our dirty little guy tuned back into that clean, deliciously smelling babe.
Hopeful for a quite night we lowered our usually perfect sleeper down into the hotel crib but quickly realized that he wasn't having any of it. Different bed, new smells and alone in a strange place - not the perfect combination for a quiet night.

After taking the "he probably just needs to cry for 10 minutes then he'll be asleep" route for a while and the hubby trying to rock him to sleep for 15 minutes, I ended up on the hotel couch, with a tired babe on my chest. As we laid there and I was watching him fight so hard to keep those big blue eyes open, staring intently at his mama and making sure she didn't decide to leave I realized how much I had missed these moments over the last months. Oh the warmth that ran through my entire body just holding him like I used to after he was first born and what now feels like a million years ago.

When he finally gave in to sleep and closed his eyes I watched him relax every muscle in his tiny body and even though I could have easily put him down into the crib at that point, I stayed exactly where I was, just holding him for a little while longer, while he actually let me. I started thinking about the past year and remembered the anticipation we felt at that same time just a year ago, how blessed we are to have him in our lives. Sure, times were tough once in a while but through it all we have grown closer as a family and received so much love from such a small person.

When I eventually put him down to sleep and closed that awful squealing door behind me it was late and the hubby and I hadn't gotten to have that quiet evening to ourselves. It really didn't matter though because for me it was still the perfect ending to a perfect day in every way imaginable.