Author Archive for Sarah Bray

Meet Annika

Published by Sarah Bray on June 3, 2008 in Site Updates. 3 Comments

Meet Annika (isn’t that a glorious name?). You may remember her for that fabulous diapering post that was featured in the Carnival of Modern Home Dwelling. She is quite fabulous. Quite. I love her sense of humor and original style. She blogs over at Through the Looking Glass where she utterly amazes us all with her crafty, witty self. I asked her to give us a little blurb about herself, and here’s what she sent:

I’m a pioneer girl in the big city. I live in a three room apartment in Los Angeles where I cook, bake, knit, sew, and container garden while raising my toddler son and dreaming of building a ranch in the high desert. I am married to the love of my life who is also my writing partner and the father of my child. When we are not planning the ranch we write screenplays and pulp fiction.

Doesn’t she absolutely rock? And I’ll let you in on a secret. Annika is an incredible visionary, and she has come up with a load of fabulous ideas for Today’s Homemaker. Her passion for all things cool and domestic is a perfect fit for what I originally intended this place to be, and I know you’ll love her. We haven’t made any solid decisions yet, but we will be sure to keep you posted when we do. In the meantime, she’s going to be blogging here, and she has some wonderful plans lined up.

And the first cool thing? She has created a flickr group just for us! (Wait a minute…I don’t know if I was supposed to spill the beans yet. But I just thought you’d be as excited as I am!) So head on over and post and chat and do whatever people do in flickr groups! You see, because I am not quite cool enough to know exactly what goes on in such places. But she totally is.

You’ll be hearing more from Annika in the next couple of days, so be sure to give her a warm welcome! (You see, we’re both southern at heart and we like that sort of thing.)

Don’t go just yet…

Published by Sarah Bray on June 3, 2008 in Site Updates. 0 Comments

There are some discussions in the works about how we can keep Today’s Homemaker from ceasing its online existence. I’ll share more as things develop!

Farewell, and hello

Published by Sarah Bray on June 2, 2008 in Site Updates. 8 Comments

Finding my voice out here in the blog world has been a difficult thing. A really, really difficult thing. I’ve had a lot of success with this blog over the past year, and I’ve both delighted in it and despised it at different times.

Delighted because I get to write, which is truly what I love to do and will be doing forever and ever. Despised because at times, I feel like such a hypocrite. Who am I to write about homemaking when my own time is filled up with so many other things that I enjoy so much more?

When I first started this blog, I did love my home and aspired to share with you my journey from the bottom up. But then I got bitten by the bug that is “the business.” More recently, I’ve been bitten by the homeschooling bug. So my house is not exactly the first thing I think about when I get up in the morning.

I finally realized that my home comes in about number 50 on the “Things I think about when I get up in the morning” list. More importantly, it comes in about the same on the “Things I WANT to think about when I get up in the morning” list. So what do I do?

I’ve been praying about it ever since the day after I posted about the second carnival I was planning (and by the way, the winners should be receiving their prize packages in about two weeks.) For the first time I was struck by the thought, “My home isn’t a meaningful subject for me anymore.” At first, it startled me. I didn’t want to think it at all. And then I realized that it has been in the back of my mind for so long, and I just refused to acknowledge it.

After all, I finally have YOU to write for! What more could I want? It took me a year to build this blog up to what it is now, and it is so incredibly difficult to consider parting from it. I have been getting exciting opportunities thrown my way lately, and I’ve made a handful of very good friends. Every day, more than 500 people stop by just to read what I have to say. I am so honored and floored by all of the support. How could I possibly stop this ride?

But friends, I am. I really really am. I know it may come as a shock, and if you’ve read this far, then I am so grateful that you let me get all of that out without screaming, “Get to the POINT already!”

I KNOW I’ve barely even begun with all of the projects and plans I’ve had. I know there is so much more to be said about the home, so much more inspiration I could draw from and send your way. But I am not the one to say it. Whew. I cannot even believe that I am saying that.

But.

(There is always a “But.”)

I still must write. There is no denying that. So I have been brainstorming what to do. There has always been this tiny voice inside of me that has wanted to write fiction. In fact, I often write about characters and stories in the quiet corner of my bedroom after everyone is asleep. Places, people, and events that I have yet to show to a single soul. And now I’m going to share them with you.

Mary Lee Owens

It is such a scary thing to do — it takes a level of vulnerability that I’m not quite comfortable with yet. But I have recently decided to stop pouring myself into so many different vessels. I need to choose one outlet for my writing, and it needs to be something I can put my heart and soul into. And I think (I hope!) this is it. I hope you’ll come visit Mary Lee Owens, a character who is not much like me, but who I adore nonetheless. And I hope you’ll keep in touch with me. You can now contact me at sarahjbray AT gmail DOT com.

In case you’re wondering, I am not going to be blogging for our web design studio anymore (still designing of course…just not blogging about it.) I am also not going to be blogging on the local restaurant blog that I began. Mary Lee Owens is now the sole beneficiary of my writing attention, and I think it will be that much better for it.

Farewell, and hello!
Sarah Bray

In the Garden: Ten Things I’ve Learned about Vegetable Gardening

Published by Sarah Bray on May 29, 2008 in In the Garden. 7 Comments

  1. Never give your tomatoes a half-hour watering after they’ve been dry as toast for several days. They will crack open and look monstrously ugly. However, they will still taste good.
  2. A weeding hoe is your friend. Your very best friend.
  3. Even a weed-infested garden is better than no garden at all.
  4. Broccoli is a waste of time unless you plant a lot of it. Even then, it’s probably a waste of time.
  5. Putting straw under your yellow squash helps keep your veggies from getting brown spots where they’ve been resting on the ground.
  6. Harvest okra when it’s small. Huge okra may impress your friends, but feels unpleasantly chewy in the mouth.
  7. It is not as easy to give away vegetables as you think. Even people that profess to like them often do not. Or maybe that’s just my friends.
  8. Even people who are terrible at container gardening can have a fabulous outdoor garden. The earth is very forgiving.
  9. For a family of four, you only need one zucchini plant.
  10. For a family of ten, you only need one zucchini plant.

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! And also, weird things in my cereal

Published by Sarah Bray on May 27, 2008 in Everything Else. 9 Comments

Just thought I’d pop in and say hello, since I’ve been off for the weekend. We had a really full holiday and completely exhausted ourselves with bathing suit shopping, pool parties, barbecues, and the beach. Not too shabby! My brain and feet are a bit exhausted, but I just thought I’d share one of the weirder moments with you. What if you opened up your Frosted Flakes and saw this?

Would you scream or almost throw up? Or would you inspect it further to try and figure out what it is?

Or would you shut the box and wait until your husband came home to tell you that it is not a dead animal as you suspected, but merely a strange-looking rock? And then would you call the Frosted Flakes company and describe the incident, which they insisted was only a case of caramelized sugar?

Perhaps, even though they are sending you a coupon for a complimentary box, you would vow never to buy Frosted Flakes ever again? That’s what I would do (and did).

Carnival of Modern Home Dwelling Day Eight: Outdoor Living

Published by Sarah Bray on May 22, 2008 in Carnival of Modern Home Dwelling and In the Garden. 7 Comments

Organizing Junkie has a round-up of 13 storage solutions available on Etsy that you MUST check out. For more good reading, visit the rest of our carnival sponsors!

Today’s the last day of the carnival, and I’m a bit sad to see it go, I’ve had so much fun! But there’s always next time to look forward to.

Now for the entries!

Modish contributor Maddy has created these wonderful printable seed packets for you to savor. Aren’t they great! I imagine you could use them for other things, too.

 

 

 

 

Stephanie from Stop the Ride had a great idea one day — to use an old stump as a container for flowers. Not only is it frugal, but it certainly blends in with the scenery!

 

 

 

 

Depending on where you live, you may or may not ever get the chance to mend fences. But if you do, I highly recommend that you consult horsewoman over at Innstyle Montana for direction — she’s got some suggestions that are sure to help, even if you are just thinking of building a fence.

 

 

 

Amy from Housekeeping Tips recommends that you use your leaves to fertilize your lawn — and she tells you how.

 

 

 

 

Carol from May Dreams Gardens has a novel idea — that we embrace weeding as a part of our gardening lives. How is this possible? I guess you’ll have to read to find out!

 

 

 

 

Thinking of starting a vegetable garden? Woman Tribune gives us some tips on how to plan it.

 

 

 

 

Rosemary from Her Home Blog has some tips for creating an inviting outdoor living room. (I really need these!)

 

 

 

 

Tony from Birds and Things inspires us to get out and go bird watching this summer.

 

 

 

 

 

Geeky Poet grows her own lettuce — and so can you with her helpful advice. Lettuce is so adorable as it grows…don’t you think?

 

 

 

 

Things to Consider for Your Hot Tub Installation. Before you even buy a hot tub, read Mandy’s article at The Hot Tub Advisor. She’ll make sure you don’t end up with a disaster on your hands.

Organic Pesticides for a Safe Lawn. Happy Housekeeper has a helpful list of organic pesticides that you can use instead of chemicals.

Managing Lawn Care During a Drought. Considering last year’s rain scarcity, it might be a good idea to check out Hobby Lawn Care’s article on the topic.

Well, here we are at the close of our journey. It’s been fun guys! Oh…right. I still need to disclose the winner. The talented entrant is…

Geeky Poet for her helpful article on lettuce-growing! Congratulations! Be sure to email your address to sarahjoy AT todayshomemaker DOT com so that we can send out your prize package.

So what’s next? Well, for me, it’s going to be an enjoyable weekend filled with lots of non-computer time. ;) But I’m also dreaming up ideas for the next carnival, which of course I can’t help but do.

Carnival of Modern Home Dwelling Day Seven: Organization, Part II

Published by Sarah Bray on May 21, 2008 in Carnival of Modern Home Dwelling and Cleaning and Organization. 10 Comments

Here we go with some more great entries!

Home management notebooks work for Toblerone over at Simple Mom. Will they work for you, too? Follow this excellent series to find out.

 

 

 

 

Being a stalker of good books, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to purge my collection in a way that pleases the Organization Gurus. But Debbie from Virtually Organized has some great ideas if you’re ready to part with the duds (and admit it, I’m sure you have some.)

 

 

 

If you are a penny-less organization junkie like myself, it is going to take all of your will power to resist lobotoME, a planner-lovers dreamboat. You might as well just throw in the towel when you see their adorable planner filler pages and list-makers.

 

 

 

You never want to think about disaster-related things happening to you or your family, but it’s still good to be prepared. Vera from BeSafeInsure brings us an article that will help you prepare…just in case.

 

 

 

Songbirdtiff has an eye for re-purposing things. She’s got some great tips so you can do it, too.

 

 

 

 

Tip Diva reminds us that if we want to be prepared for a fabulous summer, we need to do a bit of planning beforehand. Luckily, she’s done it for us!

 

We Are Not Our Children’s Slaves. Laura from Organizing Junkie reminds us that even though it might be “easier” to do everything around the house ourselves, taking the time to teach our kids will give them (and us!) long-term benefits. Preach it, sister!

Natural Carpet Disinfectant & Deodorizer — The Power of Baking Soda. Eco-mama from Ecopolitan Living gives us a useful recipe for a carpet disinfectant. So useful, in fact, I think I’ll make some up today, as I’ve just run out of my favorite stuff.

Okay, with all of that lovely stuff, I’m having a terribly hard time deciding upon a winner. But I must, mustn’t I? The award goes to…

Crystal for her DIY Crafts Center Tutorial! Congratulations, Crystal! Please send me an email with your address (sarahjoy AT todayshomemaker DOT com).

One more day, guys…and tomorrow we’ll be focusing on Outdoor Living — a great way to kick off the summer. See you then!

Carnival of Modern Home Dwelling Day Seven: Organization, Part I

Published by Sarah Bray on May 21, 2008 in Carnival of Modern Home Dwelling and Cleaning and Organization. 5 Comments

Toblerone over at Simple Mom has a fantastic post today on taking your shoes off before entering the house — her blog is quickly becoming one of my very favorites. If you’re looking for more good reading, check out our lovely sponsors!

Today’s topic is quite exciting for me. I am always on a mission to “get organized” — whatever that means. When will I have arrived? Well, when I can find everything I need quickly without rummaging through a bunch of stuff. When I feel calm and serene in my home. When I have everything I need and love and nothing else. It’s an ongoing process, but some people definitely are farther along than others. Perhaps you will be inspired after reading today’s incredible entries (we’re also including “cleaning” in this category, so you’ll find some good stuff about that, too.)

What I love the most about Crystal’s DIY craft center tutorial is the darling sewing table that is built right in. LOVE. IT.

 

 

 

 

Michelle from North of the 49 has created an extremely thorough post outlining essential moving tips based on her extensive experience. It’s a long post, but an excellent one!

 

 

 

 

Stephanie from Stop the Ride gives us a great post on mopping the old-fashioned way (aka: scrubbing). Ironically, I did this last week, and people came into my kitchen saying that it looked bigger. That had to be the reason — my floors were really clean, grout and all.

 

 

 

Tip Diva has tips for organizing your mail that will help you assassinate your paper clutter for once and always.

 

 

 

 

Have a lot of containers but don’t know what to do with them? Laura from Organizing Junkie has some practical solutions.

 

 

 

 

Amy Clark from Mom Advice gives us some tips on how to throw a retro housewife party. Love her apron collection!

 

 

 

 

Given up on ever getting organized and STAYING that way? No need to fret…Debbie from Virtually Organized thinks you might just have a system problem.

 

 

 

 

Have you run out of stain solution? Or maybe you’re just DIY-ish that way? Organized Everyday has a recipe for Spray and Wash that will keep you from running to the store.

 

 

 

 

Tip Diva has graced us with another great article. This time she outlines how to organize your medicine cabinet — no easy feat in our house!

 

 

Well, it looks like our cup is runneth-ing over. Stay tuned later this afternoon for the next part and to find out who won!

Carnival of Home Dwelling Day Six: Interior Design

Published by Sarah Bray on May 20, 2008 in Carnival of Modern Home Dwelling and Everyday Design. 8 Comments

Have you had a chance to visit Organizing Junkie yet? If not, you really should! I’m especially enjoying her link round-up of kids room resources right now. You can also visit some of my other talented friends while you’re at it!

Interior design is one thing that has always been a mystery to me. Perhaps because it seems to involve such a large amount of time and cash that I just do not have at the moment. But I do believe that the spaces we inhabit affect our lives deeply. So here comes the inspiration train…

Portland-based interior designer Kimberlee Jaynes has written an excellent article on 2008 color trends. I love her work!

 

 

 

 

Heather from Skinny Laminx has gotten quite a bit of press lately, and no wonder! Her beautiful tea towels are vibrant and such a refresher for any kitchen. Check out her blog for regular updates. (Her recent surface decals are really cool, too.)

 

 

 

PillowHappy is a sweet little etsy shop full of “pillow art,” such as the pair of dandelion pillows featured at left. I can’t choose which one I like best…those two or the orange square pillow? Decisions, decisions.

 

 

 

Luanne Bradley from EcoSalon introduces us to the Nomad System — a clever way of visually dividing a space. These build-it-yourself room dividers come in nine colors and can be assembled in really unique ways.

 

 

 

Andrew from the Home Decorating Reviews Blog is always finding cool things to share. Such as these interesting Harry Allen wall hooks, oh my.

 

 

 

 

I am a sucker for details. And Jackie from Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle has provided them to my great delight! Her sweet nursery looks like such a welcoming place for any newborn — what a lucky little girl.

 

 

 

Andrew graces us with another cool find — a sink that also functions as an aquarium. If tapping on glass bothers fish, I wonder how annoyed they get when people spit toothpaste in their direction?

 

 

 

Kelleigh from Domestique has put together some exciting, non-traditional ideas for your home office. She’s absolutely right, too — why should our home offices be as boring as corporate ones?

 

 

 

Andrew brings us a quick-and-dirty post about how to choose a coffee table, whether you’re looking for modern, traditional, or something else entirely.

 

 

 

 

Another cool find from EcoSalon, this time from Kim Derby. Illuminated wallpaper from Jonas Samson. I did not even know this was possible until now.

 

 

 

 

Remember when it was cool to wallpaper your switchplates? Well, it just might become cool again with all the great paper designs that are out right now. Jackie from A Keeper’s Jackpot shows us how.

 

 

 

Thanks for all of the inspiration everyone! I’m off to re-paint my living room now. (No, not really. That sucker took 5 coats, and we will not be re-doing it any time soon.) And the winner is…

Jackie for her step-by-step look into her design of her daughter Kara’s nursery! Yay Jackie! Please be sure to send me an email (sarahjoy AT todayshomemaker DOT com) with your address so that I can send your prize package.

I am enjoying this carnival so much…and tomorrow’s post is no exception. Join us tomorrow as we focus on Organization (cleaning included!).

Carnival of Modern Home Dwelling Day Five: Green Living

Published by Sarah Bray on May 19, 2008 in Carnival of Modern Home Dwelling and Living Well. 4 Comments

For those of you who still haven’t checked out Jen’s work at Bliss Home Goods, here’s another reminder. She’s recently added some more cool stuff to her Etsy shop, such as these awesome pillow covers (the whale’s my favorite, you see). Tremendous thanks go to her and all of our other carnival sponsors!

Green living. Sometime’s I just get SO excited about it. And not for the reasons you might think, necessarily. I mean, somebody’s got to shout a big hooray at the person who decided that mowing your grass less is better for the environment. And taking fewer showers! Washing your jeans less often! It’s like a free pass to Lazy Town. I’m so there.

But really, there are people out there who have much nobler aspirations than I for being green. And today we salute them. Here are some of the best entries we received on the topic.

Annika from Through the Looking Glass has written a wonderfully informed post on cloth diapering that will have you wondering why you don’t do it (or thankful that you do!). The photo is linked to another post of hers on diapering, and she has a bunch more on the topic. (And a note to those with a penchant for the mild and subdued, Annika’s hilarious writing style can get a bit spicy…but she wouldn’t be Annika without it!)

The folks over at Lifehacker are full of great ideas on how we can re-use disposable stuff. Don’t forget to read through the comments, too — there’s a great conversation going on about that very thing.

 

 

 

Jennifer Chait from Tree Hugging Family has put together an inspiring list of 100 ideas to make your family greener. Aside from the obvious (I’ve heard non-toxic finger paints work well), I think she’s covered just about everything.

 

 

 

Thinking of buying clothing made with bamboo fabric for its “green” properties? Victoria Everman presents a well-thought-out article outlining the pros and cons.

 

 

 

 

Sara from Walk Slowly, Live Wildly (and the famous Live Lightly Tour…and Happy Foody…and a host of other interesting things) always writes with such heart and authenticity, and I just can’t help but love her. I bet you will too, especially after reading this post on going against the American Dream and choosing an alternative lifestyle.

 

Being Green Can Mean Dirty Business. Alison from Green Me encourages us to eschew our 2-ply lifestyle and take one for the environment. I don’t know if my husband will EVER agree to this kind of sacrifice!

Recycling Is an Old Art. Randi from I Have to Say reminds us that we’re not the first generation to be concerned about the environment (though I must say…we are probably the first to use our concern to defend building giant “green” mansions and spending thousands on couture stuff in the name of green-ness!)

Stocking Up for Our Future. Rebekah from Rebekah’s Thots shares her thoughts about the worldwide food crisis and what she and her family are going to do about it. She points to Jennifer Barry’s article “Food Shock” as an informational resource on the topic.

Add a Little “Green Stuff” to Your Coffee. Melissa Moog from SparkPlugging and Itsabelly is an expert on environmentally-friendly practices. Find out how how your morning cuppa can be a toast to the planet every morning.

Thanks everyone for your thought-provoking entries! They are all fabulous, but the winner for the Green Living category is…

Jennifer Chait for 100 Ideas for Your Green Family. Congratulations, Jennifer! Please shoot me an email at sarahjoy AT todayshomemaker DOT com so I can send your prize package!

Tomorrow’s carnival is going to be an exciting one for sure as we cover Interior Design. See you then!