Sunday tunes.

March 18th, 2012

Hi everyone!

Jodie has been holding it down on the blog for a couple of months while I was underwater with work & travel & pneumonia, but just wanted to pop my head up and say hi!

Lots going on…. last week we were on Fab.com and this week you can spot us over at the mini social. We have lots of exciting press and announcements on tap for this week and next week. I have been on important calls and making real life legit decisions and giving talks and having meetings, etc. This probably sounds pretty normal to all of you in the context of running a company, but its really not the norm over here at barley & birch. We have always said that we would never turn into a real “corpo-ish” company and I have always said that I would never act like “a suit.” But lately we have been and I have been.

I was jolted out of this attitude by an e-mail from Jodie. We have been at high intensity work mode lately, with lots of e-mails about lots of projects. But this e-mail said something along the lines of…. “These people have been texting me. I told them repeatedly they have the wrong number. They say ‘oh okay.’ Then today I get texts about someone going into labor and I am getting labor updates from them. Can we send them a discount code as a congrats?”

I cracked up loudly, and then was like “YEP, already activated it. Go.”

And it made me realize that we hadn’t been half as weird and goofy and un-corpo-like as we used to be and said we always would be.

To make up for it, I am cranking up, and sharing, one of my fav fun & goofy jam-out tunes. If you are wondering how I will spend my day, its working like mad, and then, periodically, when this song comes on, having an office-wide dance party, where all typing stops and one hand is in the air and the other is holding a cup of coffee. We are officially making an effort to bring the quirk back to b&b.

Step 1: Here is the code for the random person that was texting Jodie. Help yourself to 15% off this week: RANDOM12.

Step 2: Jam out!  Perfect way to start your week

Love,
Kyle

Posted in All, Kyle, Tunes | 1 Comment »

Make Something Monday: Recycled Silverware

March 12th, 2012

I’ve been seeing a lot of recycled silverware projects, so here are some of my favorites.

Flatten spoons with a hammer and curl the handles to make hooks.

Curl fork tines for more decorative hooks.

An edgier version.

Make the hooks this way to store small items.

Flatten spoons and engrave to use as garden markers.

Remove the handles to make gift tags.

Make a wind chime for your kitchen.

Use as decorative door handles/drawer pulls.

Use the decorative handles of vintage silverware to make a bracelet.

Or a ring.

Or the classic re-purposing of a fork as a dinglehopper!

Love,
Jodie

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Make Something Monday: DIY Glitter

March 5th, 2012

That’s right. You can make your own safe-for-kids glitter.

Oh… and did I mention it’s even edible?

Yep.

What You’ll Need:

  • Sea salt
  • Food coloring

The Steps:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350.
  2. Place salt  into a small bowl.
  3. Add drop of food coloring and mix evenly with the salt.
  4. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet in one layer.
  5. Bake in oven for 10 minutes.
  6. Let cool, enjoy.

Love,
Jodie

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Our First Video

February 28th, 2012

Jason, our photographer, and an equally cool friend of ours, Jeremy, made this video to celebrate our Winter 2012 collection. I hope you enjoy it as much as the b&b team does.

Love,
Jodie

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Make Something Monday: Odd Sock = Bear

February 27th, 2012

A lot of our fans LOVED the Glove = Chipmunk tutorial we posted a few months ago, so when I saw this photo tutorial , I knew I’d have to post it.

I don’t know about you, but I pretty much only have odd socks. You enjoy this tutorial while I go start making my bear army.

Love,
Jodie

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1st Annual Customer Appreciation Sale!

February 23rd, 2012

We are having a huge sale!

We love you. A lot.

So we wanted to put all our pieces on super sale for a little while so you can stuff your drawers full of that b&b goodness you’ve been eyeing. That’s it. Pretty simple.

Why are we doing this? Because one of our Facebook fans asked us to.

They were like, “Will you put stuff on sale so we can stock up?”

And we were all, “Sure!”

Because we just like making you happy.

Lapneck tees are $12. Onepieces $14.

Wowzers!

Hurry– they will go fast. (:

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Tasty Tuesday: Raw Vegan Avocado “Mayonnaise”

February 21st, 2012

I don’t have the willpower, time, or pantry to go raw vegan, but I like to browse recipes for easy raw-vegan-friendly ways I can replace some of the bad things in my fridge.  This sandwich spread can also be used as a salad dressing, or a flavor booster on veggies.

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 medium or large avocado
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 t. salt or to taste
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 C. vegetable oil

The Steps:

  1. Wash the avocado and cut it in half. Scoop out the flesh and put it into the blender.
  2. Add lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper and blend together.
  3. With machine running, add vegetable oil slowly. You many have to stop the machine several times to redistribute ingredients. Puree to a smooth creamy mixture. Makes about 3/4 cup

NOTE: Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Keeps well without discoloration for 5 to 6 days.

Love,
Jodie

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Make Something Monday: Bird Feeder Wreath

February 21st, 2012

As winter starts to fade into spring (in most areas), this simple project would be fun for the kids, and a good way to get birds flocking into your yard…..or away from your yard depending on where you hang this :P

What You’ll Need:

  • 4 cups of bird seed mix
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 1 package of plain gelatin
  • greased bundt pan or other mold with hole in the center

The Steps:

  • In a large bowl put 1/2 warm water and gelatin mix together and let the gelatin dissolve.
  • Create a paste by mixing in the corn syrup and flour to the gelatin and water.
  • Stir in the bird seed.
  • As evenly as possible, spread the mixture into the greased bundt pan. Pat it down tightly.
  • Let sit for 24 hours.
  • Gently turn pan over and let ring of seed fall out. Let sit on a plate/towel/paper towel for another 24-48 hours.
  • Get a long piece of ribbon wide enough to be able to support your ring. Thread through hole, and tie around a tree branch, or wherever you would like to hang it.
  • Let the birdies enjoy!

Love,
Jodie

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Valentine’s Day: Scratch Off Card

February 14th, 2012

Happy Valentine’s Day!
This is my favorite Valentine’s Day craft project I have seen this year. And it could easily be reworked to be a great project for any other occasion.

What You’ll Need:

  • Clear contact paper
  • Silver metallic paint (or probably any other color metallic paint)
  • Dish soap
  • Your design, or the one Alison made available on her tutorial
  • Scrapbook paper or cardstock to mount the card

Now head on over to the tutorial on Oopsey Daisy Blog.

Love,
Jodie

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Make Something Monday: Working Cardboard Guitar

February 13th, 2012

Some men simply are just awesome dads. One particular dad decided to make his kids guitars to play with while he played his. And he made them out of ordinary objects around the house.

If you want to be like the MacGyver of dads, here is What You’ll Need:

  • Sturdy cardboard
  • Box-cutter or exacto blade
  • Hot-glue gun
  • Ruler
  • Pencil or wooden dowel
  • Jumbo sized rubber bands
  • Paper clips

Now that you’ve gathered those up, head over to his wife’s blog, Make It and Love It, to follow the steps she so kindly laid out and photographed for the world.

PS. I think it would be neat to cover the outer pieces of cardboard with extra pretty paper you might have around the house. Or to let your kids draw all over them.

Enjoy rocking out.

Love,
Jodie

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