Last weekend was the first weekend we saw Cherry Blossoms. This is always to me the sure sign of the transition from Spring to Summer. There is nothing more awesome then seeing those trees bloom.

This weekend is to me the true indication of the beginning of Summer even if it is under 70 degrees outside, Memorial Day Weekend is the beginning of the Summer weeks for vacationers and for our town. Though the streets become more crowded and the traffic is worse it is the weekend I look forward almost more than the 4th of July because it means it is time for days on the beach, long all day adventures with no care in the world, and nights spent around the fire. I look forward to needing a shower at the end of the day before dinner because I spent the day in the sand or dirt or hell even just sweat a lot. I love Summer and I am so glad it is finally beginning.

What do you have planned this weekend? Do you have Memorial Day traditions with family or friends?

Today I am the featured tastemaker over at Brika. Have you all ever seen Brika? As you all know I am a big fan of the artist and especially of handmade products and Brika supports the community by curating makers and showcasing the story behind each of the makers. I love reading each profile, seeing what each business is doing, how they got their, and seeing how Brika is supporting them.

Catch my little feature here and see what inspires me and who I chose as my top makers!

Below are a few things that I love that are over on Brika right now. It is super fun to explore and discover so many new artists!!

Also check out the feature on our Raleigh Simple Evening over at Anthology Mag’s blog today!!! It is a super awesome sneak peek and story behind the evening written by Anna Watson Carl of The Yellow Table. It should get you all excited to see the rest of the story we will be sharing here over the next few weeks.

Happy Thursday Friends!!

When I say 101 maybe I should say more like -101…I believe this is where my green thumb is still learning in many many ways. For whatever reason I have probably killed more succulents than I currently have living. It’s a sad thing. I could tell stories for hours about my adventures with owning succulents. First I thought I was not watering them enough (big mistake) and I rotted their roots, then I thought they were too hot and brought them inside in the air conditioning (big mistake) they hated me and shriveled up. Finally now I feel like I am starting to figure out they want want very little of me and I need to care very little about them other than a few little things, which I am still not sure if I am doing right because right now my pot looks a little sadder than it does here…So today I thought I would share a few things I have learned and maybe you all can fill in the blanks cause I am sure one of you HAS to have succulent knowledge and success, right?!

I have always known that succulents are desert plants and hold their water in their leaves rather than their roots and so I have been trying to approach my thoughts on growing them similar to how they grow in the desert. First I moved them into a container that had good drainage (I highly suggest a terra-cotta pot if you have one). In mine I pocked tons of holes by using a nail and hammer to cut through the metal. I then filled the base with stones (yeah it makes it heavy but if you think about their soil it is important to have good filtration in the soil). Next I filled the rest with succulent and cacti dirt that does not hold moisture. I have had success with this in the past with other individually planted succulents. Once I have the pot ready I just dig holes and place them in the pot as I want them. Pretty simple!

It is the maintenance and protection of them that you must watch out for especially in cooler climates like Northern Michigan. My big thing is I try to divide and replant every season. There is always new growth and sometimes it is best to separate the new babies to start new pots. To do this all you have to do is clip the from the main plant and place the base on the dirt. In about 2-4 weeks it will have created roots and creating it’s own plant. This helps to help the main plant to continue to grow strong and also to give you more plants, which who can say no to a baby succulent sprout? Not this girl.

After my incident of over watering and as Mike calls it “over-nurturing” my succulents in the past, I began using the misting method where I spriz them in the morning (if it did not rain or dew that night) and then in the evening before it gets dark. This I think has helped a lot especially during the Summer months when it is very warm. They love the sun but they also need the dew and water that the desert naturally supplies in the cooler times of the day.

I still find though that at times I will get wilty leaves underneath or very bare stalks and sometimes my clipped sprouts do not always take so clearly I am still learning, but I thought this would be an awesome discussion between those that have experience and those that have none. So feel free to put in your 2-cents on Succulents and even tell me if I am screwing it all up cause I do not doubt it if I am

Today begins a total of 5 Tuesdays in a row that we will be posting from our Simple Evening in Raleigh, North Carolina. This Simple Evening may be the nearest and dearest to my heart yet. For the first time doing a Simple Evening I felt I had found the sweet spot. This finally hit my goal of doing more than just bring together amazing creative people within their community, but it also showed the whole process of what it takes to create a beautiful and special collaborative meal like this one.

My dream for this Simple Evening was to show the process from farm to table and everything in between. So often we forget where our food has come from and the beauty of the connection between growing what we need to feed ourselves. So when I knew we were going to be in Raleigh and working with Clyde Oak I knew this was the perfect moment. The stars aligned with the help of Corey Mason of Clyde Oak and we were able to not only find a farm and chef but we found a farm and a chef that work together every day. These kind of connections are what makes these evenings so incredibly special. I love knowing that not only are we sharing a story about so many gifted people doing what they love, but we also are telling the story of how it all works and comes together.

So today we are beginning where it all starts, the land. We set out early the first day we were in Raleigh with Corey Mason out to the Commonplace Farm just outside of the city. We woke up at 6 AM before the sun was up. It was freezing. I was wearing Hunters and wishing I had wool socks in them to keep my toes warm. We were wearing layers of denim, military jackets, and wool sweaters. Turning in to the farm it smelled of wood smoke, fresh morning dew, and earth. Matthew was moving the chicken coops with Trey and we have dogs greeting us in every direction. The sun was just rising through the trees and the fog was beginning to lift. At that moment I was reminded of the beauty of living off the land. I felt at home there even amongst the chill of the morning. It felt so genuine, unplanned, and authentically beautiful.

As Matthew moved the chicken coops we collected eggs with Trey and then headed in to the greenhouse. As we opened the door a welcoming warmth drew us inside and Trey grabbed the clippers. We wandered down the rows to the red kale which he said they would be dropping off later that day to Jake the chef and owner of Capital Club 16. Mike and I were both cut a piece of red kale and can honestly say we have never tasted kale so amazing. Especially after not having breakfast that morning and only coffee in stomachs. It was my first time having kale that fresh. Mike still tries every type of kale he can find hoping it will taste the way that leaf did that morning. No luck yet…

Trey gathered the rest of what he needed and set it alongside the eggs which also would be cleaned and taken to Capital Club 16 later that day.

As we said goodbye around 10 AM we all sat in the car driving back for some breakfast and almost all shared at the same time how amazing that felt to wake up before the sun, have dirt under our nails, have eaten fresh from the garden, and smell the earth and burning wood. It was such a good reminder of how important the farm is. Whether you grow a garden, pay for a CSA, eat at a farm-to-table restaurant, buy from your local co-op or grocery store, the farm is important. Too often we forget what goes in to bringing these things to our table. That’s why we felt like it was so important to start this simple evening at the source.

Next week we will be going in the kitchen with Jake of Capital Club 16 to see him hand make some of the awesome items he did for the Dinner. Stay tuned for next Tuesday!

Over the past 6-8 months have changed me after Alt Summit I felt such clarity and relief as a blogger and creative, then launching Wild Measure brought this challenge that we daily are still figuring out and defining, and then traveling through Europe. To say my understanding of myself and what makes me happy, content, and healthy was the same this time last year would be a major lie. This past year has altered many of my thoughts and made me realize how so many of my expectations were silly and some not high enough. This weekend I thought deeply about the things life has to offer, how we choose to take them or in most cases don’t, how we can feel stuck, and then more than anything how we have more power than we believe to define our happiness and fulfillment in this life.

Many of the reasons Mike and I have set out on this path of being bloggers, brand builders, and whatever label you could put on what we do, has been because of the life we want to live and the life we want our kids to experience some day. This little life of adventuring, creating, traveling, working with such inspiring risk-takers, and hopefully someday being able to become fairly self-sustained is what we really wanted.

Over this time of beginning to grow our business and develop the lifestyle we want a lot of things have become clear.

1. To do what you love it takes sacrifice (we have one car, don’t own a home, and keep buying to a minimum)
2. Whatever you choose to chase will not be a 9 to 5 thing it will be your life.
3. You must surround yourself with people who challenge and support you.
4. You never know the curve balls that can land in your inbox. Always be prepared to jump on new opportunities. (this means passports are ready, laundry is clean, and you are ready to pack your bags and go)
5. You will be told you are crazy…and maybe you are…but at some point people will see that your risk has allowed you to have what they always thought they could buy.

Knowing the sacrifices it takes to have your dream job, create the work you want, and everything in between has meant that we have thought less and less about the things we can buy and more about the ways we can simplify, experience, and live more. By lessening our wants and needs it has made us more free to take risks, travel, and spend days doing what we want to do most with our lives.

Growing up I was always a wanter. I always wanted more clothes, more things, and more this and that. I still do. I dream a lot and Pinterest is of no help and neither is the world of being a blogger. I don’t think there is anything wrong with appreciating wonderful and beautiful things, but when I remember the things in life that really mean the most to me it is Mike, creating, gardening, eating well, exploring, seeing, traveling, and just plain living. When I can identify those things it makes me want all other things much much less.

My goal? To live life easier and simpler, give up the human desire to want more than is needed, learn contentment, create more freely without the need for making money to pay for the wants and instead creating more because I simply feel fullfilled by doing the work I love, to spend more days growing and making what I need and less paying for it, to see more of the world and spend more days lost adventuring in the woods. Maybe that all sounds impossible to most of you, maybe I sound crazy, or maybe it is a breathe of a fresh air…I don’t know? All I do know is that by creating work I am proud of is more important than buying a new shirt or car. I know that spending a Monday hiking through the dunes of the Lake Michigan lakeshore with friends and family means more than paying for a movie or new lawn furniture. It’s a hard concept but it’s become our new goal around here. We are learning to become more self-sustained and getting rid of a lot of what no longer is of use to us. It feels good and I feel more freedom knowing how little I need to live life the way I always dreamed.

I would be happy to know that instead of inspiring you all to purchase more that instead I inspired you to find the way to live the creative life you want and making you feel it is achievable to live the way you really want. A life well lived and full of passion is a beautiful thing, one that I think we all believe means we must work to achieve certain things to obtain, when really it all about choice and what we are willing to give up.

It’s a slow thing that takes time but after a few years of doing this it is only in this last 6 months that I have finally seen the fulfillment that can come from choosing your path and giving up the things that stand in the way.

Happy Monday my friends! Chase what you love. Do what you think is impossible.

Sunny mornings, cool breezes, warm patio, light dinners…It may be slowly becoming Summer around here. This week has felt good…really good as in I feel very blessed to do what I do, live where I do, work with the people I do, and have the projects I do. I always told myself I would not take it for granted but I think part of me has. I didn’t realize how precious the slow mornings on the porch in the sun and the early evenings eating with friends are. When it is cold and awful outside it makes everything seem harder and more full of shadows, doesn’t it? It makes you sad and it makes you feel more defeated than ever, so these warm days are bringing me out of those tough times of really feeling I was missing it or I was failing continually. Ugh Winter we are not friends.

That being said it is amazing to be here at this time of year in Traverse City, if you asked me a month and a half ago I would have told you I would have taken any chance to get out of here to have the sun on my skin and the grass under my toes. This place in the Summer is magic and I am getting so anxious to enjoy it thoroughly.

This weekend we are painting a logo on a food truck we designed here in Traverse City and we will be shooting some photos for a catalog for a catering company. We are really loving all our work right now, especially when it looks like that.

Over the next few weeks we will be sharing the finished pieces and brands that we have been working on. We have a total of 4 brands we want to share with you all. We are really excited to let them out of the bag and talk about them and about the process. Really exciting stuff!!!

Since it will be warm this weekend we also plan to enjoy some long nights on the deck and we hope to paint our sailboat so next weekend we can begin sailing. You all have no idea how excited I am about that. I miss the water and the sunsets on our little boat. It’s time to get out there even if it is a little chilly.

Watch our instagrams (Mike  |  Megan) over the weekend to see what we are up to! It’s going to be a good weekend!

What do you all have planned this weekend? What are you most looking forward to as Summer is approaching?

photo and type by me.

You all know I am a sucker for the hand made and the handmade that is local. We are beginning to downsize and sell a lot of our stuff because we are ready to become big kids and actually have nice furniture, clothes, and all those awesome things that somehow adult hood makes you want. For us this means focusing more on the artisan and the made by hand. We are strong believers in supporting people who are doing what they love and so when I come across companies like Hedge House it makes my heart very happy. These pieces are not only beautiful and modern, but they are hand crafted in Indiana not far from where I went in High School.

Want to learn more about Hedge House and their awesome work, you can find them on Etsy or you can go to their website as well. They have much more than just these few items you see here.

Today for the Just 5 in the Kitchen with we have an awesome Summer dessert from Megan Fleiner of Passports and Pancakes. Megan actually wrote a comment a while ago and then I ended up falling in love with her recipes and her photography. She has the sweetest blog that I hope you all take the time to look at and check out!

Megan’s Summer dessert is a simple Strawberry Pecan Tart that takes very little time and is perfectly light for those hot Summer days that are coming our way. Thanks Megan for sharing!!

Here is what you will need to create this pretty treat:

1 ½ cups raw pecans
2 tablespoons salted butter, cold and cut into pieces
1-2 tablespoons honey
1 pound fresh strawberries, sliced
Half-pint heavy whipping cream

Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.

Next in a food processor fitted with an S blade, pulse the pecans 20-30 times. You want them to be a course meal, but be careful not to blend too much as they will turn into pecan butter.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the pecans and honey (use 1-2 tablespoons depending on the desired sweetness.) Blend the butter into the pecan-honey mixture using your fingers.

Press the mixture into the bottom of a tart pan (14″x5″ rectangle or 9″ round will work) and bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven and turn down heat to 350 degrees.

Place the strawberry slices on top of the crust and bake for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

In the meantime, whip the cream in a chilled mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Serve slices of the tart with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Thanks Megan for sharing this awesome recipe. Make sure to follow her blog, Passports and Pancakes for more awesome and easy recipes like this one!

Did you all wonder where Mike went? Well I promise he didn’t disappear. Our work has been crazy and we needed to rely on me to stay strong here in this space and for him to help manage a lot of our design work. Now that our workload is more manageable we are ready to start bringing him back in. This really excites me because I think his manly style is needed back in this space. I am also excited for you all to get to know his style more. That being said, remember my Megan Fancies posts? Well now we are making a little adjustment, we are going to be doing a his and hers column where we each share what we are loving right now. I hope it gives you all a chance to get to know Mike a little better and see what is currently inspiring both of us. Here we go!

1. Swim Trunks   2. Griffin Sunnies  3. Vampire Weekend Vinyl  4. Camera Bag  5. Shaving Cream  6.Farmhand Tool

Mike: I missed you all. I really did. I have been held up in our studio working like crazy to keep up with our design work, which we are excited to show you quite soon! But the snow has melted and life is a bit more manageable so I’ve been dreaming of the sunny days on the sail boat, night swimming in the bay, getting my hands dirty in the garden, shaving the winter beard, hiking with the dogs, and listening to records on the porch. Thus my list represents each of those daydreams, and the new Vampire Weekend is the perfect soundtrack for it all. It’s on repeat.

1. Lauren Mofatt Top  2. Hearth Magazine  3. Triangle Necklace  4. Camper Heel  5. Neutral Tote  6. Self Watering Pot

Megan: I have been very inspired by green in the last few weeks. It has not infiltrated my design work yet, but I have a feeling it will sneak in soon. I think it is the sprouting of my plants and vibrancy of the dew speckled grass. It feels very refreshing and beautiful. Then pair that green with blocked neutrals and you have me in heaven for Spring. Currently I am on the hunt for the perfect heel and this one from Camper has my heart all a flutter. I may just have to pull the trigger on them for Summer, what do y’all think?

Remember the last garden post where I talked about plants that could be planted in the early Spring prior to the last frost? Well today I am going to share with you my planting process. You will see some of this talk again when we plant the seedlings I have been growing inside for almost 3 weeks now. The biggest thing with planting is to keep it organized because for almost 2 weeks you will never see a sprout and then for another few weeks they will look something like a weed. This means it is important to make straight lines and indicate their location within the garden.

For those of you who missed the last post we will be planting the carrots, kale, radishes, and beets. Our last frost in Traverse City is the first week of June, so this gives my plants (I planted these the first few days of May) plenty of time to sprout and be thinned before the real Summer heat begins to start. Vegetables like Kale and Radishes need the cold to actually taste good. They do not do well in warm climates because the heat can change the flavor of them. Radishes will get REALLY spicy and Kale will get very bitter in high heats. If you do want to grow these in warm climates grow them during the Winter months when the weather is the coolest. They are hardy.

We are using the Clyde Oak plant markers to indicate where everything goes in the garden so we begin by sharpening the pencil with a knife. These markers are pretty awesome because by writing on the aluminum tags it promises a couple things.

1. The names will stay no matter the weather. The lead on the aluminum comes off but only with an eraser.
2. It won’t bleed. Every time I write on a wood stick with a marker it is all over the place and does not look pretty
3. They are reusable. Since you can erase the names you can reuse them year after year for your garden.

Once I got the names of all the seeds I was planting on the plant markers, I then placed them at the head of the row where I will be planting. It acts as the stake for my line I will use to make sure I have a straight row.

You will see below where the carrots, beets, kale, and radishes are being placed and where I am placing the markers.

Once the plant markers are in the appropriate places I then grab my line that I keep on a rod (for me it was just a scrap of wood in the garage). I then loop the twine around the stake and unravel it till I am on the other side of the garden plot from the stake. I lay it down and double check that it is where I want it.

Then grab any kind of tool that will help you dig a deep line in the dirt. I had my weed cultivator (if you don’t have one of these and have a good size garden I suggest picking one up. It is the best $20 or so I ever spent at the garden store it makes weeding a breeze).

Once you have your line set in the dirt grab your seeds and follow the directions on the packets you have. I sometimes also do extra research online to find out further details if I don’t feel the packages are very clear. As a common go to root veggies are placed about 1 inch under the dirt and they are scattered. Once they are an inch tall you thin them so they are about 1-2 inches apart. As far as kale that is a little different and the packages usually detail these things. So just double check your package.

Have you started your garden? Anything sprouting? I am sure some of you have started harvesting if you are in the South. That makes me jealous