Collaborations

Father’s Day Gift Guide + A Peek inside Lighthouse Woodworks

Collaborations, Uncategorized

Lucas and I met in 2012. Our relationship was long-distance, which gave us plenty of time to talk about anything and everything. One thing that Lucas told me at the age of 25? “I never want to own my own business.” Well, five years later, Lucas started a business with a lifelong friend of his and hasn’t looked back.

Owning a small business has changed our lives. We’ve had our ups and downs and a lot – a whole dang lot – of late nights, but we can’t deny that starting Lighthouse Woodworks has been the greatest thing to happen to our family besides having kids. In two years Lighthouse outgrew their original space and has acquired an additional two offices, two shop spaces and a showroom!

Our kids have been a driving force behind Lucas and his partner Daniel – in the time that they’ve been full-time, we’ve added four babies to our families! Being dads is such a huge part of who they are and I wanted to gift something to Lucas this Father’s Day that would be both special AND practical! A lot of times I end up gifting things that are sentimental (hello, Enneagram 2 over here) and they only get taken out on special occasions. I teamed up with Rustico to gift Lucas this awesome Journeyman Apron and wanted to give you some other handcrafted and functional leather gift ideas for the dads in your life!

For the Fisherman

Rustico’s Leather Fishing Log is a perfect gift for the fisherman in your life! Lucas loves fishing (I would call it a summer obsession, actually) and thought that this would be a really cool gift – think he’s trying to hint something? It’s handcrafted out of top-grain leather and made in Utah.

If your guy is into Fly Fishing, Rustico also makes this unique Book of Flies that is designed to hold up to 20 flies! It’s felt-lined on the inside and the outside is that same buttery Top-Grain as the Fishing Log and comes in a bunch of different colors!

If you can’t make up your mind, Rustico sells this On the Fly Gift Set so that you can purchase (and personalize) both!

For the Beard Aficionado

Ah, Beards. A source of pride for many husbands, the length of which may be a source of conflict between husband and wife… well, if he’s gonna let it grow, beard care is key! This Beard Grooming Kit comes with all the essentials and a gorgeous leather pouch to house all those products.

For the Businessman

Why should women get all the fun when it comes to bags? This Surveyor Leather Messenger Bag is perfect for the working professional, made with full-grain cowhide leather and designed with plenty of pockets for organization. It has antique brass hardware and can fit up to a 15″ laptop!

This Knox Bifold Leather Wallet has a sleek and minimal design; it’s a classic gift that will last for years.

For the Carpenter

The Waxed Canvas Journeyman Apron is such an awesome, functional gift for the maker in your life! I cannot say enough about how great it is. It’s made of waxed canvas and has multiple leather pockets, great for storing small craftsman’s tools.

The canvas and top-grain leather will show some wear over time but according to the use each artisan puts it to, so it’ll age rustically to tell the story of each person’s craft. It’s durable and has a beautiful design. It also comes in a variety of canvas and leather color options so it’s super customizable!

I’m biased but I think Lucas looks pretty dang good in his.

For the Beer Lover

This Beer Taster’s Gift Set is perfect for the craft brewer or beer lover! Just beer isn’t usually special enough for a gift…but pair it with this leather beer log, miner mug and leather coasters and it’s definitely something he’ll use and love!

Lucas’ Picks

Lucas is a huge fan of this Phoenix Copper Water Bottle; he said that he’d love to take this camping or fishing and I agree that it is pretty dang cool.

Lucas was also really into this Epoch Apple Watch Band – he wears his Apple Watch everyday! Lucas loves watches and I actually can’t believe I didn’t think of gifting this to him. Don’t be surprised if he ends up with one of these.

Every guy needs one good leather belt, and Lucas has been wearing the same one for seven years. It’s about time he gets a new one (as he pointed out to me) and this attractive, minimal leather belt is exactly what he has in mind. Rustico’s Leather Men’s Belt comes with nickel or brass hardware and comes in four colors.

Rustico has so many great products and their website actually organizes gift ideas into different categories too, so if you haven’t found something you love on this list, you definitely will on their site!

Thanks so much Rustico for gifting this Apron to us! *This product is gifted but all ideas are my own.*

Diaper Bag Essentials!

Baby Essentials, Collaborations

Today I received this diaper bag from Joone Co and it has exceeded all of my expectations!

Having three under three means that I need a diaper bag that is spacious and organized and this checks those boxes!

This bag is the Carryall Tote and comes in five colors. I chose Saddle!

It has plenty of pockets – THIRTEEN! With two insulated inner pockets for bottles, and two larger outer pockets for sippy cups or water bottles – and is still sleek and streamlined for a really appealing look. It’s made from oiled vegan leather and nylon so that it’s both stylish and easy to clean.

And while we’re at it, here’s a look at what’s inside my bag:

Ring slings are a must and I always regret not bringing one if I forget to pack it!

Blaise is exclusively breastfed, so this is a necessity since we are out and about a lot!

This is the Micro+ because my kids outgrow the Micro too fast. This is an older color but it’s called Saddle. Gathre has a sale going on right now for Mother’s Day so it’s a good time to snag one of these if you don’t already have one!

  • Pacifiers

I have three under three. I always pack at least three pacifiers in case of emergency.

  • Snacks

There’s always a few GoGo Squeez pouches in my bag because that’s the only brand of applesauce Mathias will eat. I usually pack Liv a granola bar or two as well!

  • Diapers + Wipes

We’re a Pampers family. For whatever reason my kids are super sensitive and these are the only diapers that don’t give them rashes!

  • Swaddle

You never know if a place is going to be cold – the hospital usually is! So I pack an extra blanket for B.

  • Extra G-Tube Supplies

I’m a special needs mom; that means bringing extra supplies. I always keep an extra bag of Nourish (Mathias’ food), an extra extension and a syringe with me, and keep an emergency G-Tube placement kit in the car in case something happens and it gets pulled out.

That’s it!

*This diaper bag as well as some other products pictured were gifted to me. However, I was not asked to write a blog post and all opinions are my own!

Say Hello to Spring with Raw Sugar Living

Beauty, Collaborations

65 degrees in New England is practically beach weather and after the long winter that we have over here I am more than ready to throw a swimsuit on and get some sun!

Well, mentally I’m ready. Physically I have quite a bit of preparing to do (new swimsuit for this postpartum body, a base tan and other beach shopping essentials are all necessary).

Luckily, Raw Sugar Living Sugar Scrub + Body Butter can prep and soften these legs that haven’t seen the sun in months 🙈 the beach is my happy place and the smell of this new Pineapple, Maqui Berry + Coconut is totally bringing me back to my honeymoon almost exactly four years ago in the Caribbean! #takemeback

Luckily I don’t need to go on a cruise to get these – they’re available at Walgreens!

I definitely recommend this particular combination of Pineapple, Maqui Berry and Coconut because it’s an ultra-reparative blend which can hydrate that rough winter skin! The combination of vitamin E and Aloe Vera helps to heal cracked and dry skin while Cold Pressed oils and the different fruit extracts visibly firm and repair. Skin is left feeling restored and more toned.

As if that wasn’t good enough, they also provide a bar of soap to a family in need for every product you purchase! So you can feel good on the outside, and on the inside ❤️ #RawThankYou #RawLovin #Sponsored

You can find Raw Sugar Loving products at your local Walgreens or online!

Baby Essentials, Part 1: DockATot

Baby Essentials, Collaborations

It’s been about two months since I posted because I’ve been a little busy…

Allison Wolf Photography

A late welcome to Blaise Tomasz Jablonski who was born on February 23, 2019 (who will, for the rest of his life, overshadow my own birthday). He is delicious and I promise I will get his birth story up here as soon as I can process it…

Allison Wolf Photography

Now that I’ve had my third baby there are quite a few different baby products that I consider “must-haves” and that I’m asked about on a pretty frequent basis! Other moms ask me about baby clothes a lot and that’s something I’ll address in another post, but the one thing everyone asks me is how the baby is sleeping.

Well, here’s the thing. When you have two toddler older siblings, there is a lot of chaos and noise, which makes daytime sleep harder than it should be for a newborn. Since he’s the third baby I can’t just lounge in my room while he sleeps in his bassinet so I am super happy that we have a DockATot Deluxe+ for him to sleep in!

DockATot is a multi-functional lounger, co-sleeper and playtime lounger! It isn’t stationary – I can move it around from room to room which is great because my kids are always on the go!

We literally use this EVERY DAY. I’m not sure if there’s anything else we use quite as much …

The DockATot is tested for breathability (OEKO-TEX certified) and is made from all natural, 100% cotton! It’s an ideal micro-climate for babies which makes it that much easier for baby to sleep soundly!

Livia was a little jealous. Actually, she went and lounged in the DockATot at every possible chance she had. Luckily for her, DockATot makes two sizes!

She had no clue what was in this box.

The DockATot Grand is for ages 9-36 months! Livia is 18 months and as you can tell from her unboxing reaction, she loves it!

Needless to say that these are a huge hit and we’ve already taken our Deluxe+ on the road with us when we visited my parents in New York!

I’m also getting emotional looking at these photos from the past month. Blaise has already gotten so much bigger! I think I’ll have to come up with a DockATot / Blaise hashtag for my instagram pictures so I can look at them all in one place. #BlaiseATot #DockABlaise

These are a definite must-have in my book and am really thankful that DockATot gifted them to us! Follow them on instagram @dockatot and check out their website, DockATot.