For the longest time I wasn't a big fan of using bar soaps - liquid soaps were always my preference. This was mostly because the bar soaps I'd used in the past have always left a mess of soap mush wherever the rest, and they always left my skin feeling stripped of moisture.

This was before I dug in and learned a lot more about artisan soap companies and what goes in to their soaps. As much as I dye my hair, I do try to limit the amount of chemicals I use, particularly with my skincare. After learning more about artisan soaps, I decided to buy some bar soap containers and give them a try.

I love the start of a new year! January can be such a month of refreshment in my life since it tends to be a slower month for weddings. That means January is a prime time for me to look back over the past year, plan out the year to come, and adjust systems that weren't working as efficiently as I needed them to be over the past couple months.

One thing I really want to do better about is specific, actionable goal setting. This is something I used to be very good at, but towards the end of 2018 I neglected to do well. It's time to get back on that horse!

Christmas is quite easily the most tradition-filled time of the year for me and my family. Growing up with a mother who was highly sentimental (who then had babies who were also sentimental), traditions were easily created. Just enjoying a thing enough one time was enough for all of us to dub it a "tradition" and insist that it happen every year after. One thing my family used to enjoy doing when we were all together was a $5 gift night.

Growing up, my mom was always finding ways for us kids to be creative. We learned about Egyptian hieroglyphs while carving some of them in to tables she'd made for us out of plaster of Paris, and we built many box forts on summer afternoons. These creative activities naturally branched in to our home, as well. I feel like I've always grown up surrounded by a well-crafted home, and am continually seeking more ways to make my home well-crafted. Seeing the title of this book made me immediately want to snatch it up.