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The West Bottoms in Kansas City is known for it's amazing vintage and antique shopping. In the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, this historic area comes alive on First Friday weekends with great shopping, food trucks, and live music.
While the West Bottoms is known for it's vintage flair, you will also find a large variety of home decor items, clothing, jewelry, gift items, and so much more!
I visited the West Bottoms on a First Friday Weekend in April of 2019. In this Quick Guide to Shopping in the West Bottoms I'm going to share a list of my favorite places to shop and a few tips for a great day trip.
My Favorite Shops:
The Robin's Nest, 1413 W. 11th St. Kansas City, Missouri 64101.
A cute shop with vintage and home decor items. It also houses Java Garage if you want to fuel up before your big day of shopping.
Sincerely, Ellis, 1409 W 11th St, Kansas City, MO 64101
This lovely boutique is full of timeless fashion pieces. I had the opportunity to chat with the fabulous owner, Kayla, and enjoyed hearing about how her business has grown over the years. Find out about her story here.
The Painted Sofa, 1331 Union Ave, Kansas City, MO 64101
This is a "must see" for me. The Painted Sofa is gorgeous and offers a splendid selection of home decor, furnishings, textiles, and vintage pieces.
Good Juju, 1420 W 13th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64101
With two floors of home furnishings, antiques, and other goodies you're sure to find a treasure to take home!
The Dusted Attic, 1316 W Hickory St, Kansas City, MO 64102
Two floors of renewed furniture, vintage items, antiques, and more.
Easy, Tiger, 1408 W 12th St #100, Kansas City, MO 64101
You guys!!!! This amazing shop is so much fun! You'll find a delightful staff, vinyl on the turntable, and playful and stylish stationary, glassware, home decor, pet accessories, and more! The Kansas City Dreamin' mural is a great photo op!
Bella Patina, 1320 W 12th St, Kansas City, MO 64101
Another "must see" for me. Give yourself plenty of time to see all the goodness this amazing store has to offer! You'll find three floors of home decor, furniture, clothing, and more! It also houses products from some of my favorite Kansas City creatives, Gale Nation, Carly Rae Studio, and Kolorize.
Nook and Cranny, 1400 W 13th St, Kansas City, MO 64016
At this sweet store you'll find upcycled goods, antiques, vintage home furnishings, and more.
Quick Tips:
If you've been to the West Bottoms in Kansas City I'd love to hear about your favorite shops. Leave me a comment. If you've never been, check it out! I look forward to visiting again soon!
Warmest Regards,
Katie
]]>Spring has finally sprung and I'm ready to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather! My friend and I recently headed to Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence, Kansas for a fun day of shopping! Many know Lawrence, KS as the home of the Jayhawks. Rock Chalk! In addition to the sprawling KU campus, Lawrence has a fun downtown area full of diverse shops, great food, and entertainment.
KU fan or not, located about 45 minutes from downtown Kansas City, MO and about 35 minutes from Overland Park, KS, it's a perfect destination for a day trip in the Kansas City area!
I love the charm of Mass. St. with the beautiful old buildings adorned with brightly colored awnings. The variety of shops and restaurants that line both sides of Mass St. is unparalleled. There's such an eclectic mix of shops that there's sure to be something for everyone! A visit during the holiday season when it's aglow with lights is a real treat!
Our Day Trip:
Knowing that most stores open at 10am, we planned our arrival for about 10:30. It was a gorgeous day so we parked and walked to all of the stores. Be sure to bring quarters to feed the meters. When we were there, 25 cents = 30 minutes of parking. I love the labels on the meters, "this car" or "that car".
This beautiful collective boutique has t-shirts, prom dresses, and everything in between! It also has gift items, jewelry, accessories, and home decor.
Wow! I was blown away by this beautiful letterpress and design studio. From the amazing store window to the wall of greeting cards, you can tell this is a store that pays close attention to details. I found so many beautiful gift and stationary items!
If you're looking for something that says "Kansas" or "Lawrence" this is the place to go! Great items at affordable prices make this a perfect place to stop in and pick up something to showcase your love of Kansas!
This colorful shop is full of treasures: stationary, books, art supplies, journals, prints, and unique gift items. This fun and vibrant shop will get your creativity flowing!
If you're looking for a fun new piece to spice up your wardrobe, this is the boutique for you! This boutique has the latest fashions, beautiful shoes, and accessories.
This is a small sampling of the many diverse shops lining Massachusetts St. in Lawrence, KS. Check out the business directory of downtown Lawrence to see all they have to offer!
If you've been to downtown Lawrence, KS or perhaps call it home, I'd love to hear about your favorite spots on Mass St. Leave me a comment. If you've never been, check it out! I look forward to visiting again soon!
Warmest Regards,
Katie
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Do you decorate for St. Patrick's Day? I'll admit, the only St. Patrick's Day decoration I have is my cute LUCK porch sign. Once I put my porch sign out I knew I needed something for my front door. For this DIY Quick Craft (a craft you can typically complete in an hour our less), I picked up a large unfinished shamrock at a local craft store and used the same technique that I did for our Valentine's Day Washi Tape Heart. This is a perfect project to do on your own or involve the kiddos.
I love Washi tape! For those unfamiliar with it, Washi tape is a thin, adhesive tape made of paper. Really really pretty paper!!! It comes in an endless assortment of colors, patterns, and thicknesses and is sold at most craft stores.
For this Washi Shamrock project you'll need:
Optional Supplies:
Step 1:
Choose a roll of Washi tape and put 1 strip of washi on the bottom of the shamrock. I left a little extra on each side to hang over the edge of the shamrock.
Step 2:
Choose a different pattern of Washi tape and add another row directly above the last.
Repeat until the entire shamrock is covered.
Step 3:
Turn your shamrock over and bend in the edges of the tape. Use scissors to cut the tape if needed before bending over.
Step 4: (optional)
Add a thin layer of Mod Podge to the front of the shamrock to seal it and make it more durable. Be sure to mod podge the edges as well. Let dry.
You're done!
My shamrock came with a hanger, but if yours didn't just hot glue or tape a ribbon, rope, or length of fabric to the back.
These are so fun to make! Make them in various sizes to decorate with or give as gifts.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Katie
]]>It's another frosty winter day! Using a boxed cornbread mix, this recipe is so quick and easy making it perfect for a fast weeknight dinner.
I frequently serve cornbread as a side with chili and one night crumbled my cornbread into my chili. I loved the extra dose of sweetness and texture and decided to marry the two into this simple recipe!
Cornbread Chili Bake
You'll need:
Steps:
Using the boxed cornbread mix makes this such a fast and easy recipe. Serve with a salad and fresh fruit for an easy weeknight meal.
Enjoy,
Katie
]]>I love glass jars, especially mason jars. The charming raised details and words give them such character.
I recently found an adorable glass jar at a dollar store with a lattice design and "Made with Love" on the jar. To really make those words and details stand out, I decided to paint and distress the jar. I love the results!!!
This is a super easy project and the results are so pretty!
For this project you'll need:
Step 1:
Wash and dry the jar to remove any dust or sticky residue.
Step 2:
Once jar is completely dry, paint a thin coat of paint on the outside of the jar.
Step 3:
Let paint dry completely then paint a second coat. If needed, add a third coat.
Step 4:
Let dry completely then hand sand over the rims and raised details on the jar.
Such a quick and easy way to fancy up your glass jars! I love using these jars to decorate and as vases.
I usually tie a bit of rope or jute around the mouths of the jars to give them a bit more texture and a little vintage or farmhouse charm.
Happy crafting!
Katie
]]>Today I'm sharing my favorite smoothie recipes. You'll notice that they all share the same base: vanilla non-fat greek yogurt, frozen banana, and milk (I use skim).
Years ago through trial and error I came up with the Strawberry Citrus recipe. After that, I kept the base the same and played with different ingredients. When my kids were little I knew that they'd be more likely to drink the smoothie if they had some say in what went into it. Knowing that I had a good base, I'd let them choose what fruits to add.
I like my smoothies to be milk shake consistency. I achieve that by freezing all the fruits and veggies that go into the smoothies. Then I dump all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
For the Pumpkin Pie smoothie I freeze canned pumpkin puree in 1/2 cup portions so I can just grab a baggie of it from the freezer and dump it in. If the pumpkin puree is really rock solid, I'll transfer it to a bowl and pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to soften it before tossing it in.
For the Peanut Butter Banana Spinach smoothie I buy a bag of baby spinach and freeze the whole thing in a gallon ziplock. Then I break off what I need and toss it in.
Each recipe makes a 12oz smoothie.
Add ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.
Have fun playing with different flavor combinations. If you create a great one, leave it in the comments for us to try!
Enjoy!
Katie
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I love winter! I love everything about it: the holidays, the cold temps, snow, indoor sports, snuggling up with a cozy blanket and a good book, you get the idea. When I think of winter I think of warm and cozy family time. Hearty comfort food fits right in with all the things that make me so nostalgic about the winter months.
This Meat Lovers One Pot Chili recipe has evolved over the years to suit the ever changing taste buds of my family. It's a pretty basic chili recipe with the addition of polish sausage/kielbasa to make it a bit meatier.
Meat Lovers One Pot Chili
You'll Need:
Steps:
Tips:
Enjoy!
Katie
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It's always great to have a simple recipe for a sweet treat up your sleeve that looks festive but takes only minutes to make. This is my "go to" when I need a quick sweet treat for a get together, bake sale, or team party. You can change the color of the sprinkles to match any holiday or coordinate with team colors. Packaged in treats bags and tied with a ribbon they also make great party favors or "to go" treats. The sweet and salty combination makes them oh so yummy!
Valentine Pretzel Rods
You'll Need:
Steps:
Tips:
Enjoy!
Katie
]]>In my home we love to decorate cookies. So decorating sugar cookies at Christmas just isn't enough for us! We enjoy mixing up the icing and getting out the sprinkles at every holiday. Now that the kids are a little older we've begun trying lots of new techniques. For these Valentine cookies we used our favorite sugar cookie recipe and a wet on wet technique with royal icing.
You'll Need:
For these cookies use your favorite sugar cookie dough. My favorite sugar cookie recipe is from Katrina's Kitchen. I was drawn to this recipe because you don't have to chill it. When I use this recipe I've found it helpful to soften the butter almost to the point of it being melted.
We've tried many sugar cookie recipes over the years. When the kids were really tiny we'd just roll out the store bought refrigerated dough. They loved it just as much and it was a nice shortcut for a busy mama.
Follow your sugar cookie recipe, cut out, and bake. Let cool on cooling racks while you make your royal icing. Cookies need to be completely cool before decorating.
Royal Icing: My favorite Royal icing recipe is from Betty Crocker.
Once you have your Royal Icing mixed, now it's time to separate it into smaller bowls, 1 for each color. I tint the icing AFTER thinning it.
Tip: I usually reserve about a tablespoon of the icing before dividing. In case I thin my icing too much in the next step I can thicken it back up with this reserved icing.
Royal Icing is very stiff. For these cookies we are using the wet on wet icing technique so we need to thin out our icing. Do this by adding a little room temperature or warm water at a time. Add your water about 1 teaspoon at a time, mix, and test consistency. Add more water by teaspoonful until your icing is the consistency of cream. It should run off a spoon easily but not be so watery that it will run off the sides of the cookies.
Tint your icing with food coloring and transfer it to squeeze bottles.
To ice your cookies:
Enjoy!
Katie
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I love getting in the kitchen with my kids to make yummy holiday treats. The goodies we make are great, but the memories we're making are even sweeter.
With the sweet and salty combination these Valentine pretzel bites are super tasty and a snap to make. Honestly, the most time consuming part of this whole recipe is unwrapping the Rolos! When my kids were little I'd take advantage of their competitive streaks and challenge them to see who could unwrap the most in the fastest time. Side note: Do you know that unwrapping small objects (like Rolos) is great for a kiddos fine motor skill development?
This is a great little recipe to have up your sleeve because it's fast, requires just a few ingredients, and can be cute for any holiday by changing the color of the M&Ms.
Valentine Pretzel Bites
Ingredients:
Directions:
Enjoy!
Katie
]]>Valentine's Day is right around the corner! I thought I'd share a DIY Quick Craft (a craft you can typically complete in an hour our less) that's perfect for Valentine's Day! This is a perfect project to do on your own or involve the kids.
I love Washi tape! For those unfamiliar with it, Washi tape is a thin, adhesive tape made of paper. Really really pretty paper!!! It comes in an endless assortment of colors, patterns, and thicknesses and is sold at most craft stores.
For this Washi Heart project you'll need:
Optional Supplies:
Step 1:
Choose a roll of Washi tape and put 1 strip of washi on the bottom of the heart. I left a little extra on each side to hang over the edge of the heart.
Step 2:
Choose a different pattern of Washi tape and add another row directly above the last.
Repeat until the entire heart is covered
Step 3:
Turn your heart over and bend in the edges of the tape.
Step 4: (optional)
Add a thin layer of Mod Podge to the front of the heart to seal it and make it more durable. Let dry.
You're done!
If you'd like to hang your heart, hot glue or tape a ribbon, rope, or length of fabric to the back.
My kids and I had so much fun making these that we made a larger one to hang on the front door, some to hang in the kids' rooms, and a few smaller ones to give to teachers and grandparents.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Katie
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I love going on little day trips around the Kansas City area. One of my favorite places to go is downtown Lee's Summit, Missouri. It's only about 30 minutes from downtown Kansas City and also only about 30 minutes from Overland Park, Kansas. That gives me plenty of time to drop the kids off at school, spend the day shopping, and then make it back in plenty of time for school pick up.
Last fall I attended their Fall Open House, but I love it anytime during the year. During the holidays it's particularly charming. Tree lined 3rd Street aglow with simple and beautiful holiday lights gives it a Hallmark movie small town feel.
Downtown Lee's Summit hosts fun community events throughout the year. Check out their Calendar of Events for what they have coming up.
My Day Trip:
Knowing that most stores open at 10 am, I started my excursion with coffee/hot tea, scones, and quiche at Whistle Stop Coffee Shop.
After breakfast, I headed down Main Street making my way towards 3rd Street stopping at all of the darling shops along the way. I love that you can get to all of the shops and restaurants on foot. 3rd Street is lined with shops, restaurants, and more. There's really something for everyone.
I love to shop! There are so many cute shops to explore in downtown Lee's Summit. Here are my favorites:
I LOVE this gorgeous Home Decor Boutique. Beautiful products and amazing customer service makes this my #1 place to shop in downtown Lee's Summit.
This beautiful shop has so many fun kitchen supplies, tools, and specialty food items. The treats in their candy counter are true masterpieces and look divine!
This family owned and operated home decor store is full of beautiful treasures!
You'll find women's apparel and accessories galore at this lovely boutique.
I was enthralled with the architecture of this shop. I chatted with the owner about the history of the space and all of the original elements that they incorporated into the design. I love that they created a stunning boutique while preserving the historical integrity of the space.
This is such a small sampling of all the great places in downtown Lee's Summit. I didn't even get to the food and entertainment! Sounds like a perfect reason for me to take another trip!
If you've been to downtown Lee's Summit or perhaps call it home, I'd love to hear your favorite spots! Leave me a comment. If you've never been, I encourage you to check it out and let me know how you like it!
Warmest Regards,
Katie
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