SCHOOLHOUSE E&S Co. HACK: Porthole Mirrors

by rachel w.

When I saw the "Higgins Mirror with Rope Hanger" (pretentious name miright?) online, I decided it would be the perfect fit for my toddler's bedroom. And then I saw that it cost $315. There was NO way that I could justify spending that on one mirror for a Toddler's room, but I really loved it. I had to have it. So I got creative...

... and I am pretty pleased with how they turned out.  I'm thinking they would look great on a back porch as well. For now though, they hang happily to the side of my small fry's bed. I'm happy because I love how they look, and he's happy because he loves how he looks jumping up and down catching glimpses of his reflection. Hope you enjoy this tutorial, and as always, thanks for reading!

Supplies:

• Sandpaper
• Glue Gun
• 1/4" Manilla Rope
• Round Mirror 
• Electrical Tape
• Scissors
• Spanish Copper Rub n' Buff 
• Sock
• 5/16" x 1-9/16" Steel/Zinc Plated Linchpin
• Not pictured: Screw L Hook for hanging

Instructions:

Clean and sand your surface.

Put a little rub n' buff on that sock.

Apply, let dry, buff.

Ta. Da.

Fold rope in half, thread through linchpin.

Fold loose ends of rope over to form a loop and twist the length of the rope twice.

Secure with hot glue and 1/3 width of electrical tape.

Open linchpin and hot glue to back of mirror.

There ya have it! Let me know if you have any questions!

5 Ways to Develop Your Life by Looking at Your Lenses

by rachel w.

There is no denying that our experiences shape the way we see anything. But those experiences do not have to define the way we see everything.

We can choose how we look at people, our circumstances, ourselves. And ultimately, our view will help determine the actions we take.

But how do we get there? Let us help you with these five simple steps, as Doe a Deery's theme for the month is Lenses...

READ MORE>>

My Balance

by rachel w.

Me doing nothing. 

I've decided that balance is a feeling. I used to run around like a chicken with my head cut off. Darting here, darting there.

I still do that some, but I've slowed down a lot. For me, slowing down helps me maintain balance. Slowing down helps me have that feeling.

I don't feel like I get the same rush that I used to when I was busy. And honestly, sometimes I feel less valuable when I take it slow.

But that's okay.

Sometimes I feel like it is a blessing that I am able to move slow. My life feels long. I enjoy lots of moments. I'll spend a whole day doing nothing but playing with my boys. I'll take two hours to grocery shop with my sister. I'll spend a week getting my laundry done.

Right now my life isn't a race.

Right now my balance is realized when I move slower.

Check out our conversation on balance.

Easiest Highlight + Contour With the Stuff You Already Have

by rachel w.

I'm sure you've all pinned it... you know the pin, the one that shows you how to highlight and contour your face... but have you actually tried it? 

I have always been interested in the concept of highlighting and shading different areas of your noggin to get a different look, but I'd never put the brush to the cheek to give it an actual go until a few months ago. 

I'm the type of person who is pretty impatient (and cheap), so when I watched a video tutorial on the subject and discovered that I had almost NONE of the tools required to achieve that perfect glow, I dug through my makeup drawer and came up with my own method using the basic things that most makeup-wearing humans poses.

READ MORE>>

115 Throw Pillows with Personality

by rachel w.

I waded through 1 billion pillows to bring you 115 that are fabulous. 

One fun fact about these throw pillows is that they are originally art prints that have been adapted to adorn anything from your couch to an iPhone case!

So, whether you're looking for that perfect throw pillow to tie your whole room together--or set your whole room apart, you'll want to check out this pinterest board. Here are the first 30, and there are 85 more once you click through. Enjoy!

This is one of my faves. What's yours?

BALANCE: the act, the journey... the myth?

by rachel w.

Today, we are going to try something a little different as we kick off this month's theme on balance.

Last month, when we revealed our theme on acceptance, all of our regular contributors weighed in on the topic. This month, to balance things out ;), we'd love to hear from you! I'm testing out a facebook plug-in that will let you post here from your facebook profile, and allow us all the opportunity to have a conversation on the ever evolving topic of balance. So, come be a guinea pig (or guinea doe), and give it a try. If you don't have facebook, just comment using the regular method.

Let's get started with my thoughts on balance...

A few months ago, I would have thought that balance was possible. Then I started this blog, and my life was WAY out of balance. And I felt bad about that. Thankfully, I have come up with some ways to rebalance, but in doing so, I have started to wonder if balance is even a thing. Can one's life be perfectly divided and balanced into nice little buckets? And isn't there a balance within each of those buckets (for example in self there could be body, mind and spirit, and within mind there could be art and science and on and on...)? And what about the fact that during different parts of our life we have different responsibilities and goals? For example, I am a mother of two small boys, does that even allow for balance? Is it our role as mothers to give everything to our children? Can that make them balanced? I could go on...

Balancing on the Brink

Where I am now, I'm thinking that maybe balance can be achieved over a lifetime of acts in different arenas--if balance is your goal. But, maybe balance can't be measured by acts, but by a feeling of contentment. So, maybe moments of balance do exist in the here and now. Maybe these moments should be strived for, but maybe we should realize that these moments of balance are like beautiful vistas, which are enjoyed after a sweaty journey over rocky terrain. As I wonder if I should strive for balance, I think about burnout--a result of imbalance, which maybe occurs because we are not feeding all parts of ourself. We can't be sustained only physically, or mentally or socially or spiritually or whathaveyoually. Anyway, as you can tell, my jury is still out on balance... Maybe you can sway me one way or another.

So here are my questions to you...

• Does balance even exist?
• Should we strive for balance?
• How do we balance it all?
• Why do we want to balance it all?
• What do you do to rebalance?
• Do you have a favorite quote on balance?

Your Eyebrows Can Woo! Can You? {tutorial}

The Wonderful Things My Eyebrows Can Do
(Keep scrolling and yours can do them too!)

(Adapted from Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? By Dr. Seuss.)


Oh, the wonderful things your eyebrows can do!

They can make an expression that says woo hoo

They can frame your face and a be more than just fuzz.

How about yours?
Are they more than just fuzz?

They enhance your beauty... bippity bop.

And keep sweat on the outs when you hippity hop.

They can be just as important as your hairity do.

And express more in silence than a simple haiku.

READ MORE>>

Stop SHOULDING Yourself

by Rachel W.

Should used to whisper, and sneak, and echo around in the back of my mind. It never really screamed at me--which I appreciated--but it did linger. My Should loved to hang with the shirts in my laundry room.

READ MORE>>

Some Subtle Waves for Spring

by Rachel W.

I'm not going to lie... I'm totally embarrassed to even be posting this video, but this is where my idea for the blog began, so I kind of owe it to the good ol' doe to follow through. The short of it is that I posted a picture of myself on Instagram after I had waved my hair, and a few friends wanted me to do a tutorial. Before I knew it, I had started up Doe a Deery. I hope all three of you who requested this enjoy it ;) AND, this is my first vlog, so don't judge too harshly. I'd love to do more, so let me know if you'd be interested in any of the following... contour and highlight your face, get a liquid liner look without the liquid, shape and fill your brows, or how to pump up your lips.

But in all seriousness, I'm pretty low maintenance, this hairdo takes me all of about four minutes! Thanks for watching!



And for all of you who have no interest in my hair, here is a quote that has been on my mind as of late... "I walk slowly, but I never walk backward." --Abraham Lincoln

Living Thing Ring Dish {anthro hack}

by Rachel W.

Someday I'll post the full story about how this project kept morphing and failing, and almost turned into an online shop and ended up being completed on a putting green in Las Vegas, but for today, it's just the tutorial...

READ MORE>>

Doe a Deery Lives Without Pretending

by Rachel W.

The day after we launched Doe a Deery, I started looking into possible avenues to promote the blog. The first place I started was Studio 5, a local morning show in Utah that a number of local bloggers have been featured on. When I pulled up Studio 5's Web site and saw that their theme for the month was "Live Without Pretending," I pulled out my Jazz hands and the excitement started dancing out of my fingers.

READ MORE>>

Rachel W.

When I used to work in a professional setting and I would contact a new person about a project, my e-mails would usually start with, Hi, my name is Rachel Watson and I work at [insert place of employment here] as an [insert title here], I'm working on... [launch into e-mail about very exciting venture...]. So as I introduce myself to you, I want to fall back into that pattern, but these days, I don't really have a title (does mom count?) and I work within the walls of my house (and I'm not telling the web where that is). So, now onto my exciting venture... wait for it... this blog. I hope that wasn't too anticlimactic. So... what about this blog? So...What about me?

Well, my angle is, I'm an average doe, trying to live a happy life. I am pretty personal, so I'm not going to be sharing all the ugly moments of my life with you, but when I share a beautiful one, I will try to surround it with reality. For example, my bio (beautiful moment that it is)--I have spent way too much time on it. I somehow lost the version that I made some really great edits to last night, and so this is a different take on that.

Oh, and wasn't this supposed to be a bio or something? Quickly... I married my high school sweetheart, we lived in the student village at the University of Utah, and I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! I attended the University of Utah and graduated in broadcast journalism. Upon graduation, I worked at a local PBS station (KUED) editing video, writing and doing production. In 2007 my husband and I up and moved to Washington, DC, where I worked for the George Washington University as a Web editor and writer. At the end of 2009 we welcomed a bouncing baby boy into the world, and I have stayed home ever since. I have wanted to be a stay at home mom since I was six. It really is my dream job--not that it doesn't come with its ups and downs. I think the hardest thing about being a mom is that I am my own boss. I'd prefer to have someone telling me what to do and keeping tabs on me. What can I say, I am motivated by external forces--I am trying to work on that btw.

I like to lie on my stomach with my feet way too close to the space heater. I am a great listener, I love to give advice, I love people and making new friends, I try to be inclusive and I put a lot of effort into being an organized person. Thanks for stopping by and getting to know me! I hope you enjoy this blog.