April 2021 – Make Simple Happen

Hey all! Springtime is here (well, not really here, here–we are still getting snow in CO). BUT Mother’s Day is upon us, and I always love sharing some gifts that not only make our loved ones feel special, but also make a positive impact in the world. The small makers, sustainable upgrades, fair-trade and female-empowering, and clean and safe options! Especially for the mamas. PLEASE, if you are gifting household, beauty or personal care products, make sure they are safe and healthy for yo momma. xo

Highlighting some current favs below. Reach out with any and all questions and let me know if you purchase one of these ideas for your mama or yourself! -Amber

PS, have an idea for a gift to be added to the Make Simple Happen guide? Contact me!

Amber@MakeSimpleHappen.com

1. Beautycounter Body Care: Safe and Luxurious Body Care, in newly upgraded sustainable packaging. Give mom the gift of relaxation without harmful chemicals. Favorites include: Luminous Hydration Body Oil in Citrus Rosemary, Melting Body Balm, and the Sugarbuff Body Polish in Lemongrass

Award-winning products, Leaping Bunny Cruelty-free certified, free of 1,800 known toxins and carcinogens, Environmental Working Group (EWG) Certified, and a registered B Corporation that’s women led and owned. Yes please! I’ve been advocating with this amazing company for more than 3 years. And you know what led me to it? Wanting safer products for my momma after a cancer diagnosis. And I can’t stop, wont stop, until all products are safe for us, and we don’t have to watch our loved ones suffer from disease and illness at alarming rates in this country. I know we can do better and I’m so encouraged by the progress made and the shifts in the industry already happening!

2. Hand-poured Terra cotta Tripod Candle:

These Refugee-made wax candles from the nonprofit Preemptive Love, include beautiful terra cotta tripod containers (REFILL them and keep em going!), Soy candles fragranced with phthalate-free essential oils, wooden wicks, and the best part, besides how cute they are–Every candle provides relief and jobs for families fleeing violence around the world.

3. Mama Sweatshirt from Ollie and Penny

Handmade from Ashley in California, order this soft and cute sweetshirt from her Etsy shop and share your support of small female makers. I loved this coloring and font combo so much, and how it can work for a “comfy-at-home” or “out on the town” option.

4. The Eclipse Earrings

I love everything I own from Threads Worldwide–the quality, beauty, and especially the stories behind them. This pair of earrings jumped out to me–made from upcycled bullhorn, bone and wood, each pair is handcrafted from women in Vietnam through a fair-trade workshop that creates jobs and independence.

5. Plant Lady Sun Hat from ModParty on Etsy

Super cute sun hat for your favorite plant lover. Comes in a variety of styles from a female maker on Etsy with 5-star reviews. Double bonus–sun protection! Pair it with your favorite mineral sunscreen (suggestion: Beautycounter’s Daily Sheer Defense).

6. Handwoven Plant Basket

Speaking of PLANTS!

Not only do plants look gorgeous for decorating, but there are several varieties that have been linked to detoxing the air! My favorites are Peace Lilies, Spider Plants, Ferns, and Aloe Vera plants. (and lucky for moms that don’t have a “green thumb”, these varieties are also easy to keep alive!). Read more about how to reduce your toxic load through plants in my post here.

Other ideas:

Buy your flowers from your local Farmer, which promotes seasonality, sustainability, and shopping local (stat: over 80% of all flowers sold in this country were imported–“We can’t possibly care about climate change and global emissions while demanding year-round flower availability”). Shop Local and In-Season Instead: You can locate your local flower farmer here.

Poetry! I am especially into Morgan Harper Nichols, and anxiously awaiting her new book “How Far You Have Come”, which should arrive before Mother’s Day. You can find her work, and really beautiful gifts on the Garden 24.co shop.

The Perpetual Calendar!!! Everyone needs one of these for birthdays and anniversaries!

Product Free Gifts: Foot rubs, hikes together, cooking together, cleaning her house for her, planting a garden for her, HUGS after Hugs (especially after a year of very limited or nonexistent hugs).

BE well, loves!

-Amber

Snapshots from a staging project in Denver’s Park Hill Neighborhood

This beautiful Park Hill home just hit the market today, and I wanted to share some of my photos and favorite parts of the staging & design project. With a Mid-Century-Modern vibe and super fun second-hand finds, I had so much fun creating each room!

The sellers already had this gorgeous long entry console, that I asked to leave for staging, because it was just so dang pretty! Folding in some extra art work and this gorgeous curved top wall mirror–it brought some great height, brightness & openness to the space. Mirrors are great for making spaces look extra big!

I love that oil and watercolor paintings are making a comeback.

Hello Studio McGee! We see you. Thanks for making landscapes and painted portraits super cool and mainstream again. We are here for it! I folded in many of these beautifully framed canvases throughout the house. They look rich and bold, but are super reasonably priced from Target!

These rooms were so naturally bright with the big windows and original wood floors. The buyers did an amazing refresh of this mid-century home, keeping the character and the white walls, but we wanted to add some warmth and color–bring in the RUGS! I always start with the rugs and/or art work, and then build the room around them. This area rug was a Facebook Marketplace score for me. Brand new and under $50. The Project 62 abstract framed canvas art was a Goodwill thrift store score! P.S. Check out the “Before” of this previous office turned additional bedroom:

My sellers had the coolest style to begin with, and some amazing period pieces handed down through the family. It made the staging job extra fun–like this fabulous dining set which was the seller’s grandmother’s. I brought in the living room furniture with a focus on making sure everything flowed well and had a cohesive feel.

The Sellers wanted the first impression to WOW people as they walked into the great room. So we swapped out the focal points of the mantle and fireplace area to showcase art and greenery and a little sitting area. The fireplace screen was removed, and this beautiful birch wood from a shop on etsy added instead. So pretty!

Thanks for following along with this fun journey. Reach out for any design and staging needs of your own. Would love to help! And follow me on the “LIKEtoKNOW.it” app for sourcing and product info! https://www.liketoknow.it/Make%20Simple%20Happen

Month: April 2021

A Mother’s Day Conscious Consumer Gift Guide

Other ideas:

Staging & Design