Category Archives: Uncategorized

A few years ago, my family started planning a week in the summer that we would all get together. I love love love this tradition. Usually it’s at the beach or somewhere on the water, and it’s always fun. Spouses and children come (not mine, but I can bring friends) and it’s so great to spend a week playing with my nephews and catching up with everyone. 

This week, I turned 25 and celebrated with my family. We made lots and lots of cookies (completely unrelated to birthdays, just because we like cookies). My parents and me and my siblings were each in charge of one night of dinner. Part of my parent’s night of dinner included black bread from the Game of Thrones cookbook. It was good! For my night, I made a taco bar and tried to incorporate all my knowledge of what makes a good taco. Like sour cream and cilantro and limes and, man, they were good, too. The waves were pretty rough this week. We took a walk one night and my sister and her husband stopped to take in the view with their kids. I can’t believe the week is ending already! 

hat

I am obsessed with this hat.

This hat is from Target for $12.95. It has a multicolored weave so I can wear it with everything (but let’s be real, I’d probably wear it with everything no matter what color it is). It is perfect for beach hair or bed head or I-don’t-feel-like-washing-my-hair-today hair or it’s-sort-of-windy-out-today hair or it-goes-with-my-outfit hair. It is perfect for this week. Outfits after the jump.

I traveled in this because a long skirt seemed comfortable for the car. Skirt from my mom’s closet, T shirt from Zara.

Hanging out at the beach. Dress from Marshalls.

Hanging out on the beach. Shirt and skirt from Target.

I sincerely doubt I’ll be taking this hat off anytime soon.

If you guys want to keep up with some pictures I’m taking this week, I’m on instagram @raenudson.

25

Greeting from Florida! Right now I am with my family on our yearly family vacation and I couldn’t be happier about it. It’s a beautiful day and we are staying in a beautiful house and I got to spend my birthday and father’s day with my family. I turned 25 yesterday. That’s kind of a big number, right? Your excuses start to run out at 25. You aren’t in your early 20s anymore. You are getting close to 30. Other people have husbands and babies and houses (yikes!). So here’s 25 17 things I learned this past year that can maybe help me be a grown up. Or that just help me be me.

  1. It doesn’t have to hurt so bad. So call your doctor or your therapist. Or take some medicine, or call a friend, or whatever. You don’t have to be in so much pain.
  2. Your life will be easier if you just regularly buy the nice paper towels.
  3. One party will not make your life. Neither will one day or one mistake.
  4. You should learn to make a really good cup of coffee in your home. You know, if you like coffee.
  5. If you want to do something, make a plan. It’s easier to get people to join that way.
  6. If you don’t want to do anything, stay in! It’s ok.
  7. If you already pay for cable and love all things HBO, the extra $15 to get the channel and HBO Go might be (definitely is) totally worth it.
  8. Eating enough and getting enough sleep is hugely important.
  9. If you want to do big things, take baby steps. Not only will this get you started, you will also feel infinitely smarter than the people who have big dreams and have taken no steps.
  10. This includes preparing for retirement or home ownership. Save a little! Thats a baby step!
  11. Learn what types of beers (or whatever) you like. Try a lot of them.
  12. If you are feeling trapped or overwhelmed, a walk helps.
  13. There is nothing shameful about liking terrible tv shows meant for preteen girls.
  14. My friends constantly surprise me with their awesomeness. This is awesome. (ok, I knew this one already)
  15. It’s really great to find a make up look and hair style you feel confident in.
  16. Right now in my life, the best part of being a grown up is planning vacations (you can go anywhere! all you have to do is buy a plane ticket!).
  17. The fourth season of the wire is the best television I have ever seen.
Got any tips for me? Any of your own lessons? Let me know, I could use all the help I can get.

a birthday goal

Did you guys know my birthday is coming up? I’ll be 25 this Sunday. I know it’s not really old at all but it’s still throwing me for a loop. And it’s got me thinking about life and goals an all that good stuff. So I’m proud to announce that starting on my birthday (which is also father’s day!) 10% of all Rae’s Days proceeds will go to the International Book Project. 

Did that seem like a big jump? Let me explain. Books have inspired the products on Rae’s Days and inspire my life. And I’d like to help others have the opportunity to fall in love with reading. I could go on for days about how much I believe in reading, how much good I think it does for kids and adults, how wonderful it is to leave your own world while you’re still on your couch, but hopefully you’ve heard it all before. 

So I’m hoping to mesh the sewing and crafting and blogging with reading a little bit more because I’d like all of this to be for something bigger. We all know how much I love a good handbag, but a bag that was inspired by a moment in a story and that you can carry around secretly knowing you are representing someone’s favorite book and whose proceeds go to providing reading to others? I can’t beat that.

So on my 25th birthday, I’ll take the first steps. Want to take them with me? 

P.S. Don’t know what to get me for my birthday? Donate a few dollars and let me know about it.

new clutch part two

Yesterday I showed you a look I was trying for vacation. Here’s a look I wore to work. Stripes and polka dots and my new textured clutch. Shirt from Topshop, skirt and shoes from JC Pennys, clutch from Raes Days. I like this looked, I felt put together and ready to start the week. 

Apparently there are almost no weeks I don’t find something interesting on the sidewalk—this time a cute note. I also got a cute note, but mine came in the mail. Cisco and I both relaxed on the weekend, him on the couch mixed up in my tape measure, and me in the park. And with some hard work this little bit of knitting became this iPad case/clutch. You can check it out on Etsy, and I’ll post what you could wear with it tomorrow!

french press

Finally, after much jealousy and tales of delicious hot and iced coffee, I came to my senses and got a French press. And it does not disappoint. 

But before I get to the iced coffee, let’s start with the ice cubes. I put raspberries in mine.

Once that was done, fill it up with water and freeze. I also made some ice cubes out of coffee, so that way my iced coffee wouldn’t be watered down. 

Once the ice cubes are in the glass…

Fill it up with the delicious coffee your french press has been brewing in the fridge. For the coffee, I used this recipe from Food 52. Put coffee, cinnamon, and water in your french press. Let it sit overnight in the fridge and then press down in the morning and pour into your cup with berry and coffee ice cubes. 

The raspberries add a lovely flavor and the coffee cubes keep it strong. Add milk or sweetened condensed milk as you like, and that’s it. The best iced coffee you can make at home. 

I’ve been making hot coffee as well, with the same recipe (minus the ice cubes). It’s been amazing. Got any French press or coffee tips? Let me know!

play

I’ve been interested in the idea of midriffs but not really confident enough to completely pull them off (blame @oscarprgirl, she kills it in a midriff). This was my experiment with the idea. I’ve worn this shirt many many times before for work and for play, but I’ve never worn it quite like this. I just tied a knot in the front, and then threw on a high-waisted skirt so I wouldn’t actually be bare. Shirt is DKNYC, skirt is American Apparel, shoes are Loft, clutch I made myself.