Cabin in the City

Books, cats and midwestern charm.

30 Days of Thanks 2025 // Week 4

11.30.25 | Life

30 Days of Thanks 2025 // Week 3

11.21.25 | Life

30 Days of Thanks 2025 // Week 2

11.14.25 | Life
30 Days of Thanks 2025

30 Days of Thanks 2025 // Week 1

11.07.25 | Life

What I Read // May 2025

06.04.25 | Books
Vinyl records

Unsolicited Advice: Make a Baby Playlist

05.20.25 | Life

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A Little Hoop-La

Filed Under: Life, Make Tagged With:

I’ve got a little sales pitch for you all that I’ve been mulling over for some time. Now, almost two years ago now (holy cats), I made what I’d say was a darling little stitchery for a friend’s wedding. It was cute, had the bride and groom’s names, the wedding date and the best font of 2013: Lavenderia.

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See what I mean? Not too shabby and a nice little trinket to commemorate the day that’s not champagne flutes or some cake cutting knife etched with the wedding date (not that those are bad). So when my friend Amanda got married, I figured why not make her a little ditty. And I had a blast doing it.

WedEmbroider2These projects combine a lot of things I love: embroidery, typography, design, cool people. So I’m figuring, why not try to drum up a little business stitching away peoples’ wedding dates or baby names or even quotes (I just got commissioned at work to embroider a quote from They Live)? For a reasonable price, I’m open to designing you and yours a meaningful little hoop-full.

If you’re interested, shoot me an email at heycabininthecity@gmail.com

Until then, I’ll be whipping up a belated wedding gift for my pal Kat.

 

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NBR1MOM

Filed Under: Life Tagged With:

As Dorothy Zbronak once said over cheesecake, “If mothering was easy, fathers would do it.” Not to get down on dads – I love my dad – but my mom puts up with far more of my nonsense and dramatics than my dad could ever hope to handle. And I love her for it. And I love her for everything else too.

Everyone says that they have the best mom, but I’m one of few (my sisters and bro) that’s telling the truth. Nancy Kaminski is the best mom. Her license plate on her old Buick read NBR1MOM; it’s that official.

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So on Mother’s Day, I want to give a big shout out to this awesome lady who taught me how to embroider, bake, present a good case, and everything else good I know. So here’s to you, Mom and your awesome 80s self in this picture.

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You’re Cordially Invited

Filed Under: Life Tagged With:

When it comes to wedding invitations, there are a lot of rules. Just search for “how to word an invitation” or “how to address an envelope” for weddings and there are millions of results (maybe). There’s a lot out there, and do you know what I learned after reading up on all of it? Do whatever the heck you want. Don’t want to write out “two-thousand and fifteen?” Don’t! Think writing “Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Stock” seems outdated? It is! So you write those invites however you want. I sure did. And look how pretty they are!

Invite2Like the save the dates, I got my invites from Elli. Like last time, they were perfect. Super easy to work with, accommodated customization requests and were super affordable. I’m not a paid spokesperson but, boy, I should be.

Invite1When it came time to wrap these all up, I had to take a step back. I saw so many cute ideas for binding all the pieces together and I was in the craft store, I was thinking oh, I could get some fancy lace and sew it around or what if I customized little tags and used velveteen ribbon. And then I had to take a step back. As much as I wanted my invitations to be pretty and memorable and fitting, I also needed to remind myself that in a few months, all of this will be in someone’s recycling bin. With that in mind, I put back the tags and the lace and wax seals. Instead I tied the RSVP and the invite together with twine and sealed the envelope with fabric tape (that stuff is seriously cool).

Invite3It took me six hours and two trips to the post office, but I got them all out. Did you know that if the envelope is lumpy (thanks, bakers twine), it’ll cost you an extra 21¢ for every invite. So if you’re thinking of some adorable stamp scheme (which I wasn’t – I mean Johnny Cash stamps, people), keep in mind that your perfect flower stamp will have an Honest Abe slapped next to it. Word to the wise, people. Post office stuff.

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Short Story: Teacup Centerpieces

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: ,

Until I was engaged, I refused to pin wedding stuff. That’s right: no “Future Wedding” board, no dream dresses, not even a checklist that says “pin now or regret forever!” My one exception was this little gem here. So I thought, if I suddenly become a millionaire, I’ll have teacup centerpieces. 

Teacup2Well, turns you don’t have to be rolling in it to have similar exquisite arrangements. As it so happens, all you need is a fiancé that loves tea (Michael and I have had a lot of tea parties in our day) and a few bucks.

With that one pin and our venue in mind, I headed over to my nearest Goodwill to see if they had any vintage teacups. I was of the mindset that there was no way I’d be able to find anything that fit the pre-1950s feel that I was aiming for at a Goodwill – you’d need an adorable antique store for that sort of thing. I know, I’m a Negative Nancy. But I browsed the china section and immediately found four beautiful cups and matching (or close enough) saucers all for under $5. After a few more trips I had something like 15 cups for which I paid $20. Yeah. I’m good at deals.

Well, I’ve been sitting on these cups for a while and I figured that I shouldn’t wait until the day before the wedding to try my hand at an arrangement. So I hiked over to my local grocer and picked up a bunch of ranunculus, mini hydrangeas and lemon leaves. And that’s all you need: your cups, a handful of flowers and some floral foam.

Teacup3Now, I won’t give you a how-to on arranging because I’m no expert. My mom, however, is, and you can bet I’m banking on her florist skills to make these little arrangements look even better (and to maybe help me pick out some better flowers for this particular application). One pro tip I’ll leave you with: ranunculus stems are flimsy as heck. If you want to stick them into wet floral foam without them bending all over, just cut a straw the length of that stem and thread the flower through that. It will stabilize the stem and allow you to use my favorite flower of all time.

Teacup1And because Michael and I are old old souls (and he’s a literature dude and I’m a writer), these babies are going to be staged on a stack of old books. Yes, I know that’s on Pinterest too, but it’s still a good idea.

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Save the Super Chill Date

Filed Under: Life Tagged With:

Whoa! Wedding planning can be a real trip. I’ve got people asking me about colors, themes, who’s in the party and on and on; because I’m a totally ill-equipped super chill bride-to-be, I have very few solid answers. It’s not like the whole shebang is only in 100 days or anything (it is exactly 100 days away).

But I will admit, maybe some ideas came together when Michael and I ordered these sweet save the dates from Elli (they did an awesome job, got us proofs in a blink of an eye, and we got them in the mail in just a few days – highly recommend).

Save the date from Elli.com

I had a whole Pinterest board dedicated to stationary, and I sat down with Michael and told him to pick a card any card. He wasn’t entirely into that, so I narrowed it down to three and he picked from there. I say good choice. Even though we’re not having a woodsy wedding, I feel like these work. They have the 1960s National Geographic feel along with some Lost Type action. Plus, I feel like they are Lisa and Michael which is really the whole point. Also shout out USPS for making Johnny Cash stamps – every old man in my family is happy now.

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The Best Place

Filed Under: Adventure, Life Tagged With: ,

Wedding planning is hard, you guys. And it’s especially hard when you have less than five months to do it. I mean holy cats is it a headache. Guest lists, invitations, dresses and caterers – just ugh. Like did you even know that with some caterers the flatware and china is an added cost? Or that dresses take something like eight months to be ordered? I’m convinced it’s all a beautiful lacy racket.

Fortunately, though, picking a venue was a piece of cake: a total one and done situation. Michael and I will be getting married at the Best Place. Seriously the Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery, and it is awesome.

Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery

For you Milwaukee folks, the above photo is pretty well known. I’m pretty sure you all have taken a pic of this sign before. I’m so sure because when my friends and I visited Jackson’s Blue Ribbon Pub for lunch one day, all four of us pulled out our iPhones and snapped one like a bunch of basics. It’s all with good reason though because this place is beautiful in that old world meets industrial meets German way.

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This was such a simple decision because besides being affordable, available and perfect, Michael and I have a tiny bit of history with the place. When we first started dating back in 2011, nearly every week we were out taking pictures with an armful of film cameras, and we took these around the Pabst Brewery that summer.

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The area looks slightly different now. It’s been cleaned up a bit and doesn’t look as foreboding, but it retains all of it’s old school Milwaukee charm, which is my favorite kind of charm.

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I’m pretty thrilled about this whole thing, even if I can’t figure out catering or decide on any sort of color scheme.

And if you want to visit the old Pabst Brewing area, do it! You can take a tour of the facilities, have a drink and head across the street to Jackson’s Blue Ribbon Pub for some eats (you better get that Bavarian pretzel).

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Groovy Printed Napkins, Baby

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: ,

Sometimes you want a practical little craft you can bang out in a day. You know, something you can bring as a hostess gift or a little whatnot to complete that birthday gift. This is that craft. These printed napkins are so simple, so quick and super satisfying.

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Here’s what you’re going to need:

  • Plain cotton napkins – I got mine at JoAnn
  • Fabric paint – I recommend going with the Martha Stewart brand for all craft paint; it’s good on a ton of surfaces
  • Craft foam
  • Cardboard
  • Glue
  • Foam paintbrush

Groovy Printed Napkin

Now before you do anything, wash and dry those napkins (no fabric softener) to remove any coating from the fabric. This will make for smooth sailing for that fabric paint. And give them a good ironing while your going through the trouble.

OK, now that you’ve got that done, it’s time to get doodling. For this, you do you. Leaves, cat faces, initials, whatever floats your boat. I’d just advise to keep your shapes about an inch across or more. Tiny designs and ones with a lot of detail can get pretty muddy with this informal stamping method.

So doodle one design, a handful or variations on theme on your craft foam. Clip these out and glue the shapes to scraps of cardboard.

Napkin_2 Napkin_3Once you’ve got your stamps in order, you can get to painting. To get a nice imprint that’s not too mottled, swipe an even coat of paint on the foam. You don’t want any globs here. Then give that stamp a whirl on some scrap paper. You want to get a feel for how it works with the right amount of paint and pressure.

Napkin_4Napkin_5I’m sure you can guess what’s next: get stamping on those napkins. Get groovy with this. Multiple colors, multiple stamps, print on one edge, print all over – it’s all you!

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And it’s as simple as that. Just let these dry overnight and you’ve got some slick fabric napkins to bust out for your fanciest party or to give as gifts. These are totally washable too, so don’t be afraid to get some use out of them!

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If you’ve made printed napkins before or if you make some now, I’d love to see them! Happy crafting!

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And We’re Back!

Filed Under: Life

Whoa. I feel off the face of the earth for a while. Now that we’re practically halfway through January, I figured I should get my butt back in gear.

Not to bore you with a much belated new year post or anything, but this new year is going to get crazy, you guys. For those of you reading this who aren’t my mom, I’ll tell you that we weren’t planning on getting married until something like October 2016, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, we decided to move that date up to sometime mid-this year. So we’re living in the fast lane right now.

Misc

That all being said, I hope you all don’t mind some wedding-related posts thrown in here and there. I’m sure I’ll be tackling a DIY or two (or a million). Until then, I’ll be browsing BHLDN.com like it’s my job.

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Short Story: Tiered Tray

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: ,

The holidays, man. I love them but boy have I been booked solid the last few weeks. Don’t worry, though, I’m back with a simple DIY that might be just the ticket for your next party: a tiered tray.

A few weeks ago when I was in a cookie competition I found myself in dire need of platters that looked at least halfway nice. Well, I didn’t want to invest too much money in cookie plates and cake stands, so I did what any sensible maker would do: I hit my local Goodwill with a plan and a few bucks.

Here’s a full list of what you’ll need when you waltz into your favorite thrift shop:

  • 3 plates in 3 sizes
  • 2 candlesticks
  • Glass/ceramic glue – I grabbed this kind by Elmer’s

Tiered Tray DIY

Now you can figure out the rest of this, I know, but I’ll walk you through it. I grabbed three coordinating plates with the  tacky 70s vibe I love and two plain candlesticks. The whole lot was $3.50. I took them home and gave them a good wash and dry.

Tiered_2Tiered_3

From there, apply your glue to the candlesticks, press firmly in place and let that dry for a few minutes. Then you can move on to the other tiers, working your way from the larger plates and candlesticks to the smaller ones. Let this dry for as long as the packaging of your glue specifies. I’d also advise that if you plan on using this for serving purposes, to select an adhesive that’s low on fumes (you don’t want to taint tasty treats with that chemical smell).

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This project is almost too simple but it’s a great solution when your short on cash or want a more eclectic look for your cookies, cheeses and more (heck, I’d even put craft supplies on here for a craft party).

Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday!

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It’s a Marshmallow World

Filed Under: Cabin Tagged With: , , ,

I love my home as weird and outdated as it is, and I love it even more during the holidays. My aunt hosted day-after-Christmas parties every year and they were the absolute best. Since I have such fond memories of the holidays here, I knew I had to keep the (Christmas) spirit alive.

It’s not much, but here’s a peek at my marshmallow world.

Christmas Decor

Outside of the tree I don’t have a ton Christmas decor, but enough to make this place feel special. With the glow of the tree, some lights strung along living room bookshelf and some candles in the fireplace, the living room makes you feel like drinking hot chocolate and watching White Christmas every night (I’m totally doing those things right now and it’s perfect).

XMasDecor_4XMasDecor_3

Since this is the first time I’ve really decorated for the holidays on my own since college, I wanted to find decor that felt like me and also felt like it was totally natural for this home (maybe those two things are one in the same).

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I hope that you’re jamming out to that Brenda Lee song right now, but more importantly I hope your enjoying your holidays! I’ve got another crafter hours booked before Christmas and then time off from work to perfect my buche noel recipe.

P.S. If you like any of the decor, you can find most of it at these great local shops: Winkie’s in Whitefish Bay, Pear & Simple in Port Washington, and Carrie On in New Berlin.