DIY: Iron-On Letter Shirt

I've been obsessing over basic t-shirts with lettering. Especially as the cool fall weather is rolling in, there's nothing cuter underneath a sweater, flannel or jacket!

What I'm not obsessing over is the price, especially when you can DIY these shirts pretty easily. I had an hour or so before yoga the other day, so I decided to give it a try.

The result? A brand new tee in 30 minutes for less than $15. Yes, please!

Materials

T-shirt of your choice (mine was from Target)

Iron-on letters (I got these from Michael's)

Ironing board

Iron

Scissors

Cotton cloth

Directions

Plug in your iron and set it to the wool place setting. While the iron is heating, determine the phrase for your shirt and cut out the necessary letters.

Lay the letters on your shirt.

Place the cotton cloth on top of the letters and iron them for 1-2 minutes.

Flip your shirt inside out and iron directly on the backside of the letters for an additional minute. Flip the shirt rightside out again, and iron the letters one last time for 1-2 minutes.

Allow your shirt to cool (this should take roughly a minute). Gently peel the papers off the letters, leaving the letters behind.

Enjoy!

|| All photos are property of Mountain Shadow Morning. Must give credit. ||

Travel: West Coast Road Trip - The Redwoods and Eureka

On Jack's birthday, we left Bandon and headed further south to Eureka. Our goal for the day was to embark on a 7 mile hike through the Redwoods. Not usually Jack's cup of tea, but "when in California..."

There's no excuse to not see the Redwoods in northern California. The opportunities are endless to hike, drive through trees or even jump outside your car for a photo.

The Redwoods and Eureka, California

We stopped at numerous roadside attractions on our way down to Eureka (after stopping at Mattie's Pancake House, of course!) We specifically stopped to see Big Tree and Chandelier Tree. We later hiked part of James Irvine/Miners Ridge Loop, Fern Canyon and Gold Bluffs Beach. 

That evening, we finally made it to Eureka. Truthfully, there isn't much to see or do in Eureka, but all we needed was a place to stay for the evening on our way down the coast (plus, Eureka had an Applebee's, which is what Jack wanted for his birthday dinner). We stayed at Adam and Deanna's garden cottage, and it was a dream come true. Their guest house is located in their backyard and is a newly redone suite. Upon our arrival, Adam and their adorable children greeted us in the backyard, along with their dog. They were sweet, welcoming and chatted with us about the city, things to do on our trip, and more about their family business (Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate - absolutely delicious!) They had fresh flowers, chocolate and coffee for us upon our arrival. They were so sweet and welcoming and made us feel so at home.

Jack was so happy that he even tried some yoga. 

|| All photos property of Mountain Shadow Morning. Must give credit. || 

Presently: October

|| Photo is property of Mountain Shadow Morning. Must give credit. || 

Oh October. My favorite month (but don't tell December that). Cool temperatures, leaves changing colors, pumpkins, cider and all things spooky. What's not to love about this month? It's more than half way over and I haven't had even close to my fill of this month.

Why can't it be October all year round? Camp agrees.

Making: plans for the next few weeks and into November. Ahem, how is it ALREADY almost the end of this year?
Watching: Hocus Pocus, my all-time favorite Halloween movie. Sistahhhhs!
Doing: yoga! A huge perk of my new job is that I'm surrounded by yoga constantly. It's been easy to make it to my mat!
Thinking: positive thoughts. I've been trying to catch myself each time I complain to find something positive about the situation.
Visiting: with family over the next few weeks as they come and visit. Bring on the visitors!
Rocking: dirty hair and a makeup-less face. Another perk of this job is that I'm becoming so comfortable in my skin.
Spending: as much time outdoors as I can before the temperatures drop. Winter is coming.
Shopping: for groceries on a weekly basis. Lots of cooking is happening in our apartment! Trader Joe's makes my heart so happy.
Eating: autumn minestrone with soy chorizo. Recipe to come soon!
Drinking: Blue Fin Pinot Noir from Trader Joe's. The minute fall comes, I crave red wine. And this one is a super affordable option ($4.99 a bottle and it's actually good).
Missing: waking up with the sun. It's hard to wake up when it's dark outside.
Planning: our holiday schedule. With Jack's job, my teaching schedule and two families, we have some organizing to do!
Working: at my new job at CorePower Yoga! It's been three months already...how did that happen?!
Reading: The Yamas and Niyamas by Deborah Adele before bed each night.
Wanting: to find a home to rent once our current lease is up (it hasn't been easy). If you know someone renting a house with a yard in January, let us know!
Enjoying: hot coffee in the morning.
Writing: this blog! With my career change, I haven't put nearly as much time to it as I'd like, but I'm getting there!
Pinning: fall foods and styles, and DIYs for the winter months.
Cooking: vegetarian food. I'm currently experimenting with tempeh.
Pondering: what Camp dreams about. I love watching his paws move as he dreams.
Listening: to Father John Misty's "I Love You Honeybear" and "Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)" on repeat.
Liking: cooking each night. There's nothing like a home-cooked meal (with leftovers for lunch the next day).
Feeling: great after a good night's sleep. I'm trying to ensure I can get 8 hours of sleep a night. Not easy!
Noticing: that I can't remember the last time I had a haircut. That's probably not good.
Going: for long walks with Camp each day. It's great exercise for him and is a good time for me to relax.
Debating: folding the load of laundry in the dryer. Meh, it can wait.
Loving: the idea of joining a rec soccer league with Jack this fall.

Travel: West Coast Road Trip - Crater Lake and Bandon

After the night in Bend, we needed to head back west to the Oregon Coast. Our goal was to make it to Bandon, which meant much of the day driving.

Crater Lake was on our list of places to visit during the drive, and in truth, we debated skipping it to get to the coast quicker. I can't say how happy I am we decided to go.

Crater Lake was truly one of the most breathtaking places I've ever been to. The pictures don't even do it justice.

Crater Lake and Bandon, Oregon

We hiked two different hikes at Crater Lake - the Discovery Point Trail and the Cleetwood Cove Trail.

Discovery Point Trail runs for roughly a mile and a half high (one way) up near the top of the crater, directly on the cliff edge. It's a safe and easy hike, and has some absolutely incredible views. A must-hike in my opinion.

Second, we hiked the Cleetwood Cove Trail, a strenuous hike a mile down to the base of the crater. This is where we cliff jumped into the absolutely freezing cold water! It was an incredible experience, one I'd definitely recommend you do. Take your time hiking down and up, drink lots of water and maybe pack a celebratory beer or two after you take the plunge. 

After spending the morning at Crater Lake, we drove west to the Oregon Coast. We decided to spend the night in Bandon, a quaint, cozy little ocean town on the southern part of the coast.

This was the only location where we hadn't booked an AirBNB. Truthfully, it was kind of fun to drive around looking at the different seaside motels. We eventually settled on the SeaStar Lodge right on the marina in the middle of Brookings. 

Our room was cozy and we got a nice night's sleep there after spending the evening at Arcade Tavern kicking off Jack's 26th birthday (lots of beer was had in Bandon!) After loading up the car with coffee and snacks, we headed to the Redwoods. More on that soon!

|| All photos are property of Mountain Shadow Morning. Must give credit. || 

Travel: West Coast Road Trip - Portland and Bend

After staying in Seattle and visiting Mount Rainier, we spent a day in Portland and another in Bend.

Oregon was amazing. Portland has such a cozy, laid back vibe and we felt totally at home. Bend was a lengthy car ride in the opposite direction, but we really enjoyed Deschutes and walking around the quaint Oregon town.

Side note: Make reservations for a brewery tour early. It's really unideal when you drive three hours in the wrong direction to not see the brewery.

But the Deschutes restaurant made up for it.

Portland and Bend

We stayed at Lindsay's home in the NE Alberta neighborhood of Portland. It was beautiful! Jack took full advantage of our bed right away. 

We spent a few hours exploring Mississippi Avenue in Portland. Kombucha cafes, coffee shops, cute stores and gardens galore. 

We ate a late dinner at Por Que No on Mississippi Avenue. Well worth the wait for incredible tacos and Mexican beer. 

 After our night in Portland, we drove to the Columbia River Gorge. Chilly weather and lots of fog made for eerily beautiful views! 

From the Columbia River Gorge, we made our way to Mount Hood. If it's a foggy day, it might be better to skip this destination (we aren't actually sure if Mount Hood is even in this picture behind the fog). On a clear day, it's supposed to be incredible. 

Near Mount Hood, there are lots of beautiful waterfalls. We definitely recommend making a pitstop to see a few. 

We made a handful of stops as we made our way from Portland to Bend loved every minute of it. It was a great way to break up the trip and try some of the local brews (we highly recommend Full Sail in Hood River).

We weren't able to take the Deschutes Brewery tour, but the Deschutes Brewery and Public House had great food and every Deschutes Brewery on tap. Tip: make reservations for the brewery tour early!

 || Photos are property of Mountain Shadow Morning. Must give credit. || 

After spending the evening in Bend, we made the long trek back to the beautiful Oregon coast after a truly breathtaking trip to Crater Lake. More on that to come!