Author Archives: Hannah Deurloo

From Scratch & Other Inconveniences

It’s so easy to buy product off the shelves. You can easily pick up anything you need at the local super center. But this shift in premade product is newer than you may realize. Not too far in the past, in some living memories even, people made, mixed, and stitched there own goods. In 1933ContinueContinue reading “From Scratch & Other Inconveniences”

Hunting Trees & Holiday DIYs

Our family went and cut our Christmas tree this past weekend. It was a blast and I recommend the tree “hunt” to anyone who hasn’t tried it. Not only do Christmas tree farmers provide trees, they are compostable, sustainable, and local. Picking our tree and dragging back to the car to be loaded made myContinueContinue reading “Hunting Trees & Holiday DIYs”

NaNoWriMo & the Season of Joy

Like Christmas presents, I’ve been wrapping up the loose ends on my stories for National Novel Writing Month. I am not a “winner” coming short of the fifty thousand words needed. However, I feel like a winner. Why? Because I’ve been writing. I’ve been proving to myself that with two tiny children I can doContinueContinue reading “NaNoWriMo & the Season of Joy”

DIY Car Fresheners

You can use essential oils to freshen your home using a diffuser. But how do you get those fantastic scents to the car where (at least for me) most my headaches seem to start. When the baby is crying, the toddler needs to use the bathroom, and the ice cream is melting in the trunk and you wantContinueContinue reading “DIY Car Fresheners”

NaNoWriMo Halftime Takeaways

So you’ve decided to try to write your novel this month like so many hopefuls out there. Whether you are on track, behind or ahead of the pace, congratulate yourself on getting words down! You’ve already won by simply beginning. If you are like me you’ve already hit a few snags in your story. It’sContinueContinue reading “NaNoWriMo Halftime Takeaways”

Autumn Art- Harvest Tree

A stroll through the woods with my toddler this past weekend resulted in a basket full of sticks, moss, and leaves of blaze and gold. The biggest leaves she wanted to paint but once we got out the craft box we changed our plans. Using a paint stick, baby food jar, jut string, packaging paper,ContinueContinue reading “Autumn Art- Harvest Tree”

Jot That Down: A Writer’s Conference in Hindsight

Like the jitters I get after drinking a Red Bull , there is something special and energizing about being around your tribe of people. My tribe is creatives, specifically writers. This weekend I was blessed to attend a conference and have five hours of time to soak it all up. Carpooling with a dear writingContinueContinue reading “Jot That Down: A Writer’s Conference in Hindsight”

A Harry Potter House Party

I love to entertain but sometimes I get a tad bit carried away. So when I had the thought to throw a Harry Potter themed party just for giggles I had to set myself a limit, and stick to it! For me, a die-hard DIYer, the Décor is my bread and butter area. But onContinueContinue reading “A Harry Potter House Party”

Fallen Leaves & Fire Pits

I’ve been wanting a fire pit in our yard for a few years now. I love s’mores and even though it will be a pain to get the marshmallow off my toddlers face, hands, and hair the memories of a fire pit will be worth it. There is a spot deep in our woods butContinueContinue reading “Fallen Leaves & Fire Pits”

Sage Wreaths

All this crisp autumn air has me taking long walks and lingering outside on these last snowless days, before the cold nips too hard or the animals disappear into their homes. It also has me storing up veggies, herbs, and seeds for next year. So as I shook out seeds from the Black Eyed Susan’sContinueContinue reading “Sage Wreaths”

Fishing for an Agent

I love to fish. But with toddlers it isn’t something I get to do as often as I’d like. So now I settle for figurative fishing by quering my stories to agents, editors, and publishers. One thing is certain, if you never cast into the water you will never catch anything. But if you doContinueContinue reading “Fishing for an Agent”

Personalized Board Game DIY

I’m forever trying to think up new uses for broken, outdated, or useless items. It’s a blessing and a curse. So when I found out my old bestie Scrabble game was a few pieces short of a full alphabet I was more than a little bummed out. Instead of throwing it into the trash I’veContinueContinue reading “Personalized Board Game DIY”

Disney’s Frozen as a Case Study in Scene

My toddler has her favorite parts of movies (cue Let It Go) and I find it fascinating how movies effortlessly transition- just like a story scene should. I study these transitions to improve my writing. Next time you’re staring down the barrel of another Disney movie try this! Go to the scene selection menu onContinueContinue reading “Disney’s Frozen as a Case Study in Scene”

Woods Full of Story Trees

I’m blessed to have several writer friends close enough to meet with and it seems we are facing the same conundrum. What story to focus on next? I mean how do you really pick? It’s like picking a favorite tree in the woods. Do you go for the big project and tackle it? Or doContinueContinue reading “Woods Full of Story Trees”

Library Remnants, New Life, & Poetry

So I’m a bit of a book hoarder and when I see a pile of free books it’s hard to resist rummaging through each worn title. Sometimes I find a subject I’m genuinely curious about and want to read- great. But what about the two dozen that don’t have a happy home? Book art. HaveContinueContinue reading “Library Remnants, New Life, & Poetry”

Nature Writing 101

Guest Post by Janelle Franz blogging at Invent Your Story. I’m not a professor. Before you hit X, you need to know I did take a nature writing class in college. So, I am professionally taught. Right now, my butt is on a rock and an oak root is buddying up to my coffee mug.ContinueContinue reading “Nature Writing 101”

Crickets, Feedback, and Moving Forward

I’ve submitted my stories so many places and rarely do I hear more than crickets stuffed inside form rejection letters. The crickets are a bit annoyed but not harmed in the making of this blog post. So you’ll understand my delight when a recent rejection returned with feedback! Say what?! Insert happy dance in theContinueContinue reading “Crickets, Feedback, and Moving Forward”

Toddler Fascinations and Moss Gardens

It hadn’t rained in two weeks until last night and the smell of wet dirt was heavy in the air. My toddler and I set off to explore our back woods and check on the little forts we’d been slowly constructing over the summer. Her fascination with moss caught my eye. We grabbed her pinkContinueContinue reading “Toddler Fascinations and Moss Gardens”

Picture Books and Other Tough Things

It has recently occurred to me, the more stories I write the less and less adult they seem, or maybe it’s my toddlers speaking through me. Either way it’s a tough business. There are only a handful of children’s magazines available to submit to and fewer still big publishers that want to look at yourContinueContinue reading “Picture Books and Other Tough Things”