• Want to skip the salon and try your hand at gel manicures?

    November 19, 2024

    Want to skip the salon and try your hand at gel manicures? From products and tools to tips and tricks, here’s everything you’ll need to get started with at-home gel manicures. Every now and then, I find myself going down new creative rabbit holes. Two years ago, that creative rabbit hole was DIY manicures. And while that may not sound all that creative, I can assure you that the possibilities for nail art and design is limitless. It’s also one of the few ways I take time out for myself and play. I was initially drawn to dip manicures (not…

  • white and green cactus pattern apron near round gray analog wall clock

    5 low-carb recipes to make this week.

    November 5, 2024

    Are you needing some inspiration for what to make for dinner this week? Here are 5 low carb-recipes that should be added to your repertoire immediately. They are all dairy-free, gluten-free, and low-carb slash keto-friendly. It’s the age old question: what the heck do I make for dinner? In our house, that question is compounded because I have to factor in the recipe needing to be dairy-free, low carb, and appeal to my children (which is basically impossible). So when I come across a recipe that satisfies at least two of the three (my children are truly a lost cause,…

  • What’s new in the Etsy shop: lots and lots of stitchery.

    November 1, 2024

    Want to know what’s new in the Etsy shop? Lots and lots of stitchery, that’s what. Embroidered portraits abound, with a crossed stitch piece and a textile landscape thrown in for good measure. It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve updated the Made With Lev Etsy shop. (Probably because it actually has been ages since I’ve updated the shop.) It’s not for lack of having things to list, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, it has everything to do with the old ADHD adage of out of site out of mind. Yep. I totally forgot that I had so many embroidery…

  • books on brown wooden shelf

    8 books that answer the question of what to read next.

    October 28, 2024

    Looking for what to read next, but don’t know if you can trust the whims of BookTok or Bookstagram? Here are 8 of my recent reads — mostly in the Romance genre — that have earned a 5-star rating. Every year I set a goal for the number of books I want to read and then either forget about it a week later or binge read every book in the last month or two of the year. Last year, I set a goal to read 26 books and ended up reading (and listening to) 38 books. Of course, that all happened…

  • assorted books

    A reading re-cap for March with a record number of books read (and enjoyed).

    April 9, 2024

    Want to know what I read in March? I’ll give you a hint, it was a LOT. And it had everything to do with romance, college athletes, and suspense. Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way. To say that I’ve gone full force into reading would probably be an understatement. I have officially exceeded my reading goal for THE YEAR in a span of 3 months, with 57 books read to date and another 2 in the process of being read (and listened to). In March alone, I read 28 books. TWENTY. EIGHT. BOOKS. (I legit just shocked myself…

  • March’s Madness. In the form of art. Made by my kids.

    March 21, 2024

    In true Made With Lev form, this month’s TWELVE by TWENTY FOUR project features art made by my kids. It’s beautiful and unexpected and altogether one of my favorite ways to upcycle their art and show it off for the entire world to see. I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous about this month’s TWELVE by TWENTY FOUR launch since I’ve been knee deep in a creative rut for the past month. After talking to my mama and thinking through what I had the creative energy to actually do, I decided it would be something that featured…

  • Little by little, what could you do?

    March 20, 2024

    As a chronic over-doer who likes to dive feet first into really involved projects, make sweeping changes to my life (and menu) on a whim, and decide that I need to do eight million things to be the best version of myself I can be … ooooonly to realize a week or two later that I’ve take on too much and struggle to keep up, I know first hand how hard it can be to make lasting changes.  I also know how frustrating that cycle of planning, doing, failing, and chastising truly is.  Which is why last month, while I…