Move Mountains In Your Home
Over the past couple of months I've been working on my work office (not to be confused with our home office) for a magazine feature. It's been so fun moving things around and adding some pops of color to inject a bit more personality into the space. The art director asked me to move the fabric from my mirrored armoire, which wasn't being photographed to my French armoire, which was. Well, … [Read more...]
This might come as a total shock, but I don't usually decorate for the seasons. I decorate for Christmas, I'll put out a few pumpkins during the fall, but otherwise I keep things pretty neutral seasonally. I would rather makeover a dresser than make a wreath for the front door. I decided, though, I would take a little time this morning to put a few touches of spring in my living and dining … [Read more...]
As I was shopping last week for props for my photo shoots, I found this awesome German enamel wall pocket. It's labeled to use for "oven cloths" but I thought it would make a nice holder for chalk and a cloth (eraser) for the new chalk board wall in my kitchen. I'm quite smitten with it. I just love it when you find the perfect thing you didn't even know you were looking … [Read more...]
I'm still plugging away on all things book right now and getting some things done on my house is a nice bonus. I had a chalkboard project I needed to finish for a freelance job and for the book (two birds with one stone), so I had some fun with it today. I have been admiring the amazing work of artist Dana Tanamachi around Pinterest for a while and then saw her work highlighted by The … [Read more...]
Thanks so much for all of your support while I'm working on my book. It really, really means a lot. Some of you also had a great idea to share some "best of" posts from the earlier days of my blog. I thought that was brilliant, so I'm going to sharing some blasts from the past during this process. So, the first one I'm going to share is the story about when I refinished my hard wood … [Read more...]
Since I don't have anything brand new to write about today, I thought I would share some more details of my half bath makeover. First, my oh-so-fancy TP holder... I knew I wanted something nontraditional, so when one of my "pickers" sent me a picture of a wire fry basket (I'm assuming that's what it is), I thought, "Hmm...If I can rip the handle off, that would make a pretty nice … [Read more...]
Thanks so much for all of the wonderful feedback on my half bathroom makeover! I love how it turned out as well and now I want my other two bathrooms to look just like this one. That's not on the project list any time soon, but a girl can dream. I received a lot of questions, so I'm going to answer the majority of them in some follow-up posts and this is the first. … [Read more...]
The renovation that wouldn't end has finally come to an end. As I was looking back over the pictures to prepare this post, I realize it's taken a YEAR to get this 4' x 8' space finish. In our defense, we've had a pretty busy year and the half bathroom was just not a priority. We did hear some grumblings from the teenagers that frequent our home, because they had to hoof it up the steps to use the … [Read more...]
This seems to happen every year. I take down all of my Christmas stuff and I cannot remember what I had where. It seems like all of the accessories have disappeared over the holidays and I'm left with bare tables. I know things have wandered to other parts of the house, so I'm left looking at my living and dining rooms and I'm at a loss. Does anyone else have this problem? So, I … [Read more...]
There are times when I find something and I know it's junk. I know I might not be able to salvage it, but I think it's worth a shot. This chair is one of those pieces. I found it at Lucketts, marked down to $25 from $70. I knew immediately why it was discounted. It had a fabulous shape, was painted a great green, but... ...well, you can see the problem in this blurry … [Read more...]
I had a very productive day today and it felt great. I made three pillows, upholstered an arm chair, painted a piece of furniture and caulked and primed some trim. Whew! There are a few things that are contributing to the flurry of activity. First of all, we have a big photo shoot happening over the next two days. Second, I need to take some more shots for the cover of my book. Lastly, … [Read more...]
Today between church and youth group, I was working on mundane things like cleaning and painting my front door. On Friday, though, I was able to take some time to get my family room straight after the Christmas decor came down. I pulled out my clay pot caddy from the basement and finally put it to use holding Crayons for my boys. I've been hesitant to put things out like this, knowing they … [Read more...]
Thanks so much for all of the wonderful comments about my home office makeover. I really love the space as well and it's amazing to look through my kitchen into that room and see it finished. I was asked quite a few questions about it, so I thought I would answer some of the FAQs in a post. First of all, the wall color is Grey Owl in matte and the trim and cabinetry is Waterborne … [Read more...]
I'm sorry for disappearing for a day! It's so rare for me not to post, but I've been working on a special (and very exciting/terrifying) project and it took all of my time yesterday. I've been in video-uploading, picture editing, error-receiving purgatory and just didn't have time to get a post up. I also spent three hours (and a ridiculous sum of money) at the hair salon yesterday. I've never had … [Read more...]
One of the projects we tackled over the holiday was the master bedroom. It's a room that's been giving me trouble since the day we moved in. The space is just awkward. So, Mini and I painted the ceiling, walls and trim, my dad drywalled over an unnecessary doorway and then my mom and I put together the accessories. I still have a little more to do, but the bulk of the room is done. The … [Read more...]
At the end of the musical "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown", there is a song called "Happiness." It's about finding happiness in simple things. Charlie Brown is elated to discover a pencil that "the red-headed girl" had chewed on. The fact she gnawed on her pencil made her "human" in his mind and that thought made him happy. For me today, happiness was found in a row of hooks finally mounted … [Read more...]
After a whirlwind week of activities and festivities, we dropped my parents off at the airport this afternoon. We got so much accomplished, it's amazing. I started getting a little teary-eyed today when I saw so many projects complete. I know that's silly, but some of them have been five years in the making and now they're almost done. Before I show some progress on the house, I'll share … [Read more...]
As the year is winding down, it's a good time to reflect on some of the best things that happened in 2011. Today, I'm going to share my favorite projects we tackled in our home. I did a lot of projects and makeovers, but I sold most of them, so I really enjoy projects I get to do in my own home. We're almost done with two that have been a long time in the making, but until those are … [Read more...]
I don't know about you, but I'm totally whipped. Christmas is exhausting. Fun and definitely my favorite time of year, but exhausting. The kids are over-loaded and tired, the "Christmas Bomb"went off leaving bits of paper and tape and pieces to toys and candy wrappers and crumbs all over the place and I've eaten way too much chocolate. I've enjoyed the surprises and presents and going … [Read more...]
After cramming fall and spring into one week, I'm finally getting ready for Christmas. We put our "family" tree up today and I started decking out the dining room and entry hall. The "pretty" tree is in it's place, but I still need to put the lights on and decorate it. I know the blog world has been showing off their Christmas decor for weeks, now, so I'm a little late. I hope you're not … [Read more...]
The project that won't ever end (I seem to have a lot of those, don't I?), is finally coming close to an end. This past week, I put in the trim around the baseboards and bead board. If you've ever put trim in an old house, you understand my pain. The floor is not level, the walls aren't plum and it's a nightmare to get things looking like they're at least kind of straight. The floors are almost an … [Read more...]
I hope you're all having a great weekend. I don't have anything specific to share today, so I'm just going to share a few random bits. I've loved old trophies for years and have been fortunate enough to find some in my grandparent's attic and a few small ones at yard sales, antiques shops and flea markets. The big ones, though, have always eluded me. Well, affordable ones, anyway. My … [Read more...]
I shared a few days ago that we ripped out our fireplace, all because of a great Black Friday deal on a flat screen HDTV. So, we were left with a few holes in the wall, some raw drywall and a patch of plywood on the floor. The pressure was on to find something to put under the TV before the TV arrived, because you know that thing was going on the wall within 8 minutes of it crossing over our … [Read more...]
Most people are decking out the mantels right now and getting cozy by their fireplaces. Stockings are being hung and garlands are being swagged... ...but not at our house. We disliked this fireplace the moment we looked at our home with the realtor. Don't get me wrong, I love a good stone fireplace, but this one...well, it was just a bit too rustic. The color of the stone was not really "my … [Read more...]
I am in search for the perfect coffee table for the living room. I want something interesting...maybe a skirted ottoman with curvy legs or something on wheels. Whatever it is, I haven't found it yet. I've had this round side table in the room for a few months and really liked it there, but it was even more perfect for my family room, so I was left with a hole in the living room. (This is a … [Read more...]
