adding doors back on a hutch | dining room makeover

The dining room makeover has been at a standstill since I painted the ceiling last weekend because I have been in bed sick for several days. I am up and about now but still moving slowly and not feeling the greatest. It’s just normal virus stuff – congestion, sore throat, cough, and aches. I’ve missed […]
why I read multiple books at one time

As I’ve shared before, I pretty habitually have a stack of books sitting in my studio at any given time. I try to stay tidy and keep the stack under control, but I keep adding to the stack and it gets comically high again. Sometimes it’s because I’ve acquired new books and they’re in the […]
painting the dining room ceiling

Well, I finally did it. I’ve been dragging my feet for over a year, but I painted the dining room ceiling. I have been hung up on working on this room just because I knew the ceiling had to be done first and I just really didn’t want to do it. It wasn’t the painting […]
tonal floral still life sketch | oil painting tutorial

It’s been a little while since I’ve done a painting video tutorial, so even though this was just a sketch to get into the groove of oil painting again, I decided to set up the camera and turn it into a tutorial. Really, it’s more of a paint-a-long than a tutorial since I wouldn’t consider […]
redefining what it means to be bad at something

One theme that often comes up in e-mails, comments, and messages from blog readers and social media followers is being good at something. I get all sorts of comments in that vein… I’m not good at that. I can’t do that. I’m bad at that. Is there anything you’re not good at? That last question […]
a bench, a fountain, and garden lights

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Lamps Plus. As always, all words and opinions expressed are honest and my own. Do you remember some of the lighting fixtures I’ve gotten from Lamps Plus for our house so far? We updated the 50-year-old exterior lights with the classic Stratton Street Lights… We added a lot more […]
Taschen Book Sale

One of my favorite publishers/booksellers, Taschen Books is having a huge sale, so even though I typically don’t post on the weekends, I thought I would share some of the titles in my own library that are on sale. Their books are always a feast for the eyes with gorgeous photography, and high-quality paper, and […]
pressing & mounting flowers | video tutorial

Last month, I shared how I was taking cuttings from my garden to preserve them in my gardening notebook. As various other herbs and flowers have reached their peak, I have clipped them to add. I decided I would make a quick video on pressing and mounting flowers in a notebook while I was at […]