How Much Our Insurance Changed With Hardie Fiber Cement Siding
When the wood siding on our very old house started to rot away, everyone told us to reinstall new wood siding because that’s what buyers of old houses on the East Coast expect. Clearly, “everyone” hasn’t had to maintain painted wood siding. We decided to have Hardie® fiber cement siding installed instead because our priority for protecting our almost 250-year-old home was to make it fire-resistant, deter wood-eating pests, protect it from severe storms, and add resistance to moisture-induced rot. If an owner of an old house isn’t sleeping well, you know why. We have a lot to worry about! Fiber cement siding protects our home from all of those…
4 Old House Construction Techniques We Found When We Replaced Siding
While putting new siding on our very old house (circa 1780s with later additions), we had a first-hand view of 4 old house construction techniques that blew our minds. Not everyone has the opportunity to see the “guts” of their home, so we’ll use my home as an example so that you’re not shocked someday. Fasten your proverbial tool belt and come check out the 4 old house construction techniques we found. #1 Old House Construction Technique: Timber Framed Construction Our home was built before power tools existed. It was built before electricity was invented. It was built before modern nails and screws were invented. In fact, the frame of…
Happy (Early) 4th of July 2024
Hi! 4th of July is this week in the United States and it always feels a little odd when it happens in the middle of the week and not on the weekend. We’re not the ones to miss a celebration, so I am taking the week off of the blog to spend time with family. We’re going to have such a good time! In the meantime, if you’d like something to read while I’m away from the blog, try one of these oldies but goodies. DIY Cellophane Faux Sparklers (Mega Frill Picks) I use these to dress up my ferns for the 4th of July. Even ferns need a little…
Happy List: #350
Hello! Welcome to this week’s Happy List. I’m happier than a chef in a well-stocked kitchen that you are here! This week on the blog I shared the 4th of July wreath I made with Handy Husband’s jeans. His old jeans, in case he asks. I also shared the picture frame I made out of an old post office box door. It turned out so well. This is the 350th Happy List that I’ve written. I can hardly believe it! Thank you for being here if this is your first Happy List or your 350th. It makes my day to share things with you that interested me, made me smile,…
Vintage Post Office Box Door Photo Frame
What do you do when you find a door to an old post office box at the thrift store? Turn it into a Post Office Box Door Photo Frame, of course! That was my immediate thought when I saw a basket of these vintage post office box doors at my favorite thrift store. The little window on the door would be the perfect spot for a small photo. I believe this door dates back to the early 1900s. From what I can ascertain, the U.S. Post Office used combination locks from the late 1800s to early 1900s. The door is made from brass. Of course, I could clean up the…
Denim and Yarn 4th of July Wreath
I was inspired to make a Denim and Yarn 4th of July Wreath this year and it might be my favorite wreath of all time. Don’t tell my other wreaths, okay? Inspiration for this wreath came from a burlap wreath I saw on the Pottery Barn website. My wreath doesn’t use burlap but that’s how inspiration works. It’s a spark and you never know where that spark will land and ignite. For me, it ignited, so to speak, in my craft closet because I wanted to only use items I had on hand to make a wreath. Here’s What You’ll Need to Make a Denim and Yarn 4th of July…
Happy List: #349
Hello! Welcome to this week’s Happy List. It makes my day to have you here. This week on the blog I shared the things we love and don’t love about our new front door smart lock. I resisted getting a smart lock for about three years but I’m happy we switched. I also went down a rabbit hole looking for stained glass art that functions in a unique way or is display in an unusual way. I found some good stuff. Check it out here. Once again, thank you for being here. I know your time is valuable and I love connecting with you. I’ve made the best online friends…
In Praise Of: Unusual Stained Glass Art
Let’s talk unusual stained glass art. Normally, when I think of stained glass I think of church windows or sun catchers that people hang in their windows. It’s all pretty (Hello, colorful glass!) but not always my personal style. There is probably a better word to use than unusual, but that’s the first word I thought of when I looked at the stained glass horse head I have that is unusually mounted onto felt and placed in a wood frame. I couldn’t find anything online like this. My horse is further unique in that it might be a combination of stained glass and painted glass but it’s hard for me…
Front Door Smart Lock: 3 Things We Love, 1 We Don’t
Two months ago we switched to a smart lock on our front door. There are three things (at least!) that we love about about this smart lock and one thing we don’t love. Before I dive into the details, I want to mention that we feel so fancy now with a smart lock. We don’t have a Ring doorbell camera. We don’t even have a regular doorbell. If you come to our house, you have to knock on the door like in the good ol’ days. If you do knock, I may or may not “hear you knock,” if you get the excuse I’m throwing out there. Just depends on…
Happy List: #348
Hello, hello! Welcome to this week’s Happy List. I am so excited you are here. It was a dramatic week on the blog. I shared where I installed a time capsule in our basement AND what I included inside of it. Was there treasure? You’ll have to go read the blog post to find out. My lips are sealed. We also celebrated our 5 year house anniversary. House-iversary? However you say it, it’s been a wild ride. I included some never before published photos in that blog post! As always, thank you for being here. Thank you for cheering us on every step of the way. I know your time…
