decorating
Getting Cozy With Candle Warmer Lamps
Candle warmer lamps are the emotional support item getting me through the bumpy transition from summer to fall. Yes, lamps plural. I have two. Not only did I jump on the candle warmer lamps trend, but I also decided Big Candle could have all my money. Candle warmer lamps do exactly what they say. They warm up the wax in a candle vessel, allowing the smell to waft through your home without you having to light the wick. It’s brilliant. Now, friends. I am old enough to know that melting scented wax is not a new concept. In the late aughts, I had some Scentsy wax melts and a cute…
In Praise Of: Wall Pockets and Wall Vases
I recently rearranged the gallery wall in our living room and added a wall pocket. Have you heard of wall pockets? They are also called wall vases, but the term wall pocket feels much more charming rolling off the tongue in my American accent. Wall pockets are vases with a flat back that can hang on the wall. They were particularly popular during the Victorian Era. This era marked the reign of Queen Victoria over England and Ireland and ran from 1837 – 1901. Flowers were part of the romance of the Victorian Era, and nothing puts romance over practicality like flowers in a vase on a wall. Antique and…
DIY Floral Witch’s Hat
Gleeful is the only word to describe how I feel about showing you the floral witch’s hat I crafted last week. I want you to like it as much as I do, but it’s just not possible. I’m so obsessed, you’d think I came up with the idea on my own. This is kind of funny because I’m not sure if there are any truly original ideas out there anymore. Adding flowers to a witch’s hat is definitely not original, but it’s the first time I’ve done it, so it feels brand new to me. We’ll call this craft an Annisa Original. I might fly in a little late to…
Pared-Down Living Room Gallery Wall
The only constant in life is change, and this applies to our living room gallery wall, too. I had spent a few years creating a genuinely collected-over-time gallery wall in our living room. It had a nature theme because that’s the kind of art that makes my soul exhale. I love this nature-themed gallery wall. I was also ready for a change. Two seemingly contradictory things can be true at the same time. I didn’t want a drastic change, just something a bit simpler and more refined to feast my eyes on. My pared-down living room gallery wall needed to stick with the nature theme, though, because I haven’t changed…
Carriage House Curtains For a Long Narrow Space
I recently added new curtains in our Carriage House to break up the long narrow space, and I’m going to have to file this under “things I should have done a long time ago.” Talk about a change for the better! Our Carriage House is roughly 9-feet wide by 30-feet long. Have you ever decorated a tunnel? That’s the situation with our Carriage House, and we have to fit a bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and an office into the space. I have received many well-meaning suggestions to add wallpaper or wainscoting to this space to give the walls interest. However, because it is such a long space, those options will cost…
Vintage Bottle Bud Vases
A couple of months ago we dug up some vintage bottles from our backyard. Some folks have a garden in their backyard and dig up things like potatoes. We dig up vintage bottles. Perhaps we could trade? Anyway, it’s not that unusual to dig up “garbage” in the backyard of a really old home that existed before a person driving a big truck collected your bins of trash every Friday at 4 a.m. You can complain about a lot of things in modern society, but waste disposal ordinances seem like a good thing to me. The vintage bottles we found were in surprisingly good shape for having been buried for…
Plywood Side Table Makeover
Some life lessons need reminders. Today’s plywood side table makeover is one of those reminders. (Yes, I can find a life lesson in almost anything.) I found what was clearly a DIY plywood side table at my favorite thrift store. It was $10. Do you think I overpaid? I never regret buying wood tables for $10 (maybe more depending on the table) because I know the lumber it took to make it, not to mention the time, costs more than ten bucks these days. Plus, side tables are one thing we are short on around here. I knew I was going to knock off the orange-y finish of the table,…
Front Porch – More Seating and a Light Update
It is front porch season in New Jersey. Finally! New Jersey likes to trick you a little on this topic. You’ll think it is front porch season and then one morning you’ll wake up to find everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, covered in a coating of yellow dust. Pesky pollen. I made the mistake of sleeping with the window open during this time and woke up to my nightstand, and I’m sure, all my bedding, covered in pollen. Is this why they call it spring cleaning? Because I had to do a BUNCH of it that day. Regrets. I have a few. Anyway, I cleared the front porch of…
Repurposed Wood Mortar as a Planter
The mortar portion of a wood mortar and pestle set came home with me from the thrift store recently. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s how it was originally intended to be used. It was either that or an oddly shaped bowl. It was made from several pieces of wood (presumably mahogany) laminated together and then hollowed out on a lathe to have sloping sides. I knew I wouldn’t use it for food preparation because, despite all my best intentions, I’ve never consistently used any of the mortar and pestle sets we’ve owned. I’m more of a food processor type of home cook. I’m also the type of person who…
Fairy Light Mason Jars (Solar and Battery Powered)
Today, it is my privilege to remind you of the simple joy of fairy light mason jars. It’s not a new concept, but it is one I had forgotten about until recently. In addition, there are not one, but TWO easy ways to light them up yourselves. First, how this reminder came about in case you don’t like DIY projects. (There’s something for everyone here.) I was killing time in the lighting aisle at Lowe’s recently because Handy Husband had parked himself in the electrical aisle and I’m pretty sure he was there long enough that folks started mistaking him for an employee. If they offer an employee discount, it…
