decorating

  • mod sugar design via etsy fall wreath
    decorating

    13 Fall Wreaths Now That It is Finally September

    It is finally September, which means it is now socially acceptable to slap pumpkins on everything, including your front door wreath, and celebrate fall! Never mind that it still feels like summer in my part of the world. The seasons don’t change of their own accord. We will them into existence, especially fall, with our pumpkin spice-flavored lattes, cereal, candles, muffins, coffee, milkshakes, and deodorant. Yes, pumpkin spice deodorant is a real thing. I swear. Not to mention all the effort that goes into placing mums and hay bales on suburban front porches and taking the family on weekend apple picking excursions. If all of that doesn’t make Mother Nature…

  • diy charging bench for electronic devices
    decorating,  DIY

    DIY Charging Bench for Electronic Devices

    If charging all the electronic devices in your home has become a chaotic nightmare of jumbled cords, let me introduce you to my DIY charging bench for electronic devices. It’s a way to hide all of your charging cables and devices in plain sight. It’s my answer to the kitchen charging drawer because I’ve always wanted one of those, but we’ve never had a spare kitchen drawer with outlets in the back. I won’t promise this charging bench will eliminate all the cord chaos, but it can help you hide it. That’s half the battle! A charging bench can be made from any bench that has a hidden storage compartment. The…

  • in praise of oil lamps oil lamp
    decorating

    In Praise of Oil Lamps

    Until our last power outage I had lived my whole life without knowing the joy of an oil lamp. Don’t get me wrong, I love my battery-powered lights too. My cell phone flashlight? Couldn’t live without it. A little candle ambiance? I’m here for it. But the oil lamp? That’s something different. An oil lamp and a bunch of lamp oil was left in our Colonial Farmhouse when we purchased it. I don’t know why we hadn’t bothered to use it until two weeks ago when the power went out due to a bad storm. Again. Trees, overhead power lines, and high winds are a predictably bad combination. *sigh* During…

  • 3 reasons tiffany style lights are cool
    decorating

    3 Reasons to Love Tiffany Style Lights

    Tiffany style lights can be cool in your home or office! Before you roll your eyes and click away, consider these three reasons to love Tiffany style lights. Reason #1 to Love Tiffany Style Lights: They aren’t trendy right now. I know Tiffany style lights aren’t trendy right now and that is part of their charm. It’s easy to wake up one day and realize your house looks very similar to everyone else’s house because we’ve all been shopping at the same big box stores that want us to buy whatever they’ve determined is in style right now. That said, I like a Target lamp as much as the next…

  • church in new jersey in autumn happy thanksgiving
    decorating

    In Praise of a Church Pew for Home Decor

    How many of you have spent hours of your life sitting on a hard church pew? *raises both hands* I wonder at what point someone said, “Hey! You know what would make the dear preacher’s long sermons even better? A cushion for this pew.” I would have added cup holders too and I don’t mean those itty bitty ones for the communion cup. But no one asked me! I recently got stuck in the purgatory I affectionately refer to as Facebook Marketplace in search of a church pew to use as decor in my home. Who knew there were so many church pews for sale? Ironically, I didn’t want the…

  • reproduction hardware
    colonial farmhouse,  decorating

    Updating Our Home With Antique Hardware

    We have been replacing “modern” door and cabinet hardware with antique hardware in our Colonial Farmhouse and it is surprising how big of a difference it makes to the overall look and style of our home. I’m using the term modern very loosely. In a house that is 240 years old, anything in the last 100 years could be considered modern. Most of the hardware we’ve replaced is probably 20 – 30 years old. I doubt it was installed as a style statement, but more of a practical response to a “this cabinet door no longer stays closed” situation. This modern hardware didn’t look bad. It didn’t look good. It…

  • decorating,  DIY

    3 Mirror Makeovers to Try

    Mirror, mirror on the wall, which of these three mirror makeovers is the fairest of them all? That’s right! I have 3 mirror makeovers to fuel your creative juices today. All my hopes and dreams would be fulfilled if you take one of my ideas and make it your own! Here are 3 mirror makeovers to get your ideas flowing: MIRROR MAKEOVER #1: DIY ROPE MIRROR If you can use hot glue, you can make a rope mirror. All you need is a round mirror, rope, and hot glue. I’m using 3/8-inch sisal rope for this project and 100-feet of it should cost less than $12. That’s WAY more rope…

  • black and blue outdoor furniture
    decorating,  gardening and landscape

    Black and Blue Outdoor Furniture

    Our deck is sporting black and blue outdoor furniture. Did that sentence make it sound like our outdoor furniture rumbled after school? While most of our outdoor furniture is second-hand and was in rough shape when I found it, it is looking decidedly better after a little spray paint session. I’ve also done some outdoor furniture switching around in an effort to only keep the things we use. There will be a quiz at the end, so pay attention. To that end, the table in this below picture from October 2020 was set out by the side of the road and now has a new home. It came with the…

  • Repurposed Light Shade Planter
    decorating

    Repurposed Light Shade Planter

    I adore a good repurposed decor project and my Repurposed Light Shade Planter  is just that! What was destined for the dumpster is now being repurposed in my home. This industrial light was on the end of our Carriage House. We took it down because it wasn’t working. Also, hornets had made a lovely home inside of it. I can see the appeal. Handy Husband was going to get rid of the light. *GASP* Did he not see the potential? No. He did not. It’s a good thing I’m here to save all the junky treasures! I’m sure Handy Husband feels the exact same way. Yours truly gave the light…

  • diu no sew privacy liner for woven shades
    decorating,  DIY

    No Sew DIY Privacy Liner for Woven Shades

    Today I’m going to show you how to make a No Sew Privacy Liner for Woven Shades. If I can do this – a gal who doesn’t own a sewing machine – you can do this! I’m defining ‘no sew’ as not using a sewing machine. My DIY does include a needle and thread. If you are really opposed to that, I have an alternative that is truly no-sew. It gets the job done. However, in my experience, it is more expensive, doesn’t look as good, and it won’t last as long. Yep! I tried ALL the techniques I could think of in my desperation the process of figuring out this No Sew Privacy…