decorating
Our Colonial Farmhouse Dining Room
Today is an exciting day. You get to see where I eat breakfast! And lunch. And dinner. Sometimes a snack or…three. That’s right, it is Colonial Farmhouse Dining Room Day. If you are new here, two months ago we bought a really, really old house. Old houses are quirky. Ours is no exception. This house has no formal or informal foyer space, which would drive me nuts if I didn’t have a thousand other things that were already doing that. When you walk through the front door of our Colonial Farmhouse, you are walking into the original room of this house (circa late 1700s). The previous owners used it as…
$20 Outdoor Dining Set Makeover
One of the things I was really glad the seller of our home left when he moved out was all the outdoor furniture. Most of it was dirty and gross and not my style, but we would definitely use the furniture until I found something better…after I cleaned it all up. Okay, fine. We sat in it before too. It was an immunity-building experience. Of the three outdoor dining sets (yes, three!) that were left here, the one I liked the most was the one that was in the worst shape. Of course. It is a classic metal outdoor dining set and you really can’t go wrong with those. This…
5 Old Books I Found in Our New Home
Old houses are full of surprises. (I’m a master of the understatement.) Our colonial farmhouse has already given us plenty of surprises – most of them electrical related. I also found some old books and magazines in our new home. That’s a WAY better surprise than realizing you only have one inconveniently located outlet in your master bedroom! Since I previously told you the seller left tons of unwanted items in the house when he moved out, you might think that I found these old books in one of the four gazillion dozen boxes of junk on the premises. Nope. I found the old books and magazines in two places.…
My Dining Table Is Now a Coffee Table
Do you remember when I bought a $9.60 round dining table at the Habitat Restore and making over that table almost sent me over the edge? That was fun. Fast forward several months and the scars from the traumatic table makeover experience were healing nicely. Then I realized why that table might have been donated to the Habitat Restore in the first place. The top kept coming loose from the base. I’d tighten it and then people would put their elbows on the table (!) and eventually the top would loosen up again. The solution was clear. Either I could teach my family manners or we could stop eating all…
The Doors of Our Colonial Farmhouse
My number one reason for buying our colonial farmhouse was the original, wide plank wood floors. That’s how everyone selects a house, right? My number two reason for buying our home was the original doors. According to my logic, if life opens one beautiful door and you choose to walk through it and discover another beautiful door and ANOTHER, how do you not buy that house? It was a sign from the universe I didn’t want to ignore. The doors of our colonial farmhouse are definitely the eye candy of this house. And I do love me some eye candy! And don’t even get me started on the glass knobs! This is…
3 Unexpected Succulent Planters
I’m excited to show you how I’ve planted my succulents in 3 unexpected planters. I do not have a green thumb, but I seem to be able to keep succulents alive. This is probably because succulents tend to do well with a little neglect less watering than regular houseplants. Now that I’ve inspired your confidence in my abilities (ha!), let’s get to the fun stuff. Pretty much anything is fair game around my house to be used or reused in an unexpected way! Unexpected Succulent Planter #1: Shot Glass This idea could go very tacky very quickly. Believe me, I know. However, we happen to have a brass shot glass that…
My Latest Thrift Store Finds
Believe it or not, I’ve been shopping – thrift store shopping! And I have some thrift store finds to share with you. There’s really no difference at all between thrift store shopping and regular store shopping for me. 99% of the time the outcome can usually be categorized as one of the following: This store was a complete waste of time. I can’t believe I left my house for this. The store contains all my hopes and dreams and I can’t afford any of it. That last 1% of the time I find something at the intersection of I can’t live without it and I’m willing to pay for it,…
5 Kitchen Organization Strategies I Use Wherever We Move
Let’s just all admit that we are curious about how other people live. Even if it is highly curated or grossly exaggerated, that’s why reality TV, HGTV, social media and magazines stay in business. I once had a job that required me to really consider how other people might live in order to help design homes that would function well for them. I even became certified as a focus group moderator so that I could conduct some of this primary research myself. People opened up and shared all sorts of interesting things during these focus groups and a hot topic was always kitchen design. Just because a kitchen looks pretty…
Navy Blue Outdoor Dining Chairs
I mentioned a few weeks ago in this Happy List post that I was anxiously awaiting the delivery of my new navy blue outdoor dining chairs. They arrived and I can finally uncross all my fingers and toes because the chairs are even better than I hoped. And thank goodness because returning the outdoor dining chairs would have been a giant pain. Oy! Also, where I live on the East Coast seems to have a glorious, but short weather sweet spot. Not too hot. Not too cold. And not too many bugs! That weather sweet spot is now and I fully intend to take advantage of it this year since…
One Year Without Throw Pillows
Slap on your party hats because today is an important anniversary. I am celebrating one year without throw pillows! Yes, I know it’s a weird thing to celebrate. I am a little weird though, so just roll with it! I have been a card-carrying member of Team Throw Pillow my entire adult life. I love how throw pillows look. I love how they can quickly change the vibe of your space. I love that they aren’t super expensive. I love the cushiony effect throw pillows provide. But guess what? I’ve also been harboring a grudge against throw pillows for the entire time that I’ve been on Team Throw Pillow. See,…
