• Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
  • Shop
    • Apparel and Shoes
    • Books
    • Crafts and Sewing
    • Decor
    • Furniture
    • Home Improvement
    • Kid Favorites
    • Kitchen
  • Projects
    • Cleaning
    • Clothing
    • Colonial Farmhouse
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY Projects
    • Holidays
  • Adventure
    • Moving to Ireland
    • Living in Ireland
    • Visiting Ireland
    • Travel
    • Family and Parenting
    • Humor
    • Learning
  • Privacy Policy
A Pretty Happy Home

Life, DIY and Random Things That Make Me Smile

  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
  • Shop
    • Apparel and Shoes
    • Books
    • Crafts and Sewing
    • Decor
    • Furniture
    • Home Improvement
    • Kid Favorites
    • Kitchen
  • Projects
    • Cleaning
    • Clothing
    • Colonial Farmhouse
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY Projects
    • Holidays
  • Adventure
    • Moving to Ireland
    • Living in Ireland
    • Visiting Ireland
    • Travel
    • Family and Parenting
    • Humor
    • Learning
  • Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
  • Shop
    • Apparel and Shoes
    • Books
    • Crafts and Sewing
    • Decor
    • Furniture
    • Home Improvement
    • Kid Favorites
    • Kitchen
  • Projects
    • Cleaning
    • Clothing
    • Colonial Farmhouse
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY Projects
    • Holidays
  • Adventure
    • Moving to Ireland
    • Living in Ireland
    • Visiting Ireland
    • Travel
    • Family and Parenting
    • Humor
    • Learning
  • Privacy Policy

No Widgets found in the Sidebar Alt!

  • connecting two decks with landscaping
    colonial farmhouse,  gardening and landscape

    How I’m Connecting Two Decks With Landscaping

    May 11, 2022 /

    This spring we’ve been working on connecting two decks on the back of our house with landscaping. We’d rather just connect the two decks and make one gigantic deck, but someone forgot to plant a money tree in the backyard. Decks are expensive to build and maintain and this house needs one hundred other things before it needs a bigger deck. Until that day comes we can try to visually connect the decks with landscaping instead. Think of it as a bridge between two islands. Here’s a picture from three years ago when we moved into the Colonial Farmhouse. You can hardly see the small deck on the right because…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Removing Rotten Trees and a Chainlink Fence

    August 12, 2019
    colonial farmhouse front yard landscaping

    The Reason Why I Like Old Houses

    August 10, 2020
    navy blue sunporch

    Navy Blue Sunporch Reveal

    November 6, 2019
  • overwinter ferns
    gardening and landscape

    I Successfully Overwintered Our Porch Plants

    May 4, 2022 /

    I hope I don’t jinx it by saying I successfully overwintered our front porch plants which included the ferns and the Spike plants. But I did! For those of you who enjoy gardening and consider it one of your life passions this will seem like not a big deal. To me, it was a big deal to keep my summer plants alive all winter long because I’d never tried to save my front porch plants. Frankly, I’m usually sick and tired of watering them by the time August rolls around and they die a sad death. Then I feel guilty that my neglect caused this catastrophe. But not last summer!…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    The Tale of 3 Houseplants

    March 22, 2017

    Where’s Your Happy Place?

    September 2, 2015
    succulent in a shot glass

    3 Unexpected Succulent Planters

    June 10, 2019
  • DIY plant hanging rod
    DIY,  gardening and landscape

    DIY Plant Hanging Rod Secured to the Ceiling

    November 17, 2021 /

    We recently built a plant hanging rod on our sunporch, so I guess I’m a plant person now? Perhaps I should have ended that sentence more declaratively. I’m a plant person now! Nope. That label still feels more uncomfortable than that time I touched poison ivy. I have some house plants. Not a lot. More than what’s on the barren surface of the moon and less than what’s in a tropical jungle. I also have some outdoor plants that I had the wild idea to try and keep alive over the winter. Three of those outdoor plants are ferns in hanging pots. They really liked hanging on my front porch…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    refinished wood mirror

    Refinished Wood Mirror With a Sentimental Twist

    May 2, 2022

    How to Make Staining EASIER

    August 22, 2014

    Potting Shed, Part 2

    January 23, 2015
  • not quite fall front porch colonial farmhouse
    decorating,  gardening and landscape

    Our Not Quite Fall Front Porch

    September 27, 2021 /

    We have a not quite summer, not quite fall front porch right now. Anyone else feeling like they are sitting on the fence between seasons at this very moment with their decor? No? Just me? You couldn’t even give me a shove either way off the seasonal fence because I like it right where I am at the moment. It’s just so pleasant in New Jersey right now. We can hang out outside without wilting under the intense heat and humidity of summer. It’s not yet sweatshirt weather though with the daytime temperatures still in the 70s. In other words, it is perfect. If New Jersey was always like this,…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    House Number Sign From Wooden Spool

    June 28, 2017
    Vintage-Inspired Teen Girl's Room

    Vintage-Inspired Teen Girl’s Room

    April 20, 2020

    Paper Rainbow Butterfly Art

    February 2, 2015
  • colonial farmhouse landscaping stone path outdoor project progress
    gardening and landscape

    2021 Outdoor Project Progress

    August 4, 2021 /

    Do you know what’s great about blogging? There are thousands of people to hold you accountable to what you say you are going to do. That’s also the downside of blogging. Ha! Today I’m updating you on our 2021 outdoor project progress! We’re a good chunk of the way through summer, so let’s hope I’ve made a little progress, right? If you’ve been following along on social media, especially stories, you’ll be familiar with some of this work. If you haven’t been, you’re missing out on the rollercoaster of emotions that is every single project we tackle: excitement, anticipation, regret, hope, relief, excitement, pride, vows to never tackle that project…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Living in Ireland: That Time A Tree Came Down

    October 2, 2017

    The Tale of 3 Houseplants

    March 22, 2017
    clearing the bushes

    The Surprising Way We Cleared 75 Feet of Bushes

    September 9, 2019
  • value of a tree mulberry tree
    gardening and landscape

    How to Calculate the Value of a Tree

    July 14, 2021 /

    Have you ever considered the value of a tree? Before you write this post off as boring, hang with me for just a second. It will be worth your while. I’m not just talking about the value of a tree in terms of what it cost to purchase or in terms of how much money it would bring if harvested. I’m not even talking about the intrinsic value of a tree to a person or community’s social and emotional well-being. I’m talking about the quantifiable value of a tree as it relates to property value, electricity saved, stormwater diverted, and air quality improved. Do I have your attention yet? The…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    DIY plant hanging rod

    DIY Plant Hanging Rod Secured to the Ceiling

    November 17, 2021

    Where’s Your Happy Place?

    September 2, 2015

    A Little Bit of Yard Work Does Wonders

    August 31, 2015
  • wood flag american flag on wood door
    DIY,  gardening and landscape

    Wood Flag Painted on an Old Door

    May 26, 2021 /

    Our Colonial Farmhouse dates back to the 1780s. The small barn on our property isn’t quite that old, but we know it is over 100 years old. On the side of our barn hung a wood flag. Well, what was left of it. The American flag was only recognizable on that strip of wood because that symbol is imprinted on our subconscious. I didn’t hang the wood flag there. I don’t know how long it had been hanging there. Suffice to say, that poor wood flag had seen a storm or two. We actually didn’t realize the American flag was on a wood door until we took the flag down.…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Distressed Scrap Wood Arrow: ScrapMaster Project #3

    November 17, 2014
    mountain themed pool ball rack art

    Mountain-Themed Pool Ball Rack Art

    January 3, 2022

    A Crate For My Crate – Because Why Not? ScrapMaster Project #2

    September 8, 2014
  • black and blue outdoor furniture
    decorating,  gardening and landscape

    Black and Blue Outdoor Furniture

    May 24, 2021 /

    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…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Distressed Scrap Wood Arrow: ScrapMaster Project #3

    November 17, 2014
    antique grate wall art

    Antique Grate Wall Art

    November 9, 2020

    How We Like Our Amazon Rivet Leather Sofa

    February 4, 2019
  • black metal roof carriage house
    gardening and landscape

    2021 Outdoor Projects on our To Do List

    March 31, 2021 /

    This winter I spent an obscene amount of time curled up in a cozy chair drafting an epic list of 2021 Outdoor Projects. While some people find satisfaction in checking completed items off a to-do list, I find satisfaction in having a legitimate reason to never start that list in the first place. Three feet of snow covering the ground as far as the eye can see seems like an excellent excuse to procrastinate.   Alas, the snow finally melted and I’m now 99.367% certain it is safe to leave my cozy chair and start working on these outdoor projects. While it might be safe to start outside work, one of the…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    A Little Bit of Yard Work Does Wonders

    August 31, 2015
    Outdoor Dining Set Makeover

    $20 Outdoor Dining Set Makeover

    August 19, 2019
    clearing a sight line to the pool

    Clearing a Sight Line to the Pool

    August 5, 2019
  • fall colors in new jersey 2020
    gardening and landscape

    Fall Colors in New Jersey 2020

    November 4, 2020 /

    The fall colors in New Jersey brightened my spirits in a plethora of ways this year. 2020 has been a heavy year on so many different fronts. Our new normal doesn’t feel normal. There’s excess noise coming at us from every direction. Even a simple outing requires a complex set of risk/reward calculations. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve got out of my car to walk into a store only to turn around because I forgot my mask. It’s exhausting. Oh, and it isn’t over yet. That’s why my daily walks, especially when I can soak in the fall colors in New Jersey, have been my sanity saver. There’s something restorative about being…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Herringbone Rolling Plant Caddy

    Herringbone Rolling Plant Caddy

    June 17, 2019
    value of a tree mulberry tree

    How to Calculate the Value of a Tree

    July 14, 2021
    deck with black railing

    Finally, The Deck is Done

    October 7, 2020
 Older Posts
Hi! I'm Annisa.

Recent Posts

  • Why We Installed a Tongue and Groove Ceiling In Our Carriage House
  • Happy List: #256
  • How I’m Connecting Two Decks With Landscaping
  • In Praise Of: Historic Homes in Salem, Massachusetts
  • Happy List: #255

Categories

Instagram Feed

Something is wrong.
Instagram token error.
Follow
Load More

Subscribe to blog
Loading

$2018 © A Pretty Happy Home
Ashe Theme by WP Royal.