Happy List: #352
Hi! Welcome to today’s Happy List. I’m delighted you are here. This week on the blog I shared the thing I never noticed about white farmhouses before. Â It made me question my powers of observation. I also shared the way we display Handy Husband’s running medals and race bibs. Running probably saved his life from a physical and mental perspective, so I’m definitely supportive of his desire to run races. As always, thank you for being here today. It makes my day to share things with you that interested me, made me smile, or made me think this week. I hope it makes your day too. If you want to…
How To Display Running Medals and Race Bibs
Do you know someone who is REALLY into running? Let me show you how to display running medals and race bibs in a fun, artistic way. All you need is a cork board or an old door and some cork. Now take the ever-growing collection of race bibs and running medals that are stuffed in every junk drawer, glove box, backpack, and coat closet you own and staple them to your cork board. That’s it! It’s faster than running a 5k and, dare I say, far more enjoyable. If you’re turning an old door into a cork board to display running medals and race bibs, it’s best to find an…
The Curious Thing About White Farmhouses
I have recently been assigned the excruciating job of selecting a trim color for our white farmhouse. Who gave me this task? I did. Who decided I was qualified? No one. Who will be upset if I pick the wrong color? Me. I make a million decisions (give or take) a day. Why is picking one paint color so difficult? I have picked baby names faster than I’ve picked a trim color. Not even joking. Anyway, in all of my research (aka Googling and walking around the towns near me), I noticed a curious thing about white farmhouses. Not always, but often, the accent color of a white farmhouse comes…
Happy List: #351
Hey, hey! Welcome to today’s Happy List. I’m over-the-moon to have you here. This week on the blog I shared the four old house construction techniques that were used to build our home. We discovered them during our recent project to put new siding on the house. I also wrote about how our home insurance was affected by the changes we made to our siding. There are some mysteries in life we are not meant to understand. This is one of them. Once again, thank you for being here today. It makes my day to share things with you that interested me, made me smile, or made me think this…
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…
