• cable car Barcelona
    happy list

    Happy List: #198

    Welcome to this week’s Happy List! The image at the top of this post was taken by me on a trip to Barcelona. I’ve been thinking about all the good times we’ve spent traveling and this photo always makes me smile. Oh, and despite how the picture looks, it wasn’t particularly warm when we visited Barcelona because it was the end of December/first of January.  This week on the blog I wrote about the car horns I’m collecting. I’ve been learning a lot about antique car horns and you are now the recipient of that knowledge. When I shared what I knew about car horns being tuned to musical notes, a friend on…

  • best sound in the world family laughing in orchard
    gift and learning

    What is the Best Sound in the World?

    What is the best sound in the world to you? I have been thinking about this question lately. I’m curious to know what you think is the best sound in the world. If you had to pick only one sound, what would it be? Is it the sound of the waves crashing against the shore? Is it the sound of a cat purring? Is it the sound of your baby’s first cry after being brought into this world? Is it the sound of “I love you” coming from your partner’s lips? Is it the sound of rain coming down on your roof? Is it the sound of your name being called as you walk across the stage to…

  • collecting antique car horns
    decorating

    Collecting: Antique Car Horns

    I have two antique car horns and I’m looking for a third, so I guess I’m collecting antique car horns now. I’m pretty jazzed about it! Every once in awhile when you visit this blog I want you to not only leave with inspiration, but some random trivia to impress your friends and family with too. It’s the least I can do for you, right?   Here goes… Antique car horns were first used in Britain in the 1800s. It was a matter of safety when self-propelled vehicles started sharing the road with horses, wagons, and people. By the late 1800s, motorists were using horns, bells, and whistles to alert others to their presence. In the…

  • burlap american flag centerpiece
    happy list

    Happy List: #197

    Hello! Welcome back to another edition of the Happy list! This week I shared the new rug for our bedroom. We spend a fair amount of time just hanging out in our bedroom because it is large enough for a seating area, so it feels good that this room is coming together. Slowly but surely.  I also shared a round up of my favorite leather decorating and craft ideas. I hope one of these ideas inspires you to create something fabulous for your home!  If you want to check out what projects we are working on this weekend, please follow along on Facebook or Instagram stories. I enjoy interacting with you there!  Now, here’s…

  • stack of leather 5 easy leather craft and decorating ideas
    Crafts

    5 Easy Leather Decorating and Craft Ideas

    I dug deep into my brain to round up some of my favorite, easy leather decorating and craft ideas for you today. I’ve been blogging for so long that I sometimes forget all the cool stuff I’ve made over the years.  Yes, I am totally biased by what I make. I either love the thing with every fiber of my being or it is dead to me and never sees the light of day. Well, that’s not true. Sometimes I write a “what not to do” blog post so you can learn from my mistakes. There have been so many mistakes over the years it is a miracle I ever finish…

  • nuloom new bedroom rug
    colonial farmhouse,  decorating

    New Bedroom Rug

    My Christmas present was a new bedroom rug and I am OBSESSED. Obsessed might be an over-dramatization of my feelings.  My new bedroom rug does make me smile every time I walk in our bedroom though. I think my heart sighs contentedly too, but I’m not sure if that’s a real thing or just what I imagine my heart doing in there besides, you know, keeping me alive.  The biggest surprise to me (Yes, I can still surprise myself.) is that I chose a rug with some dusty reds in it. I am old enough to have lived through the early 2000s when everyone was painting an accent wall in their home red. I…

  • colonial farmhouse barn spring on the happy list
    happy list

    Happy List: #196

    Hello, friends! Welcome to this week’s Happy List.  This week on the blog I shared pictures of my newly revamped coffee table. The new-to-me base definitely kicked the table up a notch or two style-wise.  I also shared the new electronic lock we installed on our Carriage House door. So far, we are liking having a bit of technology on this old building!  Now here’s the Happy List!LINGER AWHILE I like this dining room setup. It reminds me of a restaurant. However, if this was my house, there would be no pillows because I live with the cutest savages. Perhaps built-in, wipeable, indestructible cushions instead.  See more pictures of this gorgeous home over at Lonny.  (image: photographed…

  • black metal roof carriage house
    DIY

    Trying Out An Electronic Lock

    Do you have an electronic lock on any of the doors in your home? If so, do you have strong feelings about it either good or bad? We just got our first electronic lock and I must admit, it’s kind of handy! The first thing anyone in the real estate field will tell you to do when you buy a new house is to change the locks! You don’t know how many keys for your house are floating around out there and who is in possession of them. Sound advice, don’t you think? Do we heed sound advice? Of course! Except in one peculiar instance. I shouldn’t even mention this out loud, but we did not have…

  • brass coffee table mashup
    decorating

    Coffee Table Mashup

    Today I have a coffee table mashup story for you. I’m so cool that when I decided to use the word mashup I had to Google it to determine if this slang was written as one word, two words, or hyphenated. So cool, indeed. Wait. Do the cool kids say ‘cool’ these days? I should probably ask my 13-year-old, but I’ve already reached my daily quota on eye rolls.  Anyway, you might be wondering what a coffee table mashup is? It’s when you combine different coffee table parts to make a new coffee table. A top from one coffee table, a base from a different coffee table and bada-bing bada-boom you have a coffee table mashup! I have…

  • yellow tulips in living room
    happy list

    Happy List: #195

    Happy New Year and welcome back to the Happy List. I finished the Happy List a few days ago and then things spiraled out of control in Washington D.C. I’ve deleted and rewritten this intro more than once. Words matter and I’m not sure I have words adequate enough to address how I’m feeling. Dismayed, but not surprised is what comes to mind.  This blog is my happy place. I’m pretty fortunate that my job and my happy place are one and the same. It wasn’t that way for many years. I need this outlet to recharge so that I can do my part in other ways to fight for democracy and against…