• 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!

  • fall front porch with colored solar lanterns
    decorating

    Fall Front Porch At Night

    October 8, 2025 /

    Our fall front porch at night is one of the simple delights in life that I’m relishing right now. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy it during the daytime as well. But the glow of the porch at night is what’s really doing it for me. Full disclosure, it’s harder to see the dirt and cobwebs at night, so that’s another point in its favor. Did you notice the colored lanterns on the steps? I sure hope so because I don’t own a blog to be demure. Sharing evening photos of our front porch is a shameless opportunity for me to gush about my continued enjoyment of solar lids with…

    read more
    annisa 5 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Gallery Wall with a Car Theme

    March 25, 2019

    3 Mirror Makeovers to Try

    June 2, 2021
    modern country laundry room in a colonial farmhouse with wainscoting stained glass horse art basket wall and inset wall shelves

    What We Regret About Our Laundry Room Makeover

    April 15, 2024
  • candle warmer lamps sitting on a table in front of a gallery wall great christmas gift idea 2025
    decorating

    Getting Cozy With Candle Warmer Lamps

    September 29, 2025 /

    Candle warmer lamps are the emotional support item getting me through the bumpy transition from summer to fall. Yes, lamps plural. I have two. Not only did I jump on the candle warmer lamps trend, but I also decided Big Candle could have all my money. Candle warmer lamps do exactly what they say. They warm up the wax in a candle vessel, allowing the smell to waft through your home without you having to light the wick. It’s brilliant. Now, friends. I am old enough to know that melting scented wax is not a new concept. In the late aughts, I had some Scentsy wax melts and a cute…

    read more
    annisa 6 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Vintage Wood Gate

    May 11, 2016
    Tiffany-Style Bedroom Ceiling Fan

    Tiffany-Style Bedroom Ceiling Fan

    September 23, 2020
    3 reasons tiffany style lights are cool

    3 Reasons to Love Tiffany Style Lights

    July 12, 2021
  • diy floral witch's hat sitting on a pumpkin in front of a stone wall
    decorating,  holidays

    DIY Floral Witch’s Hat

    September 15, 2025 /

    Gleeful is the only word to describe how I feel about showing you the floral witch’s hat I crafted last week. I want you to like it as much as I do, but it’s just not possible. I’m so obsessed, you’d think I came up with the idea on my own. This is kind of funny because I’m not sure if there are any truly original ideas out there anymore. Adding flowers to a witch’s hat is definitely not original, but it’s the first time I’ve done it, so it feels brand new to me. We’ll call this craft an Annisa Original. I might fly in a little late to…

    read more
    annisa 10 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Pottery Barn Shelf Knock Off

    June 2, 2014
    new living room rug chris loves julia x loloi jules terracotta multi

    Our New Living Room Rug Gives a Warm Feel To This Part of Our Home

    January 17, 2022
    cardboard gingerbread house christmas mantel

    Cardboard Gingerbread House Christmas Mantel

    December 2, 2024
  • pared down gallery wall gallery wall with a wall pocket wall vase and nature paintings
    decorating

    Pared-Down Living Room Gallery Wall

    September 3, 2025 /

    The only constant in life is change, and this applies to our living room gallery wall, too. I had spent a few years creating a genuinely collected-over-time gallery wall in our living room. It had a nature theme because that’s the kind of art that makes my soul exhale. I love this nature-themed gallery wall. I was also ready for a change. Two seemingly contradictory things can be true at the same time. I didn’t want a drastic change, just something a bit simpler and more refined to feast my eyes on. My pared-down living room gallery wall needed to stick with the nature theme, though, because I haven’t changed…

    read more
    annisa 8 Comments

    You May Also Like

    1960s Wood Paneling That Looks Good

    February 8, 2017

    The Great Guitar Hanging Debacle

    March 29, 2017

    3 Thrift Store Finds and 1 Garbage Find

    October 3, 2018
  • carriage house kitchenette with blue and white curtains to break up long narrow space
    decorating

    Carriage House Curtains For a Long Narrow Space

    August 11, 2025 /

    I recently added new curtains in our Carriage House to break up the long narrow space, and I’m going to have to file this under “things I should have done a long time ago.” Talk about a change for the better! Our Carriage House is roughly 9-feet wide by 30-feet long. Have you ever decorated a tunnel? That’s the situation with our Carriage House, and we have to fit a bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and an office into the space. I have received many well-meaning suggestions to add wallpaper or wainscoting to this space to give the walls interest. However, because it is such a long space, those options will cost…

    read more
    annisa 7 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Racing Trophy Display Door

    June 8, 2014

    Way Back Wednesday – Oregon House

    November 19, 2014
    black painted doors

    Painted Black Doors in our Colonial Farmhouse

    July 13, 2020
  • vintage bottle bud vases on an antique radio
    decorating

    Vintage Bottle Bud Vases

    July 9, 2025 /

    A couple of months ago we dug up some vintage bottles from our backyard. Some folks have a garden in their backyard and dig up things like potatoes. We dig up vintage bottles. Perhaps we could trade? Anyway, it’s not that unusual to dig up “garbage” in the backyard of a really old home that existed before a person driving a big truck collected your bins of trash every Friday at 4 a.m. You can complain about a lot of things in modern society, but waste disposal ordinances seem like a good thing to me. The vintage bottles we found were in surprisingly good shape for having been buried for…

    read more
    annisa 4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Outdoor Dining Set Makeover

    $20 Outdoor Dining Set Makeover

    August 19, 2019

    Heart Plant Stakes

    January 15, 2016

    The Great Guitar Hanging Debacle

    March 29, 2017
  • farmhouse style plywood side table stained with paint dipped legs in black
    decorating,  DIY,  gardening and landscape

    Plywood Side Table Makeover

    June 11, 2025 /

    Some life lessons need reminders. Today’s plywood side table makeover is one of those reminders. (Yes, I can find a life lesson in almost anything.) I found what was clearly a DIY plywood side table at my favorite thrift store. It was $10. Do you think I overpaid? I never regret buying wood tables for $10 (maybe more depending on the table) because I know the lumber it took to make it, not to mention the time, costs more than ten bucks these days. Plus, side tables are one thing we are short on around here. I knew I was going to knock off the orange-y finish of the table,…

    read more
    annisa 3 Comments

    You May Also Like

    vintage handkerchief art

    Vintage Handkerchief Art

    March 4, 2020
    practical uses for soda crates art caddy

    A Spot to be Creative – Office Update

    July 28, 2014
    3 reasons tiffany style lights are cool

    3 Reasons to Love Tiffany Style Lights

    July 12, 2021
  • farmhouse front porch more seating with rockers and a light update
    decorating,  gardening and landscape

    Front Porch – More Seating and a Light Update

    May 19, 2025 /

    It is front porch season in New Jersey. Finally! New Jersey likes to trick you a little on this topic. You’ll think it is front porch season and then one morning you’ll wake up to find everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, covered in a coating of yellow dust. Pesky pollen. I made the mistake of sleeping with the window open during this time and woke up to my nightstand, and I’m sure, all my bedding, covered in pollen. Is this why they call it spring cleaning? Because I had to do a BUNCH of it that day. Regrets. I have a few. Anyway, I cleared the front porch of…

    read more
    annisa 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    IKEA Lamp Hack

    April 20, 2016

    DIY Live Edge Wood Coffee Table

    May 23, 2018

    Our Best Hidden Storage Purchase

    July 26, 2017
  • repurposed wood mortar as a wood planter
    decorating

    Repurposed Wood Mortar as a Planter

    May 12, 2025 /

    The mortar portion of a wood mortar and pestle set came home with me from the thrift store recently. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s how it was originally intended to be used. It was either that or an oddly shaped bowl. It was made from several pieces of wood (presumably mahogany) laminated together and then hollowed out on a lathe to have sloping sides. I knew I wouldn’t use it for food preparation because, despite all my best intentions, I’ve never consistently used any of the mortar and pestle sets we’ve owned. I’m more of a food processor type of home cook. I’m also the type of person who…

    read more
    annisa 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    led table lamp for at home dining room table

    Bright Idea: LED Table Lamp For Your Dining Table

    February 28, 2024
    farmhouse style plywood side table stained with paint dipped legs in black

    Plywood Side Table Makeover

    June 11, 2025
    decorating with thimbles

    Decorating with Thimbles in a Modern Way

    March 11, 2020
  • solar fairy light mason jars
    decorating,  gardening and landscape

    Fairy Light Mason Jars (Solar and Battery Powered)

    May 5, 2025 /

    Today, it is my privilege to remind you of the simple joy of fairy light mason jars. It’s not a new concept, but it is one I had forgotten about until recently. In addition, there are not one, but TWO easy ways to light them up yourselves. First, how this reminder came about in case you don’t like DIY projects. (There’s something for everyone here.) I was killing time in the lighting aisle at Lowe’s recently because Handy Husband had parked himself in the electrical aisle and I’m pretty sure he was there long enough that folks started mistaking him for an employee. If they offer an employee discount, it…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Candid Photos of Our House That Give Me Warm Fuzzy Feelings colonial farmhouse with stained glass french doors

    Candid Photos of Our House That Give Me Warm Fuzzy Feelings

    August 17, 2022
    not quite fall front porch colonial farmhouse

    Our Not Quite Fall Front Porch

    September 27, 2021
    how not to make a book pumpkin humorous tale of all the things that went wrong while making a book pumpkin

    How NOT to Make a Book Pumpkin

    October 10, 2016
 Older Posts
Hi! I'm Annisa.

Recent Posts

  • Happy List: #410
  • Converting a Door Into a Window In a Stone Building, Part 2
  • Converting a Door Into a Window In a Stone Building, Part 1
  • Happy List: #409
  • Curved Fieldstone Wall: Part 12, Reveal 2nd Wall Section

Categories

Subscribe to blog
Loading

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