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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

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  • white painted picket gate
    colonial farmhouse

    6 Month Progress on the Colonial Farmhouse

    March 2, 2020 /

    It’s time for a 6 month progress report on the Colonial Farmhouse. Sure, we’ve lived here longer than six months. 8 1/2 months, actually, but who’s counting? Let’s not get bogged down in the timing. The truth of the matter is I didn’t think about writing a 6 month progress report until now. While this progress report is almost three months late, I’m only sharing progress that was finished within our first six months of living here because that makes it better. Buckle up blog friends because it turns out we’ve made more progress on this Colonial Farmhouse than I thought! KITCHEN: June 2019 Ah, ambience. Just makes you want…

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    annisa 4 Comments

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    Colonial Farmhouse 4 Year Anniversary

    June 14, 2023
    tongue and groove closet doors

    I Refinished Our Tongue and Groove Closet Doors and It Could Have Gone Worse

    January 19, 2022
    colonial farmhouse front yard landscaping progress

    Front Yard Landscaping Progress

    June 24, 2020
  • music room with piano and piano harp art
    decorating

    Ceiling Fan for the Music Room

    February 12, 2020 /

    As much as it pains me to get rid of gargantuan chandelier from the 1990s (sarcasm alert), it seems to be the most practical choice for our music room. What in the the world would I replace it with? I thought you’d never ask. We would replace the gargantuan chandelier (see below photo) with a ceiling fan. That felt anti-climactic, didn’t it? Wait until you find out I haven’t purchased one yet. Oops. Forget I typed that. A ceiling fan for the music room is not my first choice. It’s probably not my second choice either. But remember, it’s the practical choice. B.O.R.I.N.G. But practical. We have a little problem…

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    annisa 8 Comments

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    Paper Flower Garland

    March 19, 2025
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    Three Ways to Decorate with an Antique Splitting Wedge

    October 19, 2020
    Establish Sentimental Provenance for Your Furniture and Art

    It’s Time to Establish Sentimental Provenance for Family Keepsakes

    September 20, 2021
  • piano pedal tree topper
    holidays

    Piano Pedal Tree Topper

    December 9, 2019 /

    When I set out to decorate a music-themed Christmas tree this year, I didn’t plan on creating a piano pedal tree topper. It just sort of happened on a whim. Was it a good whim? It’s hard to tell, but you know me, I’m running with it! If you’re new here, we took apart an old upright piano that was left in our Colonial Farmhouse when we purchased it. We’ve been repurposing the piano parts for other projects (like this piano harp art). That’s how today’s piano pedal tree topper came to be. Piano pedals are made of metal and these have a lovely patina from decades of use. They…

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    annisa 0 Comments

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    How a Weed Became A Symbol of Remembrance

    May 30, 2022
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    Reflections This Christmas 2023

    December 20, 2023

    Using Contact Paper to Make a Deer Silhouette

    December 12, 2014
  • use invisible picture wire to hang a mirror
    decorating

    Invisible Picture Wire Saves the Day

    November 11, 2019 /

    Do you ever have one of those “anything is better than nothing” moments? Any seasoning at all would be better than having to eat one more bite of this bland food. A few lunges while I brush my teeth is better than no exercise today! This mint stuck to the bottom of my purse is better than having no mint and bad breath!  Using my husband’s deodorant is better than not using any deodorant at all! Added perk – I can enjoy the manly smell of ‘arctic ice’ coming from my armpits all day long.  I had one of those “anything is better than nothing” moments as it relates to…

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    annisa 2 Comments

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    vintage brass display stand in praise of pretty tablet stands

    In Praise Of: Pretty Tablet Stands

    February 12, 2024

    Printing Photos on Canvas

    January 14, 2015

    Pallet Flag Tip

    June 15, 2016
  • james peter cost art thrifted for five dollars
    decorating,  thrifting

    My Thrifted James Peter Cost Art Is Worth How Much?

    November 4, 2019 /

    A few weekends ago I was browsing the art section at my local Habitat Restore. By art section I mean stacks of framed art haphazardly leaning against a wall. All art in this particular Restore is $2 unless otherwise marked. I found a large painting of a barn for $5 by an artist named James Peter Cost. I don’t know how long the painting had been there, but it was quite dusty. I stood there staring at it for several minutes trying to decide if I’d regret not buying it. I know $5 isn’t a lot, but I’m still intentional with how I spend my five bucks. It is less…

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    annisa 4 Comments

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    Reclaimed Kitchen Bar From An Old Piano

    Reclaimed Kitchen Bar From An Old Piano

    August 29, 2022
    kitchen peg rail for added functionality black peg rail on black cabinets

    Kitchen Peg Rail Adds So Much Functionality

    September 14, 2022

    Dining Room Hutch and Incorporating Kid Art into Home Decor

    September 16, 2015
  • in praise of the ceramic colander
    Food

    In Praise of the Ceramic Colander

    October 30, 2019 /

    Ceramic colanders might seem like a funny blog topic. Are you wondering if I’ve run out of things to write about? Is this my ‘jump the shark’ moment? No, I have not and I certainly hope not. I just really, really like my ceramic colander. And I almost threw it away. The ceramic colander was in a box of jumbled junk in our garage. (In case you are new, we bought a house and the seller left a ton of belongings behind.)  I remember picking through the box and finding a bunch of planters for houseplants and then the ceramic colander. I didn’t know what the “bowl with the holes”…

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    annisa 2 Comments

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    Lemon Meringue Pie Martini

    August 18, 2014

    Dave’s Killer Bread Artisan-Style

    July 8, 2015

    Banana Blackberry Muffins with Vanilla Orange Glaze

    April 8, 2015
  • ruby glass chandelier
    decorating

    I’m Keeping the Ruby Glass Chandelier

    October 16, 2019 /

    I had zero pleasant feelings about the ruby glass chandelier in our living room when we moved in. In fact, I loathed it. Have you ever heard of the red light district? Don’t worry! This isn’t a story about that. Unless you drove by our house at night when the ruby glass chandelier was turned on and saw the red glow emanating from our home. Then you might think it was about THAT. Our living room quite literally glowed red. It was almost comical. It wasn’t even helpful in terms of illuminating the space. The seller had tried to sell the ruby glass chandelier at an estate sale before closing.…

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    annisa 1 Comment

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    My Christmas Decor Hacks

    December 19, 2016
    wood chandelier with ceiling medallion in a colonial era home in praise of ceiling medallions

    In Praise Of: Ceiling Medallions

    May 3, 2023

    Gold and Turquoise Wood Arrows

    January 25, 2016
  • music room before and after
    colonial farmhouse,  decorating

    Music Room Before and After

    October 7, 2019 /

    I’m not sure if I’ve ever done a proper ‘before and after’ room post because that’s just not how I roll, but there’s a first time for everything! Today I’m going to show you pictures of our music room before and after because I’m at a stopping point in this space. Basically, I’ve called it ‘good enough’ for now. Or maybe ‘much better than before’ and I’ve moved on to other projects. Yes, there are still things to do in the music room. Will they get done? Definitely. Probably. Let’s not hold our breath. Last week I showed you my piano harp art. The piano harp art may be the…

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    annisa 2 Comments

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    I Refinished Our Tongue and Groove Closet Doors and It Could Have Gone Worse

    January 19, 2022
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    What We Found In Our Kitchen Wall – Copper Tiles

    January 27, 2025
    corkboard ideas Farmhouse Style Boy's Room

    Farmhouse Style Boy’s Room

    July 22, 2020
  • Five Old Books I Found in Our New Home
    colonial farmhouse,  decorating

    5 Old Books I Found in Our New Home

    July 31, 2019 /

    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.…

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    annisa 3 Comments

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    Did We Finally Find Buried Treasure?

    April 30, 2025
    black metal roof for our carriage house

    Black Metal Roof for our Carriage House

    October 21, 2020
    painted white gate

    I Painted Our Front Gate

    September 11, 2019
  • navy blue Fisher 4pk patio outdoor dining chair Target
    decorating

    Navy Blue Outdoor Dining Chairs

    May 15, 2019 /

    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…

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    annisa 2 Comments

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    reproduction hardware

    Updating Our Home With Antique Hardware

    June 7, 2021
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    In Praise Of: Pretty Matchstick Holders

    October 18, 2023

    Free Fall Printable Round Up

    November 14, 2016
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Hi! I'm Annisa.

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