• 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!

  • decorating with thimbles
    decorating

    Decorating with Thimbles in a Modern Way

    March 11, 2020 /

    My mother, who sewed her own wedding dress, is getting a laugh from heaven today. Can you hear it? Despite all of her attempts (and there were many) to teach me any type of sewing because it would be a handy skill to master, I never really took to it. I still have dang it had a stubborn streak and very little patience for detail-oriented work. I definitely have not had the need to pick up a thimble in my adult life, but there’s still time. Therefore, the fact that I’m writing about decorating with thimbles today would be a wee bit laughable to her. The moral of this story? Mom is…

    read more
    annisa 4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Christmas in the Foyer

    December 7, 2016
    succulent in a shot glass

    3 Unexpected Succulent Planters

    June 10, 2019
    music room before and after

    Music Room Before and After

    October 7, 2019
  • 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…

    read more
    annisa 4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    carriage house tongue and groove ceiling

    Why We Installed a Tongue and Groove Ceiling In Our Carriage House

    May 16, 2022
    colonial farmhouse with hardie fiber cement siding in arctic white how installing fiber cement siding changed our insurance premiums

    How Much Our Insurance Changed With Hardie Fiber Cement Siding

    July 10, 2024
    colonial farmhouse exterior with sunporch

    Colonial Farmhouse 3 Year Anniversary

    June 13, 2022
  • 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…

    read more
    annisa 8 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Clothespin Holder

    July 18, 2016

    Dining Table Refinish

    May 9, 2016
    my recent thrift store finds milk glass candlesticks

    My Latest Thrift Store Finds: Part 6

    August 14, 2023
  • 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…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Board Games Even I Enjoy

    November 27, 2017
    flags on memorial day

    Memorial Day 2019

    May 27, 2019

    Mason Jar Snow Globes

    December 2, 2015
  • 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…

    read more
    annisa 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Display a Souvenir Pin Collection in a Shadowbox Frame

    March 6, 2019
    tan buffalo check kitchen curtains with beige wainscoting

    Buffalo Check Curtains For Our Kitchen

    October 4, 2023

    14 Beautiful Christmas Ornaments

    November 5, 2025
  • 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…

    read more
    annisa 4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    black and blue outdoor furniture

    Black and Blue Outdoor Furniture

    May 24, 2021

    Christmas in the Foyer

    December 7, 2016

    Where’s Your Happy Place?

    September 2, 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”…

    read more
    annisa 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Chewy Swedish Gingersnap Cookies

    February 25, 2015

    Krispy Kreme Knock-Off: Yay or Nay?

    February 20, 2015

    Vanilla Glazed Carrot Muffins

    September 15, 2014
  • 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.…

    read more
    annisa 1 Comment

    You May Also Like

    old fridge built in to look cabinet ready with custom hinge cover cabinet feet how to customize an old fridge

    Building In Our Fridge: The Reveal

    January 20, 2025
    bedroom peg rail above a dresser in a colonial farmhouse with tiffany lamp

    Bedroom Peg Rail – One Entire Wall of Storage

    March 12, 2025

    Clothespin Holder

    July 18, 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…

    read more
    annisa 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Convert a Dining Table Into a Coffee Table

    My Dining Table Is Now a Coffee Table

    July 29, 2019
    connecting two decks with landscaping

    How I’m Connecting Two Decks With Landscaping

    May 11, 2022
    Built In Hallway Shelves

    Built In Hallway Shelves

    May 13, 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.…

    read more
    annisa 3 Comments

    You May Also Like

    white colonial farmhouse exterior with sunporch

    Drone Photos of Our Home

    August 26, 2024
    entryway refresh with buffalo check curtains and new front door window insert

    Entryway Refresh and a New Front Door Window

    April 16, 2025
    painted carriage house

    Check Out Our Newly Painted Carriage House

    September 29, 2021
 Older Posts
Newer Posts 
Hi! I'm Annisa.

Recent Posts

  • Happy List: #414, Thanksgiving Edition
  • Happy List: #413
  • 8 Decorating Ideas From A Music Room
  • Overwintering Plants Set Up On Our Sunporch
  • Happy List: #412

Categories

Subscribe to blog
Loading

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