Our Deck Is Ready For Summer
It’s almost Memorial Day, the unofficial kick-off to summer in the U.S., and our deck is ready for summer fun! And by fun, I mean eating. I have my priorities. Most of our dinners in the summer are eaten on the deck. Then there are the Double Ds. Drinks and dessert. Those are best enjoyed on the deck in the summer too. We’ll often turn on the party lights and sit on the deck with a drink in hand as the sun goes down and the temperature becomes tolerable pleasant. New Jersey summers are not to be trifled with. They can be hot, humid, and let’s not forget about the…
17 Ways To Use Ceramic Crocks
It’s not like I’ve polled everyone I’ve ever met, but so far, I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t think ceramic crocks are cool for one reason or another. They might not be their style and they might not own any but most people seem to acknowledge ceramic crocks have their place. Today, ceramic crocks are mainly used for home decoration but 200 years ago ceramic crocks were vital to survival. Yes, survival. We take refrigeration for granted today. Sometimes my kids just loiter in front of the open refrigerator doors letting all the cool air out while pondering their snack options. *sigh* Without a doubt, the invention of home refrigeration…
Wallpapered Kitchen Alcove With Multiple Uses
I am thrilled to reveal our newly wallpapered kitchen alcove on the blog today! I didn’t know what to call this room, so I’m using the term kitchen alcove because it sounded like something a home that is almost 250 years old would have. However, this not-quite-a-hallway, not-quite-a-room is the ultimate flex space that we use for a variety of purposes. Its functions as a microwave station, a food pantry, a butler’s pantry, shoe storage, a junk drawer, a pool towel holder, a sunscreen station, the place where the lightbulbs go, a hallway to the bathroom, and more. PHEW! That’s a lot of hats for 30 square feet of space…
In Praise Of: Ceiling Medallions
It doesn’t matter how decrepit a home is, whenever I see ceiling medallions in a home I think, “Ooh, fancy!” Is that your impulse too? That impulse is spot on. Ceiling medallions peaked in popularity in the mid to late 1800s. (source) This was the Victorian era and folks living then liked to make a bold statement in their homes with everything from elaborate trim to fussy furnishings. There was nothing subtle about the Victorians. If you had a ceiling medallion in the 1800s this meant you likely had a hanging light fixture of some sort and these items were signs of wealth. There’s nothing like your neighbor’s wealth hanging…
No-Sew Denim Bunting Banner
I’m excited to share a no-sew denim bunting banner with you today. Honestly, it took me longer to decide what to call this creation than it did to make it. According to the internet, which never gives false information, flag banner, flag bunting, pennant bunting, pennant banner, and 4 million other iterations of those words were also acceptable names. Thanks, internet. Super helpful. I made these denim bunting banners to hang over my son’s bed. They replaced the crepe paper streamers that had been hanging there for 11 months. ELEVEN! I hung the streamers up for his birthday and never intended them to be up for more than a day.…
A Modern Country Laundry Room For Our Colonial Farmhouse
If a modern country laundry room can be a thing, that’s what we created for our Colonial Farmhouse. The transformation of this modern country laundry room only took us 3 months, 13 days, and, oh fine…a while. It took us a good long while to finish. Either this project was more tedious than we originally anticipated or we actually found a life and hobbies outside of working on this house. Yeah…you’re not going to believe we have actual hobbies, so this project was probably just tedious…as all good projects are. Almost four years ago our laundry room looked like this. Sexy, wasn’t it? That photo was taken on the day…
14 Ways To Reuse a Basmati Rice Bag
Have you ever wondered about all the ways to reuse a basmati rice bag? Have you ever bought rice in one of these bags? Royal brand basmati rice is sold in the neatest burlap bag. It has handles. It has a zipper. It has neat typography. It has bold colors. It can hold at least 20 pounds. In short, it’s amazing and something that could definitely be reused. Here are 14 ways to reuse a basmati rice bag. 1. Turn it into wall art. 2. Use it as a grocery shopping bag. 3. Use it to store potatoes, onions, and any other vegetable that needs ventilation. 4. It’s the perfect…
In Praise of Basket Walls
Basket walls, meaning baskets as wall decor, have been on my mind lately. Does that mean I’m turning into a basket case? Nah. That’s something entirely different. But give me time and that may happen! I, like many people, have not met a basket I didn’t love. Do I need all the baskets I love? Need is a relative term, but probably not. Do more baskets really make me more organized? In my ideal world, yes. Could I justify having more baskets if I used them as wall decor? I can make a strong argument for that. Baskets, when grouped together as wall decor, can provide a tremendous amount of…
No Utility Closet? Make An Utility Wall Instead.
If your house is like mine and has no utility closet or logical spot to put a broom and mop, do not fret. Just don’t sweep or mop. Kidding! Make a utility wall instead. Functionally, all you need is a little bit of wall space and some hooks and you can create a utility wall. Don’t have wall space? That makes it trickier, but you might have the side of a tall kitchen cabinet or even the side of your refrigerator to use as a “wall.” But won’t it look bad to hang your dirty laundry broom, mop, dustpan, etc. out where everyone can see them? Possibly. I’m not going…
Recent Home Photos That Made Me Smile
Today, I thought I’d share some recent candid home photos that made me smile. I’m forever captivated by the light in our home. Often when I’m walking through the house the light catches my eye and a scene I’ve seen thousands of times suddenly looks different. Special. Noteworthy. I really wish my camera could capture the feeling those fleeting moments evoke for me. Perhaps it’s the warmth from the afternoon light or just how lucky I feel that we get to live here. But that might be putting a lot of pressure on a camera. This view from my kiddo’s room that I cleverly cropped so you can’t see the…
