Happy List: #298 – A Pretty Happy Home

Hello, hello! Welcome to today’s Happy List. I’m delighted you are here.

This week on the blog I shared when a brown paint wash can be used to mimic the look of stain. Spoiler – it’s usually when things have gone awry and you need to salvage your DIY project. Ha!

I also wrote a sweet and sentimental blog post about Handy Husband. He has a birthday soon and if you’d like to send him a birthday wish, I’ll be sure to pass it on. You can always comment on this blog post or send an email here. You can also connect with us on Instagram or Facebook.

Now, here’s the Happy List!

COZY

This bedroom designed by Heidi Caillier caught my eye because it’s gorgeous and cozy. Her design makes the best use of the room’s interesting architecture.

We used to have a bedroom with slanted walls and it was the coziest space.

Go see more pictures of this apartment designed by Heidi over at The Nordroom. The kitchen counters were so cool.

(image: Heidi Caillier via The Nordroom)

SPACE ELEVATOR

Neal.fun has another really cool interactive learning experience called Space Elevator. You can scroll up through the atmosphere to see the temperature and what can survive at that altitude. I learned so much!

I was going to say kids will really love this but I did too! So…take from that what you will.

(image: Neal.fun)

PORTRAITS ON ICE

I read about this and I’m still having a hard time wrapping my mind around how artist David Popa creates portraits on ice floes on the Baltic Sea.

He uses items like chalk and charcoal to create these portraits on the ice because they will melt and be washed away into the sea.

Read more about his work and see other pictures over at This Is Colossal. You can follow David Popa on Instagram here.

$fractured by david popa ice floes portraits in the baltic via This is Colossal on the happy list$

(image: David Popa via This is Colossal)

BELT BAG

Fanny pack. Belt bag. They are back in style!

I got this one for Christmas ($20) and finally tried it out during our trip to Florida. It was able to hold my gigantic phone, cards, cash, a tiny first aid kit, a tissue, eye drops, hand sanitizer, and lip balm. Plus, it looked pretty and I felt like I could dress up or down an outfit with it.

I STILL felt insecure not having a larger purse to hold important things like snacks, receipts I don’t need, a shopping bag, 3 dried-up pens, etc. but I persevered!

So far I prefer to wear the belt bag across my chest instead of my waist. Messes up my outfit less and was easier to maneuver around while navigating gross public restrooms.

(image: Amazon)

P.S. The only thing I don’t like about this belt bag is that when I walk fast the metal pulls clink on each other. The solution is to either walk slower or pull one of the zippers back slightly so the pulls can’t touch.

P.P.S. The belt bag comes in a bunch of different colors and would make a fun Mother’s Day gift.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

How amazing are the windows in this bathroom?

I debated on what picture to show you from this home and the bathroom won out. However, there’s an outdoor shower situation you need to see. The bedrooms have so many great ideas. Then there’s the brick floor. Don’t get me started on how awesome the brick was. See more pictures of this home designed by Raili CA Design over here at Desire to Inspire.

(image: Raili CA Design via Desire to Inspire)

CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY

Remember how tragic it was when a fire extensively damaged Notre-Dame Cathedral in 2019?

It was only after the fire that researchers discovered that the cathedral had been built with cutting-edge technology for the time. Gigantic iron staples had been used to hold the cathedral’s stonework together. These staples were between 4.4 and 8.8 pounds and spanned close to 20 inches in length.

Read more about it over at My Modern Met.

THAI BASIL BEEF ROLLS

These Thai Basil Beef Rolls by Half Baked Harvest look so freaking good. I was thinking this recipe would also taste good deconstructed over rice.

Also, I love watching her Instagram stories when she cooks. It’s the best kind of cooking ASMR.

(image: Half Baked Harvest)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

“We spend much of our worrying time on crises. Our media is filled with warnings, coverage and fear of cataclysms. The big boom, the sudden end, the crash.

In fact, rot is far more common.

Things decay unless we persistently work to support them. Organizations, reputations, systems, health, investments… even our teeth. For every hockey player who lost a tooth in a game, there are a million people who lost one over time.

Fear the rot, the explosions are merely a distraction.”

–Seth Godin, from Seth’s Blog April 15, 2023

Thank you for reading today’s Happy List.

Be good to yourself and others this weekend.

I’ll see you back here on Monday.

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