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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Way back in the day, sewing machines were fancy. I’m talking capital F fancy. Some sewing machines were housed in ornate pieces of furniture that were prominent fixtures in homes. Later, as sewing machines became more portable but were still made of metal, not plastic, they didn’t stop being stylish. Not at all. That’s where the wood sewing machine cover comes onto the scene. In 1884, the Singer Sewing Machine Company introduced a bentwood sewing machine cover. This was a big technological achievement. In essence, Singer and their competitor, Wheeler and Wilson, figured out how to make plywood. Then, after much trial and error, the Singer Sewing Machine Company discovered that…