New Bedroom Rug
My Christmas present was a new bedroom rug and I am OBSESSED. Obsessed might be an over-dramatization of my feelings. My new bedroom rug does make me smile every time I walk in our bedroom though. I think my heart sighs contentedly too, but I’m not sure if that’s a real thing or just what I imagine my heart doing in there besides, you know, keeping me alive. The biggest surprise to me (Yes, I can still surprise myself.) is that I chose a rug with some dusty reds in it. I am old enough to have lived through the early 2000s when everyone was painting an accent wall in their home red. I…
Coffee Table Mashup
Today I have a coffee table mashup story for you. I’m so cool that when I decided to use the word mashup I had to Google it to determine if this slang was written as one word, two words, or hyphenated. So cool, indeed. Wait. Do the cool kids say ‘cool’ these days? I should probably ask my 13-year-old, but I’ve already reached my daily quota on eye rolls. Anyway, you might be wondering what a coffee table mashup is? It’s when you combine different coffee table parts to make a new coffee table. A top from one coffee table, a base from a different coffee table and bada-bing bada-boom you have a coffee table mashup! I have…
Small Updates in the Kids’ Bedrooms
I thought I’d razzle dazzle you with some small updates in the kids’ bedrooms today. Way to over sell it, huh? While the big stuff for home renovation is fun to watch and blog about, I think it is the small, meaningful updates that really make a house feel like a home. Yes, I really do believe this stuff I spout. Ha! We’ve lived so many places where we couldn’t renovate or even paint. Home is definitely what we made of it in that moment  – from the memories that we made there to the small touches that made that house feel like us. The kids’ bedrooms have always received priority when we move because…
On the Hunt for Rocking Chairs
I’m on the hunt for rocking chairs! How’s that for a random tidbit? I have more random tidbits if you want some. My mind is a veritable playground of randomness. I have been thinking for months about how we should or could use our sunporch. It’s a long, narrow space broken up by five doors (two sets of french doors and one exterior door). The french doors aren’t centered on the sunporch, so that complicates the spacing a bit as well. The sunporch is so narrow I can sit with my back on one wall and my feet can touch the other wall. Yes, I’m tall, but my height is all in my torso. Oops. There’s…
Antique Grate Wall Art
We had an antique grate sitting in our basement collecting cobwebs and a family member pointed out that it had decorating potential. Actually, I think she said, “I wish I could fit that grate in my suitcase because I would take it home and do something with it.” I’m almost certain it wouldn’t have been the weirdest thing TSA saw in someone’s suitcase. However, her passing comment did make me think I should do something with that antique grate besides let it be a home for all the basement spiders. Did you like that ‘before’ picture? I could have brushed the grime off before I snapped that picture, but nope. I decided to keep it real…
Vintage Ethan Allen Chairs for our Living Room
There has been a change in our living room! Vintage Ethan Allen chairs are now providing cush for our tushes! I’ve been idly on the hunt for high quality chairs for our living room. I wanted chairs that would stand the test of time from a style and quality perspective, but also be comfortable to sit in. Comfort is VERY important around here! I loved the look and function of the recliner chairs I bought for a quick fix in our living room, but I also regretted that purchase. The recliners just didn’t feel sturdy enough to stand the test of everyday, heavy use. That’s the difference between cheaply made and high quality furniture. One…
Halloween Cauldron Centerpiece
Last week I found a mini cast iron cauldron at the thrift store and knew I could turn into a Halloween Cauldron Centerpiece! I didn’t know how I would make this happen, but as it turns out, I predictably resorted to my default Halloween trick. Stick a bat on it. That’s about as Halloween as I get. A Halloween Cauldron Centerpiece is nothing without the cauldron and a mini cauldron works best. My mini cauldron is about 6 inches tall and has a 6-inch diameter. It looks like it is the perfect dimension to cook up a single-serving size of deliciousness over a campfire. Although, I’m just imagining this campfire cooking scenario because I don’t camp. I’m…
Three Ways to Decorate with an Antique Splitting Wedge
Today I’m going to show you three splitting wedge decor ideas. A splitting wedge for decorating? Seriously? Yes, seriously. You guys know I will decorate with most anything. If you’ve never chopped wood, it’s hard work let me get you up to speed. Splitting wedges come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are used to help split large logs into smaller chunks when an ax alone can’t get the job done. For the purposes of today’s post, I’m decorating with a rusty, weathered diamond splitting wedge. I should clarify that the diamond part of a diamond splitting wedge usually refers to the shape, as it can split wood in four directions. I found the…
Soup Tureen Fall Centerpiece
I’ll bet you didn’t know a soup tureen fall centerpiece was a thing, did you? Around here it is, especially since I’m always looking for ways to repurpose everyday items into festive decor. I bought myself more grocery store flowers the other day. Ones that will hopefully last longer than a week. (You can read about the first batch I bought and what I did with them in this post.) Clearly, I’m in a “treat myself” kind of mood lately. Flowers seem easier on the hips than ice cream. Then I needed a way to showcase my pretty flowers. I shopped my house and my eye landed on this pumpkin-shaped soup…
Restored Arched Mirror
Months and months ago I found an arched mirror at the thrift store for five dollars. It was a 3-foot tall wood mirror with a gorgeous shape, so even if the mirror itself was a little wobbly in the frame, five bucks was a steal! The mirror had been painted an off-white color and painted well, I might add. I find it ironic that the ugliest paint jobs are always the hardest to remove. Why is that? Due to the intricate detail on the frame of this arched mirror, my only choice was to either paint over the bad paint job or strip the paint. I chose to strip the…
