Decorating with Thimbles in a Modern Way
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…
Travel: Avery’s Beverages
“You’re not from New England, are you?” Well, there went my attempt to blend in. What gave me away? My accent? No. My style of dress? No. My mannerisms? No. The slogan “not from here” on my t-shirt? No. I outed myself as a visitor to New England (specifically, Connecticut) because I didn’t know what birch beer tasted like. I thought this was an innocuous question since we were touring a beloved Connecticut institution, Avery’s Beverages, which sells a birch beer soda. Apparently, if you’re from New England (and possibly not living under a rock like me) you’ll know what birch beer tastes like. Spoiler alert! It tastes like a…
Happy List: #156
Hello, hello! This week I shared a belated progress report on the projects we’ve tackled at our Colonial Farmhouse. Thank you for your encouragement over the past six months. Every kind word and thought sent our way definitely bolstered our spirits. I also shared the handkerchief art I made out of vintage handkerchiefs that used to belong to my grandparents. Handkerchief is such a funny word, don’t you think? It doesn’t really roll off the tongue easily. Here is the Happy List! LEATHER HEADBOARD This portfolio of Banda Property in the U.K. is amazing, but check out that bed. The headboard portion would be completely doable as a DIY. You’re…
Vintage Handkerchief Art
I own a whole stack of vintage handkerchiefs. These handkerchiefs belonged to my grandpa, my aunt, my grandma and my mom. Have I ever used these handkerchiefs? Nope. Snot going to happen. I mean NOT. Not going to happen. Not because it’s not a good idea. It is. It’s more that some of these handkerchiefs are no longer practical for everyday use due to how delicate they’ve become. But back in the day, did my relatives use these gorgeous handkerchiefs? You bet they did! Handkerchiefs were meant to be used before Kleenex took over the world. No shade to Kleenex or Puffs. I love those ones with lotion. How DO…
6 Month Progress on the Colonial Farmhouse
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…
Happy List: #155
It’s almost March, folks! We are so close. January dragged on, but February has flown by! This week I shared some recent thrift store finds with you and a DIY cabinet door utensil caddy that has been rocking my world. If you are curious about what goes on in-between blog posts, please follow along on my Instagram or Facebook stories. I’d love to chat with you there, here, anywhere really! Here’s the Happy List! GROCERY STORE ETIQUETTE This advice column on grocery store etiquette in Bon Appétit made me laugh out loud. One of my favorite bits of advice by Alex Beggs from the article: “Please address the best way…
Cabinet Door Utensil Caddy
I swear it is the simple things in life, isn’t it? One of my favorite things you can’t even see in our “let’s make this kitchen less soul shriveling” makeover is the cabinet door utensil caddy that holds our cooking utensils. I don’t know why we’ve never incorporated something like this into any of our other kitchens because I can think of at least three where it would have worked. I may be slow to join the party, but at least I showed up. That’s a metaphorical party, by the way. My inner introvert is busy for the next million years if there’s an actual party. During our kitchen mini…
Four Recent Thrift Store Finds
I’ve become more interested in thrift store shopping for my home in recent years for three reasons. I really, really, really, really like a bargain. Certain items of yesteryear are made better than they are now. I don’t want my home to look like everyone else’s. Plus, it balances out my Amazon shopping habit. Oh, and did I mention I like a bargain? My conundrum with thrift store shopping is that I really don’t like shopping in general. It feels like a waste of time and I don’t usually have the patience for it. More often than not I go to a thrift store and see nothing that sparks a…
Happy List: #154
Here we are at another Friday. Feels good, doesn’t it? This week I shared finished pictures of our kitchen’s mini makeover. Thank you for your feedback on that space! This week I saved some behind-the-scenes of the makeover to my Instagram highlights. The phrase “don’t do what I do” was probably uttered more than once in those videos. I also shared a quick DIY – a wood planter with leather handles. Note to self: go water the plant in that planter! In other news, I ordered the fan for our music room. Hope I like it! I might end up ordering more than one fan from that list because we…
Wood Planter with Leather Handles
Sometimes I need a quick win on the home improvement front. Scratch that. I always need a quick win on the home improvement front. How often does that happen? Not as often as always. Today’s project – a wood planter with leather handles – was my version of ‘make a quick win happen’ or go back to painting an endless amount of baseboard trim. And I was desperate to have a break from painting trim. Here’s what I started with. It’s a wood box. It was left here when we moved in. It was shaped like a birdhouse. Handy Husband cut off the roof peaks and the perch. I don’t…
