Our Not Quite Fall Front Porch
We have a not quite summer, not quite fall front porch right now. Anyone else feeling like they are sitting on the fence between seasons at this very moment with their decor? No? Just me? You couldn’t even give me a shove either way off the seasonal fence because I like it right where I am at the moment. It’s just so pleasant in New Jersey right now. We can hang out outside without wilting under the intense heat and humidity of summer. It’s not yet sweatshirt weather though with the daytime temperatures still in the 70s. In other words, it is perfect. If New Jersey was always like this,…
Happy List: #228
Why, hello! Welcome to this week’s Happy List! I hope the week has treated you well. No, better than well – fantastic! This week on the blog I got very passionate about establishing sentimental provenance for your family keepsakes. This seemed to strike a chord with many of you, so I’m glad I finally wrote about this idea. I also shared my infatuation with embroidered pillowcases! I’m hoping to add a pair to my bed linens soon! If you aren’t following along with us on Instagram or Facebook stories, I invite you to hang out with us there. There’s a lot that happens there that doesn’t make it on the…
In Praise of Embroidered Pillowcases
All of a sudden I’m seeing embroidered pillowcases everywhere and I couldn’t be happier about it! We received a set of embroidered pillowcases as a wedding gift over two decades ago. I can’t remember who gave them to me (sorry!) or if they were even handstitched. I always thought those embroidered pillowcases made my bedding look far fancier than it really was. Unfortunately, fancy eventually turned into threadbare because we used those pillowcases so often. I don’t know how many of you learned to hand embroider, but I’d venture to say it was a much more common skill if you go back a couple of generations. Not to put an…
It’s Time to Establish Sentimental Provenance for Family Keepsakes
What is sentimental provenance? It’s a term I coined to describe a historical record of an item’s origin and ownership for sentimental reasons, not monetary reasons. How many times have you bought something at a thrift store and wished you knew where that item had come from, in other words, its provenance? For me, it’s every single time! I wish I knew that table, painting, or bowl’s back story. Where did it come from and how did it end up on this dusty thrift store shelf? If that item could talk, what stories would it tell? What historical events did it witness? How much did it originally cost? I don’t…
Happy List: #227
Welcome to the Happy List! It’s the middle of September already! Wow! Time flies when we are having…something. Is it fun? Not sure! Hahahahahaha! How about time flies when we are busy living our lives? That works. This week on the blog I shared our DIY Kitchen Cabinet Feet that we made from scrap wood. I also wrote a blog post rounding up fresh ways you can repurpose a piano if you aren’t going to play the darn thing. Please just play the piano! If you aren’t following along with us on Instagram or Facebook stories, I invite you to hang out with us there. There’s usually something going on…
8 Fresh Ways to Repurpose a Piano
As a pianist, it pains me to say this, but it can be hard and expensive to get rid of an old piano and you might need fresh ways to repurpose a piano. I truly wish everyone had the space for a piano and wanted to learn to play, but I also understand why this instrument can be a burden to move, maintain, and learn to play. We own a baby grand piano that I hope to pass down to my kids one day, but we unexpectedly became the owners of an old upright piano too. When we purchased our current home, the previous owners left their piano in the…
DIY Kitchen Cabinet Feet from Scrap Wood
One of the easiest ways to make basic kitchen cabinets look custom is by adding feet to the base cabinets. Here’s how we made DIY Kitchen Cabinet Feet from scrap wood. This is probably the best use of scrap wood we’ve come up with yet! Lumber is especially expensive right now, so not only do we not want to waste any of it, but we want to make it count when we do use it. Our old (Seriously, they are really old!) kitchen cabinets were just screaming for the upgrade and added detail that cabinet feet could provide. There is really no limit on the style of kitchen cabinet feet…
Happy List: #226
Hello and welcome to the Happy List! How is September treating you? I hope it is off to a good start. My kids are back in in-person school and it has been weird not having them here since they’ve been remotely schooled for the past year and a half. My brain is like, “We can focus on one thing at a time now?” This week on the blog I shared my summer thrift store finds and the brass leg tips I made for our blanket ladder. I hope you enjoyed those posts! If you aren’t following along with us on Instagram or Facebook stories, I invite you to hang out…
Blanket Ladder With DIY Brass Leg Tips
I recently discovered you can buy thin sheets of brass and now I want to cover EVERYTHING in brass. My first project was jazzing up a blanket ladder with DIY brass leg tips. This DIY brass leg tips idea should be transferable to almost any blanket ladder style. You don’t need to have rescued a rotting wood ladder covered in dirt and spiders from under a deck in a house you were renting as I did. I wouldn’t blame you if you did though! Here’s how I made the brass leg tips for my blanket ladder: The thin brass rolls I ordered come in different sizes. My roll is about…
My Latest Thrift Store Finds: Part 3
Did you go thrifting this summer? I probably went a couple of times a month, but only found a handful of thrift store finds worth bringing home. I’ve been idly looking for some very specific thrift store finds, which means, of course, I won’t find them. I’ll find everything I won’t need instead. For instance, was I looking for a wood duck? Uh, no. But how could I turn down this $5 find? Look how pretty it is with its iridescent, shimmering feathers. Did I need another wood tray? Sometimes the lines between need and want are blurred, so let’s just go with yes. The answer is always yes. It…
