• denim and yarn 4th of july wreath patriotic wreath ideas diy 4th of july wreath
    Crafts,  holidays

    Denim and Yarn 4th of July Wreath

    I was inspired to make a Denim and Yarn 4th of July Wreath this year and it might be my favorite wreath of all time. Don’t tell my other wreaths, okay? Inspiration for this wreath came from a burlap wreath I saw on the Pottery Barn website. My wreath doesn’t use burlap but that’s how inspiration works. It’s a spark and you never know where that spark will land and ignite. For me, it ignited, so to speak, in my craft closet because I wanted to only use items I had on hand to make a wreath. Here’s What You’ll Need to Make a Denim and Yarn 4th of July…

  • deer on lawn at sunset
    happy list

    Happy List: #349

    Hello! Welcome to this week’s Happy List. It makes my day to have you here. This week on the blog I shared the things we love and don’t love about our new front door smart lock. I resisted getting a smart lock for about three years but I’m happy we switched. I also went down a rabbit hole looking for stained glass art that functions in a unique way or is display in an unusual way. I found some good stuff. Check it out here. Once again, thank you for being here. I know your time is valuable and I love connecting with you. I’ve made the best online friends…

  • modern country laundry room in a colonial farmhouse with wainscoting stained glass horse art basket wall and inset wall shelves
    decorating

    In Praise Of: Unusual Stained Glass Art

    Let’s talk unusual stained glass art. Normally, when I think of stained glass I think of church windows or sun catchers that people hang in their windows. It’s all pretty (Hello, colorful glass!) but not always my personal style. There is probably a better word to use than unusual, but that’s the first word I thought of when I looked at the stained glass horse head I have that is unusually mounted onto felt and placed in a wood frame. I couldn’t find anything online like this. My horse is further unique in that it might be a combination of stained glass and painted glass but it’s hard for me…

  • yale smart lock on a black front door 3 things we love about our smart lock and one we don't
    decorating,  DIY

    Front Door Smart Lock: 3 Things We Love, 1 We Don’t

    Two months ago we switched to a smart lock on our front door. There are three things (at least!) that we love about about this smart lock and one thing we don’t love. Before I dive into the details, I want to mention that we feel so fancy now with a smart lock. We don’t have a Ring doorbell camera. We don’t even have a regular doorbell. If you come to our house, you have to knock on the door like in the good ol’ days. If you do knock, I may or may not “hear you knock,” if you get the excuse I’m throwing out there. Just depends on…

  • pink geraniums on a front porch on the happy list
    happy list

    Happy List: #348

    Hello, hello! Welcome to this week’s Happy List. I am so excited you are here. It was a dramatic week on the blog. I shared where I installed a time capsule in our basement AND what I included inside of it. Was there treasure? You’ll have to go read the blog post to find out. My lips are sealed. We also celebrated our 5 year house anniversary. House-iversary? However you say it, it’s been a wild ride. I included some never before published photos in that blog post! As always, thank you for being here. Thank you for cheering us on every step of the way. I know your time…

  • colonial farmhouse exterior september 2023
    colonial farmhouse

    Colonial Farmhouse 5 Year Anniversary

    Pop the cork and put on your party hats! We are celebrating five years of living in, loving on, and fixing up this colonial farmhouse of ours. Time flies when your hands are covered in paint, caulk, and lime mortar, to name a few. Our house doesn’t have an official name like some old houses do. If she did have a name, the top contender would be Money Pit. It’s not stately but it does have a certain ring to it. Without an official name, we call it the colonial farmhouse as a descriptor of sorts. It doesn’t have any super distinct architectural markers that would easily identify its style,…

  • time capsule installed in a basement in a home in new jersey in 2024
    colonial farmhouse,  DIY

    Basement Time Capsule Has Been Installed

    We installed a basement time capsule in our almost 250-year-old home and I’m giddy with excitement about it. Why would we do this? Hold onto your Swatch watch and I’ll tell you. It was time. I have been looking for treasure ever since we bought this home. Every time we dug a hole or opened up a wall while renovating, I hoped we’d find something amazing. Gold coins. Prohibition alcohol. Jewelry. I wasn’t picky. What have we found? Nothing of note unless you’re into rats’ nests and lost paperclips. I decided to channel this treasure-hunting energy into something more productive and forward-looking. If I’m not going to find anything of…

  • happy list

    Happy List: #347

    Hello! Welcome to this week’s Happy List. This week on the blog I shared the new and improved gallery wall above our bedroom seating area. I’m enjoying the view of that wall so much now. I also wrote about our house tools and why they are such a distinctive color. I talk about them so much on social media that it felt like they needed a place on the blog too. As always, thank you for being here. I know your time is valuable and I enjoy being able to connect with you. I’ve made the best online friends through this website. If you want to connect, and I hope…

  • keep a set of house tools in a distinct color so that they don't get lost
    DIY

    Why You Need House Tools In a Distinct Color

    Do you have a set of house tools? It took us twenty years to realize a set of house tools that stay in the house would make life so much easier. Quick learners? Not so much. We typically store our tools in a garage or shed as most people do. However, in our current house, there is no door between the garage and house so you have to go outside if you want to get anything out of the garage. I mentioned to my husband that I needed a house hammer for hanging pictures. I didn’t want to run out to the garage every time I needed to get the…

  • bedroom gallery wall of nature paintings sitting area with gallery wall of nature paintings
    decorating

    Bedroom Gallery Wall of Nature Paintings

    Do you have something in your home you look at daily? Perhaps this thing has been fine for months or maybe years and not merely fine, but enjoyable to look at too. Then one day, out of the blue, you look at it and it’s all wrong. Has that happened to you? As long as that thing isn’t your spouse, I’m pretty sure that’s a normal reaction. But what do I know? I didn’t go to school for either psychology or interior design. The thing that was no longer fine in our home was the painting behind the sitting area in our bedroom. It wasn’t specifically the painting. It was…