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A Pretty Happy Home

Life, DIY and Random Things That Make Me Smile

  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
  • Shop
    • Apparel and Shoes
    • Books
    • Crafts and Sewing
    • Decor
    • Furniture
    • Home Improvement
    • Kid Favorites
    • Kitchen
  • Projects
    • Cleaning
    • Clothing
    • Colonial Farmhouse
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY Projects
    • Holidays
  • Adventure
    • Moving to Ireland
    • Living in Ireland
    • Visiting Ireland
    • Travel
    • Family and Parenting
    • Humor
    • Learning
  • Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
  • Shop
    • Apparel and Shoes
    • Books
    • Crafts and Sewing
    • Decor
    • Furniture
    • Home Improvement
    • Kid Favorites
    • Kitchen
  • Projects
    • Cleaning
    • Clothing
    • Colonial Farmhouse
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY Projects
    • Holidays
  • Adventure
    • Moving to Ireland
    • Living in Ireland
    • Visiting Ireland
    • Travel
    • Family and Parenting
    • Humor
    • Learning
  • Privacy Policy

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  • candle warmer lamps sitting on a table in front of a gallery wall great christmas gift idea 2025
    decorating

    Getting Cozy With Candle Warmer Lamps

    September 29, 2025 /

    Candle warmer lamps are the emotional support item getting me through the bumpy transition from summer to fall. Yes, lamps plural. I have two. Not only did I jump on the candle warmer lamps trend, but I also decided Big Candle could have all my money. Candle warmer lamps do exactly what they say. They warm up the wax in a candle vessel, allowing the smell to waft through your home without you having to light the wick. It’s brilliant. Now, friends. I am old enough to know that melting scented wax is not a new concept. In the late aughts, I had some Scentsy wax melts and a cute…

    read more
    annisa 7 Comments

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    LED Candles for the Master Bedroom Fireplace

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    Paper Flower Garland

    March 19, 2025
  • diy floral witch's hat sitting on a pumpkin in front of a stone wall
    decorating,  holidays

    DIY Floral Witch’s Hat

    September 15, 2025 /

    Gleeful is the only word to describe how I feel about showing you the floral witch’s hat I crafted last week. I want you to like it as much as I do, but it’s just not possible. I’m so obsessed, you’d think I came up with the idea on my own. This is kind of funny because I’m not sure if there are any truly original ideas out there anymore. Adding flowers to a witch’s hat is definitely not original, but it’s the first time I’ve done it, so it feels brand new to me. We’ll call this craft an Annisa Original. I might fly in a little late to…

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    annisa 10 Comments

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    January 15, 2016
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    Black and Blue Outdoor Furniture

    May 24, 2021
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    Spring-Themed Teen Bedroom and a Fun Wall Sconce

    March 21, 2022
  • pared down gallery wall gallery wall with a wall pocket wall vase and nature paintings
    decorating

    Pared-Down Living Room Gallery Wall

    September 3, 2025 /

    The only constant in life is change, and this applies to our living room gallery wall, too. I had spent a few years creating a genuinely collected-over-time gallery wall in our living room. It had a nature theme because that’s the kind of art that makes my soul exhale. I love this nature-themed gallery wall. I was also ready for a change. Two seemingly contradictory things can be true at the same time. I didn’t want a drastic change, just something a bit simpler and more refined to feast my eyes on. My pared-down living room gallery wall needed to stick with the nature theme, though, because I haven’t changed…

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    annisa 8 Comments

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    Vintage Key Project Inspiration

    May 17, 2017

    Pine Cone Birdhouse Bookends

    September 9, 2015
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    Fun Fall Finds That Will Last Through Thanksgiving

    September 12, 2022
  • carriage house kitchenette with blue and white curtains to break up long narrow space
    decorating

    Carriage House Curtains For a Long Narrow Space

    August 11, 2025 /

    I recently added new curtains in our Carriage House to break up the long narrow space, and I’m going to have to file this under “things I should have done a long time ago.” Talk about a change for the better! Our Carriage House is roughly 9-feet wide by 30-feet long. Have you ever decorated a tunnel? That’s the situation with our Carriage House, and we have to fit a bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and an office into the space. I have received many well-meaning suggestions to add wallpaper or wainscoting to this space to give the walls interest. However, because it is such a long space, those options will cost…

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    annisa 7 Comments

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    Add New Ribbon on an Old Picture Frame

    September 16, 2020
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    No Utility Closet? Make An Utility Wall Instead.

    March 8, 2023

    Collecting

    March 25, 2016
  • vintage bottle bud vases on an antique radio
    decorating

    Vintage Bottle Bud Vases

    July 9, 2025 /

    A couple of months ago we dug up some vintage bottles from our backyard. Some folks have a garden in their backyard and dig up things like potatoes. We dig up vintage bottles. Perhaps we could trade? Anyway, it’s not that unusual to dig up “garbage” in the backyard of a really old home that existed before a person driving a big truck collected your bins of trash every Friday at 4 a.m. You can complain about a lot of things in modern society, but waste disposal ordinances seem like a good thing to me. The vintage bottles we found were in surprisingly good shape for having been buried for…

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    annisa 4 Comments

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    Our New Living Room Rug Gives a Warm Feel To This Part of Our Home

    January 17, 2022
    my latest thrift store finds vegetable basket

    My Latest Thrift Store Finds: Part 2

    August 12, 2020

    Hiding a Router and Modem in Plain Sight

    August 17, 2015
  • farmhouse style plywood side table stained with paint dipped legs in black
    decorating,  DIY,  gardening and landscape

    Plywood Side Table Makeover

    June 11, 2025 /

    Some life lessons need reminders. Today’s plywood side table makeover is one of those reminders. (Yes, I can find a life lesson in almost anything.) I found what was clearly a DIY plywood side table at my favorite thrift store. It was $10. Do you think I overpaid? I never regret buying wood tables for $10 (maybe more depending on the table) because I know the lumber it took to make it, not to mention the time, costs more than ten bucks these days. Plus, side tables are one thing we are short on around here. I knew I was going to knock off the orange-y finish of the table,…

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    annisa 3 Comments

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    DIY Geometric Mirror Using Children’s Blocks

    September 18, 2017
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    In Praise Of: Pretty Pepper Mills

    May 15, 2024

    Barstool Make Under

    March 21, 2016
  • farmhouse front porch more seating with rockers and a light update
    decorating,  gardening and landscape

    Front Porch – More Seating and a Light Update

    May 19, 2025 /

    It is front porch season in New Jersey. Finally! New Jersey likes to trick you a little on this topic. You’ll think it is front porch season and then one morning you’ll wake up to find everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, covered in a coating of yellow dust. Pesky pollen. I made the mistake of sleeping with the window open during this time and woke up to my nightstand, and I’m sure, all my bedding, covered in pollen. Is this why they call it spring cleaning? Because I had to do a BUNCH of it that day. Regrets. I have a few. Anyway, I cleared the front porch of…

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    annisa 2 Comments

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    A Quiet, Neutral Vignette

    May 6, 2015

    Display a Souvenir Pin Collection in a Shadowbox Frame

    March 6, 2019
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    In Praise Of: Pretty Pepper Mills

    May 15, 2024
  • repurposed wood mortar as a wood planter
    decorating

    Repurposed Wood Mortar as a Planter

    May 12, 2025 /

    The mortar portion of a wood mortar and pestle set came home with me from the thrift store recently. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s how it was originally intended to be used. It was either that or an oddly shaped bowl. It was made from several pieces of wood (presumably mahogany) laminated together and then hollowed out on a lathe to have sloping sides. I knew I wouldn’t use it for food preparation because, despite all my best intentions, I’ve never consistently used any of the mortar and pestle sets we’ve owned. I’m more of a food processor type of home cook. I’m also the type of person who…

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    annisa 2 Comments

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    October 19, 2015
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    June 17, 2018
  • solar fairy light mason jars
    decorating,  gardening and landscape

    Fairy Light Mason Jars (Solar and Battery Powered)

    May 5, 2025 /

    Today, it is my privilege to remind you of the simple joy of fairy light mason jars. It’s not a new concept, but it is one I had forgotten about until recently. In addition, there are not one, but TWO easy ways to light them up yourselves. First, how this reminder came about in case you don’t like DIY projects. (There’s something for everyone here.) I was killing time in the lighting aisle at Lowe’s recently because Handy Husband had parked himself in the electrical aisle and I’m pretty sure he was there long enough that folks started mistaking him for an employee. If they offer an employee discount, it…

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    annisa 0 Comments

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    Horseshoe Pumpkin

    September 23, 2015

    Our Foyer – Come On In

    August 8, 2016

    Bookrack Makeover for an Older Boy’s Room

    March 20, 2019
  • entryway refresh with buffalo check curtains and new front door window insert
    colonial farmhouse,  decorating,  DIY

    Entryway Refresh and a New Front Door Window

    April 16, 2025 /

    Last month we did an entryway refresh on our home and now I’m wondering why we waited so long? That’s how it always goes. I prefer to sit with things before I write about them. It gives me some perspective on the change. It helps minimize the number of instances where I have to apologize because whatever thing we changed didn’t hold up or perform as expected. Also, it gives us time to “laugh about this later” when things go wrong and they always do with our projects. I really want to meet these people where things seem to run like clockwork for them. What’s that like? How do they…

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 Older Posts
Hi! I'm Annisa.

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  • Witchy Halloween Mantel – No Cost Decorating Ideas
  • Happy List: #407
  • Curved Fieldstone Wall: Part 10, Mailbox and Gate Plan
  • Getting Cozy With Candle Warmer Lamps
  • Happy List: #406

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