Vintage Soapstone and Brass Table and How I’m Styling It
My thrifting radar must have been working perfectly a couple of weeks ago, when I had a feeling that I should stop in at my local overpriced thrift store, because while there, I found the greatest side table – a vintage soapstone and brass table. Here’s the juicy story: At first, I was sure my eyes were failing me (again) when I glanced at the price tag. The award for living to middle age is your eyes struggle to see small print, but your hindsight is 20/20. But sure enough, after triple-checking, the price on the tag was $20. Twenty. Dollars. I can’t even buy a small stone cutting board…
Yes, You Can Hang a Mirror on a Peg Rail
Yes, you can hang a mirror on a peg rail. I’m here to show you how and share the unexpected item I used to make it happen. I have a peg rail on the wall above a bedroom dresser. I mainly use this particular peg rail for hanging my everyday necklaces. What I did not have was a mirror above the dresser. I realize this is a less common bedroom dresser feature in these modern times, but it sure is helpful when you’re trying to pick a necklace to wear. There are two ways (at least) to hang a mirror on a peg rail: First, you can hang it directly…
Birch in the Wind – Thrifted Fiber Art
Have you ever thrifted fiber art? Last year, I stumbled upon a large piece of fiber art at my favorite thrift store. Yes, I have a favorite. It was $10. Ten. Diez. Dix. Tio. Deich.* I will go to my grave not understanding thrift store pricing. My working theory is that it’s at the whim and bias of whoever is doing the pricing that particular day. In this case, I surmise that whoever priced this art did not care for fiber art or didn’t think anyone else would either. Thank goodness. If that person could also price all the marble-topped tables, I’d be forever grateful. Now, if this art looks…
DIY Grapevine Heart Garland
Anthropologie is currently selling a grapevine heart garland for Valentine’s Day, and I thought I could make one for cheaper and put my own spin on the craft. I was right, for once, about the cheaper part. And I love putting my own spin on a craft, so this one was right up my alley. I did not consult the Crafting Constitution to determine if there is a rule decreeing that a garland must be composed of like-sized items. As you can see, the hearts on my garland are different sizes and don’t connect at the same point, but they are all strung together. I could hang it below the…
Five Ways to Decorate With Nuts for Christmas
Decorating for the holidays with natural ingredients is a hoot! This year, I have come up with five ways to decorate with nuts this Christmas. Three of these ideas are mine. Two are not. I consider the two ideas that are not mine to be crafts-in-waiting. There’s only so much time in a day. I can either buy something another maker has made if I really want it now, which is okay! Â I can also save the idea to make it another year. At my current rate of idea saving, I have enough crafts to keep me busy for the next 1,413 years, give or take a decade. Can you…
Nutcracker Holiday Mantel Decor
Fair warning. Your jaw may drop after viewing my Nutcracker holiday mantel decor. (There also may be a pun or two in this blog post.) You know I love a theme, so I chose nutcrackers as this year’s holiday decor theme for our dining room fireplace. This theme has been a long time coming, as I have been in possession of my mother’s nutcrackers for years. Decades, actually, but who’s counting? I don’t always decorate with the nutcrackers because they don’t match anything that I own. I also can’t seem to get rid of them for sentimental reasons. I’m sure you have your own version of this in your house.…
A Rustic Carriage House Christmas
It’s beginning to look like a rustic Carriage House Christmas! Or, as rustic as it can get with four faux Christmas trees. Just roll with it, folks. That’s what I do. Speaking of rolling with things, please go along with me for a minute as I set up this story. A year and a half ago, we repointed this fireplace in our Carriage House. I’d venture a guess that it had been covered for well over 100 years. Then we immediately covered it, so to speak, with a weight machine because we use this part of the Carriage House as a gym. Not too long after that, we went to…
8 Decorating Ideas From A Music Room
Not everyone has a music room or plays an instrument, but most people enjoy music! It’s relatable, and there’s something for everyone. Kind of like my music room decor. This music room is chock-full of ideas you can riff on in your own home. Like an eighth note, which is played quite quickly, this blog post will be a quick read. Here are 8 decorating ideas from a music room that anyone can use anywhere in their home. Music Room Decor Ideas #1: Make a statement with something bold and unexpected. Do I have a piano harp – the guts of a piano – hanging on my wall? Why, yes.…
Overwintering Plants Set Up On Our Sunporch
By necessity, I have tweaked how I’ve set up our sunporch to overwinter plants. That specific necessity is that there are more outdoor plants I’m trying to save. It started with three ferns, and now I have six ferns, two gigantic geraniums, three polka dot plants, one rosemary, two basil plants, a couple of petunias, and some other plants I don’t know the names of. Let this be a lesson. I’m not sure what the lesson is, so we’ll call it a choose-your-own-lesson type of story. Every plant on this sunporch spends six months of the year outside, either on our front porch or deck. If they survive the summer,…
Upcycled Plant Stand From a Lamp Base
The thrift store gods smiled down on me favorably the day I spotted a $9 brass thingy-ma-bob on an overpacked, dusty thrift store shelf. It looked a bit like a giant brass candlestick. Maybe a lamp base. Probably was a lamp base. Although it could have been part of a table, for all I know. What I did know was that I was not going to waste this precious gift. Without a moment’s hesitation, I grabbed that brass thingy-ma-bob off the shelf and walked nonchalantly away. We all know you have to act quickly before someone else notices what you’ve noticed and swipes it out from under you. All’s fair…
