In Praise Of Lath Art
Something old has piqued my interest lately – lath art. Broadly speaking, lath art is a type of folk art where pictures are made from thin strips of wood. Originally, these strips came from the lath strips of old plaster walls. Hence, the name. As someone who has removed a plaster wall or two, talk about a labor of love to salvage all those pieces and remove the old plaster in order to make it useable as an art medium. Today, lath art can be made from any strip of wood whether it is reclaimed, cut for this specific purpose, or something in between. Either way, creations like this take…
Petite Bench For An Outdoor Coffee Table
I spruced up a petite bench to use as an outdoor coffee table and have zero regrets, especially since this was a free project. Free meaning I didn’t have to buy anything new. Those are the best kinds of projects. This petite bench was hiding under a stack of pool chemicals in our pump house. It was left here when we moved in and I’m guessing it was originally part of a kid-size picnic table. Hence, the petite part. The bench needed a bit of love. I sanded off the flaky bits and added a few new nails to hold it together. I didn’t do much about the areas that…
I Finally Joined The Lamp In A Kitchen Trend
Have you noticed the lamp in a kitchen trend? As far as trends go, it’s probably an old one by now but in the past year I’ve noticed many bloggers and influencers with small lamps sitting on their kitchen counters. As someone who likes clutter-free counters and doesn’t have a ton of counter space to spare, I’ve mainly ignored this trend as something that isn’t for me. Until now. I recently discovered the practicality and utter joyfulness of having a small lamp in the kitchen. Let me tell you, I’m here for all the practicality and joy this world offers. I don’t mean to take away from the wholesomeness of…
Our Deck Is Ready For Summer
It’s almost Memorial Day, the unofficial kick-off to summer in the U.S., and our deck is ready for summer fun! And by fun, I mean eating. I have my priorities. Most of our dinners in the summer are eaten on the deck. Then there are the Double Ds. Drinks and dessert. Those are best enjoyed on the deck in the summer too. We’ll often turn on the party lights and sit on the deck with a drink in hand as the sun goes down and the temperature becomes tolerable pleasant. New Jersey summers are not to be trifled with. They can be hot, humid, and let’s not forget about the…
17 Ways To Use Ceramic Crocks
It’s not like I’ve polled everyone I’ve ever met, but so far, I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t think ceramic crocks are cool for one reason or another. They might not be their style and they might not own any but most people seem to acknowledge ceramic crocks have their place. Today, ceramic crocks are mainly used for home decoration but 200 years ago ceramic crocks were vital to survival. Yes, survival. We take refrigeration for granted today. Sometimes my kids just loiter in front of the open refrigerator doors letting all the cool air out while pondering their snack options. *sigh* Without a doubt, the invention of home refrigeration…
Wallpapered Kitchen Alcove With Multiple Uses
I am thrilled to reveal our newly wallpapered kitchen alcove on the blog today! I didn’t know what to call this room, so I’m using the term kitchen alcove because it sounded like something a home that is almost 250 years old would have. However, this not-quite-a-hallway, not-quite-a-room is the ultimate flex space that we use for a variety of purposes. Its functions as a microwave station, a food pantry, a butler’s pantry, shoe storage, a junk drawer, a pool towel holder, a sunscreen station, the place where the lightbulbs go, a hallway to the bathroom, and more. PHEW! That’s a lot of hats for 30 square feet of space…
In Praise Of: Ceiling Medallions
It doesn’t matter how decrepit a home is, whenever I see ceiling medallions in a home I think, “Ooh, fancy!” Is that your impulse too? That impulse is spot on. Ceiling medallions peaked in popularity in the mid to late 1800s. (source) This was the Victorian era and folks living then liked to make a bold statement in their homes with everything from elaborate trim to fussy furnishings. There was nothing subtle about the Victorians. If you had a ceiling medallion in the 1800s this meant you likely had a hanging light fixture of some sort and these items were signs of wealth. There’s nothing like your neighbor’s wealth hanging…
No-Sew Denim Bunting Banner
I’m excited to share a no-sew denim bunting banner with you today. Honestly, it took me longer to decide what to call this creation than it did to make it. According to the internet, which never gives false information, flag banner, flag bunting, pennant bunting, pennant banner, and 4 million other iterations of those words were also acceptable names. Thanks, internet. Super helpful. I made these denim bunting banners to hang over my son’s bed. They replaced the crepe paper streamers that had been hanging there for 11 months. ELEVEN! I hung the streamers up for his birthday and never intended them to be up for more than a day.…
A Modern Country Laundry Room For Our Colonial Farmhouse
If a modern country laundry room can be a thing, that’s what we created for our Colonial Farmhouse. The transformation of this modern country laundry room only took us 3 months, 13 days, and, oh fine…a while. It took us a good long while to finish. Either this project was more tedious than we originally anticipated or we actually found a life and hobbies outside of working on this house. Yeah…you’re not going to believe we have actual hobbies, so this project was probably just tedious…as all good projects are. Almost four years ago our laundry room looked like this. Sexy, wasn’t it? That photo was taken on the day…
14 Ways To Reuse a Basmati Rice Bag
Have you ever wondered about all the ways to reuse a basmati rice bag? Have you ever bought rice in one of these bags? Royal brand basmati rice is sold in the neatest burlap bag. It has handles. It has a zipper. It has neat typography. It has bold colors. It can hold at least 20 pounds. In short, it’s amazing and something that could definitely be reused. Here are 14 ways to reuse a basmati rice bag. 1. Turn it into wall art. 2. Use it as a grocery shopping bag. 3. Use it to store potatoes, onions, and any other vegetable that needs ventilation. 4. It’s the perfect…
