• splitting wedge decor ideas
    decorating

    Three Ways to Decorate with an Antique Splitting Wedge

    Today I’m going to show you three splitting wedge decor ideas. A splitting wedge for decorating? Seriously? Yes, seriously. You guys know I will decorate with most anything. If you’ve never chopped wood, it’s hard work let me get you up to speed. Splitting wedges come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are used to help split large logs into smaller chunks when an ax alone can’t get the job done. For the purposes of today’s post, I’m decorating with a rusty, weathered diamond splitting wedge. I should clarify that the diamond part of a diamond splitting wedge usually refers to the shape, as it can split wood in four directions. I found the…

  • antique nail caddy fall centerpiece
    Crafts,  decorating

    Antique Nail Caddy Fall Centerpiece

    My husband thinks an antique nail caddy should be used for…wait for it…holding nails and screws. I think an antique nail caddy should be used as a fall centerpiece. It’s not as if there’s a right or wrong choice here, but my choice is more right. Right? Glad we agree. The first step in creating an antique nail caddy fall centerpiece is to find yourself an antique nail caddy. I found ours in our garage full of, you guessed it, nails and screws. The antique nail caddy was left here by the previous owner. In a roundabout way, he left us all the nails and screws that were in the…

  • new ribbon old frame fireplace leland brewsaugh art
    Crafts,  decorating

    Add New Ribbon on an Old Picture Frame

    I recently saved an old picture frame by adding new ribbon to it. It was one of those highly satisfying, but unexpectedly annoying projects. By that I mean my expectation was this craft project would take five minutes. In reality, the train veered off the track on this project, went down an embankment, and an hour later the train was dented and crushed, but I saved the cargo and called the project good. Gee. Dramatic much? I realize sharing my experience in this way might dissuade instead of motivate you to try to add new ribbon on an old picture frame. That’s not my intent. My intent is to encourage…

  • dry sink printer stand found decor
    decorating

    Found Decor in Previous Homes

    I’ve found decor for my home in many different places including dumpsters, barns, sides of roads, and in a variety of the homes we’ve lived in. In my experience, people often leave items they no longer want in a house when they move out. It’s not like anyone ever calls these junk leavers to come back and get their broken ladder. Or whatever it is they left behind. No, we just grumble about it and continue moving into our new home. In my case, I grumble about it. Then I get excited about it when I realize I might be able to do something with that junk. Then I write…

  • music room wood chandelier
    colonial farmhouse,  decorating

    Wood Chandelier in the Music Room

    We have a new-to-us wood chandelier in the music room and I couldn’t be happier about this turn of events. Our music room was once used as a formal dining room. In fact, it got the 1990s/early 2000s royal treatment with a gigantic silver chandelier that was way too modern for the space. It was also a head knocker. No, it did not knock some sense into me. I know one of you just thought that. I usually have plenty, thank you very much. Here’s the music room on the day we moved into our Colonial Farmhouse in 2019. Here’s the music room after I took down the wallpaper and…

  • corkboard ideas Farmhouse Style Boy's Room
    colonial farmhouse,  decorating

    Farmhouse Style Boy’s Room

    I have a farmhouse style boy’s room to show you today! Woo to the hoo! I sure hope you enjoy seeing rooms in my house evolve over time because I don’t think I’m a “grand reveal, this room is finished” kind of gal. I mean, I still haven’t purchased any curtains for our Colonial Farmhouse. You can’t possibly finish a room without window treatments, right? Do you know what else would really finish a room off? Electrical outlets on each wall. Maybe a light switch? But, hey. Let’s not get bogged down in the practicalities. I’d much rather discuss decorating progress in my son’s room. As someone pointed out to…

  • well bucket book holder
    decorating

    Well Bucket Book Holder

    I never imagined I’d string these four words together: well bucket book holder. But that’s how my life works, so I just roll with it now. I pinkie swear I’m running out of “I found this left in my house/garage” stories, but that is where this well bucket book holder originated. I found a faux (and definitely not old) well bucket in our garage when we bought the Colonial Farmhouse. I actually liked it as is, but had no use for it at the time. Also, I couldn’t work that green paint into my decor scheme, so the well bucket sat in the garage for a year mocking me. A…

  • microwave station in a colonial farmhouse
    decorating

    Microwave Station Adds Extra Kitchen Storage

    The other side of that weird hallway off our kitchen has been absent from all mentions on this blog and social media because it is where I created a microwave station and microwaves aren’t that interesting to me. However, extra storage in a hallway IS interesting to me. Remember that hallway? The one where we added some built-in shelves? That weird hallway used to look like this when we bought the Colonial Farmhouse. Can you tell why I wanted to buy this place? Hahahahahaha! This hallway connects the kitchen to the main floor bathroom, which seems like a normal function for a hallway. In person, the whole space just feels…

  • Dry Sink Printer Stand leaded glass window decorating
    decorating

    Dry Sink Printer Stand

    Have you ever felt like a fish out of water? It’s an uncomfortable feeling. Now imagine how our colonial era house must feel to have all this fancy stuff like modern plumbing, electricity, and now *gasp* wifi invading its space. Our home has wires where wires were never intended to go! Talk about uncomfortable. The one issue that transcends the age of any house is where to put all the modern office hardware that we need, but for which we don’t always have a place. What do we do with the printers and the computers and the jumbo box of paperclips? Why are there so many cords? Do the cords…

  • decorating with thimbles
    decorating

    Decorating with Thimbles in a Modern Way

    My mother, who sewed her own wedding dress, is getting a laugh from heaven today. Can you hear it? Despite all of her attempts (and there were many) to teach me any type of sewing because it would be a handy skill to master, I never really took to it. I still have dang it had a stubborn streak and very little patience for detail-oriented work. I definitely have not had the need to pick up a thimble in my adult life, but there’s still time. Therefore, the fact that I’m writing about decorating with thimbles today would be a wee bit laughable to her. The moral of this story? Mom is…