DIY Rustic Towel Bar From An Antique Harness
Who needs a rustic towel bar? Me, apparently. And maybe one of you. One of the things we found on our property was an antique harness that would have been part of the connection between a horse and a buggy or horse and a farm implement. At least, that’s what I think it is, but I could be wrong. From what I can tell, these harnesses go by different names: Singletree harness, Whiffletree harness, Whippletree harness, and leader-bars. Ours seems to be missing the center connection though. It looks like it could have been there and broken off, but that’s the only thing that makes me question whether or not…
Candid Photos of Our House That Give Me Warm Fuzzy Feelings
I’m one of those people who will walk through our house on a mission to get coffee, do chores, etc., and then some amazing scene or moment will catch my eye and the mission will be abandoned. Poof! Just like that, my easily distracted squirrel brain will be compelled to stop and snap a quick candid photo of the amazing scene or moment. Do you do that too? This situation occurs often enough that I need a sign on my back that says, “This person makes frequent stops to snap photos. Do not follow closely behind.” It’s probably also why I can’t find things (scissors, Kindle, laundry basket) because in…
4 Tips For How to Use a Headboard As a Room Divider
Have an awkward space and want to use a headboard as a room divider, but are wondering how to make that work? You’ve come to the right place. We recently used a headboard as a room divider and learned a few things the hard way along the way. Here are four tips for how to use a headboard as a room divider. Tip #1: Solid headboards work best for delineating spaces. I’m sure there’s an exception to every rule, but of all the pictures I’ve looked at and in our personal experience, a solid headboard seems to work best as a room divider. By that, I mean a headboard that…
In Praise of Wicker Laundry Baskets
A few weeks ago I spotted the neatest wicker laundry basket at a thrift store. It was $4 and in perfect condition. So what did I do? I left the laundry basket behind and have regretted it ever since. In fact, I even looked for it on my next visit to the store and it was gone. The anguish! That wicker laundry basket could have improved the aesthetics of our laundry situation. I don’t have a spot to hide a bulky laundry basket, so the plastic one I have is always sitting on top of the dryer. We walk by it 500 times a day. It’s not ugly per se, but…
Five Corkboard Ideas To Try
I have not one not two, but five corkboard ideas for you to try today! What can I say? I’m a giver. Corkboards can give off distinct 9 to 5 office vibes (boring!), but with a little creativity, you can take a drab corkboard and make it pop! Let’s take a look at some ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Corkboard Ideas: Add a Shelf. Add a shelf or ledge to turn a basic corkboard into something unique. This 2×3-ft corkboard cost $2 at the thrift store. Once the shelf or ledge piece on the bottom was added, it became a one-of-a-kind corkboard. It’s hard to tell in the…
The Key to Decorating With Kid Art
It’s taken me 15 years of being a parent, but I think I’ve finally figured out the key to decorating with kid art. Your kids have to stop making that cute handprint art, enter their teen years, start calling you “bruh,” and suddenly you’ll feel all nostalgic about that kid art and want to wallpaper your home with it. Bruh? Really, kids? *sigh* If this situation happens to you and you find yourself digging through bins and bins of childhood mementos wondering why you didn’t save more of your children’s art, don’t blame your earlier rational self. Your earlier rational self knew that you can’t keep every single piece of…
Refinished Wood Mirror With a Sentimental Twist
I love a DIY project with a sentimental twist. Don’t you? Today’s refinished wood mirror project fits that description to a T. We have owned this wood mirror our entire marriage, so over 20 years but the mirror is much older than that. It was made in the mid-1960s. I had never seen the frame unpainted. It was painted when Handy Husband carted it over from his dive of a bachelor pad (Hello, gross shag carpet!) to the place we rented together. It was painted several times by yours truly as my style evolved over the years. The most recent iteration was a chippy, distressed look. Since that’s no longer…
How to Make Wood-Burned Dice
I have the most satisfying project for you today. How to make wood-burned dice from wood cubes. Do we need them? Need is a relative term. Do we want them? Of course. They are so cool! Are they satisfying to make? Oh, heck yeah. And that, my friends, is the best part. It’s not so much what we create, but the act of creating that’s the reward. Let’s get started on how to make wood-burned dice. How To Make Wood-Burned Dice Step #1: Cut Cubes Cut cubes out of wood using a table saw. Our cubes are 3/4″ square, but you could adapt your size if you want larger or…
Sink Skirt Hack If You Don’t Own a Sewing Machine
Who loves a good hack? *raises both hands* Today, I have a sink skirt hack for you if you don’t own a sewing machine or don’t want to use it. Either way, I totally understand. Sewing machines and I are not on good terms, so I go out of my way to avoid using one. Because I’m a giver, this blog post contains not one, but TWO sink skirt hacks. For the purposes of clarity, I’m defining a sink skirt as a skirt that covers the opening underneath a sink that might typically be covered by doors. If your situation is a little bit different than mine, these hacks should…
In Praise of Pretty Brooms
I’ve got pretty brooms on my mind today for one simple reason. I’m at the point in life where if I have to do a chore, I want the item assisting me with this chore to not only be functional but pretty too. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Frankly, it WAS too much to ask for ALL chores to be banished from my life. Don’t ask me how I know. So, I’m going for the next best thing – pretty brooms and pretty tools that are functional too. I recently purchased a classic broom with a black handle that blended in with my decor and didn’t make…
