In Praise of Embroidered Pillowcases
All of a sudden I’m seeing embroidered pillowcases everywhere and I couldn’t be happier about it! We received a set of embroidered pillowcases as a wedding gift over two decades ago. I can’t remember who gave them to me (sorry!) or if they were even handstitched. I always thought those embroidered pillowcases made my bedding look far fancier than it really was. Unfortunately, fancy eventually turned into threadbare because we used those pillowcases so often. I don’t know how many of you learned to hand embroider, but I’d venture to say it was a much more common skill if you go back a couple of generations. Not to put an…
It’s Time to Establish Sentimental Provenance for Family Keepsakes
What is sentimental provenance? It’s a term I coined to describe a historical record of an item’s origin and ownership for sentimental reasons, not monetary reasons. How many times have you bought something at a thrift store and wished you knew where that item had come from, in other words, its provenance? For me, it’s every single time! I wish I knew that table, painting, or bowl’s back story. Where did it come from and how did it end up on this dusty thrift store shelf? If that item could talk, what stories would it tell? What historical events did it witness? How much did it originally cost? I don’t…
8 Fresh Ways to Repurpose a Piano
As a pianist, it pains me to say this, but it can be hard and expensive to get rid of an old piano and you might need fresh ways to repurpose a piano. I truly wish everyone had the space for a piano and wanted to learn to play, but I also understand why this instrument can be a burden to move, maintain, and learn to play. We own a baby grand piano that I hope to pass down to my kids one day, but we unexpectedly became the owners of an old upright piano too. When we purchased our current home, the previous owners left their piano in the…
Blanket Ladder With DIY Brass Leg Tips
I recently discovered you can buy thin sheets of brass and now I want to cover EVERYTHING in brass. My first project was jazzing up a blanket ladder with DIY brass leg tips. This DIY brass leg tips idea should be transferable to almost any blanket ladder style. You don’t need to have rescued a rotting wood ladder covered in dirt and spiders from under a deck in a house you were renting as I did. I wouldn’t blame you if you did though! Here’s how I made the brass leg tips for my blanket ladder: The thin brass rolls I ordered come in different sizes. My roll is about…
My Latest Thrift Store Finds: Part 3
Did you go thrifting this summer? I probably went a couple of times a month, but only found a handful of thrift store finds worth bringing home. I’ve been idly looking for some very specific thrift store finds, which means, of course, I won’t find them. I’ll find everything I won’t need instead. For instance, was I looking for a wood duck? Uh, no. But how could I turn down this $5 find? Look how pretty it is with its iridescent, shimmering feathers. Did I need another wood tray? Sometimes the lines between need and want are blurred, so let’s just go with yes. The answer is always yes. It…
13 Fall Wreaths Now That It is Finally September
It is finally September, which means it is now socially acceptable to slap pumpkins on everything, including your front door wreath, and celebrate fall! Never mind that it still feels like summer in my part of the world. The seasons don’t change of their own accord. We will them into existence, especially fall, with our pumpkin spice-flavored lattes, cereal, candles, muffins, coffee, milkshakes, and deodorant. Yes, pumpkin spice deodorant is a real thing. I swear. Not to mention all the effort that goes into placing mums and hay bales on suburban front porches and taking the family on weekend apple picking excursions. If all of that doesn’t make Mother Nature…
DIY Charging Bench for Electronic Devices
If charging all the electronic devices in your home has become a chaotic nightmare of jumbled cords, let me introduce you to my DIYÂ charging bench for electronic devices. It’s a way to hide all of your charging cables and devices in plain sight. It’s my answer to the kitchen charging drawer because I’ve always wanted one of those, but we’ve never had a spare kitchen drawer with outlets in the back. I won’t promise this charging bench will eliminate all the cord chaos, but it can help you hide it. That’s half the battle! A charging bench can be made from any bench that has a hidden storage compartment. The…
DIY Cabinet Door Tray
I am so happy to share a DIY Cabinet Door Tray project with you today because it’s not mine! No work was involved on my part. I just get to look at fun pictures, be inspired, and share them with you. It’s a good feeling. There’s even a twist in this project that I didn’t see coming. I love a good twist. Today’s DIY Cabinet Door Tray project comes from someone I affectionately refer to as The Junk Whisperer. Seeing what she’s created out of actual junk over the years has inspired me to take a second look at everyday objects and reimagine them in a new light. Ready to…
In Praise of Oil Lamps
Until our last power outage I had lived my whole life without knowing the joy of an oil lamp. Don’t get me wrong, I love my battery-powered lights too. My cell phone flashlight? Couldn’t live without it. A little candle ambiance? I’m here for it. But the oil lamp? That’s something different. An oil lamp and a bunch of lamp oil was left in our Colonial Farmhouse when we purchased it. I don’t know why we hadn’t bothered to use it until two weeks ago when the power went out due to a bad storm. Again. Trees, overhead power lines, and high winds are a predictably bad combination. *sigh* During…
In Praise of a Church Pew for Home Decor
How many of you have spent hours of your life sitting on a hard church pew? *raises both hands* I wonder at what point someone said, “Hey! You know what would make the dear preacher’s long sermons even better? A cushion for this pew.” I would have added cup holders too and I don’t mean those itty bitty ones for the communion cup. But no one asked me! I recently got stuck in the purgatory I affectionately refer to as Facebook Marketplace in search of a church pew to use as decor in my home. Who knew there were so many church pews for sale? Ironically, I didn’t want the…
