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A Pretty Happy Home

Life, DIY and Random Things That Make Me Smile

  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
  • Shop
  • Projects
    • Cleaning
    • Clothing
    • Colonial Farmhouse
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY Projects
    • Holidays
  • Adventure
    • Moving to Ireland
    • Living in Ireland
    • Visiting Ireland
    • Travel
    • Family and Parenting
    • Humor
    • Learning
  • Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
  • Shop
  • Projects
    • Cleaning
    • Clothing
    • Colonial Farmhouse
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY Projects
    • Holidays
  • Adventure
    • Moving to Ireland
    • Living in Ireland
    • Visiting Ireland
    • Travel
    • Family and Parenting
    • Humor
    • Learning
  • Privacy Policy

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  • Wood Music Stand Hits The Right Note and adds character and function to a music room
    decorating

    Wood Music Stand Hits The Right Note

    October 25, 2023 /

    I found the most gorgeous wood music stand to add to our music room. Did we need it? Absolutely not. But is it perfect for this space? Oh, yes. Yes, indeed. I’ve been idly looking for a music stand for years. As a pianist, I don’t really need one because the piano comes with its own. When I go through one of my “attempt to learn the guitar” phases, I usually just look at chords on my phone, so I don’t need a music stand for that. Although, it probably would help my posture to have the phone propped somewhere more ergonomically correct. When it came down to it, I…

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    annisa 0 Comments

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  • amber match cloche by skeem via lulu and georgia in praise of pretty matchstick holders
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    In Praise Of: Pretty Matchstick Holders

    October 18, 2023 /

    Do you know what lights my fire? Pretty matchstick holders. I recently found a vintage cast iron matchstick holder to hold chalk, not matches, but that’s a story for the end of this blog post. The point is you don’t have to store matches in the boring boxes they come in. There are really pretty matchstick holders – new and vintage – to hold your little fire sticks. I flame to please, so check out these pretty matchstick holders. Cast Iron Match Striker | Schoolhouse This cast iron match striker from Schoolhouse is perfect in its simplicity. I love that there’s a place to set down spent matches. (image: Schoolhouse)…

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    In Praise of a Church Pew for Home Decor

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  • create a Nature Art Gallery Wall using an eclectic grouping of landscape art, flower prints, and leaf stamping.
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    Nature Art Gallery Wall

    October 16, 2023 /

    Nature art in all its forms – landscape paintings, dried flowers, prints of bouquets – is my jam. It’s soothing to me. Plus, it’s a bug-free way of bringing nature inside my home. Love nature. Not too fond of the bugs. I’ve been collecting nature art for a while now. My love for nature art and landscape paintings started when my aunt painted a scene of my child running along a trail. There’s nothing like a tug on the heartstrings to get you started down the path of an art collection. Now, when I spot nature art at the thrift store, it often comes home with me. Believe it or…

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    Christmas in the Foyer Part 2: The Wall I Never Show You

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  • tan buffalo check kitchen curtains with beige wainscoting
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    Buffalo Check Curtains For Our Kitchen

    October 4, 2023 /

    It takes me a long time to decide on window treatments but I finally hung buffalo check curtains in our kitchen. What’s a long time? 4 years, 2 months, and 19 days. But who’s counting? And it was totally worth the wait. I know these photos do not look like a kitchen but trust me when I say there is a sink full of dishes right behind where the camera is positioned. That’s the perk or quirk of having a galley style kitchen. A kitchen table could probably be squeezed into this space you’re seeing. For reference, the rug is 5×8. However, there are also stairs to the right and…

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    Trash to Treasure Mirror

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    January 11, 2023
  • our fall front porch with pumpkin topiary
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    Our Fall Front Porch

    October 2, 2023 /

    Our fall front porch feels so welcoming right now. It’s one of those ‘walk up to the front door and grin because of how it makes you feel’ situations. That could have something to do with the smiling trio. Aren’t they the happiest? The smiling trio was created using the simplest idea – transform black duct tape into Halloween decals. Specifically, jack o’lantern faces for these planters but I also made bat decals. You can get the instructions here. “Trio” might be the theme of this year’s fall porch because, on the other side of the front door, I have a pumpkin topiary created with a trio of pumpkins. In…

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    My Dining Table Is Now a Coffee Table

    July 29, 2019
  • Annisa Olsson Jones sitting on the front porch of a colonial farmhouse in new jersey double rockers for our porch
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    Why We Chose Double Rockers For Our Porch

    September 27, 2023 /

    There is a new addition to our front porch. Double rockers! Double your fun. (I grew up watching Doublemint gum commercials. I was compelled to say that.)  Why did we choose double rockers over regular rocking chairs or a porch swing? Great question. I’d love to tell you. I have always wanted a big covered porch and this is the first house we’ve lived in that has a front porch big enough for porch sitting. Every romanticized image you can imagine of front porch sitting and front porch living has taken up residence in my brain for years and I have zero regrets about that. I knew I wanted 4…

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  • fall flower ideas vintage toolbox flower arrangement for fall
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    Vintage Toolbox Flower Arrangement For Fall

    September 25, 2023 /

    The only thing better than a vintage toolbox is a vintage toolbox with flowers in it! If you want a big bang for your flower arranging buck this fall then create a vintage toolbox flower arrangement. Let’s face it, we all want our buck to go a little farther these days. The rustic vibe of a vintage toolbox lends itself really well to this fall season where we are all about getting cozy. I’m sure fall can be fancy but, in my head, I associate fall with things that are a little more rustic and earthy like apple orchards, haybale rides, warming hands around a firepit, crunchy leaves on the…

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    Use for Old Hubcaps: Magnetic Bulletin Board

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    image showing a white fireplace with a grapevine heart garland hanging above the fireplace. The grapevines are a variety of sizes. In the foreground is a wood dining room table with a red vase holding red and white alstroemerias. There are also four brass candle holders on the table with red and pink candles. The picture is showcasing how to DIY a grapevine heart garland.

    DIY Grapevine Heart Garland

    January 14, 2026
  • marshall middleton bluetooth speaker via amazon in praise of pretty bluetooth speakers that look good in my home
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    In Praise Of: Pretty Bluetooth Speakers

    September 20, 2023 /

    Pretty Bluetooth speakers. That’s what I want. I want to listen to my music and I want it to come from a Bluetooth speaker that looks good in my home. That’s not too much to ask, is it? Eh. Sometimes it feels that way, so I’m on a mission to dispel that myth. If you can design a speaker with killer sound quality, surely you can design a speaker that looks elegant, fun, sleek or any other adjective that fits the style of someone’s home. And I don’t want to use one that comes with a voice assistant like Alexa. No thank you. Just play my music. Don’t try to…

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    annisa 0 Comments

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    Jazzing Up a Fake Wreath

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    Ornate oval mirror hanging from a wood peg rail. One peg is showing a silver necklace and a colorful beaded necklace hanging from it. There is a clear vase of white Alstroemeria below the picture. A window with navy blue curtains is reflected in the mirror. So, yes, you can hang a mirror from a peg rail.

    Yes, You Can Hang a Mirror on a Peg Rail

    January 26, 2026
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    Use a Cake Stand to Corral Bathroom Counter Clutter

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  • Fall Mantel With Leaf-Stamped Wood Rounds in a colonial era home with wood beams and original wood floors fall decorating ideas
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    Fall Mantel With Leaf-Stamped Wood Rounds

    September 18, 2023 /

    Last week I shared how to leaf stamp on wood. You know I don’t make crafts unless I plan on using them, so let me show you my fall mantel featuring a grouping of leaf-stamped wood rounds. I do declare that it looks beautiFALL. That probably won’t be the last bad fall pun in this blog post as I’m feeling a bit acorn-y today. Our dining room fireplace is my favorite of our three fireplaces to decorate seasonally. It’s the only one that I change the decor on regularly even though spatially speaking it is the trickiest to decorate. The overmantel, the spot above the mantel where decor goes, is…

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  • needlepoint framed to match wall color navy blue sunporch with matching picture frame when to match picture frame to wall color
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    When To Match Picture Frames To Wall Color

    August 30, 2023 /

    Selecting frames for artwork can be tricky as frames totally change the look and feel of artwork. So, is there a time and place to match your picture frames to your wall color? The short answer is yes! It’s your house. Do what makes you happy. The short answer doesn’t make a good blog post though, so let me briefly elaborate. Match picture frames to wall color when the frame is too distracting.  If the frame is distracting from the real start of the show, the artwork, paint the frame the same color as the wall so that the artwork pops. That’s what I did on our blue sunporch. I…

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