How a Weed Became A Symbol of Remembrance
Have you ever wondered how a weed became a symbol of remembrance worldwide for fallen soldiers? That weed is the poppy. The first shock to my system was that poppies are weeds. I thought poppies were pretty flowers. Don’t believe me? Go check out my proof here and here and here and here. Weed or not, I still think they are pretty. The origin story of the poppy becoming a worldwide symbol of remembrance for fallen soldiers stems from a poem penned by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. McCrae was a Canadian brigade surgeon for an Allied artillery unit. Not long after the Second Battle of Ypres where 87,000 Allied soldiers were killed, wounded, or…
7 Lucky and Unlucky Signs From Irish Folklore
St. Patrick’s Day is almost here and I thought it would be fun to share some things that were considered, way back in the day, to be lucky and unlucky according to Irish folklore. These lucky and unlucky signs are not pulled magically pulled out of thin air by yours truly. Nope! (image: Killarney, County Kerry via the National Library of Ireland) These signs were compiled by students in 1938 at Listowel National School in County Kerry, Ireland. They have since been recorded by Wexford archaeologists Colm Moriarty and Adrienne Corless on the Irish Archaeology site. Here are seven of my favorite lucky and unlucky signs from Irish folklore: If you…
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Christmas Mantel with Copper Accents
Another day and a new Christmas mantel to show you! One old house perk is having multiple fireplaces to decorate for the holidays. Today’s Christmas mantel with copper accents is in our primary bedroom. It feels so indulgent having a bedroom with a fireplace, even a non-working fireplace like this one. It especially feels indulgent having this bedroom fireplace knowing that I’m not reliant on it to heat this part of the house. Although, I do think about the 100 plus years where someone had to shlep firewood up and down the stairs to fuel this fireplace. Can you imagine all the dirt that would track in? I’m sure putting…
12 Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas
I hear supply chains are constricted, so here are 12 handmade holiday gift ideas to consider making for your friends and family this year. The best part is some of these gift ideas are DIY cheats meaning not totally handmade from scratch. They just have a handmade, personal touch. That totally counts! Ready? Let the inspiration flow: Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas: Game Boards Board games are often popular gifts. How about making a handmade checkers board or chessboard? You could keep it a little easier and make a Tic Tac Toe board too. If you’re interested in vintage wood checkers to go with your game board, you can find them on…
Patriotic Front Porch for our Colonial Farmhouse
If ever there was a home that needed a patriotic front porch, it is our Colonial Farmhouse. While this colonial farmhouse did not exist for the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it was built shortly thereafter. That means it witnessed the growing pains of a newly formed nation and there were plenty! It bore witness to the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. Those are just the major wars of the 1800s. At the risk of stating the obvious, that’s a lot of bloodshed. I’m sure this Colonial Farmhouse has bore witness to the warm fuzzies in American history as well. Right?!?! While…
DIY Copper Christmas Tree From a Safety Cone
Tis the season to get crafty and today I have the most festive Copper Christmas Tree to show you. I had so much fun making this Copper Christmas Tree that I actually made not one, not two, but three of them! The crazy thing is these trees wouldn’t have even happened if I hadn’t procrastinated a little. I’m not encouraging procrastination. I’m just saying sometimes procrastination closes the easy creative doors and forces you to become extra resourceful. I’m making procrastination sound not so bad, aren’t I? The idea was in the back of my mind to use some copper flashing to make a Christmas tree this year. I wouldn’t have bought copper…
Winter Home Inspiration from New Jersey
One of the reasons I’m enjoying living on the East Coast is that there is a seemingly limitless supply of old home eye candy. You’d think this feast for the eyes would get, well, old, but it hasn’t. Here is some winter home inspiration from New Jersey for your viewing pleasure today. This blue home covered in snow looks like a real-life doll house with that gorgeous white trim all covered in snow. I’m also swooning over the little balcony on the second story. SWOONING. I drive by this home frequently and this isn’t even its best angle. It’s not even the front of the house. This is the left…
Piano Hammer Christmas Ornaments
Piano Hammer Christmas Ornaments. Trust me. This is a thing now. Okay, okay. It is probably only a thing on my Christmas tree! Every trend starts somewhere, right? To recap, we took apart an old upright piano because we could not find anyone to take it off our hands. It took more time and effort than we want to admit. On the plus side, we have been repurposing the piano parts. For instance, I turned the piano harp into wall art. I donated the piano keys to our local middle school for an art project. We turned the back of the piano into a garage workbench. The piano hammers, in…
Piano Pedal Tree Topper
When I set out to decorate a music-themed Christmas tree this year, I didn’t plan on creating a piano pedal tree topper. It just sort of happened on a whim. Was it a good whim? It’s hard to tell, but you know me, I’m running with it! If you’re new here, we took apart an old upright piano that was left in our Colonial Farmhouse when we purchased it. We’ve been repurposing the piano parts for other projects (like this piano harp art). That’s how today’s piano pedal tree topper came to be. Piano pedals are made of metal and these have a lovely patina from decades of use. They…
