• Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
  • Shop
    • Apparel and Shoes
    • Books
    • Crafts and Sewing
    • Decor
    • Furniture
    • Home Improvement
    • Kid Favorites
    • Kitchen
  • 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
A Pretty Happy Home

Life, DIY and Random Things That Make Me Smile

  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Contact
  • Shop
    • Apparel and Shoes
    • Books
    • Crafts and Sewing
    • Decor
    • Furniture
    • Home Improvement
    • Kid Favorites
    • Kitchen
  • 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
    • Apparel and Shoes
    • Books
    • Crafts and Sewing
    • Decor
    • Furniture
    • Home Improvement
    • Kid Favorites
    • Kitchen
  • 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

No Widgets found in the Sidebar Alt!

  • red poppy illustration symbol of remembrance
    holidays

    How a Weed Became A Symbol of Remembrance

    May 30, 2022 /

    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…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    valentine's day terracotta gnome how to make terracotta gnome for valentine's day craft

    Valentine’s Day Terracotta Gnome

    January 15, 2024
    gold and copper christmas tree

    Gold and Copper Christmas Tree

    December 9, 2020
    faux chocolate easter bunny made with wood bunny and gold leaf

    Faux Chocolate Bunny – With Wood Rabbit and Gold Leaf

    March 31, 2025
  • st patrick's day table decor irish flag centerpiece
    holidays

    7 Lucky and Unlucky Signs From Irish Folklore

    March 16, 2022 /

    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…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    st. patrick's day bands of ireland presents play on for 2021

    St. Patrick’s Day and the Kindness of the Irish

    March 17, 2021

    Easter Egg Hunt for Adults

    April 15, 2019
    paper tree ornaments with wood star toppers fold paper tree ornaments using a wood star bead as the tree topper

    Paper Tree Ornaments With Wood Star Topper

    November 27, 2023
  • christmas mantel with copper accents
    holidays

    Christmas Mantel with Copper Accents

    December 6, 2021 /

    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…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    1774 cemetery new jersey

    A Cemetery Dating Back to 1774

    May 25, 2020
    memorial day flag in a cemetery

    Memorial Day 2025 + What I Learned About Robert Todd Lincoln

    May 26, 2025

    Board Games Even I Enjoy

    November 27, 2017
  • santa belt magnets
    holidays

    12 Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas

    December 1, 2021 /

    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…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    wood flag american flag on wood door

    Happy 4th of July 2023

    July 3, 2023
    watercolor heart on the happy list

    14 Sweet Valentine’s Day Facts

    February 13, 2023
    embroidered easter egg napkin

    Easter Egg Embroidered Napkins

    April 4, 2022
  • patriotic front porch
    holidays

    Patriotic Front Porch for our Colonial Farmhouse

    June 30, 2021 /

    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…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    piano wire christmas ornaments and Piano Hammer Christmas Ornaments

    Piano Hammer Christmas Ornaments

    December 11, 2019

    Horseshoe Pumpkin

    September 23, 2015
    stitch a day advent calendar from uncommon goods 2023 advent calendars for kids and adults

    2023 Advent Calendars For Kids and Adults

    November 6, 2023
  • copper christmas tree
    holidays

    DIY Copper Christmas Tree From a Safety Cone

    December 2, 2020 /

    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…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Quick and Simple St. Patricks Day Wreath

    March 6, 2017

    Using Contact Paper to Make a Deer Silhouette

    December 12, 2014

    Thanksgiving Cards – Free Printable

    October 26, 2015
  • decorating

    Winter Home Inspiration from New Jersey

    December 18, 2019 /

    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…

    read more
    annisa 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    The Easiest Way to Make a Pretty Home

    January 9, 2017

    Wrapped String Art Using a Frame, String and Glue

    January 30, 2019
    when and where to use rechargeable light bulbs so they don't disappoint you

    5 Places Rechargeable Light Bulbs Won’t Disappoint You

    February 21, 2024
  • piano wire christmas ornaments and Piano Hammer Christmas Ornaments
    holidays

    Piano Hammer Christmas Ornaments

    December 11, 2019 /

    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…

    read more
    annisa 4 Comments

    You May Also Like

    watercolor wood eggs

    Watercolor Wood Easter Eggs

    March 15, 2021
    st patrick's day table decor irish flag centerpiece

    Irish Flag Centerpiece

    March 13, 2017
    diy wood and brass hearts

    DIY Wood and Brass Hearts for Valentine’s Day

    January 31, 2022
  • piano pedal tree topper
    holidays

    Piano Pedal Tree Topper

    December 9, 2019 /

    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…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    10 Tips for Surviving a Parade With Kids

    March 27, 2017

    DIY Leather Christmas Trees

    November 28, 2018
    cross stitch american flag on a grain sifter 4th of july wreath

    Cross-Stitch American Flag On a Grain Sifter

    June 27, 2022
Newer Posts 
Hi! I'm Annisa.

Recent Posts

  • Stone Carriage House Gym: Part 10, Reveal For Now
  • Happy List: #396
  • Vintage Bottle Bud Vases
  • Stone Carriage House Gym: Part 9, The Ceiling
  • 4th of July 2025 Break

Categories

Subscribe to blog
Loading

$2018 © A Pretty Happy Home
Ashe Theme by WP Royal.