• 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
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

No Widgets found in the Sidebar Alt!

  • fresh ways to repurpose a piano
    decorating,  DIY

    8 Fresh Ways to Repurpose a Piano

    September 15, 2021 /

    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…

    read more
    annisa 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    mrspetunia etsy shop vintage embroidered pillowcases

    In Praise of Embroidered Pillowcases

    September 22, 2021
    new art for our navy sunporch

    New Art For Our Navy Sunporch

    November 9, 2022

    A Crate For My Crate – Because Why Not? ScrapMaster Project #2

    September 8, 2014
  • 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

    merry mail magnetic card holder from etsy shop lewis design company in wrens ga metal Christmas signs

    Festive Metal Christmas Signs

    November 4, 2024
    diy wood bead snowflake ornaments with natural wood beads and a wire form

    Wood Bead Snowflake Ornaments

    December 19, 2022
    diy floral witch's hat sitting on a pumpkin in front of a stone wall

    DIY Floral Witch’s Hat

    September 15, 2025
  • music room before and after
    colonial farmhouse,  decorating

    Music Room Before and After

    October 7, 2019 /

    I’m not sure if I’ve ever done a proper ‘before and after’ room post because that’s just not how I roll, but there’s a first time for everything! Today I’m going to show you pictures of our music room before and after because I’m at a stopping point in this space. Basically, I’ve called it ‘good enough’ for now. Or maybe ‘much better than before’ and I’ve moved on to other projects. Yes, there are still things to do in the music room. Will they get done? Definitely. Probably. Let’s not hold our breath. Last week I showed you my piano harp art. The piano harp art may be the…

    read more
    annisa 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    white colonial farmhouse exterior with sunporch

    Drone Photos of Our Home

    August 26, 2024
    Colonial Farmhouse Kitchen Before

    Colonial Farmhouse Kitchen Before

    February 3, 2020
    Colonial Farmhouse One Year Anniversary

    Colonial Farmhouse One Year Anniversary

    June 15, 2020
  • decorating,  DIY

    Piano Harp Art

    September 30, 2019 /

    Every once in awhile an idea in my head, a wild hair, really, turns out even better than I hoped it would. And I’m SO EXCITED ABOUT IT going to play it cool and tell you how my idea to make piano harp art came to fruition. When we took apart the upright piano that had been left in our house when we moved in, I knew I could use the parts of the piano to make unique, statement-making art for our home. Of course, the pièce de résistance of piano parts is the harp and that was the hardest part to extract. Murphy’s Law. The piano harp is the part of…

    read more
    annisa 5 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Distressed Scrap Wood Arrow: ScrapMaster Project #3

    November 17, 2014
    patchwork quilts on a blanket ladder

    In Praise of Patchwork Quilts

    August 24, 2022
    cream cabinets with painted wood knobs kitchen annex farmhouse style butler pantry wood knobs and pulls

    9 Wood Knob and Pull Ideas For Your Cabinets

    February 26, 2025
  • taking apart a piano is hard
    DIY

    Taking Apart a Piano is Hard

    September 23, 2019 /

    Taking apart a piano is hard. Really hard. Can you believe that me, of all people, even uttered those words “taking apart a piano”? It sounds blasphemous. I assure you I have not abandoned my decades-long love of the piano. Nor did I take apart my baby piano. Heaven forbid! I took apart a piano to which I have no emotional attachment. Because that makes it better? Here’s what happened… Please note this is not a tutorial. There are plenty of those on the internet. This is more of a cautionary tale should you decide to embark on this journey.  A piano was left in our house when we moved…

    read more
    annisa 5 Comments

    You May Also Like

    stone carriage house gym expansion home gym with stone walls and wood ceiling

    Stone Carriage House Gym: Part 10, Reveal For Now

    July 14, 2025
    building a curved fieldstone wall and fieldstone steps

    Curved Fieldstone Wall: Part 7, The Stairs

    September 10, 2025

    DIY Wood Blocks

    March 9, 2016
  • 11 Things to Know Before Hiring a Piano Moving and Storage Company
    decorating,  moving

    11 Things to Know Before Hiring a Piano Moving and Storage Company

    April 29, 2019 /

    I started playing piano in second grade on a second-hand upright piano bought for me by my grandma. I played that piano for 20 years. Later, with my first big work bonus, I bought myself a baby grand piano. It really is my ‘baby.’ It’s also my ball and chain. I can’t tell you how many of our housing decisions have rested on one key factor: Is there room for the piano? Scratch that. I CAN tell you. It has been ALL of our housing decisions. *sigh* My upright piano lived in five different homes. My baby grand piano has lived in six different homes and two different storage places. Needless…

    read more
    annisa 6 Comments

    You May Also Like

    zassenhaus pepper grinder via amazon in praise of pretty pepper mills

    In Praise Of: Pretty Pepper Mills

    May 15, 2024
    needlepoint framed to match wall color navy blue sunporch with matching picture frame when to match picture frame to wall color

    When To Match Picture Frames To Wall Color

    August 30, 2023
    back staircase kitchen stairs after

    Back Staircase Before and After

    January 6, 2020
  • decorating

    Wood Paneled Piano Room

    September 24, 2018 /

    I was messing around with my camera because I need to improve my skills and I happened to shoot a few sort of not blurry photos in the darkest room in our house – the wood paneled piano room. It’s actually the living room, but when you have a ball and chain baby grand piano, you sometimes have to get creative with your living space. I didn’t intend to show you these photos because this room isn’t “done” and I really was just messing around with camera settings. Also, I didn’t dust. Or wipe my children’s fingerprints off the piano. Or remove the crumpled kleenex. Or tidy my piano books.…

    read more
    annisa 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    1960s Wood Paneling That Looks Good

    February 8, 2017

    Kid Chairs Get a Little Glam

    June 24, 2015
    needlepoint framed to match wall color navy blue sunporch with matching picture frame when to match picture frame to wall color

    When To Match Picture Frames To Wall Color

    August 30, 2023
Hi! I'm Annisa.

Recent Posts

  • Basement Workshop Stone Repointing: Part 2, Concrete Problem
  • Vintage Soapstone and Brass Table and How I’m Styling It
  • Happy List: #422
  • Basement Workshop Stone Repointing: Part 1, Why Now
  • DIY Polymer Clay Leaf Dish with Heart Detail

Categories

Subscribe to blog
Loading

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