Like most large households, ours produces a massive amount of laundry. And like most moms, doing that laundry is far from my favorite task. I have found in my limited research that most laundry-doers fall into one of these categories: 1. you are forced to… Continue Reading…laundry room idea board
Like most homes built in the last 10 years, every single ceiling light fixture in our house looked like this when we moved in: Admittedly, it’s not the worst light fixture in the history of light fixtures, but it’s pretty boring. One simple way to… Continue Reading…how switching out lights can make a big difference
Last weekend Ryan & I hosted our annual Christmas party. Ryan’s parents are talented in many ways and also generous and agreed to make our night extra special by cooking and serving our meal. A kid-free night without having to cook and hanging out with… Continue Reading…tips for decorating your christmas table
This has been a project I’ve wanted to do for forever. It has no purpose other than to look festive, but I’m pretty sure it is my new favorite thing I’ve ever made. I suppose you could use the countdown tags to actually count down… Continue Reading…free christmas countdown tags & 25 ways to embellish them
I touched on it last week … and many of you agreed … we should all take a few more risks with our home-decorating and truly live where we live.
We should hang photos and not care about nail holes. We should be crazy and paint a room in a unexpected color just because we love it. We should find meaningful ways to add meaningful pieces and let our homes be an extension of our lives, our families, our personalities. It’s risky and sometimes costly {in time and money}, but don’t you think you function better in a visually inspiring space?
It’s fairly unimportant in the whole scheme of things – all this decorating and re-decorating our homes. But to those living in it and to those visiting, it can do so much to welcome, inspire and comfort.
One girl who has this figured out is the darling Ashley from The Handmade Home.
Well, I should say Ashley and her husband Jamin. They’re one talented team who have taken their perfectly-nice-but-very-average builder-grade home and turned it into a colorfully charming home with so much personality.
Here are a few before & after shots:
It’s one of the most unique {and coolest, if you ask me} things in our house: this oversize salvaged window hanging from a barn door track that separates the entry from the dining room.
I’ve never really blogged about it. What?! Sorry for the oversight.
Adding the window to the opening between the rooms accomplished exactly what we wanted … it created a definition of spaces, but also keeps things bright and open. Plus it adds personality to our ordinary home. That’s our favorite part.
From the front door, you can still see through into the dining room and beyond.
We found the perfect window at our favorite local salvage yard {Second Use – for you local Seattle-ites} for about $80.
Continue Reading…details of the giant hanging window in our entry/dining room
Remember when I asked for help with this problem wall?
You all came through. Great suggestions. My talented friend Darlene even did a little mock-up of her suggestion:
Isn’t it lovely?
I sat on the ideas for a bit – none of them feeling just right.
Until one day, I started moving furniture around and – what do you know – the L wall moved across the hall to its new home.
Hidden in there are the thermostat and light switch that before stuck out so obviously.
A good before and after is always fun, so here you go:
Sometimes you buy furniture from inexpensive sources and you end up with a flimsy particle board table that never quite stands level. Other times, you order a bookshelf and hope that it will turn out to be more like the online photos than what past… Continue Reading…pleasantly surprised {a new dining room display shelf}
One year in college my best friend {and roommate} made fun of me because I brought with me a few of my favorite children’s picture books. Not only did I travel with them from Seattle to LA, but I proudly displayed them on our coffee… Continue Reading…displaying books in the playroom
I have a slight love affair with ferns. Their bright, fresh color, delicate texture, slightly wild arms going every which way … they add just the right feel to my otherwise neutral rooms. {in my office} {on the front porch} {in the kitchen} {in my… Continue Reading…things I like: ferns
Have you ever noticed in beautifully decorated living rooms that the coffee tables are always accessorized? {via} There is usually a collection of books, flowers, candles, maybe a tray to contain odds and ends. {via} {via} {via} I know life in a photograph is much… Continue Reading…what’s on your coffee table?
Chalkboard walls are everywhere. It is no wonder since chalkboard paint is readily available and one of the easiest {and cheapest} ways to transform a wall. The first time I remember seeing chalk paint was a few years ago when Martha Stewart and her team… Continue Reading…chalkboard walls: love them or over them?
Our upstairs bath looks like this: Basic builder-grade everything. This is considered the kids’ bathroom, but since we moved our master bedroom upstairs last fall and made our downstairs bedroom into a media room {great use of the space but I do miss our own… Continue Reading…the kids’ bath needs some style
This is what our front door looked like Saturday morning: and a few hours later: The sun was out, the kids were happily bouncing on the neighbors’ trampoline and I had the itch for a quick project. So I painted house numbers on our front… Continue Reading…painted house numbers
We have this random nook between the dining room and the staircase that fits our piano perfectly. The wall above the piano is one of the first things you see when you walk into our home, so while I want it to make a statement,… Continue Reading…a wall of L’s
