Good, clean Halloween decor that doesn't make little kids cry is sometimes hard to find. I don't necessarily want a G-rated Halloween. I still like decor that's creepy, slightly scary yet still kid-friendly. More like PG-13, creepy without the gore (and to me that means no blood or body parts strewn across the yard). I get the sense many of you feel the same way. That's probably why my … [Read more...]
$225 left in my budget for the guest bedroom makeover
Welcome back! We are in Week 2 of the One Room Challenge, and our basement guest room makeover is well underway. Six weeks will be over before we know it, but the great thing about this challenge is we will have a pretty new space just in time for the holiday season. I set a strict budget of only $500 for the guest room makeover. It may seem crazy or impossible. But keeping the budget low has … [Read more...]
Fall Front Porch Tour (+ a free printable)
Our front porch is finally coming together, so I thought I'd share a few snapshots in my "nod to fall" front porch tour in honor of my favorite season. We've fallen in love with our new home. We feel like won the lottery in terms of outdoor amenities, fun neighbors and a beautiful historic downtown. I didn't go crazy with fall decor this year, my goal was to get past the "just moved in" phase and … [Read more...]
Week 1: Guest Bedroom Makeover, $300 left in my budget
The One Room Challenge™ is an exciting and challenging DIY and home decorating event that provides and encouragement to anyone that wants to redesign their spaces - in six weeks! ORC features 20 veteran bloggers who post each Wednesday. On Thursdays guest participants like me share their room progress. The big reveal is November 8th! I finally decided to jump in as a guest participant, so follow … [Read more...]
Modern Classic Foyer Design Plan
I can't wait to tell you about a few home improvement and decorating projects that I'll finally be tackling this month. I set myself up with hard deadlines which I needed as the kick in the pants to get started. It's about time, right? I've experienced a slight setback health-wise. Nothing major but I'll share a bit later in this post. We've taken this as a sign to indulge in the "fun" side of … [Read more...]
New House Design Plan
I've always had a thing for neoclassical interiors. In our previous home we traveled down a more classic decorating path and installed wainscoting and lots of trim. It was around that time that the farmhouse "explosion" happened in the decorating world. While I love looking at farmhouse style in other homes, I struggled to make it work in our already-traditional style home. When I did pull it … [Read more...]
Front Porch Decor Elements (a video tour)
The front porch has become one of my favorite places to sit and enjoy a coffee while I watch for the bus with Avery. Until yesterday, the porch remained empty since we sold all of our exterior furniture with the old house. We've done a few things like power washing and trimming the tree (to the tune of $400) - but that's about it until this week. I've missed the boat on most fall porch tours, but … [Read more...]
New House Mini-Mudroom Makeover
I've been sharing snapshots and videos our first days in our new house on Instagram, if you're not following me there be sure to stop by and say "hi". We closed on the old house August 24th, and we are happy to say that we officially moved into "The Picket Fence House"! I shared more details about our experience selling our house and whether our DIY efforts paid off in last week's post. Today I'm … [Read more...]
Tips for Increasing Your Home’s Value
Mark and I love dreaming up design plans for our home and renovating together. But the truth is we have always been laser-beam focused on improving the resale value of our home. In this post I'll share real numbers of our home's value before-and-after our budget DIY renovations, answering the most important question: did it pay off? Selling our home has offered us a "moment of truth" providing us … [Read more...]
We bought a new house!!!
Never, ever in a million years did I think I'd be writing this post. Not right now anyway. The original plan was to wait until all of our kids flew the nest before we'd contemplate another move. But here we go! We bought our next house! And...we are moving in just a few short weeks. Tour "The Picket Fence House" listing photos In many ways our new "Picket Fence House" feels like … [Read more...]
Upstairs Full Bath
Mark and I have hit a major milestone. Every single room in our home has now been upgraded in one small way or another. It's taken us 6 years of blogging to be able to say this. So finally, the room makeover that I have procrastinated the longest has finally hit our radar: the upstairs kids' bathroom. This simple flooring project is high-impact, extremely inexpensive, and only took 4-5 … [Read more...]
Powder Room in Foyer
This week I updated three bathrooms. Yes, you read that right...3 bathrooms all in one week! So today I'll share what's been lurking behind the mystery door in our foyer and give you the details of our $90 powder room upgrade. My goal was simple: I wanted a nice and clean finished space (and to finally remove some realllly outdated wallpaper). $90 Powder Room Upgrade affiliate links included … [Read more...]
A much needed garage upgrade…
My husband is an "I only enter the house through the garage" guy. This means that our garage door is the most over-used door in our entire house. It might be a guy thing. Or just a Mark thing. I do sometimes catch Mark in the garage admiring his collection of power tools, so this might be why. :) The garage door was also the loudest door in the house. I've heard this from my daughter more than … [Read more...]
5 Ways to a More Spiritual You
When it comes to the many aspects of health, spiritual health is often overlooked or compartmentalized. This year I'm making some major changes in my life. I've neglected my own health for far too long in favor of home projects, school projects and outside priorities. If this sounds like you...please read on. There are a few daily rituals that I adhere to that I feel are important to my … [Read more...]
5 Surprising Benefits of Keeping Your House Clean
What if somebody told you that you could get a better night's sleep because you tidied up the living room? You might already be reaching for the vacuum. A clean house not only results in a more enjoyable environment but offers benefits some might find surprising. Your Stress Levels Will Decrease It's 7:30 in the morning and you're running a little late. You're about to head out of the door, … [Read more...]
Two rooms you should NEVER neglect
Owning a home is such a rewarding experience, but it requires constant maintenance and repair. As a homeowner, you may not have time to get to every repair or upgrade all at once. Today I'd like to help you prioritize your efforts and funnel your budget dollars towards the rooms that need it most. When I wrote my article "6 Tips: How to Prioritize Your Home Improvement Projects" there are a … [Read more...]
Tour of our store + new furniture projects
It's been awhile since I posted a glimpse of our store, mainly because (of course) it's taken more time than I expected to move into our space. Ah well. That's how things roll around here. But first, I need to share some fun projects coming from our "workshop" (a.k.a. our garage). Now that school is out for the kids, Mark and I finally have the time to refocus on the store. But first, I'd like … [Read more...]
DIY Chalk Lettering Tutorial + the story behind our “snazzy” name
I found this gorgeous antique slate chalkboard recently and I picked it up with the intentions of selling it in our shop. But the more we looked at it, the more we thought it would serve as a great signage in our antique booth. I tried free-handing a few fonts but it didn't look quite as professional as I'd hoped. So here is a simple DIY chalk lettering tutorial to help you design like a … [Read more...]
Prom Decorating Ideas + a Tour
My son's senior prom was last weekend, and he looked so happy and handsome that day so I thought I'd capture everything I could here on the blog. I had so much fun volunteering to help with decorations this year. I'm lucky to be surrounded by a group of crazy talented moms and I gladly followed their lead as they showed me the ropes and how they execute all of their prom decorating ideas. Prom … [Read more...]
DIY Street Light for Parties (under $11.75 each!)
We are entering an exciting new phase of parenthood: school dances, graduations and weddings! We are in full party planning mode for several upcoming events: my daughter's 8th grade masquerade ball, my son's senior prom and high school graduation...plus a November family wedding! Between writing articles about furniture paint projects and room makeovers, I'll be sharing lots of DIY party … [Read more...]
A pretty new rug in the sunroom
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, nothing updates a room like a rug. Today I'm joining four talented bloggers in the Mohawk Home Spring Blog Hop, each will show you exactly how they've transformed their rooms by adding a fluffy, new rug this spring. I'm hosting a giveaway to win a brand new Mohawk Rug! Hop over to this link to enter! Spring Sunroom Tour 2018 Also visit --> Erin … [Read more...]
Home Staging Tips & Tricks
Recently I partnered with a local real estate investor who flips houses here in Ohio. She found me online and asked if I ever staged a home. Technically, yes - if you count the six or more years that it took to "stage" my own ;-). Staging an empty house under a time crunch is a bit daunting for someone new to the business. But then I toured the house...and wow! She flips homes in modern … [Read more...]
Antique Crocks: 36 Ways to Display Them In Your Home
A few years ago I picked up this pretty, vintage marmalade jar. I loved the delicate crackle patina and of course, the old vintage fonts. Those of you that have followed me for a long time know that I'm a font-o-phile (yes, I just made that up). If I could write my entire blog using those fonts, I'd be happy. I exercise tremendous willpower when I shop for my own home, and while I don't … [Read more...]
8 Ways To Make Small Spaces Feel Bigger Instantly
While small homes and tiny rooms are trendy and a great choice for many, some of us live very big lives. It takes a bit of creativity to find new ways to live in smaller spaces. So today we'll talk about 8 ways to make small spaces feel bigger instantly. Photo by Alys Design - Look for entryway design inspiration My husband and I talk about downsizing, and our desire to do so is one reason … [Read more...]
Shelf Styling Ideas (a client project)
Today I'll share a real-world example of an eDesign / mood board project that I created for a client. She was seeking shelf styling ideas for her newly remodeled living area and kitchen. No matter where you live, I can help you style your home. Yes! Even virtually! Creating mood boards is my go-to solution for restyling my own spaces and is an easy way to visualize a space before you redecorate. … [Read more...]
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