As the kitchen remodel progresses, there is a steady stream of decisions that need to be made. One of those decisions is what to do on the walls. Two things are for sure: 1) I have very little wall space in there, and 2) I want something neutral. After thinking it over for awhile, I’m…
Sometimes I find a “treasure” at an estate sale or a garage sale that I just can’t pass up. Sometimes I know exactly what I will do with it, and other times….well, it might sit for awhile awaiting its makeover. Quite often, my husband can’t see the “treasure” part and just wishes I’d get the…
The ugly duckling….the movie about the shy girl who becomes the prom queen….every. single. HGTV. episode…let’s face it, we all love a fabulous before and after. But what about the middle part? In a real-life remodel, that middle part can take soooo long! We’re on our 5th week of a kitchen remodel. And we’re just…
You found the most beautiful, perfect piece of furniture. It’s exactly what you’ve been searching for. You can picture it in your space. Then you check the measurements and….it won’t fit. I hate that! Well, that was the situation with this beautiful antique headboard that I found on Craigslist. I was looking for a large,…
I hate waxing furniture. I know that ‘hate’ is a strong word, but I truly can’t stand it. Now don’t get me wrong, a waxed finish can be so soft and beautiful on furniture. But the application gets me every time. It’s just so labor intensive. I don’t want to break out in a sweat…
We’ve lived in our house for thirteen years and have tackled a lot of remodels. You can see a few of our remodels here. But through it all, there was that one project that lurked over our shoulder…the one with a scary amount of work that needed to be done. You know I’m talking about…
Is there something that you really want to do, but for whatever reason, have never gotten around to trying it? I’m pretty sure most of us have at least one thing on that list. Me, I have a few:) One of them is learning to paint. Now, I’m already a wall and furniture painter. I’ve…
Last year, I made a couple of simple keychains that could be clipped to a purse. You can see the first keychain here and the second one here. I actually made three keychains, but totally forgot to show the last one! This braided leather keychain turned out to be the one I use most frequently. I…
One of the best ways to add personality to your home and save some money in the process (win, win!) is to shop for second-hand decor. In my daughter’s French country room makeover, I added quite a few pieces that I found at various estate sales and antique shops. A painted cuckoo clock: For instance,…
Oh, how many times I have bought something vintage or antique with little “flaws”, knowing full well that I’d have to find a way to fix them. ? Usually, I find that I enjoy the creative challenge. The one part that is not fun, is finding that the cost to repair it is higher than…
Starched fabric wallpaper: a step-by-step guide to an affordable and versatile project. I wanted an easy button. I’d spent a week troweling layer after layer of plaster onto my daughter’s bedroom walls as part of her French country room makeover. My arms were tired. But I still wanted to add some pattern to her bookshelves. Could…
In 2015, my husband and I decided to go through all of the training to become foster parents. We became a certified foster home in our state in the fall of that year and then waited for the call. A couple of months later, in early January of 2016, I got a call saying that…