Have you caught this home decor trend? I keep seeing these African feathered headdresses popping up in home decor magazines, including this latest pic from the most recent issue of Lonny magazine. Here’s another shot from Ashley Hicks: Those giant fuzzballs are Cameroon juju hats from Africa, and they’re starting to go mainstream, having made […]
Introducing My Newest Victims
It’s summertime, friends! One way I like to ring in the sweltering heat is to bring the entire friggin’ rainforest into my home. So, I’d like to introduce you to our newest residents: this GIANT beast of a tree which takes up an entire corner of my living room (and still needs a new pot)… […]
Summer Mantels, etc.
Summer sundresses have officially replaced scarves and boots in my closet, we’ve cranked the A/C and Weston’s cheeks show signs of being kissed by the summer sunshine. So it’s probably a good time to redo my winter mantel, no? I just threw a few things up on the mantel in January, and never got around […]
Granny’s Plate Wall Gets a Youthful Facelift
Here’s a helpful piece of marriage advice: when your husband doesn’t like a home project you’ve done, just redo it, inject it with steroids and make it wilder and crazier than ever. I’m not saying he’ll love it, but maybe you’ll make enough nail holes in the wall that he’ll decide it’s not worth fighting […]
A Plate-Hanging Hack
I come to you this Monday morning completely spoiled. My husband gave me the day “off,” so I… SLEPT until I was done sleeping. Laid on the hammock and read a novel Met a friend for antiquing and fro yo and… Decorated. Because that’s what I love to do. I took the morning to rework […]
Yard Sale Fever
Yard sale fever has struck this household and it will not let go. Where I live, we don’t have those fantastic thrift stores with interesting vintage furniture waiting to be restored. Our thrift stores have broken 80’s furniture and overstuffed black leather loveseats. So we are expert yard salers. EXPERT. Lately, I’ve been stocking up […]
I Read Ugly Books: A Decorating Hack
In some other life, I will have a beautiful library filled floor-to-ceiling with rich, leatherbound classics, and stacks and stacks of gorgeous, tasteful home decor books. Oh beautiful library, you will be mine someday! Muahaha! Photo from Apartment Therapy In this life, I prefer to ogle the pretty pictures of gorgeous homes in magazines and […]
House Exterior: Before and. . . in progress. . .
Will someone please tell me what we used to do with our time before we owned a home and had a baby? I still can’t explain why I didn’t use that abundant spare time to, say… learn to sew. Memorize the entire book of Proverbs. Perhaps cure some incurable disease. Last weekend, when the weather […]
DIY Platform Bed: Almost There and Living in Style
Don’t be jealous, but we are living at the height of luxury around here lately. Check this out: You saw that right: our mattress no longer sits directly on the floor. It is separated from the carpet by nine inches of the most incredible spectacle of human engineering ever seen… on this blog… today. That’s […]
Fresh Breath, Factoring and Frittatas
Did you know… that the day you graduate college or get married or move into a grown-up house, you do not wake up in the morning with magically-acquired knowledge about how to keep up with housework or cook fancy meals in which the side dishes are done at exactly the same time as the entree? […]
Fabric, Wood, a Plan and Superman
So get this: I *made a decision* on the bed fabric and special-ordered it, with an expected wait of two to four weeks for it to come in. Can we go back and acknowledge the part about me making a decision? That is thanks to you, my friends. Thanks for your input here; I went […]
Starting a DIY upholstered platform bed: Part 1
IT’S FABRIC TIME, Y’ALL! We’re finally going to start on our new bed – the resurrected version of this guy – and you can expect the full play-by-play so you can copy it, improve upon it, and send me pictures of your fabulous new bed that blows mine outta the water. (Update – see the […]
DIY Hardwood Flooring: Part 3
If you’re just jumping in, don’t forget to check out the posts on selecting hardwood floors, preparing the floors for installation, and why hardwood floor glue is trying to seduce your boyfriend. Now for the fun part: throwing those babies down! We put down a chalk line straight across the middle of the floor and […]
DIY Hardwood Flooring: Part 2
[DIY Hardwood Flooring Part 1 starts here…] This is the part of the story where it sounds like I’m exaggerating – you’re going to be positive I’m exaggerating – but friends, there is no hyperbole here. Installing hardwood floors using glue? It’s the Mount Everest of DIY projects. You get started, thinking, all I have […]
Glutton for Punishment
You’re going to think I’m certifiably insane, and I might be inclined to agree. We just sold our bed on craigslist! Yes, this bed. The one that took for-ev-ah to make. Goodbye, old friend. But before you turn me in, let me explain… When we finally set out to redo the master bedroom, I made […]
Hi, I'm Kelly. Glad you're here! This little blog is where I chronicle our efforts to fix up our beaten-down home on a tiny budget. We're not there yet, but here's a peek at the view along the way...
