Archives for 2013

House-iversary: Then and Now (Part 2)

In the last post, I showed y’all the progress we’ve made through our house – and some of the projects we did pre-blogging – since we bought our house five years ago this week. That was all downstairs stuff. You know, where company can see. Today we’re venturing up the stairs, to rooms I don’t […]

House-iversary: Then and Now (Part 1)

We’re celebrating five years in our house this week with a little house-iversary celebration. (Thanks for your sweet comments on the last post!) I thought it’d be fun to look back at how our house has evolved over the last five years and share some of the big projects we did pre-blogging. Also a case […]

House-iversary Celebration: Our House Story

This week marks five years since we closed on our own little slice of dirt and pile of lumber. It’s a funny milestone to Andy and me, because when we were house-hunting, we thought were just shopping for a five-year house. We just assumed we’d be ready to move after that. At the time, this […]

Wood-stain typography art tutorial

I don’t mean to brag… But I have to be honest: My friends are all kinds of incredible. Exhibit A: Cassie from Primitive and Proper came down and spent the whole weekend with me last weekend and we had SO MUCH FUN. She shared the whole play-by-play right here… …which I am reluctant to even […]

Ditto DIY + Easy Yarn Art Project

WOOOOT! Time for the July Ditto DIY challenge! Remember how this works? Once a month, we’ll all replicate a couture design idea in our own homes and share them here. Ditto DIY is hosted by ten bloggers, but it’s about all of us – you and me – incorporating fine design elements into our homes […]

Three things we need to discuss + {June sponsors}

1. Remember in the last sponsored post when I anguished about the state of my shamrock plant, which was apparently trying to die while very similar clovers in my yard just inches away were thriving? WELL. The more I wrote that post, the more heated up and passionately angry I got at my shamrock. What […]

DIY Pintuck Duvet

It’s amazing how resourceful you can get when you’re on a limited budget. Can I get an amen to that? When a few friends and I went in on a little flashmob surprise room makeover for a friend, we were workin’ with a miniature little budget. We pulled the whole room together for about $250, […]

One Week Flash Mob Room Refresh on a Budget!

Not long ago, my friend Erin asked me and a few other girls if we’d like to surprise a mutual friend, Carrie, with a quick-and-dirty refresh of her master bedroom for her birthday. I was like: “I don’t know, guys. That sounds pretty lame and unfun.” PSSSH WHATEVER! I couldn’t sign on fast enough for […]

Decorating 101: Using Pinterest to Find Your Style

When my friend Erin suggested that a few of us surprise another friend, Carrie, with a makeover of her master bedroom for her birthday, I jumped all over that opportunity and totally geeked out about the chance to participate in a quick-and-dirty room refresh challenge! We only had $200 and one week while Carrie was […]

Easy, high-impact update: Make your tab-top curtains look like custom back-tab panels

I had the BEST week last week. Some friends and I collaborated on a flash mob surprise room makeover for a friend and yep: it rocked. Can’t wait to show you the befores-and-afters, but first! A quick little update I made to these old curtains we pulled in for the makeover. One of my friends […]

Practically Zero Calorie Triple Chocolate Butterfinger Trifle

Is this Butterfinger Trifle a dessert? Technically, yes. Is it made of the decadent combination of brownies, pudding, cool whip and Butterfinger bars? Sure. But if you eat it correctly, you’ll find that this rich, decadent crowd-pleaser is practically a health food.* *I am not a nutritionist, but I am a self-proclaimed master at food […]

How to Build an Upholstered Bed

Soooo a couple years ago, Andy and I built this upholstered bed: We were inspired by this bed by Jonathan Adler which costs about $2,500. I blogged the whole process, and I still get lots of questions about it. I completely understand the questions, because I think the way I wrote it all out – […]

Decorating 101: 6 Decorating Rules to Live By

I’m SO excited to start our new little Decorating 101 series! I think it’ll be fun to get geeky about the principles behind what makes a room “work.” We’re going to dive headfirst into full-on decor-geek-mode and there’ll be no turning back for any of us. Before we start digging into the “hows” and the […]

Ditto DIY Link Party + My Big Fat Gilded Failure

Welcome to the June {ditto} DIY challenge! Once a month ten very different bloggers are hosting this challenge to recreate in our own homes – and yours! – a project or design element inspired by a haute couture design. The idea is to inspire everyone to incorporate fine design elements into your own home in […]

A little outdoor cleaning, a little less redneck, and a giveaway!

Thanks for sponsoring this silly little post, P&G and The Home Depot! The hardest part about being a blogger is opening yourself up and exposing your darkest secrets. A while back, I opened my heart to you guys and revealed the redneck within. It wasn’t easy, and I’m still emotionally drained just thinking about it, […]