Dear 21-year-old Kelly exactly eight years ago, This is the biggest day of your life! I know you’re pumped to finally put on that dress and walk down the aisle, but just be prepared: this day will not go like you planned! As you’ve been planning this wedding over the last year, you’ve said over […]
Archives for 2013
New Series: Decorating 101
Andy tells me that these days, all it takes to become an online expert in something is: 1. Make a website. 2. On the website, proclaim yourself an expert. Let’s try it! Nope. Expert houseplant assassin, maybe. That’s what he told me when I mentioned that I’d love to do a “Decorating 101” series on […]
Mean old unlucky shamrock + {May Sponsors!}
BLERGGGH. Guys. My black thumb has reached an embarrassing new low. You know how in the last post I showed you my little plant that I’m desperately trying to keep alive? It’s like plant hospice up in here. I’ve broken out the defibrillator, administered CPR, we said our goodbyes several times… but it continues to […]
Guess what’s on newsstands (!!) …and more behind-the-scenes from Better Homes & Gardens
No big deal or anything, but look what the FedEx guy brought me yesterday morning while I was hanging out with my beautiful friend Sarah and our gaggle of small children: Just Better Homes & Gardens, June issue. No biggie. I just casually flipped through it, reading the articles and in no rush to skip […]
The next stage
We have news! We got family photos done! Just kidding, that’s not really the news. But we did, and I’m going to pile them all over this post while I tell you the real news. Oh look, here comes one now! If you’ve been reading here, you might know that I stay at home with […]
Yard Sale Style: 7 things to shop for to decorate on the cheap
Wanna know a secret? Just about every spot in my house sports some kind of garage sale find. When I was a kid, my mom and grandma used to drag me all over town while they shopped garage sales and it was miserable. Nothing made me want to cease existing more than going to yard […]
Happy Mothers Day!
To ALL mamas. To the moms of little tinies who wistfully recall the days when you could shower with the bathroom door closed, but still recognize with a deep urgency that you’re living smack-dab in the middle of “the good old days…” To the moms whose kids are now having their own… (To my mom!) […]
What’s Your Take?: Accessorizing with Busts
Today I’m asking YOUR opinion, and I hope you’ll weigh in in the comments section. What’s your take on decorating with busts? Not THAT kind of busts! You GUYS. Just be mature. Like ME. *ahem* In the last post, I showed you my new little friend, Matilda, there on the right. I got her for […]
Ditto DIY: Easy DIY Interchangeable Tray ($8!)
First, oops! I keep forgetting to tell you that the Better Homes & Gardens mag with my laundry room will be the NEXT issue, technically June but it comes out within a week or two, I think. If you see it, let me know! Look for silly little me on the very back page, wondering […]
It is well…
From the next room, laughter and the banging of toy trains on wooden train tracks distract me from the glowing laptop in front of me, so I pause and listen to a small three-year-old voice giggling and chattering away in conversation with his daddy as Thomas and Friends chug-a-chug up short wooden slopes and through […]
No-sew DIY Greek Key Curtain Panels
By “no-sew,” I mean: I totally had to sew to make these curtains, but just to hem them. Hopefully you won’t have to. Or you’ll just be four hundred times more competent with a sewing machine than I am, and can swiftly sew a straight hem without shaking your fist at the sky and cursing […]
Yard Sales + Flowers + {April Sponsors}
I went yard saling yesterday and helpfully relieved several burdened homeowners of their useless tchotckes. I spent $3. But I would’ve spent $6 if I hadn’t been a ruthless, cold-hearted negotiator. Not really. Kinda. But not really. By the way, at least where I live, this is PEAK yard sale season: right now, for about […]
Inspiration for my new Greek key curtains
We have about a hundred and six places in our house that NEED updating, badly. One of those places is NOT the breakfast nook. But here I am, fixing it up, little by little, finding ways to procrastinate on other parts of the house. Here’s how the breakfast nook looked a few months ago: Then […]
New monthly project! Ditto DIY: Bringing couture design into our homes
Raise your hand if you’ve ever drooled over a home in a magazine or on pinterest and wish you could recreate that in your own house? *Raises hand violently.* I think part of learning how to turn inspirational photos into reality is just plain old practice and trial and error. Soooo guess what?! I’m joining […]
Joss and Main sale is LIVE!!
*Squeal!!* It’s really happening! My Joss & Main sale is live and I’m more than a little bit weirded-out-excited to see my house right there on the website of one of my fave shopping destinations. But the weirdness is worth it because there are tons and tons of goodies to shop for. Like 30-some things […]
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...
