The things on my mind this week including puppy fostering, misunderstood pit bulls, my kitchen redesign layout, kitchen inspo, an amazing basement reveal, a water calculator, two movie recommendations, the lip balm I’m still obsessed with, a styrofoam ban, and more!
Read MoreInstagram is FULL of inspiration and sometimes it’s hard to find unique accounts - especially the smaller ones. I wanna give you some inspo and also send some love to the up-and-coming accounts. It was a bit over a year ago when Chris Loves Julia listed me as a top account with less than 10k followers and I’m forever grateful, so I want to pay it forward.
Read MoreThe things on my mind this week including an update on my foster puppies, an amazing IKEA kitchen hack, a zero-waste course, an indoor mural, my closet system is on sale, new plastic-free chapstick, a podcast on meat and sustainability, thoughts on coupons, and going grey.
Read MoreThings on my mind this week including a whole-house makeover, puppies, cabin heartbreak, sustainable men’s underwear, adoption, thoughts on vinyl windows, waste and recycling, an amazing before & after, two home murals, state power, and the cost to make handmade items.
Read MoreOur house is a 1915 craftsman bungalow in a charming old neighborhood of San Diego. While the house is special in our eyes, we’ve been going through the process of making it even more special with historic designation. It gives us cool street cred, plus with an extra step, we get a discount on our property taxes. There’s a lot of wins, but also a few hurdles to jump over, so I wanna share where we’re at in the process, how to apply yourself, and what this all means for the future of our home.
Read MoreOodles of things on my mind this week including solar panels, the book I’m reading, Black History Month, kitchen tidying, my playlist, and more.
Read MoreBack in early December Ross and I went to Seattle for about a week. He went for work and I went to explore the city and meet up with a couple of my blogger pals! I got to hang out with Cathy of The Grit and Polish at her beautiful farmhouse outside the city and we both met up with Joanna of Jojotastic for lunch and to check in on her kitchen renovation. I asked my fine Instagram followers for recommendations of what to do/see/eat in Seattle and you did not disappoint. I’ve listed everyone’s suggestions here!
But first, I give you a video diary - or vlog, if you will. It’s is mostly a video version of a photo scrapbook of where we ate, clips of pretty trees, and shots of animals - which is basically all I care about.
Read MoreI love having lots of artwork throughout our home. It’s probably because of my years of art school and working in art museums. Yeah, that’s probably why. I enjoy having pieces I find beautiful, ones that make me think, those that make me laugh, and the ones that are nostalgic. Bad art is my biggest deign pet peeve, simply because I hate when people fill their home with nothingness just for the sake of having decor. It makes me sad to see junk hung on the walls of people’s homes just to fill the space.
In this post I round up my favorite online art retailers, list framing options, and share each and every piece of artwork in my personal collection. Take a look!
Read MoreHeartwarming stories, kitchen remodels, new items from my favorite ethical clothing brand, a blog post that resonated with me, more thoughts on Loop, how I did on my yoga challenge and my favorite yoga gear, a showstopping bathroom sink, my new manicure technique, and more!
Read MoreI wrote a blog post last year with a list of unique ways to donate a bunch of things when you’re decluttering. Things like dingy towels, toiletries, cleaning products, paint samples, light bulbs, eyeglasses, houseplants, and so so much more. Check it out even if you read it last year because I added a few more tips, and we can always use a refresher.
I mentioned the Buy Nothing Project in that post but I want to give it a big shout out and profess my love for this group. I mean LOVE. I’m in this group’s page literally every day and I’ve decluttered a bunch of hard-to-get rid of items (read my trash - I’ll explain later), plus I’ve saved oodles of money in the group, too. What is it, you ask? Well, I’ll tell ya.
Read MoreEnergy consumption has been on my mind lately as we’ve been gearing up to add solar panels to our roof and as we continue to think about our footprint on this lil’ world of ours. We hear lots about how we should use LED bulbs instead of incandescent and we should get energy star appliances instead of energy guzzlers - both of which I firmly believe and included in my list of ways to make green energy improvements at home. But, I wanted to know exactly how much energy each of my lights, appliances, tools, and electronics around the house were actually consuming. Because I’m type-A like that.
Read MoreA foster pup updates, miniature doll houses, movies I saw this week, pantry storage, a quirky apartment tour, books I finished, details on my closet system, paint color trends, painting prints, and an inspiring kitchen.
Read MoreMy friend Martha had a vision for this garage conversion: to turn her unfinished catch-all garage into a beautiful, hard-working space that could function as a living room, media room, playroom, laundry room, home office, and storage zone. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t entirely convinced all of that could fit. But somehow(?!), it absolutely does and it turned out even better than I imagined.
Margot is getting an upgraded room to make space for baby sister in the nursery.
What I’ve been up to - from gardening, to film photography, and the books and shows we’re enjoying. Plus a house tour that requires a closer look, grass seed to always have on hand, cedar shake excitement, historic window screens, and the privilege I’m reminded of daily.
Hammocks, cookbooks, gardening, sewing, and the other things I’ve been up to on my impromptu break, and more.
Where I’ve been, shooting on film, my dream house, retro costume inspiration, energy rebates, a magic cake, textiles I don’t need but want, a lampshade DIY, my best defense against mosquitos, a new podcast, what’s killing home remodelers, best decision-making advice, overheard parenting, Little Women on acid home tour, best marble etch remover, and more.
If you like florals and color, this bathroom is for you. If you don’t, well, maybe scroll through and you’ll be converted? Or not? Either way, here’s the reveal of a bathroom addition that’s finally here - after a whole three years of construction.
My baby is two! Time’s flying… we wish we could slow down these years… I can’t believe she’s two… and all those other cliché things to say. We celebrated her second trip around the sun in our backyard with a small gathering of friends.
Ashley’s restoring her historic home at a snail’s pace in California. She shares home improvement DIYs, tips for sustainable living, and renovation stories - all while aiming to add more color and present real, lived-in, family friendly spaces.
I'm Ashley, a deeply systematic homebody restoring my 1915 Craftsman bungalow in California, slowly and on purpose. I don't make a single decision without first opening 100 tabs. Renovation, DIY, color, and what it actually looks like to live in an old house with two young kids.
© 2026 The Gold Hive. All Rights Reserved.
This site contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission on purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.
Sponsored content and gifted products are disclosed as such. All opinions are my own.
All images are copyright The Gold Hive. Reproduction or use without credit is not permitted. · Photo Licensing Policy
Hi. It's been a while. I've missed this. I took a longer break than I planned. Life has gotten full. I've been developing film and knitting at soccer practice, attempting to garden with the girls and fussing around with furniture layouts. I’ve also been scheduling summer camps, refilling the watercolors multiple times a day, and trying to keep the toys tidied. Around the house, I’m adding color wherever it fits and making some changes to the overall function and feel.