Over the weekend I attended an event to learn about straw bale home construction - a sustainable building material that benefits the planet instead of hurting it. The organizers also talked about regenerative agriculture, permaculture, and ethically sourced mezcal. It was really cool, and I want to share just a little bit of what I learned about a unique construction material with you!
Read MoreThe things on my mind this week including: spotting Instagrammers IRL, a kitchen I can’t stop starring at, new menswear, a sale on my favorite leggings, books I’m reading, a marble sink with soapstone counters, a mural that feels familiar, and more!
Read MoreI asked folks on Instagram to submit questions you had for me, and today’s the day I answer them!
I had a deadline for making a pie the day that I wanted to film, so I baked a lemon meringue treat while answering your Qs. The vid is 20 minutes, so maybe watch it on your lunch break? Or maybe while eating a pie?
Read MoreThe things on my mind this week including my trip to Chicago, the 25 things I do before leaving for vacation, my tips for traveling sustainably, the effects our travel has on the planet, an amazing living room transformation, daily action to take on flighting the climate crisis, a favorite TV show is back, a movie I’m itching to see, my home’s before tour, book recommendations, and my monthly playlist!
Read MoreWe FINALLY have a construction permit to do our kitchen renovation. FIN.AL.LY. Whew. It’s taken awhile to get here for a number of reasons that I’ll share here. I’ll break down the steps we took, the costs we’ve incurred, and some of the story behind everything.
Read MoreA living room with a gorgeous archway, my blog award nomination, why we should turn our lawns into farms, a print I need for checking my email, what you can do about the Amazon rainforest fire, a pink kitchen, my favorite baby gift, a new bra, preventing mosquitos, energy consumption of smart speakers, and more!
Read MoreWhen we got married five years ago we asked for power tools and utilitarian things. Here's a list of the things I'd put on my list now that we've been married for five years. Spoiler - it's even more utilitarian things like tools, kitchenware, and home tech. No gravy boats here!
Read MoreGuess what! We’re about to start talking about my kitchen renovation. Can you even believe it? I can’t. In the first edition of my kitchen renovation story, we’re talking salvaged windows and loving old house plus old house parts.
Read MoreThe things on my mind this week including a new shop I can’t wait to visit, two shows I’m in love with, a guide to eco-friendly car washing, a quick-fix DIY project report card, the history of the American lawn, environmental privilege, a summertime PSA, last month’s playlist, and more!
Read MoreIt’s almost time to start demo on my kitchen to make way for the new space, so this is my last chance to share whatever can be shared about the current iteration of the kitchen!
As you probably recall, the kitchen was just a phase 1 makeover to hold us over until our full remodel. I thought it would only be like this for 6 months, but it’s been over 4 years. Oops. Because I didn’t want to dump a bunch of money or time into the makeover, I did some quick cosmetic fixes. They weren’t designed to hold up for a long time, but some of them have. Here’s a full report.
Read MoreThe things on my mind this week including a DIY banquette, Earth Overshoot Day, not saying the wrong thing, retro typography, thrilling secondhand purchases, wall tile hooks, what I’ve been up to, Friends TV show IRL, a kitchen on my fave show, art, and more!
Read MoreI shared a photo of me wearing my favorite overalls on Instagram Stories and got a flood of questions about them. So, here I am to tell you about what I like to wear when doing messy projects.
Read MoreThe plants finally filled in, the veggie beds are in the wrong spot, and I've learned that the yard you design and the yard your kids actually use are two very different things.
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.
My 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.
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.
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Welcome to a new series: Report Card. I'm going through (nearly) everything in a space and telling you how it's actually held up. The backyard's first up, and spoiler, I did not ace this one.