I didn’t want to toss out my trusty childhood lawn chairs just because they were falling apart. So, I found a way to reinvent them to last another three decades, and add some colorful charm, too.
Read MoreI DIY sealed our marble countertops and you can, too! Sealing protects the stone from staining which really helps me not worry about spilling coffee on my bright white counters. I did a bunch of research on the best products so I’m sharing how and why I chose the one I did, plus detailing the steps to seal that gorgeous marble.
Read MoreI’ve heard of other blogger buds using fancy masking fluid to ease the painting job of painting windows and divided lite doors, but I never used it myself. Until Now. I learned some lessons and have some takeaways from the experience for ya. Here’s how it went.
Read MoreI’ve successfully turned a perfectly good kitchen into an entirely useless box with walls and floors. But now I’m adding things back to it and making it an actual kitchen again! Finally! Now that it’s a livable space, I’m anxious to get cooking again, so I’m kicking things off with building a custom range hood.
Read MoreHardwood floors were installed in the kitchen and they look so good. Well, sorta. I hit a snag - literally. And then hit another snag - figuratively. Uuuuugggghhhh.
Read MoreOur home is full of old-growth hardwood flooring that I adore. When faced with picking a new floor for our kitchen renovation, matching the existing hardwoods was a no brainer. Here’s the story of the sourcing and installation process.
Read MoreWe recently added a big teak table to our backyard and it’s the perfect companion to our (soon-to-be) completed kitchen. The solid teak table arrived un-treated which was already gorgeous, but I wanted to give it even more oomph. I hunted high and low for an environmentally friendly oil that’s free of petrochemicals, and I found one!
Read MoreWhile staying home during the COVID-19 crisis, we’re yearning for ways to stay connected. So, I made some quarantine postcards that I sent to friends and family! It tells them I’m thinking of them and it serves as a unique souvenir of these bizarre times. Plus, the kitschy nod to an antique travel postcard during a time when we aren’t traveling is cheesy and I like that kind of sentiment.
Read MoreI found a lost table hiding in my attic! She’s a cute lil’ thing that needed some TLC and now has a prominent spot in my living room. What a doll, she is!
Read More‘Tis the season for covering our houses in Christmas greenery (if you celebrate - or if like me, you just love greens). There are so many things that can be done with the small cuttings off those pine trees or boughs from the garland. So, if you have spare scraps, read ahead. Or, if you’re late to the decorating game, on a tight budget, or living in a small space, here are some ways to bring the greenery in without the fuss.
Read MoreI’ve been brainstorming how to have a pretty, smelly, and green Christmas tree in my home without the ecological guilt of cutting down a living tree. And you know what, I found it! I made my own tree with real tree branch scraps so it has the same look and same delicious smell as a real tree. Oh I’m smitten!
Read MoreHi. 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.
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.
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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The 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.