Ever been at a point of a project when you seem to have hit a dead end, or at least a really big pothole? You had the vision but are struggling how to connect the pieces? Boy, I sure have, more times than I can count. Usually it goes something like this: I have a vision for the finished project. I even have most of the 'ingredients' for the project. The big ole pothole is figuring out how to connect those ingredients to make the vision come to life. I have found many times that some sort of hardware is the key ingredient. Finding just the right type of ... Keep Reading...
Simple Stool Re-Do
Are you getting projects and extra cleaning done during this virus quarantine time at home? I work from home, so not a ton has changed for me in that regard. I'm pretty sure I will always have more projects, chores and things I want to get accomplished in a day than I have time or energy for! The thing that has been super hard for me is not being able to see my grandkids. Yep, that is for sure the very hardest part of this 'Safer at Home' quarantine. I miss my people!! Last week I veered away from my normal DIY post style to share a very personal post. If ... Keep Reading...
Endeavor
This post is going to be a bit out of the ordinary DIY posts I write. Just as the world around us is changing ever so rapidly, so is my post for this week. How are you doing in the midst of this pandemic? Everything is changing day by day, hour by hour. Six months ago, who could have imagined the changes we're experiencing now? Back in the 60's and 70's, I grew up by a tiny town named 'Endeavor'. Endeavor was a bucolic little town on the banks of the Fox River. 'Mayberry' through and through! My grandmother, the best cook on the face of the ... Keep Reading...
Announcing My New Interior Decorating Business!
Finally, I'm ready to reveal the website for my new interior decorating business!! Yay!! I've been showing you a little peek into it here and there... A couple weeks ago I showed you THIS amazing wallpaper mural I installed in the studio. Before that, I had told you a little about the new decorating business HERE. It was then that I showed you this: The simple 'F' logo with no explanation. I had several friends trying to guess the name of the business, but none were close. My brilliant daughter actually helped me tremendously with the name, ... Keep Reading...
Housekeeping Naturally
Are you going crazy cleaning your house with all the flu, colds and now Coronavirus going around? Me too, okay, maybe not 'crazy cleaning'... but I am being a little more aware of cleaning areas of the house that get exposed to more germs. I'm big on housekeeping naturally though... This is not a health report about me... we all have our own health things, right?! Mine happens to be migraines. I've had chronic migraine for almost 40 years. That means that I get migraines at least 15 times a month. Migraines are debilitating, but I have learned many ways to ... Keep Reading...
Re-Thinking the Living Room Furniture Plan
I love putting the Christmas decorations up... but I love, just as much, putting them away! By the end of December my eyes are exhausted with the visually tiring holiday decor and look forward to a clean house in January, (well, 'clean' is relative, right?!). This year I was inspired to re-think the living room furniture plan as I was getting ready to get the holiday decorations cleaned up. Back when we renovated the house, we demoed as many walls on the main level as possible without compromising the kitchen or home office. After the dust settled, ... Keep Reading...
Faux Fireplace
Our home was built in the mid 1970's, and lacked character. One of my goals in the top to bottom renovation was to add the missing character in the form of built-ins. As I worked on the re-do design plan, I thoughtfully considered each room with a goal to add interest but also make it functional and smart for that particular space. Here is why and how we added the built-in faux fireplace in the master bedroom. The renovation had significant changes to the look and layout of master bedroom. Three of the four walls would have window and door changes. The one ... Keep Reading...
Antique Inspired Kitchen Island
We have an antique inspired kitchen island in our newly renovated kitchen. I saw an antique general store counter advertised for sale around the time I was planning our kitchen and considered buying it, but it was so far away and I was so busy, that it really wasn't feasible to spend an entire day to go pick it up. Plus, to be honest, even though I loved the look of it, this island would be a workhorse for the function of the kitchen so I was a little concerned with it only offering all open shelving for storage. What we really needed were drawers for ... Keep Reading...
Wall Mounted Pot Rack
I love pot racks! They can offer beautiful and convenient pan storage. In the last 3 houses we've owned, I designed a pot rack to fit each kitchen's space best, both wall mounted pot racks and a free hanging pot rack. You can read about some of those other pot racks I've written about here. In our house we call 'home' these days, as I was designing the kitchen, I was able to squeak just enough space for a wall mounted pot rack at the end of the cabinets. (HERE is a link for the cabinets I ordered online. I love them!) This is a convenient location to the ... Keep Reading...
Romantic Centerpiece DIY
This post was originally published 5 years ago! That was in our last house, a 100 year old house we renovated and then sold. This centerpiece was so pretty, and with Valentine's Day just around the corner, I felt it was applicable to re-post it. I did add in online shopping links for you to duplicate fairly closely a centerpiece like this one. All the Christmas decorations have been put away for a few weeks, and now I'm ready to get a little Valentine's Day decor out. However, I'm really not in the mood for a bunch of hearts and 'busy stuff' this year. I ... Keep Reading...
