Let me just start by saying, I am a decorator… people have paid me to help them select paint colors, lots of them, and lots and lots of paint colors… with that being said, how in the world can it be so difficult for me to pick just one color for the ... Keep Reading...
Our House: Pergola Transitioning to Porch… the Mushroom Effect
Last December, when I first started to blog, I introduced you to the pergola at ‘Our House’ that greets you when you pull into the driveway. This spring I noticed how badly the house needed to be repainted on the East and South side of the house… ... Keep Reading...
Monday’s Simple Cleverness… Now This is What I Call Multi-Tasking…
So, you know how I’m a ‘lazy gardener’? Let me tell you, my dad is NOT! He is one of the most avid gardeners I know! When I was a little girl, my parents owned a farm in Southern Wisconsin and my dad truck farmed for a living… As kids, we learned ... Keep Reading...
Monday’s Simple Cleverness… Going Green Because I’m Basically a Lazy Gardener
I’m all about ‘going green’, only as far as it just makes more sense because it saves me time, money or lastly and probably mostly if it saves me my own energy, (now that I’m a grandma, I need to think about conserving that, right?). We live ... Keep Reading...
Little Brick Cottage… DIY Vintage Canning Jar Pendant Lights
In the kitchen at the ‘Little Brick Cottage’ we have a peninsula in the new floor plan, and it seemed fitting to have some pendant lights hanging over that peninsula. When I started looking however, I couldn’t find anything that stayed in our budget ... Keep Reading...
Plate Hanger
I love vintage dishes! I also love to hang them on the wall as art. Here is a small platter I have hung on the wall in the living room. It is hung on the wall with a plate hanger LIKE THIS ONE. Depending on the size of your plate or platter, ... Keep Reading...
Our House… DIY Rug to Fit
In the kitchen at ‘Our House’ I had a rug that went from the sink to the stove, but awkwardly didn’t go the rest of the way to the fridge. So I DIY-ed a new rug, here’s the story, and a quick before and after: This is the old rug, and it’s a ... Keep Reading...
Our House… Evening Under the Pergola
We have several porches at ‘Our House’. One of those porches is more like a patio, I’m not sure what designates the difference, but whatever you want to call it, ours has a pergola on it. My husband and I built it ourselves. The columns are ... Keep Reading...
Little Brick Cottage… Kitchen Before and After, What a Change!
Whoo-Hoo, the big reveal of the kitchen at the ‘Little Brick Cottage’ is here! And what a change it is from when we bought this antique house in December of last year. I think the best way to help you see this amazing transformation is to show you ... Keep Reading...
Monday’s Simple Cleverness… Moving any Furniture Lately?
As you may have figured out, if you’ve spent any time on this blog at all, I move furniture around frequently. Most of that time is by myself too, so I have to have some clever way to make it work. Today I’m sharing a simple, but oh so very ... Keep Reading...
Bathroom Total Reno
The bathroom in a little brick cottage needed to be totally redone. We have completely gutted, overhauled, re-plumbed rewired and revamped it! Now, you actually want to enter the bathroom, before… not so much. Here’s a quick snapshot of the ... Keep Reading...
DIY Vintage Window Shadow Box
Happy May Day! (a little late) Did you get any special flowers for May Day? Several years ago, one of my daughter-in-laws found a beautiful way to preserve some very special flowers she received. She created a vintage window shadow box! This ... Keep Reading...
Back Bedroom Done!
Last time I showed you the front bedroom, in this two bedroom “Little Brick Cottage”. Now I’m going to show you how we transformed the back bedroom. When we first bought this antique Victorian brick house, so quaint and sorta small it quickly got ... Keep Reading...
A Beautiful Eastlake Victorian Piece of Furniture
This is a lovely piece we had in our home growing up. It was handed down to ... Keep Reading...
Little Brick Cottage…Bedroom Transformation!
There are two bedrooms in the “Little Brick Cottage”, a front bedroom off the dining room, and a back bedroom off the kitchen. This is the front bedroom being transformed. Let’s start with some before pictures to remember it by: When we first ... Keep Reading...
Monday’s Simple Cleverness… Looking for a Stud!
Stand down, gentlemen! Looking for a stud…in the wall, you know, behind the sheetrock. Sometimes you need to be sure you locate a stud in the wall on the first try. Like me this week in one of the spare bedrooms I was working on. I wanted to ... Keep Reading...
Dining Room Before and After
The dining room my favorite room in the little brick cottage, (I think… although the back entry is a very close 2nd, and I have to admit that I love the kitchen, especially that window over the sink, and oh, those cubbies in the bathroom turned out ... Keep Reading...
Little Brick Cottage…Through the Looking Glass
Well at least ‘through the glass’ at ‘The Little Brick Cottage’, yes, we’re talking windows. I told you how when we removed the 1970 plywood cornices we had found a sad surprise… And then when we decided we would have to replace all the windows ... Keep Reading...
Living Renovation Before and After
We've renovated, top to bottom, the little brick cottage. Here is the living room renovation before and after. Taking it back to the beginning, here are a couple of pics showing before and after. On the left is what it looked like the day we ... Keep Reading...
Monday’s Simple Cleverness…Getting Out of a Sticky Situation
On my Easter Spring tablescape, I showed you some bottles that we picked up at the recycling center to use for candle holders. As I was taking the labels off, it dawned on me that what I was doing to get the sticky residue off is a “Simple ... Keep Reading...
All Set for Easter Brunch
The sparkling glass clearly invites everyone to the table. (I hope the food I make, keeps ‘em there… ) Earlier this week I showed you this Spring/Easter Centerpiece, now, I’ll share with you our dining table that is ready to gather around ... Keep Reading...
