I'm really stepping out of the ordinary today... Today's post is for these yummy gluten-free meringue cookies. This is my very first time to post a recipe here on the blog. Funny thing is I do cook a lot. In fact, I love to cook, decorate, garden and do all the things involved with keeping a house. Though I like to cook, I don't bake treats very often. Going on 2 years now, I've been gluten free and figuring out the baking aspect of gluten free baking has been fun for the rare times I do bake. These gluten-free meringue cookies, are actually totally ... Keep Reading...
How to Sew a Pleated Valance
If you've been following along, you know that I've been working on getting the design studio ready. (I'm currently only able to offer e-decorating, but hope to be able to offer other types of decorating consulting very soon.) The window in this studio space needed a little pizzazz without a lot of fuss. In this post I'm going to show you how to sew a pleated valance like I did for the studio window. The fabric and style selection: The window had a roman shade that I ordered from HERE. That took care of the function, but didn't add too much ... Keep Reading...
7 Simple Hangers
These 7 simple hangers are fairly common, (except one that is pretty unique). I use most of them so frequently that I thought about calling this post '7 Hangers You Can't Live Without'.... then I decided that was a wee bit sensationalized. (Maybe?) I truly love to share simple tips and techniques with you for the sole purpose of offering encouragement. I want you to be able to DIY without being afraid. To understand things like simple picture hangers, may actually help build your confidence to hang a picture, plate or artwork yourself! Last week I ... Keep Reading...
Tips on Installing Faux Beams
Faking it! This is a post on faking it! If you boil it down, there is a pretty big part of decorating that is about 'faking it', right?! Trying to create a look and feel with the decorations. Where does the 'creating' end and the 'faking' start? Maybe that's too abstract of thinking... Maybe that's just me, just how my decorator mind works... Maybe, (and this is a very solid option) I've been in my house during the quarantine too long... LOL In my attempt to transform our 1970's house into a colonial revival cottage style, I decided it needed beams. ... Keep Reading...
5 Ways Hardware Made a Difference
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...
