Online Rug Shopping for Dummies

For someone who’s owned three houses, I’m a pretty inexperienced rug buyer. Our only rug at our last house was in our living room. It was a giant antique dark red oriental rug…all worn down flat and threadbare in some places, and I loved it lots. Then our dog Oliver got really old and started peeing on it, so we … Continue reading

Let there be light! (and also hot water)

Warning: wordy post ahead. And the pictures I DID take for it, I forgot to take until it was dark out, so they suck. Sorry. oh! But then I put WORDS on the pictures to at least make them hilarious for you. HI-larious. Perhaps the times when I wish the most for unlimited wealth is when something important is broken. … Continue reading

Painting the Sunroom

The sharper eyed among you might have noticed in Wednesday’s pinwheel post that the yellow is finally gone in the sun room! But you can’t really tell what color it is in that picture, because it’s so, so light. It’s the lightest I’ve ever painted a room, ever. Some people are afraid of color; I’m afraid of white walls. And these … Continue reading

The Sunroom has STUFF in it Now!

We’ve been hanging out in the sunroom nonstop since a few days ago when we finally got it all set up with furniture. I think we would have made it a priority sooner had we realized what a lovely room it was going to be. The thing that bothers me most about our floor plan is how closed off the … Continue reading

Sunroom Progress: Chunky Dresser Makeover

Awhile back, as some of you may recall, I bought a big chunky dresser for $45 at the thrift store (not on the same Friday night that I bought everything else that’s now in my house, but at the same store). Said dresser is unbelievably heavy and still has a stamp on the back dating it to 1974. I’d had some … Continue reading

DIY Baby and Dog Gate Instructions

Update, 5/2014: a couple of people have mentioned having trouble finding the upgraded latch that we used, so I thought I’d make the search a bit easier :). It’s a “Gatehouse sliding patio door latch,” available at Lowe’s for $4.72. One person mentioned in the comments that it’s pretty easy to find at hardware stores as long as you ask … Continue reading

Sunroom Musings

I like to have at least 2 projects, big or small, to blog about every week (in my head, the goal is 3ish house/decorating/DIY related posts–either stuff we’ve done, stuff we plan to do, random observations, or whatever–and 1-2 kid/family/life related posts. Just so you know what I’m shooting for so you can judge me when I fall short). Partially … Continue reading

Weekend project #2 revealed: DIY wooden baby gate

Update (3/26/13): There is, at long last, a tutorial post, complete with diagrams, on how to make this gate. So if you’ve arrived here from pinterest or from a google search and are thinking, “uh, huh, that’s nice–but how do I make my OWN gate?” ….well, we’ll tell you! Baby gate instructions We are not proud people. If there is … Continue reading