Since entering the wonderful world of blogging, I’ve been inspired by some pretty incredible projects from design bloggers on the web. One post type I keep running across is the One Room Challenge (ORC) and I knew I had to find out what it was all about. The ORC is a semiannual design event started by the blogger at Calling It Home – taking place in April and October – that is in its twelfth year. Twice a year, 20 featured designers (and hundreds of other guest bloggers, like me) choose a room and redesign it in six weeks, documenting progress along the way. It seems like a fun way to have some accountability to get the job done – sort of like Weight Watchers for DIYers – so I decided to give it a try. I’ll be re imagining my entryway and sharing it here at the blog over the next six weeks. I hope you stay with me for my fresh foyer update! (more…)
We have two fireplaces in our house. One is in our formal living room and works, but we never light a fire in it (to see the recent mantel makeover project in that room, click here). The other is in our family room and it gets used constantly from late fall straight through to early spring. I love the smell of wood burning and look forward to our first fire of the year every fall. Until that happens (which might be soon as the nights are getting chilly around here!) I thought I would dress up the mantel and hearth a bit for the fall season. Let me know what you think of this simple fall fireplace. (more…)
Modern farmhouse design is all the rage right now, owing in large part to Joanna Gaines and her HGTV show Fixer Upper. Adding some of this style to your home doesn’t have to break with bank with our list of 20 farmhouse finds under $20.
I think the appeal of modern farmhouse is that it pairs two aesthetics that are seemingly at odds with one another: modern and farmhouse. Before the Gaines’ entered my life, I thought of farmhouse as gingham check curtains and lots of raw wood. More country than necessarily chic. And modern to me has always meant simple, but a little bit cold. But, somehow the two together work beautifully, at least as conceived by JoJo. While there is a lot of wood in her designs, most of it is painted white. Stark white. And she contrasts that with a lot of black – in her doors and windows, rugs and wall decor. The effect is a simplicity that is at once clean and warm and therein lies the fascination with the trend that finds followers from New England to Milwaukee to Phoenix and back to Waco.
If you love the look – or even if you’re not ready to fully commit – we’ve found 20 fun farmhouse accents to easily and inexpensively add to your decor. Enjoy! (more…)
With the return to school, we’ll take up arms once again. We’ll stand firm in our decision not to purchase that $100 pair of sneakers that ‘other loving and rational parents’ have graciously bought their child. So it shall be with the newest iPhone. We’ll brace ourselves for the lunch discourse that ensues daily upon unpacking the box’s nearly untouched meal. We’ll clear our calendar for back-to-school nights and sports team meetings. We’ll put the shredder on alert. For, despite this digital age, we are still mired in paperwork – announcements, notices, exams, reports, daily homework. Recycle the better part of that, but hold onto that which has sentimental merit. (more…)
Are you ready for some football? If your family is like mine, the beginning of August means one thing – the start of the new NFL season. At my house, the fall is filled with the sounds of pads knocking, refs’ whistles and lots of cheering. We love to host friends and fans to help us root on the home team. If you too are getting psyched for football season, here are a few things (beyond the big screen and sound system) you can do to get your house ready before kickoff. (more…)
