Fireplace Refresh Using the Power of Paint

This is what our living room looked like six years ago when we bought our house. This and the kitchen (through that doorway) are the main living areas of our relatively small home. Both rooms were given immediate attention. The green carpet was pulled up. Everything was painted. The kitchen was completely transformed. 

Hopping on the Fixer Upper Bandwagon with DIY Faux Shiplap

If you have found your way to this blog post, chances are you have seen an episode or two of HGTV's Fixer Upper. Or all of them.

Sadly, we cut the cable cord a year ago so I'm a full season behind but it seems like Chip and Joanna are everywhere these days. And I've seen enough to know that I love Joanna's style. I love how she mixes old and new. I love how her rooms are simple and clean. I love how she values functionality and purpose in her designs. And yes, I'm going to say it: I love shiplap.

Vintage Bedspread Becomes DIY Dyed Shams

In my previous post I summarized the changes we made in our master bedroom. I mentioned that my mom (@thegoodhome) donated a vintage bedspread to make shams out of (score!) and I thought I would add a little bit more about that process. 

Easy Peasy DIY Kitchen Valance

For a very long time my kitchen windows were bare. I just couldn't find the right window treatments for the right price and we had so many other things going on. Between all of our other home improvement projects, starting the app for Brimfield and two young kids they just weren't a priority. I wasn't very motivated to do them because our kitchen is in the back of the house and gets practically no direct sunlight. So they weren't necessary for privacy or to block the light but the windows looked a little naked and they needed something. So a few months back I finally got motivated to pull off a very cost effective and easy DIY valance and I'm so happy that I did!

DIY Silhouettes

Silhouettes are so simple, classic, and pretty. They are a beautiful way to capture our children in these fleeting years of childhood and double as beautiful home decor. A while back I decided I was going to make my own. Now, I'm not going to say it was for Christmas last year, but I'm not going to say that it wasn't (wink, wink). Anyway, I was skeptical that I could do them myself but I was willing to try. There are countless tutorials online of how to make them yourself and I found a few different methods that seemed simple enough. In the end, here is what worked for me:

Crafting Cautionary Tale

A while back my mother-in-law gave me this decorative S. I knew I wanted to do something with it to add some character but I wasn't inspired right away. So it went up on a shelf and was forgotten all summer.  Recently, I came across it while trying to de-clutter and style my built-ins. I was being very selective about what was going to stay. The S had potential but I wanted to add some texture and dimension. Without even consulting Pinterest, I decided to cover it in jute twine. That would give it a more organic look and would fit in with the more neutral palette I was going for.  

Story Stones

They say that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, but what do they say about September? It seems equally transformational. It's hard to believe that less than 30 days ago it felt like Summer would never end and now beach days are a hazy memory. At least for us.

We had a wonderful summer. The girls are at such fun ages (I plan to say this every year for a while and I will mean it!) and we spent a lot of time at the Cape and New Hampshire with family and friends. During one of our Cape trips I collected flat stones on Sagamore Beach to make story stones for the girls. They were so easy and fun to make and they were a big hit!

Wilma's First Brimfield

Today was the big day. More than two and a half years after purchasing our vintage camper, Wilma made her first post-renovation appearance. A week ago I was pretty sure we had bitten off more than we could chew and she wouldn't be done in time but we pushed through and got her done. We dropped her off in Brimfield yesterday and today we spent the day at the field getting her prettied up. This was the first time we got to see our new awning in action and how all of the pieces came together. It was really satisfying to see all of our hard work paid off. Despite the heat, it was a pretty fun day!

Happy Campers DIY Sharpie Mugs

We have been working so hard to get our camper ready for the July show and it's coming down to the wire. Luckily, we work well under pressure (sort of) since we are planning to drop the camper off in Brimfield in three days and we haven't even started the floor yet and have a few other things left to do. As with any renovation, there have been bumps along the way and some unexpected issues but we are really excited about how it's coming along. 

In the meantime, here is a sneak peek at a part of the camper I love: