Happy Holidays! Arlo and I made a video tutorial for you! It’s all about the fun process of making a tote bag as a DIY Christmas present. This is a super easy hack and it makes a great gift because it’s handmade and something people will actually use. Give it as a gift full of something sweet (like cookies!) or something warm (like socks!) and it will truly be appreciated. ...
Our kitchen is finally finished! Prepare yourself for the before and afters. We did soooo much work on this kitchen. The only thing we still need is a dishwasher, but that’s a bigger project, so it will come later. For now, just enjoy the photos. BEFORE: Dark and dirty (so, so dirty) cabinets with carved trim and nasty brass handles. AFTER: Cabinets painted white, trim removed and new handles. These...
Our fireplace is finished! We have many projects in various states of partial completion, but not this one! This was one of the more tedious tasks, and I kept adding to it as I went. What started out as an ugly, mismatched fireplace has turned into a cozy and clean focal point for the living room. The original eyesore was composed of many different materials – brick, another type...
Arlo approves of the upgrades (especially the stool!) The ensuite master bathroom is finished! The first complete home renovation. This bathroom was actually not that bad. It just needed a good scrub (like everything in the house), some fresh paint and a few pieces of new hardware. Here are the photos: BEFORE: Ugly curtains and dark, dirty window sills. Plus, who would put that towel rack there? AFTER:...
1. You’re just happy to have a kitchen you can cook in. Ramen with a side of latex paint? Hooray! 2. Your teenagers are ecstatic when you pull the mattresses out. And the only argument is over who gets the one closest to the power outlet. 3. You allow your toddler to freely tag his name on the doors and walls. A true masterpiece. Now, finish priming the rest of it, kid! 4. You find your husband...
Here are a few photos highlighting all the work to be done on our new home: Dark downstairs front entryway. Trim will be painted grey and doors painted white. Ugly ‘natural’ wood trim and railings accent the pink walls and dirty blue grey carpet. Also note the dingy popcorn ceilings and grimy beige electrical plates – lovely! I can live with the unfinished laundry room but that curtain...
Our Vancouver Special! We’ve finally arrived at our new home! It’s a lovely Vancouver special that is spacious enough for our family and cheap enough for our budget – it just needs a bit of sprucing up. We’re renting the upper suite and plan on making a few improvements over time. There have been a lot of articles written about updating Vancouver specials but most of those projects involve...
Homemade essential oil bug spray. While we were in Yellowstone, I used my mom’s herbal bug spray and it worked really well. But, as I didn’t want to deprive her of it as she headed back to Illinois, I didn’t have any the night we stayed in Shelby, Montana before crossing the border into Canada. Wow! I have never experienced mosquitos like the ones that bit the crap out of my legs as I hurriedly...
Goodbye Summer! Hello Train! Road tripping and camping almost always necessitate hacking. Now, I can’t remember exactly everything that was hacked during our road trip from California to Vancouver, but I know it included whittled-stick marshmallow skewers for smores, a “cake” made from stacked cinnamon rolls for my sister’s birthday, and a crazy improvised flotation device (a.k.a. log) that...
A sign from one of our previous visits greets us outside our mountain accommodations. This Summer, on our way to Canada, we stopped at my aunt and uncle’s home for a few days. They have just under 50 acres in the lower Sierra Nevada mountains and it’s relaxing and gorgeous up there. This beautiful lily grows on a vine and hangs upside down over the water. Their property runs along a creek of...