DIY Faux Fireplace: How We Built a Custom Hearth on a Budget When we began choosing upgrades for our new suburban home, a fireplace was at the very top of my wish list. I didn’t even care if it was functional — I just wanted the look and the feeling of a mantel to hang … Read more
On October 4 at 11:53 a.m., Regan Emma Laine Shaver arrived, weighing 7 pounds, 5 ounces and measuring 18 1/4 inches long. (Photos by Alisha Rudd Photography) The moment I first saw her face I was overcome with love. It immediately took me back to meeting her sister six years earlier — they look so … Read more
You know those small projects that nag at you for months or years—kept on the back burner because they’re literally up above your head? That was our attic door during our first year in this house. Here’s how it looked before. (Ignore the painter’s tape in the after photos—we were still finishing the trim.) Now … Read more
A hands-on comparison of the best gold spray paints, ranked from best to worst and evaluated against real brass and gold hardware to help with your next painting project. When my reliable go-to gold spray paint became hard to find, I began testing alternatives to find the most convincing metallic finish for metal hardware—door knobs, … Read more
Nursery organization strategies to keep feeding, clothing, and diapering essentials easy to navigate and make baby care less stressful. If you’ve been following along with the nursery makeover, this is the practical, behind-the-scenes look at how I organized the space to make daily baby care simple and calm. There were so many DIY projects and … Read more
A budget-friendly option for customizing furniture to work in any space using unfinished, solid wood pre-built pieces & staining an office work table. We finally have a proper desk in the home office. It’s a small thing that makes a big difference when you spend time working from home. After searching for an affordable, large … Read more
If you’ve followed our laundry room updates, you know we’re ready to give this hardworking space a real transformation. The room isn’t huge, so every inch must be purposeful. Because laundry rooms demand function first (with a healthy dose of style), we planned carefully before making any changes. We decided to use IKEA laundry room … Read more
How to make your own light-up creepy Halloween art using a thrift-store picture frame for macabre wall decor. This quick Halloween wall art project proves that grabbing a $5 picture frame at a thrift store and holding onto it for the right idea pays off. With just a few supplies and a little time, you … Read more
How I Revived a Vintage Cane Headboard and Finished a Cozy Guest Bedroom One of the trickiest finds for our guest bedroom makeover was a vintage cane headboard. After weeks of thrifting and searching through secondhand apps, I finally scored a perfect piece on eBay. It was the right shape and style for the room, … Read more
The best way to clean a fabric sofa in 7 steps without solvent-based cleaners + a DIY sofa-cleaning solution to make upholstery bright and fresh. Cleaning a fabric sofa can feel like a big chore—right up there with oven scrubbing and deep bathroom cleaning—but the payoff is worth it. A thorough cleaning refreshes the upholstery, … Read more