Psst… there’s a giveaway at the end of this post. If you’re the kind of person who walks through a house imagining it dressed for the holidays, you’ll understand why this little decorating project made me so excited. The very first time I saw our house, I pictured it laden with fresh-looking greenery and cozy … Read more

A few months ago I scored a dining table for $100 from a local buy/sell group. It didn’t arrive looking like the finished version you see here — the top was covered in worn yellow paint and, after sanding, revealed that it was actually MDF, not real hardwood. It gouged easily and didn’t clean up … Read more

A roundup of top-rated faux plants for porches, decks, and patios — plus how to style them so they read as real foliage. I’ll let you in on a little secret: I use artificial outdoor plants by the front door. The neighbors already know — I’m notorious for killing mums every fall. 😉 If you … Read more

Top 10 designer-tested haint blue paint colors and the best haint blue porch ceiling ideas, with the Southern tradition explained. If you’ve wandered the porches of Charleston or Savannah, you’ve likely noticed the soft blue ceilings that give those homes so much charm. That delicate blue—often called “haint blue”—carries history and brings calm to any … Read more

This time of year I always convince myself I’ll get everything done early. I imagine finishing our family’s Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving, baking cookies for the local firefighters and police, adopting a stack of Angel Tree kids, having the house spotless and organized before guests arrive, packing Operation Christmas Child boxes, and decorating the house … Read more

After more than a decade of DIY makeovers, Robert and I have lost track of how many paint projects we’ve completed. What hasn’t changed is how transformative paint can be: it delivers major visual impact for relatively little money when you know the right techniques and rules. Below I’ve gathered 18 of our best paint … Read more

Want to be more productive, sleep better, and have a bedroom that looks magazine-ready? Here’s an easy, step-by-step guide to making a bed like a hotel in eight simple steps. Making the bed every morning sets a productive tone for the day and can even improve sleep quality. Even small daily habits—like straightening sheets—make a … Read more

Silver White Winter Printable — A Cozy, Seasonal Framed Quote I’ve been humming the tune all morning: “Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes.” There’s something about that line from The Sound of Music that feels timeless, comforting, and perfectly suited to wintry decor. Julie Andrews … Read more

A back porch makeover with money-saving DIY projects and budget-friendly decorating ideas for a breezy summer retreat Some home projects get finished in a weekend; others are tackled slowly, one small improvement at a time. Our back porch has been one of those slow-but-steady transformations. What started as a space that sold us on the … Read more

How to protect your porch from bugs using a quick, affordable DIY outdoor curtain solution. If you’ve been following along on Instagram Stories, you might have seen this idea coming. I love when a simple lightbulb moment turns into something that works even better than expected. Over the past year we’ve been slowly refreshing our … Read more