Picking exterior wood stain felt even harder than agonizing over paint colors — which is saying something. After several days of indecision, though, I finally settled on a stain color that I think is perfect: a neutral, light driftwood tone that removes unwanted yellow from aging wood without looking oddly blue or purple. We’ve lived … Read more

How to cross washer and dryer connections to prevent door collisions — and why we love our Samsung washer and dryer for making laundry faster and easier. We finally tackled a small but persistent laundry-room annoyance that we’d meant to fix for months. Once we did it, we kept asking ourselves why we waited so … Read more

Faux Antique Shutter Armoire Makeover: A Craigslist Find Turned Charming Storage Piece It’s been a busy and productive couple of weeks since I last updated you on the guest bedroom makeover at my parents’ house. My garage is stacked with partially painted furniture, I’m quietly working on a major secret project I’ll reveal soon, and—big … Read more

8 cozy fire pit ideas for outdoor fall decor and entertaining tips using budget-friendly finds from Walmart for a backyard campfire party. This post is sponsored by Better Homes & Gardens at Walmart. The weather turned perfectly crisp this week, so we refreshed our outdoor space with simple fall styling and cozy fire pit touches … Read more

My mom has been nagging me to write a “Bless’er House blunders” post because I’ve collected a whole archive of hilariously imperfect DIY moments. Yesterday I nearly added another one — a borderline fail while making DIY Roman shades — but I’ll get to that in a minute. Big news: the office makeover is moving … Read more

This post was written in collaboration with Kirkland’s. Can we get a little fancy for this one? And can we agree that saying “foy-yay” makes “foyer” sound far more elegant than plain old “entryway”? I’m raising my pinky in agreement. We just refreshed our foyer for winter, keeping things cozy and easy to transition into … Read more

18 of the best online sources to find free printable wall art in the public domain that can be used by decorators, bloggers, artists, and Etsy shop owners. Discovering free printable wall art in the public domain opened up an entirely new way for me to decorate, create, and share art. While that might sound … Read more

We did it — Olivia’s bathroom, which also serves as our guest bath, is finally finished. What was meant to be a quick refresh stretched out longer than planned (as these projects often do), but the transformation is worth it. The main goal for this budget-friendly makeover was to change the entire room using paint … Read more

How to add decorative fluting or reeding to furniture for extra texture on a plain surface — plus a budget-friendly entryway shoe storage bench makeover. I believe in “work with what you’ve got.” Our house didn’t come with a mudroom, but it did give us an empty wall beside the back door. That made the … Read more

Photographing our home at Christmas has become one of my favorite annual traditions. Looking back through past Christmas home tours shows how our house and family have evolved over the years—different rooms, furniture, and seasons of life—yet it always feels like us. This year’s tour was a little different than planned. We had an unexpected … Read more