In case it’s not already obvious, I’m a very set-in-my-ways introvert. If I socialize with you, it’s because I love you 100,000 percent because being social really pushes me beyond the lines of my comfort zone. But when it comes to those select few in my circle, there’s pretty much no limits to the gift I would give. Which brings me to today’s blog post topic: hostess gifts. Since I don’t often attend social gatherings, I put a lot of thought into how I can shower my hosts and hostesses with love. I happened upon this video on the Magnolia Network YouTube channel all about three timeless ..read more

Back in April when I visited High Point Market, I ended up falling in love with a piece of framed textile art in one of the showrooms that I visited. I decided to splurge for myself and special-ordered the piece to showcase later here on the blog and in our home. Several weeks later, the wall art arrived packaged extra carefully, and I was giddy to tear into it. Alas, once I got all of the wrapping off, I realized that the custom frame wasn’t what I had originally ordered. I had wanted the textile art finished with a natural wood frame, but received a desaturated metallic brass frame instead ..read more

*Today’s post was made possible by Loloi, and features gifted product for the purposes of a candid review. All opinions are my own. I’ve got some kitchen updates to share with you today! In case you didn’t know, we turned what traditionally would have been used as an eat-in dining area in our kitchen into a small open concept lounge with a sofa, chair, and a couple of tables. John and I use our formal dining room pretty much every night, and when we’re not eating meals there, we default to the attached bar seating at our kitchen peninsula. We really had no need for an additional eating area i ..read more

According to my Goodreads app, I’m six books ahead of schedule on my 45-book reading goal for the year. In 2023, I read a total of 40 books, and I thought it was going to be a struggle to make it five books further than that number, but maybe I’ve got it in me after all! I think it’s all about picking the right books for you and your interests so that you fly through them fully entertained. There have only been a couple of duds for me so far this year, but I think those will be the exception. I’ve gotten to know what I love and what I don’t love over the past four years of tracking my favorit ..read more

*Today’s post was made possible by Odika, and features gifted product for the purposes of a candid review. All opinions are my own. Well, folks…I can finally say that someone has used our guest room! We had our very first overnight visitor this past weekend when my sister came to town to visit, and I’m happy to report that it went off without a hitch. John and I rarely host guests at our house because most of our family visitors stay at my parents’ larger, nicer home about a mile away, but this weekend they were hosting my aunt in their guest room, so my sister came to stay with us. The three ..read more

*Today’s post was made possible by Fancy Walls, and features gifted product for the purposes of a candid review. All opinions are my own. I’ve inadvertently been playing a massive game of musical chairs furniture in our home lately, from bookshelves and desks, to sofas and rugs. I’m sure you know by now that nothing stays the same for long in our home, and I have a lot of fun up-cycling furniture and then passing them along to friends, family, or other enthusiastic secondhand shoppers in our area thanks to Facebook Marketplace. Case in point, the old bookcase in my home office. I actually swa ..read more

*Today’s post was made possible by Famorisse, and features gifted product for the purposes of a candid review. All opinions are my own. It has been 13 wild, fabulously creative years since I started this blog all about DIY designing and styling a home that I can feel proud of, and every single year I’ve learned something new. There is no “end point” when it comes to homemaking, I’ve found. You simply evolve with each project, each room makeover, and each and every tabletop that you arrange. You’ll learn along the way what types of formulas work, and every occasion will give you more confidenc ..read more

*Today’s post was made possible by Revival Rugs, and features gifted product for the purposes of a candid review. All opinions are my own. The design of our living room is continuing to evolve this year as we get more and more settled into our home almost two years post-move. Today, I’m going to share details about two of the most major recent changes: a new Revival area rug and a new paint color on the walls. You may remember when I painted the fireplace wall in this room a dark blue/green color from Sherwin-Williams called “Homburg Gray.” Well, I ended up loving the drama it added to the sp ..read more

*This post was made possible by the generous support of Burrow, and features gifted product for testing purposes. All opinions are my own. As you may already know, reading has become such a passion of mine over the last few years, which means that my book collection has grown like crazy. I know I could save a lot of space by going digital with my book collection, but there’s just something special about holding a real book in my hand. I also realize that I should be taking better advantage of our local library, but I enjoy investing in books that I can keep for the long haul. Call me cra ..read more

Over the years of DIY designing our homes, I’ve come to appreciate just how much of an impact rugs have on the look and function of a room. There are so many things to consider when choosing the right area rug for your space, from color palette and the height of the pile, to cleanability of the material and sizing. For example, picking a rug that’s too small for your room can make the space feel off balance, and ordering a shag rug for a high traffic area could have you tripping up on the excess pile everyday. No one wants that! Consider the options extra carefully based on the size of your r ..read more