Since celebrating our 1-year anniversary in this house last fall, I thought it was the perfect time to reflect on just how far we’ve come with our home makeover. I’ve been sitting on this post idea for the past five months, so now I have even more progress to share with you, so let me me take you room by room to show you where things stand as of today. I’m even going to showcase two rooms that haven’t been posted here on the blog, so this is an extra special treat for those of you who have been following along with our “light renovation” journey. As you may know, we’re planning on taking our ..read more

This is one of those projects that I’m so glad I can finally call “done!” I’ve had the supplies sitting waiting in a closet since the first month we moved into our new house a year and a half ago, so to finally be looking at the finished results feels really good. I can’t really explain the delay other than to say that work has been busy and other home projects have just taken precedence. But this week I challenged myself to get it done, and today I’m sharing the whole story and tutorial. Keep scrolling for all the details behind my DIY Peel-And-Stick Tile Floor Entry! Those photos above sh ..read more

*This post was made possible by the generous support of Fancy Walls and features gifted product. All opinions are my own. One of the things John and I were most excited about when we bought our new home was the wood-burning fireplace. It’s situated in the front formal living room of the house, and has a brick surround that matches the exterior of our ranch. The traditional wood moulding around the fireplace is so elegant and reminds me of the house I grew up in and loved. It’s a really special feature for us, so you can imagine our disappointment when we found out that it’s inoperable. W ..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. We’re playing “Musical Chairs” with rugs again at our house, this time in the primary bedroom! You’ve probably picked up on the fact that I’m a sucker for a good rug swap. That’s because it’s such a budget-friendly way to completely transform the look of a room—at least it’s “budget-friendly” when you order rugs from my personal favorite rug resource, Loloi. They have so many affordable options for DIY designers and homemakers, like me, and I’ve come to rely on t ..read more

*This post was made possible by the generous support of Article, and features gifted product for testing purposes. All opinions are my own. Kittens are tough, guys! As you may know, we adopted two rescue kittens over the summer when we unexpectedly had to say goodbye to our two older kitties. I remember thinking to myself, “Oh, kittens are going to be so much fun!” Boy, did I underestimate the work that goes into raising kittens. I haven’t had a kitten since college many, many years ago, so I guess I had forgotten how hard it is to keep them out of plants, away from breakables, and off d ..read more

*This post was made possible by the generous support of SONGMICS, and features gifted product for testing purposes. All opinions are my own. Is the standing desk trend really worth all the attention it has gotten over the last few years? I’ve been asking myself that question for a long time now since spotting this techie type of work surface on several of my favorite blogs and on Instagram. I know standing while working is a healthier choice in the long run, but I’ve sort of avoided adding one to my own office because I never saw a standing desk that matched our home décor style. That is ..read more

*Today’s post was made possible by SUNSTAR, and features gifted product for the purposes of a candid review. All opinions are my own. We’ve made a lot of sacrifices over the years for our pets when it comes to home décor, like opting for very specific non-toxic interior plants, choosing pet-friendly rugs, and picking furniture that they won’t target with their claws. One thing I absolutely will not compromise on for their sakes, though, is odor. I never want someone to walk into our home and know that we have two cats based on smell alone. So far, that hasn’t been an issue, and we’ve even h ..read more

Have you heard of ikebana? When I first started working for artist Jake Johnson at our community pottery studio, I was completely naive to what this was, so don’t feel bad if you hadn’t heard of it, either. To my, admittedly, still-limited knowledge, ikebana is a form of Japanese flower arranging, and focuses on balance, movement, minimalism, asymmetry, and harmony with nature. It’s a beautiful art form, and I love seeing how different artisans practice this style of flower arranging. The reason I first learned about ikebana at the pottery studio is because Jake and a few of our other communi ..read more

*This post was made possible by the generous support of SONGMICS, and features gifted product for testing purposes. All opinions are my own. Reading has always been one of my very favorite hobbies. I remember going to the library as a kid and checking out six to eight books at once, then I’d go home and read one chapter at a time of each book in sequence until I finished them all. It was and still is such an effective way for me to escape reality and go on the types of adventurers that I’m far too timid in real life to have. This little passion of mine has taken on an entirely new meanin ..read more

Even though my budget is extra tight this year thanks to a few surprise expenses from last year, I still love going secondhand shopping. I usually only come away with one or two things on any given shopping trip (if anything at all), but the main draw isn’t so much the shopping itself as it is the inspiration I get from seeing beautiful antique items grouped en masse. I also appreciate the styled displays at all of my favorite local antique stores. Sometimes just seeing a pretty mid-century pitcher arranged next to a stack of plates can inspire me to try a similar look using the retro pieces ..read more