Our duplex renovation isn’t finished yet, but we’re already thinking about the next house we’ll transform—because there will be another one. In this post we share our goals to own more rental properties through retirement and tell the story of a recent house we almost bought. What grabbed our attention? What were our plans? And … Read more

Pressure washers might seem intimidating, expensive, or tricky at first, but they’re actually an easy, affordable way to keep outdoor spaces looking fresh. This start-to-finish guide walks you through setup, spraying tips, safe surfaces, and storage so you can feel confident using a pressure washer for routine cleaning and seasonal refreshes. Like many beginners, we … Read more

As usual, I’m running a bit late with my gift guide (and yes, our tree went up just two days ago), but I love gathering fun, thoughtful gift ideas from across the web—including many small businesses and handmade finds—and collecting them all in one post for you. Here you’ll find picks for grown-ups, favorites for … Read more

I warned you I was excited to go all out for our first real Christmas in the new house, so it’s no surprise I got giddy and decided to decorate an unexpected spot: the hallway. I swapped out 22 frames in our little hallway frame collection to give the space a festive feel — and … Read more

On this week’s podcast we count down five top tricks to create better flow in any room so it feels larger and less cluttered. We also share a surprising financial upside to buying a beach house in poor condition (it’s saving us thousands). Plus, we talk about organizing items that annoy professional organizers and what … Read more

Giveaway Closed — Entries No Longer Accepted This week’s prize celebrates handwritten greetings for every season. Whether you send holiday cards, party invitations, thank-you notes, or baby announcements, the winner will have custom stationery ready to print whenever they need it. Emmy Lu Design Studio offers customizable stationery delivered as high-resolution, ready-to-print PDF files. After … Read more

This week’s project started with a small request from Clara, overheard by John’s mom: Clara didn’t have a clock in her room. That tiny detail sparked an idea—I’d never made a clock before, but why not create something playful and interactive for her? Clock kits exist, so I figured it wouldn’t be too hard. Here’s … Read more

Whenever someone asks about my clothes, I joke that I wear basically the same thing every day. Still, after years of saying that — and even admitting I owned only one bra for a long time — a surprising number of people reacted strongly when they saw the hanging bar in my closet on Instagram. … Read more

Let’s talk about DIY haircuts, shall we? I never expected to write about cutting hair at home, but after a surprising number of requests, here we are. If you like saving money and doing things yourself, DIY haircuts are worth considering. I have no formal training — I learned by experimenting in high school and … Read more

“Aloha” means both “goodbye” and “hello,” so goodbye, Hawaii—and hello, half-finished cork floors. We’re back in Richmond (try to contain your excitement) and ready to share more about our trip. Even more exciting for us: returning to DIY and working on the cork floor project we started right before we left. For anyone who missed … Read more