We’ve got a festive and simple craft to share, complete with a clear how-to and plenty of photos for inspiration. First things first: we finally decorated our tree this weekend. Over the years we’ve tried different looks—classic silver and white, citrus-inspired with dried oranges, pastel pinks and greens, crafty paint-strip ornaments, and a white-to-pink-to-red gradient. … Read more

A while back we promised another post about wall art, so here it is. Being sentimental—and on a budget—we’ve had to get creative with how we display memories. Until we can afford that original Warhol we keep joking about, we’ve been exploring interesting, affordable art alternatives that feel personal and stylish. One of my favorites … Read more

This next house we toured was impressive. The owners had recently lowered the price by nearly $40,000, which suddenly made it fall within our budget. They had already moved out, and after four months on the market they were clearly motivated to sell. That motivation caught our attention. Here’s a closer look at the house: … Read more

We made big progress at the beach house this week, spending more than 40 hours over four days to get nearly all of the tile work finished. Like last week’s detailed post about trim, doors, and tile, we put together a video showing the latest updates at the house — including two additional milestones that … Read more

We’re not professional photographers, but we’re learning as we go. That means we sometimes improvise during quick, homemade photoshoots to fix little things that bother us. Notice the neon-blue cast behind me in that first image? When we photograph our kitchen under artificial lights, any incoming natural light can take on a blue tint. That … Read more

We finally made the call: the old floral curtains had to go. After a few laughs about Kim Kardashian’s Met Ball floral dress, we set about taking them down. They looked fancy enough, but they weren’t our style, so we removed them to make a donate pile for Habitat for Humanity. What surprised us most … Read more

Our living room is still evolving after we took Karl to the beach house and bought our new sofa—one new piece and suddenly I wanted to update everything. I couldn’t wait to share a few sneak peeks plus a roundup of great weekend home sales. Think $60 side tables, $119 living room chairs, and kitchen … Read more

This year we’re sharing a handful of budget-friendly DIY holiday gift ideas, but one $10 project deserves special attention because it needs a few weeks to develop. Don’t worry — setup takes barely a minute, and then the bulbs do the rest. After that quick start, your job is done and you can enjoy the … Read more

This spoils the suspense a bit, but I had to lead with the after photo — it shows the finished look best. This is a very affordable, surprisingly simple thrift-store table makeover. Don’t let it intimidate you — it’s doable. And yes, if you tell me you can’t do it, I’ll still believe you can. … Read more

When we received this lovely note and some striking before-and-after photographs, we had to share them. Below is Sarah’s letter: My husband and I bought our first house in May 2007 and immediately set about repainting every single room — the previous owners had four girls and the walls were painted in various shades of … Read more