Last Halloween we found ourselves in a familiar last-minute scramble: hours before trick-or-treaters arrived, our porch still looked bare and the grocery-store pumpkins were soggy and unusable. A quick run to Michael’s saved the night — we bought two inexpensive faux pumpkins on sale and set them out with the candy. This year I didn’t … Read more

While our recently finished bonus room upstairs wasn’t planned as a dedicated media or theater space, we always imagined it would be perfect for family movie nights. When it came time to add a TV, we wanted a clean look without a tangle of cords, so we mounted the television and removed all visible wires … Read more

From the moment we first saw this house, the row of three lights in the upstairs hallway caught our attention. Call it the “tri-light zone” effect. Despite the old carpeting and blue trim, we could tell that arrangement had real potential. The existing fixtures were undersized for the space (this is a 33-foot-long hallway!), so … Read more

This niche-to-bookcase makeover from Mike and McGee shows how paying attention to every corner of your home can add both function and visual appeal. Here’s their account of the project: We recently renovated a nook in our Austin, Texas home. We removed an awkward art niche and recessed light and replaced them with a custom … Read more

It’s been a while—bet you nearly forgot about our front walkway project. If you want the full backstory you can refer to the original post, but here’s the short version: we tore out the old, failing path and used leftover slate to build a larger, more attractive walkway to the front door. The main task … Read more

Number five is alive! (Short Circuit, anyone?) I’m using that line because we recently added a helpful little robot to our home — and you know I’m into gadgets. One of my favorite posts ever was the “Super Toilet” upgrade, so a remote-controlled lighting fix felt right at home. We’ve always been big proponents of … Read more

You’ve probably gotten used to our impromptu shopping tours through stores like Target, Ikea, Crate & Barrel, and Anthropologie with a camera in hand. This time we wandered through HomeGoods and couldn’t resist photographing the standout finds—great style with wallet-friendly prices. Here are the pieces that caught our eye on this visit to the decor … Read more

Rainbow fluorite is one of the most visually striking minerals, prized for its layered bands of purple, blue, and green. Beyond its decorative appeal, this multicolored form of fluorite has practical industrial applications and is valued by many for its purported metaphysical qualities. What Is Rainbow Fluorite? Rainbow fluorite is a colorful variety of the … Read more

The toilet in our hall bathroom wobbled from the day we moved in (the home inspector even noted it). While some rocking toilets can be stabilized with plastic shims or tightened bolts, we discovered the problem was a rusted bolt under the toilet flange. Fixing that required removing the entire toilet and replacing the bolt … Read more

We bought a new house! Well, actually two — but they’re for the birds. We picked up a pair of inexpensive $3 birdhouses at Michael’s after learning that now is the best time to put them out to attract feathered tenants who will, in spring, help control mosquitoes. The store-bought versions were cute but not … Read more