John wanted me to work “Stool Boom” into the post title because of this video (he asked everyone to check it out so you can hum the song while reading). Anyway, stool update: we finally found stools for our peninsula, and we’re thrilled about both where we found them and the price. Four stools can … Read more

Some people are surprised to learn that our entire pool area is lit using only solar LED landscape lights. The sun provides effortless evening ambiance—nothing needs to be plugged in, and our electric bill isn’t impacted by the soft glow around the yard. Below I’ll share the three solar products we use so you can … Read more

About a week ago, after we painted the brick fireplace, our kitchen looked like this: Next we removed the desk and upper cabinet that will be in the way of the future wide doorway to the dining room. After one coat of primer that didn’t fully cover, the space looked like this: We struggled with … Read more

Since “holes in granite slyly covered by soap & lotion dispenser plus a bottle of Ms. Meyers cleaner” doesn’t exactly belong on a For Sale listing, we finally took care of the unused openings in our kitchen. These two small holes were left over after we swapped out our faucet fixtures and no longer needed … Read more

We removed the upper cabinets — not destroyed, but carefully taken down so we can reuse parts like the doors for the new peninsula cabinets and donate the rest. When we moved in last December the kitchen felt very heavy with wood, so we were excited to open the space up. Removing those uppers is … Read more

This week we chat with Joyful author and design expert Ingrid Fetell Lee about easy, budget-friendly ways to bring more joy into your home. Ingrid explains why joy is often more accessible than happiness and how intentionally seeking joyful moments at home can help reveal and refine your personal decor style. We also celebrate Sherry’s … Read more

If you’re anything like us, patience is easier said than done, so we’ll get straight to the free download. After many requests, we’ve created a downloadable PDF and an editable Word document of our “DIY Baby Book” that we first showed in our getting-ready-for-baby post. You can find the print-ready PDF and the editable Word … Read more

***This giveaway is now closed – see who won below!*** So many book-hungry people out there! This giveaway reached its 10,000-entry cap within 24 hours. The lucky winner is Melissa, who stores her favorite books in a bedside cabinet, a living room end table, and on a special display shelf in the family room — … Read more

I wanted to share four thrifty finds I’ve picked up recently (technically nine items, since I grabbed six of one). First up is a gilded pineapple vase I scored at Goodwill for $4. What I love most is the hexagon pattern that covers the body — it reads pineapple, but to me it feels delightfully … Read more

We’re no strangers to removing unsightly trees—figurative ones, that is. In our first house the yard transformation included taking out several dead or dangerous trees that a home inspection warned might fall. This project presented a similar removal challenge, but instead of living trees the offenders were tiles in our bathroom: We’ve never loved the … Read more