We don’t have a dedicated mudroom, and our garage door — the primary entry — opens directly into the kitchen. During our kitchen remodel we squeezed mudroom function into the layout by installing tall cabinets with doors next to the garage entry — they look like pretty lockers and hide all the clutter. If you … Read more

Got little bugs buzzing around your kitchen? You likely have fruit flies. These tiny pests are common, and the good news is they’re easy and inexpensive to eliminate using supplies you probably already have at home. After testing several approaches over a few days, here’s a clear, practical guide to the most effective ways to … Read more

Last year John’s younger sister Carrie moved to Philadelphia for work and ended up in a cute high-rise apartment that needed some affordable updates. For under $200 we hit Ikea, picked up art and accessories, and transformed her place in an afternoon (here’s that story). A year later she was transferred back to Northern Virginia … Read more

During last week’s update about our Homearama Showhouse for Habitat for Humanity, we shared a few early peeks at how some of the rooms were shaping up. Technically, the rooms are still shaping up mainly in our heads and on paper — we’re about three weeks away from moving furnishings in. Right now the painters … Read more

If we had been more organized, we would have started this blog 16 months ago when we bought our charming one-story brick ranch in Richmond, Virginia. Instead, we were so busy with the work of turning a house into our home that documenting the progress fell to the back burner. We purchased the house in … Read more

When Melinda read about our little tray tiling project, she and her husband decided to try their hand at customizing a tray as well. Here’s her note: My husband and I were inspired by your DIY tray project from a couple of weeks ago. My sister is a huge tea drinker, so I decided to … Read more

A few weeks ago we posted on Instagram about finally landscaping the front yard at our Cape Charles beach house. Here’s a more detailed look at how we completed the job in just a few hours, what we planted, and how it’s fared nearly two months later. We also wanted these photos on the blog … Read more

Update: Since MyPublisher was discontinued, here is the current way we print our photobooks. This week has already been heavy with two big construction tutorials and a laundry saga, so we wanted to share something lighter — especially since many of you asked whether we made a family photo book again this year and when … Read more

We were feeling festive and decided to make a few custom Christmas ornaments this year. Ornament decorating can be as simple or involved as you want, and we chose an easy, budget-friendly approach. We picked up a six-pack of clear glass ornaments ($2.49), some white glitter ($1.30), and a bag of feathers ($2.49) from Michael’s, … Read more

Many of you asked what turning thirty was like for me, so I paused my painting project (yes, I finally put paint on a previously untouched bathroom wall!) to share. Monday was a really lovely day. So far, thirty suits me fine — I don’t feel a day over 29. My theory is birthdays rarely … Read more