We finally made it back to Ikea this year to check out the new collections and pick up a catalog in person after waiting ages for it to arrive. It did not disappoint. We took a handful of photos of the displays that inspired us most and wanted to share the highlights. First up: an … Read more

Alternate punny title: Leaf it to me. There’s nothing like a bit of corniness on a Tuesday afternoon — I blame being downright giddy to have power again. Anyway, the weekend before the chaos of Irene I helped host a small bridal shower for our cousin Megan, who’s getting married this fall. John’s mom hosted … Read more

Today we’ll walk you through how we built the bookshelves in our son’s room. It’s a straightforward project that we’ve reused to create custom shelving in other areas of our home — from built-ins around a living room doorway to pantry shelves at our beach house. These bedroom shelves were our first attempt and we … Read more

Back in 2006 we named our first dog Hamburger — aka Burger — and that sparked a long-running fascination with creative pet names. Over the years we pitched a pet-naming book, I spent more than a decade working as a product namer, and I’ll happily help name a baby or a pet whenever asked. That … Read more

We’ve always joked in our kitchen photos that we still needed to add crown molding — and today that’s finally done. The unfinished edge where the tile meets the ceiling used to stand out, but no more. Here’s a closer look at the finished edge. And another view up close. Before I walk through how … Read more

Break out the 3D glasses — well, not really. Put them away. This article won’t be arriving in any extra dimensions today. After our recent kitchen planning post, I finally took the plunge and learned Google SketchUp, as many readers suggested, to help plan our kitchen renovation. I’ve also used Floorplanner.com for years and recently … Read more

How should I stage my house to sell? Should I take down all of my family photos? I’m not selling but I want my house to look good for company — give me some tips! Do I need to add a lot of decorative accessories? Or, wait, am I supposed to be taking things away … Read more

We take a moment each month to thank the sponsors who help keep this site running. Below are a handful of patriotic and summer-themed picks that caught our eye, along with the current sponsor discounts listed at the end. Bright, vacation-ready canvas art on sale at Joss & Main. A knitted pendant light spotted on … Read more

We’re giving away a total of $500 to three small shops that make some of our favorite Teddy items. First, $200 to Bella Tunno, the maker of the cozy striped stroller blanket pictured above. We received this blanket as a gift and use it constantly. Bella Tunno also offers bibs, pacifier clips, loveys, and practical … Read more

When we noticed West Elm’s impressive post-Christmas sales, we decided to treat Ed the bed to a new king-sized duvet cover (meet Ed here and here). Although Ed is actually a queen, we opted for a king cover so it would drape more generously over the sides—the old full/queen cover had started to look a … Read more