Yesterday we painted the exterior of the new French doors (and spent a little extra time caulking and repainting some peeling siding — I get a little obsessive once I start). After tackling that big project, I wanted to share something smaller and completely free: a quick fall refresh of our kitchen mantel using only … Read more
We wanted to expand on our reply to a question Alyssa asked on Wednesday about the framed map shown below: The piece in the white frame is one of the cards from the City Walks: New York boxed set. City Walks produces compact boxes that each contain 50 walking adventures for a given city. Every … Read more
Tweakity-tweak-tweak. That was the sound of a small course correction in our kitchen last night. We recently did a bracket refresh: after taping off positions, mocking them up in Photoshop, and then—gulp—drilling through tile to install them, we were confident about the spacing. We chose it because: Those were the locations of the wall studs … Read more
*** This giveaway is no longer accepting entries*** A couple of weeks ago we asked our Facebook fans to share photos of their pets — since we talk non-stop about Burger — and the response was fantastic. We received over 100 pictures and links to fans’ four-legged friends, which you can browse under Fan Photos. … Read more
We had a blast house-crashing Kelly Moore last May (you can see the full visit here). When Kelly told us she’d refreshed her outdoor space, we couldn’t wait to see the cozy haven she created on her deck. The area blends soft textures and bold colors to create an inviting, lived-in feel that’s perfect for … Read more
When we shared photos of our front porch last fall, we explained our decorating approach there: plants, and more plants. Filling the porch with greenery ties it visually to the surrounding landscape and, as you’ll see, helps hide some unattractive elements of the exterior — namely three large rectangular utility boxes. More on those in … Read more
Yesterday was my sweet hubby’s birthday, so I thought I’d share the gift Clara, Burger and I picked out for him. Lately John and I have been talking about collecting more original artwork to complement the many DIY pieces we already have framed throughout the house. Our friends Matt and Kristin have been a big … Read more
What carport? This carport. You know, the one that almost made us walk away from this house because we were so anti-carport? Funny how perspectives change after living with it for a few years… Sherry talked about our shift in thinking back in this Listy McListerson post: “we originally wanted to convert this into a … Read more
As we revealed last Saturday, we spent a week soaking up the sun on a small island off Florida’s west coast: Madeira Beach. We returned to Virginia with sun-kissed skin, a boatload of shells, and plenty of stories — starting with a tour of the charming cottage we called home for the week. Wanting a … Read more
Every year we set a few resolutions publicly in hopes that they’ll push us to take action. So without further ado (and yes, with a gratuitous Clara picture), here they are. Resolution #1. Be bolder with decorating and renovation choices. This year we want to embrace color, contrast, and risk-taking. We plan to experiment more … Read more