Last Thursday we celebrated John’s 31st birthday and West Elm in Houston surprised him with an astonishingly creative DIY-style cake. #edibletapemeasure #umyeahtheressawdust Every year we share birthday posts about the gifts we give each other. This year John is getting a nail gun (he’s picking the model, so more on that later). I don’t have … Read more

About a month ago we were walking in the park and Clara pointed to a dogwood and said, “Wow, that’s a big big tree in a big big world.” John and I laughed — now when I think of Clara’s playroom (aka her future big-girl room) I also picture that big tree and our big … Read more

Considering that delivering The Washington Pos t was my first real job (because what 6th grader doesn’t like getting up at 5 a.m. every day?), it feels surreal that this blog has landed us back in that very newspaper. My dad — my newspaper delivery partner — has never been prouder. We had no idea … Read more

There’s a cycle around here: we write about projects and products, live with them, then move on to new things. That means we don’t always circle back to older posts as quickly as readers ask, so here’s a straightforward update on a bunch of items people ask about most. Cloth diapers: We’re still using the … Read more

With just seven days until my due date (though we suspect Baby P may stubbornly make us wait a little longer), we’ve officially started preparing for her arrival. You’ve probably already seen us tackle the nursery, but this time “getting ready” means preparing for my water to break and for the moment we welcome our … Read more

We usually visit homes in person to take photos with our own Canon, but we couldn’t resist a virtual house tour of our friend Liz’s 200-year-old English cottage. Charming? Absolutely. Cozy? Without a doubt. This cottage is full of character, and Liz isn’t afraid to mix playful elements—a lime-green lamp here, chocolate-colored walls with handwritten … Read more

For the fourth consecutive year we filled our little thrift-store jar etched with the word “Thanks” back in 2010. Before everyone dives into the gravy (figuratively speaking), we wanted to keep our tradition of sharing a few highlights from this year’s notes of gratitude. Spoiler alert: one of the things we’re grateful for is you. … Read more

Clara may be another year older, but she’s still far from her teenage years. That’s why it was fun to experience Courtney’s makeover of her 11-year-old niece Emily’s room through her eyes. After virtually crashing Courtney’s home last May, we knew there would be great design inspiration, and many readers have asked to see more … Read more

After Jordan and Landon shared their incredibly affordable and beautiful kitchen makeover with us, we wanted to see more. When they invited us to House Crash their home, we jumped at the chance. Since it’s their house, they’re the best people to give you the tour, so we’re handing the virtual mic to them. Meanwhile, … Read more

Two of our readers recently sent photos of makeovers inspired by our blog, and we were excited to share their results. First up is Erin’s new CB2 pendant, now hanging above her dining table. She chose the green version of the linen-colored fixture we featured in our own dining room—simple, elegant, and a perfect fit … Read more