We got a sitter and hit the town. Turns out: Pizzeria 712 proved itself once again and remains our favorite restaurant. We proclaimed our love through every one of our 5 courses. Also, Crate and Barrel's Lounge Sofa is really just as comfortable as all the reviews said. We. LOVE. it and can't wait […]
We received an especially helpful comment yesterday from one of our readers, Diane. She said in regards to our family room renovation plans: You've obviously thought a lot about how you want the room to work for you..but what about aesthetics. Have you decided on a design inspiration yet...colors, art, textiles? The last few days […]
My large, 3'x8' painting of my favorite poem of all time, Robert Frost's The Road not Taken, is being sold. With our complete family room renovation, we are clearing the whole room out and starting new. We haven't decided on a price or even how we are going to sell it--let alone ship it yet, […]
Last week, I told you that our family room is one of my least favorite rooms in our home. It is not very family friendly right now or comfortable. ... Or good looking. Granted, it is an improvement from where we started: But we have recently started talking about putting kitchen plans on hold […]
We had a small miracle occur over the weekend. 10 months after living in our home, we finally were able to get rid of the dog kennel in the back corner of our yard. Hallelujah! This is a miracle for a couple of reasons, first being--it is the middle of winter, kinda. Although we don't […]
Chris and I have been working on a secret project. And when I say "secret" I mean, it isn't our business to share all the details and photos. Chris's brother, Brandon and his wife, Stephanie just closed on a house 5 minutes from us--in the same little town!!!-- last week. We are thrilled. Their house […]
There's no doubt love is in the air, and I wasn't about to pass up my chance to pay homage to Valentine's day for this month's drawing. And while there are plenty of generic thoughts that ran through my head--cupid, l-o-v-e, a lot of hearts lined up next to each other--I'd thought I would throw […]
This bugs. Every day. : Yes, it is nice to throw Greta's toys in the storage ottomans before meals (sometimes) and before guests come (as long as it isn't a surprise). But every day, this mess haunts me and bugs me and then yesterday I snapped. I swapped ottomans. The smaller storage ones went down […]
The cool thing about blogging is if you don't want your readers to see something (like the laundry piled up in your closet) you just don't take a picture of it. This perk has been used quite frequently when photographing our room and trying to hide our ugly ceiling fan: It's not that we don't […]
I can't have sugar for at least a month and a half, but I found a recipe here for these cookies that almost fit my sugar-free, flour-free diet. I tweaked it just a bit (more on that later) and was giddy when I took my first bite. A cookie! A real cookie! That I can […]
When my rockstar of a friend, Jane, approached me about getting her hands on some of my art--specifically the falling blocks I created over Christmas--I was thrilled with the opportunity to work with paper and collage again. So thrilled, I decided to make it available to anyone else that wants one, too. Eeee!! This […]
Let's talk about what keeps us bloggers going--commenting. 5.8 times a week (that's how many times I post according to Google) I put words and pictures out there in the blogosphere and then I look forward to feedback. Sometimes there is a lot of feedback, and then sometimes when I write about things that are […]
Ah, the classic, cheap and standard Ikea Latt table. We got this set for Greta for her first birthday nearly a year ago (I'll have a two year old next month. Pinch me.). Of course to a toddler a table and chairs just their size is delightful no matter what it looks like--but after staring […]
We love our open shelving in the kitchen. It is so convenient to have our everyday dishes handy. That being said, it has been a slippery slope keeping it organized and looking good. When we put the shelving up back in August (photo on left), we put everything we thought we needed and wanted on […]
I have a bunch of paint tester pots from the mistinted section at the hardware store. They are always marked down to .50 and I use them for all sorts of small projects and even large paintings. Today, I put a dark turquoise one I had on hand to use in the kitchen. It's […]
Our bedroom has been slowly evolving. We have painted the walls and our bed frame. Got some swanky nightstands for cheap. And I whipped up new lampshades that totally transformed some of the ugliest lamps I have ever seen. Which means our room no longer looks like this: Well, some parts do. We still don't […]
First, I just wanted to thank you for all of your feedback yesterday. Planning a new kitchen layout takes a lot of mental legwork and it's so refreshing to hear outside pointers and opinions. That being said, we got out the measuring tape again last night because we just don't think we have it perfect […]
Or, "If you need multiple possibilities for your future kitchen reno, we're your peeps!" Two weeks ago exactly we spilled our new kitchen plans for our upcoming renovation. Leave it to us to change our minds--again. We want to make sure we get it perfect before we drop 10K on a project. Some of you […]
I have a big surprise for all of you! You know by now that each month I create a new drawing on a 3'x5.5' chalkboard we have in our home. When the new month arrives, the old artwork is erased, never to be duplicated. Some of you are sad to see drawings erased, but it […]
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Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations
