Happy Labor Day weekend everyone! That means that both summer and the month of August are coming to a close. Let’s all shed a communal tear. But before we mentally check out for the long weekend, it always helps us keep the ol’ momentum up by taking an appreciative look back on all of our happenings from last month (along with some bonus never-before-seen stuff). It definitely inspires us to keep plugging away, plus it makes browsing our archives a lot easier (you can read back through January of 2011 right here in just 19 posts instead of 665). Woot! And below you’ll also find a hint about Monday’s giveaway, so feel free to guess
Archives for August 2012
A Sunroom Makeover With Wood Tile By Jenna Sue
Maybe this is just me trying to hang on to every last vestige of summer. Maybe it’s me wanting a big sunroom makeover (we haven’t even touched ours since we moved in). Or maybe it’s just that Jenna Sue has a knack for awesome makeovers (you may remember her entryway transformation). Whatever the reason, feast your sunshine-loving eyes on this cheerful update. Here’s her letter: Hello once again! Our sunroom began with white walls, green trim, carpet and a sagging ceiling. We removed the ceiling, added insulation and fresh new humidity resistant drywall (which I painted a light blue and added recessed speakers and lights). And we replaced the carpet with gray ‘wood’ tile planks.
How To Spray Paint A Plastic Basketball Hoop
Hoop, there it is. File this under my weirdest “Dude, Get On That Already” challenge to date. Much like many of our other DGOTA adventures, this mini update involves something that sat around bugging me way too long + a trusty ol’ can of spray paint. But this time it’s not an animal. I know. Total shocker. John actually laughed at me for this little tweak (and I’m fully expecting you guys to as well), but they say it’s the little things that make ya happy… and seeing a bright red and blue plastic hoop against the back wall of our carport every. single. time. we pulled into the driveway (it was so bright you
How We Finished And Furnished Our Deck
Well, our goal was to get to enjoy our deck by Labor Day and we squeaked in with just a few days to spare. And in case you couldn’t tell, I’m jazz hands excited about it. Don’t ask me what this move is called. John just picked up the camera and aimed it at me and this happened. It’s a pose straight out of Kids Incorporated. We probably would have taken a rickety card table and some metal folding chairs, so we’re psyched to have found actual end-of-season discounted furniture to put out there for the long haul – but we definitely have more in mind for finishing things off (more on that in a
How Do You Decide What To Post About?
Q: How do you decide what to post about every day? I’m new to blogging and feeling a lot of pressure. I worry what I write will be boring. Do you ever worry about that? Do you have a checklist that you go through to see if something is good to write about? Do you ever worry that people won’t like what you share? Do you ever skip a post if you think it will be poorly received? Do you try to pace things out in a strategic way? – Nina M. A: Aw, I’m sorry that you feel any pressure at all, Nina. Figuring out what to post about sounds like it could be
How To Protect Outdoor Furniture With Varnish And Teak Oil
T-minus twenty for hours until we have furniture on the deck!!! Woah nellie, I’m excited about it. Hence the use of three exclamation points and the term woah nellie. Heck, I’m about to break out some coordinated and not at all bizarre dance moves. Watch out now. We still have to choose what stain or sealer to use on the deck (some require a waiting period for pressure treated wood to dry out/acclimate while others can be used sooner) but we decided (read: I prodded John until he agreed) that putting some furniture on the deck in the meantime just means that we can start enjoying this baby. It’ll only take about twenty minutes to
Fab Freebie: Bliss Full
***This giveaway is now closed – see who won below!*** Thanks to random.org, the person who’s about to experience $750 worth of bliss is… Eryka (who also finds bliss in clean sheets and sleeping in!). Congrats! Who doesn’t love a good house splurge? Especially when it’s blissfully free because you win it. This week’s prize comes from Bliss Home & Design, a high-end home furnishings boutique that curates luxurious furniture, accessories, bedding, and antiques that blend old-world craftsmanship and timeless style. Basically, tons of statement pieces that can take any corner of your room and immediately posh it up. And did I mention that they’re giving away a $750 store credit? Not a bad way
Painting Words Over A Canvas For Customized Quote Art
Remember when I shared our possessed painting that jumped off the wall cheap painting that we got for $20 at a yard sale… … and mentioned that we: mostly liked the size of it and the chunky frame (which actually came with a little dent in it – a total sign that this guy was a trouble-maker) weren’t in love with the art itself (it just felt sort of generic and hotel-ish in person) Yes? Me too. And then remember when a bunch of you (seriously, like at least a dozen of you guys) recommended that we do some sort of letter stenciling over it like this genius creation by Emily Von Henderson or this
Some Ways We Save Money With Kid Clothes
One of the most common questions on instagram/Facebook/Twitter when we share a photo isn’t “what paint color is that?” or “who makes that lamp?” – it’s “where did you get that shirt/dress/skirt?” – and they’re not talking about me (or John)… they’re talking about Clara. Yes, there have been a bunch of requests for a post about how we score deals/save money in the kid clothing department along with where we get her clothes. So whoop, here it is. And thanks to all of those aforementioned instagram photos that we’ve shared, we have a whole bunch of shots to use throughout this rundown. Admittedly it’s kinda weird to analyze your kid’s clothing in so much
Thrifting A Vintage Moroccan Side Table
This morning we shared pics from our recent thrifting trip and I promised you more details about a certain table that we adopted (along with my cleaning/restoring ritual for old musty wood) so here’s the rundown. We really liked this cool Moroccan accent table that we found at the first place we went (Love of Jesus Thrift here in Richmond). Especially since it reminded us of a few designer ones like this that are selling for $260+. So at $25 for a solid wood table with awesome lines, we took it home. Boy was in rough shape, so I: gave him a wipe down with a damp cloth with a tiny amount of Mrs Meyers
A Day Of Thrifting
Occasion: The thrifting bug struck on a lazy Saturday morning Location: All over Richmond to six of my favorite thrift stores with the hubby and toddler in tow (Burger very smartly stayed home to nap) You know we love a good thrift-fest (like these thrifty adventures of yore), so let’s go secondhand window shopping, shall we? First we went to Love of Jesus (on Midlothian for any locals who are wondering), which is an awesome place for larger furnishings. Of course like most thrift stores it’s hit or miss, but when you hit, it’s a good time. We actually got a lot of pieces that we transformed for our book here (like a $15 desk
How To Build A Deck
The deck is officially done. Sound the celebratory cowbells! I actually finished it on Friday and we’ve spent the last few days crossing all appendages and waiting for an inspection (I couldn’t bear to share my triumph until I was actually sure it was a to-code triumph). The inspection finally happened yesterday afternoon, and – ta-da! – we passed. Relief flooded over me like all the sweat that I put into building this thing (lesson learned: build decks in the spring or fall). Here she is in all of her wood-riddled, approved-by-the-county glory: It’s definitely an upgrade from the tiny rotting balcony that we started with: We thought it’d be great to have it done