*** This contest is now closed – see who won below!*** And this week’s random winner is… Stacy (who says “when I was little, I got the local radio dj’s autograph and thought I was so cool! Looking back, it is just funny how silly it was!”). Congrats Stacy! We love us some Candice Olson (and still pinch ourselves that our faces share a webpage with her over on BenjaminMoore.com). So we sweet talked our way into a little Benjamin Moore / Candice Olson prize for you guys – including a signed copy of her latest book, Candice Olson Bedrooms. So once you’ve torn yourself away from petting her signature (not that we’d do that,
Archives for September 2012
Outdoors Chairs For An *Indoor* Dining Room
And now for a little chair-related riddle: What sucks more than buying eight chairs on craigslist only to realize that they’re really really not working after a year and a half of trying? A: Buying eight chairs on craigslist only to realize that they’re really really not working after a year and a half of trying while you blog about it to the world at large. Haha. But you know we like to keep it real, so here’s the unfortunate chair lesson that we had to learn through trial and error. And boy were there trials. And errors. But you win some and ya lose some when it comes to making your house a home.
Keeping A Dried Dead Butterfly
Am I the only one who thinks of Will Ferell’s Robert Goulet impression from SNL whenever I hear the word nature? Yes? Anyway, sometimes a little toddler discovery turns into a ten second project (free & fast = my jam) and it makes me smile enough to want to share the goods, so here they are. We’ll call this a tiny Friday update in the name of some “all-natural” fun. As many of you know, much like ceramic animals, outdoorsy things make my heart go pitter-patter (I’m a sucker for a framed sea fan or a collection of nature-ish vacation finds in labeled jars from each trip we’ve taken). So when Clara and I were
A Small Bathroom Update With Teal Glass Tile
The bathroom makeover below that Gemma sent us impresses us for lots of reasons – the cool dark mirror choice, the attention to detail in using some of the shower tile over the sink, etc, etc. But what gets me the most is that the gorgeous vanity you’ll see, which was built from scratch. Color me impressed. Better yet, color me the greeny-grey color they used because it’s awesome. Here’s her letter: Hey John & Sherry! My hubby and I have just recently re-hauled our bathroom. What was a boring and beige space (and seriously outdated) has now become fresh, sleek, and classic. The whole project was a DIY affair – from the plumbing, to
How We Film & Edit Our Blog Videos
You may have noticed that we share the occasional video or two… or 80-ish, if you’re counting things on our video page: And just like we did with this post with our Photoshop tips, I’m finally back to share some insight into how we go about making these clips since a bunch of you fellow bloggers/family-paparazzos asked for some pointers. Just like with photography, we’re not experts and it feels like there’s lots of room to grow in our video shooting and editing skills, but we were hoping our little rundown might help a few folks out there, whether you’d like to incorporate more video into your blogging routine or are just trying to better
How To Make A Kids Train Board
All aboard! (Can I get a choo choo?) As promised via our little Instagram/Facebook sneak peek yesterday, here’s the story of how we made a little train board for Clara. Why a train board? Well, Clara is nothing short of obsessed with the one at Barnes & Noble (a nice big track is screwed into place on a little pedestal board and kids flock from all sides of the book store to play with it). In fact if we pull into the parking lot (which also leads to a ton of other stores) before we even turn off the car Clara is shouting “we’re getting to play with the trains!” So when John suggested that
Evolution Of A Bedroom
Blerg. I either have food poisoning or a stomach bug today. But thanks for all the stool love this morning, guys (wait, that sounds kinda gross). And as for this afternoon, while I attempt to avoid breathing on anyone else in this house (who are all thankfully unscathed so far), I thought it might be fun to create a little “timeline” of how each room in our house has evolved, since it’s definitely never an overnight transformation around here. And given our copious bedroom updates, we thought it was a fine place to start. So without further ado, here’s how the room has evolved over the last twenty months since we moved in. It’s still
Thrifting Vintage Wooden Stools For The Kitchen
Soooooo smething crazy happened. Here’s a little hint: It all started when John and I were lying in bed one night talking about what we’d love to do to make the sunroom more useful slash function slash awesome (it’s currently packed with secret book projects, but come fall we can finally clear it out for a charity auction – and hopefully start working on making it a room that we actually hang out in). We came up with the idea of a long chunky floating bar/counter made from rustic imperfect wood with a few stools pulled up to it along one currently unused wall. You know, sort of like this one or this one (but
Fab Freebie: Pop-O-Matic
***This giveaway is now closed – see who won below!*** This week’s random winner is… Megan (who simply and politely just entered “Pop me, please”). Congrats Megan! Hope everyone’s having a great Labor Day! We thought we’d drop in with today’s giveaway and solve the little hint that we gave you in Friday’s post about this week’s prize. The three clues were: soda cans (aka: pop), a canvas, and the fact that the photo was taken in Instagram (hence the border and that signature square size). So, fellow Instagram addicts, this one’s for you. Well, I guess it’s for anyone who takes pictures or generally enjoys putting art on their walls. Canvaspop is the first company to specialize in