Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials
We’ve refinished hardwood floors in 5 of the 6 homes we’ve owned. That doesn’t make us professional floor refinishers, but as homeowners and DIYers, we’ve developed expertise for what to expect, what pitfalls to look out for, and how much refinishing your hardwood floors might cost. So in this post, we’ll answer all of your hardwood floor refinishing FAQs along with some before and after photos of our various projects!
A friend of mine is pregnant and it’s reminding me how exciting it was to name our own kids. We love traditional names (aka: old-fashioned names, aka classic names) and both of our children are named after our grandparents – one on John’s side and one on my side. So I had fun putting together this list of my favorite 100 classic boy names. They feel established, like they stand the test of time, and can carry special meaning if they’re already names in your family. ALSO IS THERE ANYTHING CUTER THAN BABY SUSPENDERS?!? One interesting thing I found when I was writing this post was that many of the top ten most popular names
Aglaonema, also called the Chinese Evergreen Plant, is an easy-care houseplant that lives happily in many lighting conditions – even a dark corner of our daughter’s room. There are dozens of different Aglaonema varieties, most with large tropical foliage and colors ranging from silvery-green, red, and even vibrant pink. They’re also tough to kill, so they’re a great option for forgetful plant owners or anyone looking for an easy win in the plant department. These truly have been very low maintenance for us. We purchased our two Aglaonemas (pronounced ag-lee-oh-neem-ah) to put atop our daughter’s closet. It’s sometimes hard to distinguish different varieties, but we believe that’s an Aglaonema Silver (right) and either a Candy
The ZZ plant is another one of our favorite low-maintenance houseplants. They’re easy to care for, hard to kill, and always look full & leafy. They’ve even earned the nickname “Eternity Plant” because they’re practically indestructible! That’s why they’re a top choice for commercial spaces, doctor’s offices, and busy homes like ours. Don’t you love a house plant you can forget about? ZZ plants are sold in a variety of sizes, meaning they’re great for shelves, tabletops, and small surfaces as well as larger statements on the floor. We have some that are over 3 feet tall with their pots! ZZ Plant Quick Facts Here’s what you need to know about your ZZ plant at
Pothos are easily our #1 favorite houseplant and the golden pothos is by far the most popular variety. They’re loved by beginners and plant experts alike because they’re affordable, attractive, and easy to care for. They’re quick-growing plants with beautiful trailing vines that add loads of life and color to any space. We have pothos in nearly EVERY room of our house! There are over a dozen kinds of pothos (Epipremnum aureum), most of which share similar characteristics and care instructions as the golden pothos. You can read more about other varieties we love, like the marble queen pothos and neon pothos. Golden Pothos Quick Facts Here’s what you need to know about your golden
Our top recommendation for an easy, starter houseplant? Pothos, pothos, pothos! They’re low-stress, high-impact, and fast-growing vines that are great for both beginners and experts. The golden pothos may be the most common variety but don’t overlook its more vibrant cousin: the neon pothos. We’ve got several neon pothos in our home, and they’re beautiful and so easy! So here’s all you need to know before you get your own. There are over a dozen varieties of pothos, most of which share similar care instructions to the neon pothos. You can read more about other pothos we love, like the golden pothos and marble queen pothos. Neon Pothos Quick Facts Here’s what you need to
Even though the marble queen isn’t the most popular pothos variety, it’s one of our personal favorites! Like all pothos plants, they’re a perfect starter houseplant because they’re resilient, low-maintenance, and fast-growing. Plus, we think it has some of prettiest leaves of all. There are over a dozen kinds of pothos, most of which share similar characteristics and care instructions as the marble queen. You can read more about other pothos we love, like the golden pothos and neon pothos. These beauties are so hard to kill, they’ve even earned the nickname “Devil’s Ivy! Marble Queen Quick Facts Here’s what you need to know about your marble queen pothos at a glance: What Is A
If you’re someone who thinks you can’t keep a plant alive – this plant will prove you wrong! In fact, you’ve probably seen one at a doctor’s office, home improvement store, or hotel lobby because they’re so low maintenance. Thanks to being so easy to care for and widely liked, they’re a great option for anyone who wants a low-effort plant. So today we’ll share why serial plant-killers and seasoned plant lovers all love this spear-shaped beauty. There are dozens of varieties of snake plants, but today we’ll mainly be talking about the most popular cultivar: Dracaena trifasciata ‘Laurentii.’ The Laurentii refers to the specific variant of this species seen in these photos. They’re identifiable
Our bedroom used to be a living room, so it’s taken some work to turn it into a comfortable, functional, and beautiful sleeping space (it’s truly one of our favorite rooms!). So today we’re outlining the 6 most impactful improvements we made to our bedroom, complete with some updated pictures. Our Bedroom, Before You can check out all of the before photos of our home here, but as you can see below, it was a mostly blank canvas. Well, except for the crumbling drywall, crooked blinds, and wide doorways to the adjacent kitchen – all of which we had to address. But we loved the fireplace and the wall of french doors and pretty much
The tree philodendron, which was formerly known as the hope philodendron or philodendron selloum, is one of our FAVORITE houseplants. It’s a low-maintenance, tropical plant that adds tons of visual impact. It’s also a great alternative to a fiddle leaf fig. What Is A Tree Philodendron? The tree philodendron (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum) is a large tropical plant native to South America, primarily Brazil. However, it isn’t even technically a philodendron anymore! In 2018 it was reclassified out of the genus Philodendron and into the genus Thaumatophyllum due to its size and DNA. However, it is still colloquially referred to as a philodendron. You may still find it listed as a Philodendron Hope or Philodendron Selloumm, but
Monsteras are one of the most iconic indoor houseplants today and for good reason. They’re an eye-catching, low-maintenance tropical plant that looks great in any space. Our monsteras are still low and bushy, but they’re climbing plants that can grow tall & tree-like too. Here’s why we chose this easy plant for our home. The genus Monstera includes over 50 different species of plants, most known for their large “monster” leaves with distinct holes and split edges. Today we’ll talk about the most popular houseplant variety of monstera: the Monstera deliciosa. What Is A Monstera Deliciosa? Monsteras are native to the tropical environments of Central America, especially Mexico. Their large, distinct leaves are a natural
Over the last 17 years, we’ve decorated a whole bunch of houses for the holidays and it means that we have favorite methods and items when it comes to decking the halls. And why is finding the best Christmas tree lights so hard?! The point is, we’ve tried a ton of holiday decorations, and this post is your one-stop shop for photos, ideas, info, and links to our favorite things – from the faux Christmas trees that we like best to our go-to outdoor lights (if you ask John’s special eyes, there is definitely a correct temperature). In this post we’ll cover all of our favorite: Wherever possible, we’ve linked to the actual items we’ve
