Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

Posts by Sherry Petersik

Sherry Petersik is one half of the duo behind the award-winning home improvement and do-it-yourself design blog, Young House Love. Together, she and her husband John have renovated seven homes, published two New York Times Bestselling books, and designed products sold in Target and Home Depot. They are currently enjoying their downsized home on Florida's Gulf Coast with their two kids and their dog, Penny.

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Fab Freebie: Art For U

With over 6,000 original pieces to peruse and $500 to spend, UGallery is going to help someone upgrade their walls in a major way this week. Browsing so many artists and works is easier thanks to being able to filter by medium, price, color, size, and style – plus they ship everything for free and will even let you try things out at home for seven days to make sure your selected piece really works in your space. It’s sort of like dating your art before you put a ring on it. Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter (it might take a second to load, but it should eventually pop up below this

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How To Make An Easy Baby Quilt

Here’s the story of how I made a cute little quilt for our baby boy on the way. A few years ago I chronicled how my not-nearly-a-seamstress buns were compelled possessed to make a quilt for the bean. And here I am a few years later (after a tornado of thread and a surprisingly successful sewing machine date) with another homemade quilt – this time for our little man. I don’t think I would have been so into making him a quilt if Clara hadn’t grown so attached to hers. She not only has slept with it pretty much every night since I finished it… … but she brings it in the car for road

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Painting On A Faux Inlay Pattern

This kind of spoils the whole “wait for it… here it comes…” build-up, but I had to lead with an after picture for you guys. It’s a super affordable, deceivingly simple thrift store table upgrade. Seriously, don’t tell me you can’t do this. You can. And I’ll give you one of these if you say you can’t. Do you remember the $25 thrift store Moroccan table that I brought home nearly two years ago? Even after cleaning it up, the top still had a few issues, but I didn’t want to rush into altering it right away (like attempting to putty, sand, prime, and stain/paint it) so I just tossed a few things on the

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House Crashing: Cheery Across The Pond

We like to House Crash at least once a month but somehow it has been nearly two since our last one, so we’re sorry for the delay, but we hope that this awesome one all the way from the UK makes up for it! We knew as soon as we saw this place that it was primed and ready for a crashing, and since it’s a little too far for a road trip, we had a lot of fun getting all of the virtual details (and photos) for you guys. Meet Kimberly. She’s married to Wayne, and is an American who has been living in Manchester, UK for over a decade. This is her charming

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How To Make A Nursery Mobile

Wanna see a pregnant lady in a crib? Boom, there it is. Yes, this is a story all about how my life got twist turned upside down I made our little man a mobile. It’s kinda rustic (it’s made from a manzanita branch) and kinda modern (there are fun circles in a bunch of colors and sizes that hang down at different lengths) and most of all it makes me smile. Is it weird that hanging this actually made me feel more ready to have the little guy in my arms? Like “OK, the mobile’s up – now the baby party can start.” Much like the mobile I made for Clara’s room (that one was

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Fab Freebie: A Perfect Ten

Pop quiz: What’s ten times $25? Answer: It’s what someone’s getting this week from Shop Ten 25. Shop Ten 25 is an online boutique with an eclectic mix of pretty home goodies. Interior designer Abbe Fenimore has curated a colorful and luxurious mix of accessories, pillows, rugs, furniture, and art that is filled with modern conversation pieces. In addition to the $250 gift card that our winner’s getting, everyone can enjoy 15% off their order now through March 5th with code YHL15. Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter (it might take a second to load, but it should eventually pop up below this paragraph). This giveaway is available to the United States &

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How To Make Pleated Curtain Panels

I’ve always thought that curtains are the unsung hero of room makeovers because everyone’s quick to talk about how paint can make such a huge difference (agreed, it totally can) but I’d argue that curtains can rival the whole “wow, paint totally changed that room” because they can: make a small window look twice as wide draw the eye up and make ceilings feel taller add a whole lot of color/pattern/interest (or not, if you just want something simple/breezy) make any room feel more cozy by adding softness add function (block light and drafts, provide privacy, absorb sound, etc) So there it is. My name is Sherry, and I’m a fan of curtains. Just look

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How To Make A Paper Mache Narwhal Bust

The built-in bookcases in the nursery have officially been filled with board books, toys, stuffed animals, framed prints, and a few other random bobs and bits that I hope our little man will love feasting his eyes (and mouth?) upon. We even created an easy paper mache craft there on the bottom left shelf. Can you spot him? Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce Norman The Narwhal. He’s FAR from a perfect specimen, but it was the sweetest project to do with soon-to-be big sister Clara. I think I love him more for his handmade wonkiness than anything else. Dude has some serious character going on. So let’s file this under “made by a

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Organizing The House When It Gets Out Of Control

That’s me these days. At least I like to think it is. Checking off those tedious and lingering to-do list items that I’ve been meaning to do forever, and taking names. So how about a Friday smorgasbord post? The funny thing is that just a few days ago we got a comment that said “hey I miss your Dude Get On That Already updates – will those ever come back?” Do you guys remember those? Where I’d finally get around to tackling something that had been sitting around waiting to get done (usually just painting or hanging something) and I’d share a little update – like this wall plaque, this box, this coat hook, and

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What To Splurge On & What To Save On?

We get this question a ton, and although it’s completely one of those varies-by-every-scenario things (we might splurge on one mirror because we love it and can’t find anything like it for less, but then save on another mirror because we fall in love with it for $5 at a yard sale), we thought we could attempt to answer it as simply as we could. With a junkload of words and bullets and lists. You know how we do. Of course the words “splurge” and “save” can have wildly different definitions according to the individual. For example, one person might consider a splurge to be hiring out some custom built-ins to the tune of $5,000

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Adding Crown Molding Around Built-In Bookcases

We hoped to have all of the nursery’s extra chunky crown molding painted, cut, hung, caulked, and touched up by the end of the weekend, and we just made it by the skin of our teeth (where did that gross expression come from anyway?). Crown is always one of the those “it’ll be nice” things on a to-do list, and then whenever we add it we’re blown away by how much of a difference it makes. Even the most basic and boxy rooms suddenly look taller and just generally upgraded in a surprisingly significant way. Which we always appreciate since a lot of the rooms in our homes have been devoid of amazing architecture (no

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How To Pick An Exterior Paint Color

When we last updated you on the progress of the showhouse that we’re working on for Habitat For Humanity (you can read more about it here, here, and here), its exterior was largely complete and it was awaiting some paint. Well, then it snowed for three weeks in a row, which is a complete rarity in Richmond, so while we continued to scurry around finalizing materials like light fixtures, tile, and cabinetry (more on that here), we weren’t able to update you on our color choice. UNTIL NOW! Can you tell I’m EXCITED?! Get those jazz hands up, y’all. We knew from the get-go that we wanted it to be in the navy family with

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