Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials
Dyeing your clothes can sound difficult, messy, and downright scary. But guess what? It’s none of those things! After all, I’m the girl who dyed her wedding dress so I could wear it again. Trust me, anyone can dye clothes at home because it’s easy, straightforward, and crazy affordable.
Big renovations are exciting and fun, but it’s no secret that they can also be really stressful – especially when it’s one of those expensive, weeks-long, life-interrupting renovations like a kitchen or bathroom. Things go wrong, budgets get broken, timelines go haywire, and somehow there’s always dust everywhere. EVERYWHERE. So since we’ve renovated 7 houses over the past 17 years, we thought it might be helpful to share our best tips for preparing for & minimizing renovation stress.
We started using a homemade window cleaner last year and immediately regretted not switching sooner. Not only is it cheaper than storebought stuff like Windex, it also cleans better and without streaks! Plus, it only takes 2 ingredients (although more can be added). So grab an empty spray bottle and come see the light with us! That’s supposed to be a clean window pun, btw…
It’s safe to say that we love traditional baby names (aka classic names or old-fashioned names). We named both of our kids after our grandparents – one on J’s side and one on mine. I recently heard names like that for baby girls being called “old lady names.” Not sure how I feel about that – but a timeworn and classic name just feels like it’s lovely and enduring. A friend of mine recently had a baby girl and it was fun to talk about all the names they were considering for her. And since I already shared a list of 100 classic boy names, I also loved compiling this list of my favorite classic old-fashioned baby girl names.
This simple method for cleaning a stainless steel sink is quite literally my favorite household cleaning task. I am not exaggerating. It is SO easy, SO simple, and SO SO SO effective. It requires no special or harsh cleaners and will restore your sink to its original sparkle within minutes. Sherry tried this method first and we have both loved using it ever since. I even taught our kids how to do it. But honestly, it’s so satisfying to do that I usually keep it to myself.
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!
We love predicting Color of the Year selections each year, so we thought we’d start a post to keep track of each selection as they come out. This will be much easier to reference next year when we make our predictions instead of Googling around to find them all again. Will blue be big again like it was in 2024? Will any of our guesses even be remotely close? You can read below to follow along – and check back for updates as more COTY news rolls in.
Guessing the Color of the Year is one of our favorite pastimes. We did it for years on our podcast and now we keep up the tradition on Instagram Stories. And every time the next COTY announcement season rolls around, we like to see all of the previous picks in one easy place. So here’s a snapshot of not only every 2024 Color of the Year, but also how they compare to each company’s previous selections. Buckle up, fellow color nerds! As more and more companies jump on the color forecasting bandwagon, we’ve decided to focus on the major paint and color companies in the post. Many brands also release yearly palettes instead of one
Got little bugs buzzing around your kitchen? Congratulations, you may have fruit flies! Don’t fret. These annoying pests are pretty common but luckily, it doesn’t take a lot of money, supplies, or effort to get rid of them. In fact, you can probably find everything you need in your cabinets! We recently had a fruit fly problem in our home (the first time in over four years here – we have no idea what brought them in). So I seized the opportunity to test 7 different methods of eliminating them. Yes, there were copious notes taken and even a spreadsheet. So today I’m sharing the best fruit fly traps and how to make them.
I’ll be the first to admit that South Dakota wasn’t high on my vacation bucket list. But I ended up there this summer on a dad-and-daughter trip I took with some family members: and WOW, we loved it. It was a surprising and wonderful departure from our usual family trips, so I wanted to share some highlights in case anyone else is interested in breaking out of the more typical beach or theme park vacation routine. Growing up on the East Coast and now living in Florida, I haven’t spent much time in the upper Midwest. So these sights may be old hat for some of you. But just like our trip to the California
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, along with this list of 100 classic girl 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
We love any excuse to buy more plants, and you may have heard they can improve your home’s indoor air quality. But before you blow your paycheck in the name of a healthier home, let’s dive deeper into plants’ air purifying powers. We’ll share which plants we recommend and what benefits you can actually expect from them. We’ve heard for years about how plants act as natural air filters for your home. So let’s dive a little deeper, shall we? 7 Air Purifying Plants If you just came here for a list, our favorite air purifying houseplants are bulleted below. The best part is these are all beautiful, low-maintenance plants. Many also appear on our
