Starts and Stops on the Journey to a DIY HomeSubscribe Now

What we’re going to do together next: the Safe House

Do you remember being 11 years old? You were probably in 5th grade, learning what a prime number was, still trying to get a handle on what all this puberty business is about and, if you were me, not understanding most of what happened in Forrest Gump. You were innocent; you were fragile; the world […]

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The fiddle leaf fig trick: how to keep your tree strong and healthy

how to grow a fiddle leaf fig tree

I lost weight this week guys. How much do four wisdom teeth weigh? That’s how much I lost. …and I’m going to keep it off! Also I look like a chipmunk, but I like to think it’s charming and adorable, like a real chipmunk. (It’s neither charming nor adorable.) So you know how I viciously […]

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A little sewing machine story

Using a Singer Quantum Stylist 9600 sewing machine

So, no big deal, but my entire world was rocked this week and nothing will ever be the same again. If you’ve been reading here for any amount of time, you might know that I have an adversarial relationship with my sewing machine. It mocks me, you guys. I’m not imagining it. It coos to […]

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Is love enough? — New curtains for the office

Patterned curtains and a colorful rug

Remember back when we made this bench out of a headboard for the entryway? (I accidentally just typed “remember when I made…” And then I laughed and erased it, because no.) I showed you my growing collection of fabric swatches I was considering for the office windows, just off the foyer: I decided on none […]

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Painted linoleum floor: an update!

How to paint vinyl floors

Thanks for all your brilliant ideas on the last post! You guys are geniuses, I tell ya. I haven’t made a decision yet. Still considering all the new ideas you suggested! A couple years ago, Andy and I got a harebrained idea to try painting the ugly linoleum floors in our laundry room. I’ll just […]

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The snowballing mirror dilemma

SO MANY DECISIONS TO MAKE IN THE MASTER BATHROOM. In case you missed it, this is my stupid bathroom. I took this photo this morning, so THIS IS REAL LIFE, y’all. Ain’t pretty. In the last post, we settled on the vanity cabinet situation. We were considering replacing the existing cabinets with a smaller premade […]

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The question of the vanity

Bathroom design plan - vanity smaller than the wall

Are you a planner? I’d shake my head vehemently NO to that. I am not a planner. I wing it and hope for the best. I jump in with both feet and trust that everything will work out, because doesn’t it always? That’s what you call unwise optimism, to an absolute, undeniable fault, wrapped in […]

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My STUPID bathroom

So we have this master bathroom. We bought it like this: Then we demoed it. Removed the popcorn ceilings, took all the junk off the walls and mudded over the holes so it’d be ready for paint. Just when we had it demoed to the PRECISE point of maximum ugliness, we screeched to a halt […]

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Flower crushing-mega-death-destruction art project

Materials for DIY crushed flower art

I don’t know what it is about little boys, but they delight in destruction. Weston builds elaborate, tall towers of blocks or legos just for the one second of BLISS that comes from knocking it down and watching it all crumble to the ground. In that second, he is so alive! The world is HIS! […]

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Easy no-sew diamond curtains (Anthropologie knock-off)

DIY anthropologie pheasant eye curtains!

Remember many moons ago when my friend Erin and I surprised our friend Jill with a low-budget room makeover while she was on vacation? …and I was all, “BRB with the curtain tutorial!” Sorry. We got a little distracted with the whole master bedroom paint situation, then Andy and I went out of town last […]

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Master bedroom paint reveal!

Best dark blue paint colors: benjamin moore hale navy hc-154

Thanks to my ol’ buddy Benjamin Moore for sponsoring this post! I mean, I just can’t understand why every single person doesn’t have a blog. It’s the best thing in the history of ever. Exhibit A: you guys, with your epic advice and helpful opinions on my last post. You’re all my favorites, and you […]

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Best Benjamin Moore Navy Paint Colors + Decision 2014

Choosing navy blue paint colors

(I know I still have much to tell you about Jill’s makeover! We’ll return to that shortly. First I need help making a decision so I can move forward with other things in the meantime. Stay tuned!) When we first visited our house to consider buying it, Andy and I both felt that the master […]

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Save the books: how to style a bookshelf for actual book storage

I must speak out for the books. Someone is hiding them from us! All those volumes mankind has been printing for the past hundreds of years since the invention of the printing press — oh yes I did just bring up the invention of the printing press and no I don’t know when that was […]

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Just a little flash-mob surprise makeover reveal. That’s all.

DIY Anthropologie Pheasant Eye Curtains

Imagine if you left for vacation and your living room looked like this. Then a week later, you walked back into your house and it looked like this. What if you were expecting to see this: But instead you saw this: What would you DOOO?!! Jill did this: And smiled a lot, and cried a […]

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Jill’s Surprise Makeover: Painting + Furniture

How to be the worst person in the world: invite all your friends to a painting party and then not come. I was all, “Lol, jk guys. I’m sick. You can still come and paint Jill’s living room though.” I didn’t mean to be a terrible person, but in what was the most awful timing […]

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