Indoor Bulb Garden
Nothing can so easily brighten a room with life like flowers can, and at this point in the winter, just about every room in my house is feeling a bit lifeless.
Maybe it’s because my grandmother’s family is Read the rest of this entry
Powder Room Renovation
After we first bought our 100 year old house and started to renovate it a little over a year ago, it had a very spacious powder room on the main floor, but everything about that powder room was a problem! I designed a new floor plan to actually make the powder room smaller in order to make it much more effiecient and function so much better!
Take a look at the original floor plan: Read the rest of this entry
Toulouse, France… a glimpse through my son’s eyes
Though I’ve never been to Europe, I can drool over the thought of it. I don’t know which I’d pick first to visit… Ireland, England… Or I’d love to see Germany and Austria… but I think my design heart yearns for France… maybe someday. Our 3 adult children have all traveled the world way more extensively than we have ever had the opportunity to do so. In fact, just a couple months ago, one of our sons had a business trip to Toulouse, France. Read the rest of this entry
San Francisco: Cable Cars & a Sidewalk Toilet House
Yes, I’m not kidding, (a sidewalk toilet house!) Besides the 2 most impressive things I experienced on a recent trip to San Francisco, I also experienced a few other ‘just slightly less impressive’ things, like the Read the rest of this entry
Downton Abbey Doorbell
I actually didn’t start out… or even finish with the goal in mind to have a working Downton Abbey doorbell… it just sort of happened unexpectedly. But I must say, now that we do have one, I love it, and it’s a fun conversation piece too! Here’s what happened… Read the rest of this entry
Carpenter Trick to Repair Furniture
Why would I shove toothpicks in a hole in my antique cupboard door, you may ask…
Well an old timer carpenter taught me this trick, and it really works fantastic! What’s the trick? Read the rest of this entry
Wallies… I Had No Idea
When it came time for me to do something with the walls in our very small front entry, I had envisioned wallpaper. Unfortunately though, sometimes I can envision too well for my own good, and so when I went shopping for wallpaper, I really couldn’t find the pattern and color that I had created in my mind for these walls. Read the rest of this entry
San Francisco… 2 Most Impressive Things
We just got back from a little trip to San Francisco, California.
It was the first time either my husband or I visited San Francisco.
Two things really impressed me the most… and no, it actually wasn’t the Golden Gate Bridge, (although it was gorgeous) nor was it Alcatraz, ‘The Rock’, though that actually did give me pause, I’ll have to tell you why in another post, because this post is about the 2 things that did have the biggest impact on me.
Read the rest of this entry
Simple Cleverness: How to Avoid a Greasy Stove When Frying
We’ve all been there, right? You’re frying bacon or hamburgers on the stove and the grease from it is splattering all over the stove, counter next to it and even the floor in front of the stove. You’d like to put a cover on it, but if you do, the ‘frying’ will quickly turn to ‘steaming’ and ruin the tasty browning you’re trying to achieve.
I don’t write about cooking very often here, but I do like to cook and have certainly done a lot of it. I’ve learned that to get a really good tasting hamburger, you need to get a really yummy brown exterior, which means a lot of splattering is going on, and most of it goes out of the pan, leaving a greasy mess in your kitchen.
Unless you have this very clever invention… Read the rest of this entry
Front Entry Doorway Curtain, Portiere
Between the front entry and living room, I’m using a doorway curtain, (also known as a ‘portiere’). Here are the reasons why I’ve installed a portiere… who knows, maybe you’ll find cause to do the same.
Front Entry Before and After, Part 1
First impressions.
There are a few sayings about first impressions. There’s the one about only being able make a first impression once. And I recently read another about how you should trust the very first impression you get when meeting someone… I’m not sure about that, but if that was the case with our new 100 year old house, well, YIKES! is all I can say. Read the rest of this entry
