We originally planned this to be the final chapter of our basement makeover, but since we tackled two separate DIY projects — building a screen to hide our unsightly water heater and frosting the windows for full privacy while still letting light through — it made sense to split the content into two posts so … Read more

Feel free to sing the title to the tune of the famous Dolly Parton song. Or our new favorite SNL version. Painting our living room yesterday turned into a true test of endurance, especially with frequent pauses to tend to Clara and to handle blog duties. It took us twelve hours total, from 9 a.m. … Read more

As we celebrate our two-year blogiversary, we wanted to share some of the milestones and stats that make us smile, blush, or simply shake our heads in amazement. Here’s a streamlined look at the numbers behind the blog. 1,006 — Total published posts to date (up from 380 at our first blogiversary). 68,025 — Comments … Read more

This week I was inspired by a request from Clara, relayed through John’s mom. She laughed as she told me she overheard Clara telling her cousin that she didn’t have a clock in her room. Random, right? I realized I’d never made a clock before, but I thought it would be a fun, interactive project … Read more

Finally — the awkward gap above our living room window is gone. This weekend we picked up bamboo blinds to bridge the space between the top of the window and the curtain rod. They instantly make the window feel taller and add a touch of natural texture. Here’s the window before the blinds, clearly asking … Read more

Occasionally we get comments like “I don’t know how you spend all day together without fighting.” While I appreciate the assumption that our marriage is endlessly cheerful, the truth is we argue. We get upset with each other… and with Clara… and even with Burger. I’m not talking Real Housewives-level drama (our table-flipping count remains … Read more

When it comes to hanging curtains, we always recommend going high and wide to visually enlarge the window and add height and drama to any room. Like a fresh coat of paint, floor-to-ceiling curtain panels instantly make a space feel more finished. Below is a simple, practical method for hanging curtains that works well and … Read more

That’s how many yards I calculated for eight living room curtains. It usually comes out to five yards per window (or sliding door) for two floor-length panels that can be hung high and wide. So five yards times four windows/sliders = twenty yards total (eight panels: two for the big back window, two for each … Read more

How does $500 toward new lighting—or anything else—sound? We’ve expanded our collection at Shades of Light with four new pieces, and we thought a giveaway would be a great way to introduce them. When we launched our first collection with them nearly a year and a half ago (see more here), we wanted a stylish … Read more

Remember how we DIYed Clara a play kitchen last Christmas? It was a huge hit—still one of the few toys she plays with every day—so we decided to expand it. More kitchen = more fun. What was missing from her setup? A refrigerator. Fortunately, we’d saved an extra cabinet from a remodel that had been … Read more