Just when you’d think we were done with backyards (we shared the duplex backyards last week), we’re back with another one — this time at the beach house. The transformation here has been a long time coming. The yard started out overgrown and uninspiring, and now it’s one of our favorite spots. It’s small, but … Read more

After seeing ribbon chandeliers in baby stores, catalogs, magazines, and on Pinterest, I decided to make one for Clara’s closet. The closet is large enough that it may become a cozy reading nook as she grows—I’ve pictured a beanbag and quiet floor-time with picture books. The room already has a light, but it was one … Read more

We’re back with our homemade nursery curtain panel how-to. Remember the punchy patterned fabric we found in last week’s shopping post? Here’s how we transformed a single bolt of P Kaufmann fabric into three floor-length curtain panels—two for the main window and one for the doorless closet—without using a sewing machine. Supplies were simple: tape … Read more

As mentioned in our previous kitchen update, we decided to embrace the existing countertops and pursue a tone-on-tone refresh for phase one. With mauve counters already in place, it felt like the right move to lean into that color rather than gut the space immediately. You can read more about why we prefer smaller updates … Read more

Let’s talk about crack sand. We all try to save money where we can, sometimes to a fault. In our case, skipping the specialized polymeric sand when finishing our patio ended up costing us time and frustration after a few weeks. If you remember, we used leftover regular paver sand to fill the joints between … Read more

We’re thrilled: DIY Magazine is visiting to photograph our home for a multi-magazine feature, and we couldn’t be more excited. While we can’t share their polaroids yet, here’s a glimpse of our kitchen after the flowers arrived. I’m absolutely delighted — the flowers transformed the space and made the kitchen feel warm, bright, and wonderfully … Read more

A few readers called us out about something we mentioned earlier during our BHG & Home Depot–sponsored porch makeover. In the planning stages we said we intended to make twine mobiles among several other projects, but there were no twine mobiles in the final reveal. We changed direction along the way, but the real reason … Read more

Lindsay’s dining room project proves that beautiful art doesn’t need to be expensive. She sent this note: I discovered your site a few months ago and have been reading it every day. I love your ideas. In December I finally bought the dining table I’d been admiring, and later that month you featured a post … Read more

It’s still picturesque here at Casa Petersik a day after we woke up to eight inches of snow. Since this is the first time we’ve had measurable accumulation in three years of living here, we couldn’t resist sharing one more look at the beautiful white blanket Mother Nature laid across our home. Now that the … Read more

Me. I’ve actually been hiding this $12 HomeGoods find in our playroom for about five months, so it was definitely time to deal with him. He’s part of my self-imposed “Dude Get On That Already” challenge — a promise to either use or lose the items we’ve been hoarding in the overflowing playroom. Use it, … Read more