Trestle Bench Transformed

Happy Monday all, hope you had a fantastic weekend !  Last week, you saw the upgrades in the dining room, and one of those changes included this trestle bench that I found on Craigslist a few weeks ago.  The bench was the perfect size to add seating to our dining space and very sturdy too…

A Return To Neutrals

My dining space has always been tricky to decorate because it stands in the middle of a major freeway between the garage, family room, and kitchen.  We don’t have a formal dining room – there is simply no need for our laid back family of five to have anything other than a casual dining space…

Why I Thrift

Again I found myself stopping by the local St. Vincent de Paul today looking for great pieces of furniture.  This thrift store can be hit and miss, but today, it was a definite hit.  I was just so excited about all of these finds, I had to share.  Call me strange, but scouring a thrift…

Kitchen Refreshed

My friends, it took me a week, but I finished painting over my yellow kitchen !  You know how you just want something new after a few years of the same old look?  That was the story of our kitchen.  Hub and I just decided last fall that we’d grown tired of the butternut yellow on…

Going Green

It’s time I spill the beans and tell you all what I’ve been up to this past week.  I’ve been painting my kitchen.  Not only the walls (previously yellow), but also the kitchen island (previously yellow).  I also recovered the barstools, crafted a new valance, and added some new accessories.  I left the existing white…

Fiesta of Flavor: Chicken Tortilla Soup

I’m a sincere lover of Mexican food – I crave it at least twice a month.  When I was in college, I would indulge at the local taquería in muy grande burritos and never gain a single ounce.  These days, if I so much as look at a burrito sideways, I gain five pounds. Two…

Get Organized

I can’t be the only one to notice how many times the words “Get Organized” appear on the cover of a January magazine publication. They’re onto us. Or are we following them ? No matter. January is representative of a fresh start – which inevitably leads to so many of us in small or large…

Wintery White

I don’t know what it is about January, but the dawn of a new year makes me want to conquer the world with a paintbrush and a gallon of fresh white semi-gloss in hand.  These days, I can’t help but feel an intense desire to paint my entire house white !  Perhaps it’s just the…

Before & Afters of 2009

Hiya friends.  I was just looking back through the archives doing a little blog housekeeping.  In looking back to February to the beginning of this little online adventure of mine, it seems I’ve been a teensy bit busy.  In hindsight, all I can say is I should have bought stock in some home improvement and…

There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays

I had really big plans to fix myself up and to give y’all a video tour of our home this weekend, but as luck would have it, I just ran out of time.  Gosh darn, oh well.  I was able to snap a few photos of some of the decor on display this year, so…

Antiques & Eddie

The very best place to shop for antiques in the Bay Area is the monthly Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Fair at the former Naval Station in Alameda, California.  This place is a zoo!  Hundreds of vendors and thousands of customers frequent this event and for good reason:  the selections are incredible.  Regulations are strict…

Out of the Closet

The kids beg me all November to open the Christmas closet.  It’s a big deal because the Christmas closet is hidden in a secret hiding place where no one else can see it, and it’s a little tricky to access.  When we remodeled our house three years ago, we insisted on claiming every inch of…

Guest Blogger Roundup: Christmas Decor

Happy Friday friends.  I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!  I’m finishing up some holiday décor around my house, and will be giving a tour very soon.  I am also putting the final finishing touches on my new office space in anticipation of the big reveal – I just can’t wait to show you…

A Sequined Tree, by Lindsay

Happy Monday friends!  I’m so happy to bring you one amazingly beautiful DIY project from my great friend Lindsay over at Living with Lindsay.  Lindsay is one of those inventive gals that I admire so much because if nobody’s done it, well she’ll figure out how, and then teach you.  When she showed us how…