The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. -Psalm 24:1
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Anna Maria Horner, whose fabric and blog I love, is gracing my living room these days. I broke into my coveted stash of hard-to-find fabrics from her Drawing Room line. I’ve saved each of these 1/2 yards of fabric fo something special, and recently, with some furniture replacing/repurposing and redecorating in my living room, I’ve found just the right places to use them: …to reupholster an old chair… …under glass on my coffee table… …appliqued onto a World Market pillow… A little of your favorite fabric can go a long way. What are the little things you are doing around the house to create something special? (If you are local, visit one of my sponsor, Hip Stitch fabric store and sewing lounge, for lovely fabrics from your favorite designers.)
Many aspirations in life bear very little immediate or even recognizable fruit. Efforts to train your children, to memorize scripture, to lose weight, to disciple a young believer, to….let’s say, grow a church or develop a school…these are the marathons, not sprints to the finish line. Quite frankly, these are not ultimately Do-It-Yourself jobs; instead, they are Do-It-With-God jobs. And boy, am I glad that’s how it is. If you are like me, though, sometimes it just feels good to simply complete a project–to see something to completion. To experience some instant gratification if you will. The Preacher and I found opportunity to flex our DIY muscles recently in the remodeling of our guest bathroom downstairs. Tiny little bathroom=weekend project, right? Not quite. Not with 5 kids. So, I will be posting our progress as we go along. So far… …an unconventional travertine and pebble floor… …a Pinterest-inspired stencil for the […]
Stenciling used to conjure up images of parochial folk-art and less-than chic patterns of leaves and grape-vines. Not any more. Stenciling is making a comeback in the latest decor trends and proves to be simple enough for both decorators and amateurs alike. I’m pretty comfortable with a paintbrush, but I’ve never stenciled a pattern onto a wall. That’s all about to change because our little powder bath downstairs is desperately needing an artistic makeover. Unlike wallpaper, paint is easy to change your mind on, and a fraction of the cost. Are you itching to add a little character to your casita? Here are some ideas to get you started. Pick one for me to do while you’re at it! (Source here.) (Source here.) (Source here.) (Source here.) Follow my Pinterest board for more wall stenciling inspiration!
Back when we were so sick the week before the arrival of Baby boy 5, our family devoured several episodes of DIY’s Card Crashers curled up doubled over on the couch. We’d never seen any episodes prior, so our fertile minds were quite inspired and receptive to the idea of a backyard remodel for ourselves. Let me just say: there is nothing quite like a backyard overhaul in 100+ degree, smoke-filled weather, with 4 boys, one newborn, and a newborn puppy. That’s what summers are for, right? We made it, however, and I’m excited to show you the fruits of our labor: The deck my dad built while he was visiting gave great incentive to finish off the rest of our yard. Our other Grandpa built the arbor on the other end of the yard many years ago. We are sandwiched with the handiwork of two loving fathers. We’ve been […]
You may recall that I turned our dining room into a library It’s had all the elements of a classic library or family parlor: instruments, lots of books, writing desks, artwork and photography. The only thing missing has been the game of chess, the game for the mind and for a quiet afternoon. Oh, how I love feeling on the edge of Victorian. The Preacher visited Zimbabwe years ago, and brought home with him a set of hand-carved chess pieces resembling African animals. I’ve always dreamed of owning a beautiful, antique chess table to showcase his precious keepsake, but such a piece of furniture has never made it very high on prioritized expenditures. So, when the boys began learning chess with plastic pieces on cardboard, and found that they truly enjoyed the game, it became evident we needed a home for those African chess pieces in our library. With an old […]
I’m so excited to finally be DONE with the nursery. You may recall that the idea to put together an owl-themed baby room came together only a few weeks ago, when I came to the realization that the process of creating a nursery might very well help me embrace the upcoming arrival with a little less exhaustion, and a little more enthusiasm. I’m not sure if I was successful at the exhaustion part, but we are definitely excited to bring the little guy home to his new room. I knew my budget was under $100, if that, so I got to work recycling and making art for the new room. I started by making a simple applique quilt, which I decided to use for a wall hanging. The quilt determined that the colors for the room would be teal, orange, brown, and off-white. An old friend from college saw that […]
A study. A reading room. A parlor. A music room. Just don’t call it an office. please. That’s what I had in mind when I convinced The Preacher to turn our formal dining room into a new space for music, reading, and writing, now that our long dining table has been relocated. The formal dining room, now Library, is the first room you walk into when entering our house. It used to look like this: Since this room is also a high traffic thoroughfare, I knew I wanted something inviting, something classy…like 18th century libraries…something that says: We gather around books and music for entertainment. And while a workspace for The Preacher’s two office-at-home jobs was at hand, function need not be unsightly. We moved his two bookshelves that used to be in our bedroom downstairs: We then purchased two matching desks from Costco with “desk fund money” (Thank you, […]
Our family’s emerged from the festivities and are now preparing for house guests and the anticipation of a new year. We I eagerly took all the Christmas decorations down and returned everything to it’s place rearranged all the furniture. Does this happen at your house too? It wasn’t without reason, you know. In anticipation of the 7th family member this Spring…and because we always have guests for dinner it seems, we’ve swapped the dining table for the kitchen table. I’ve never enjoyed using our dining room. Too formal; too far from the aromas of the kitchen. I love having everyone at the same table. And now, we all fit. (Plus, there will be 7 kids and four adults in our home for the rest of week!) My workspace has returned to it’s previous position from earlier in the year: right in the middle of it all. And though my kitchen […]
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