Update your exterior

I have been knee deep in dark green paint colors as I contemplate what color to paint our new garden shed. The dark green needs to work on the siding of our shed as well as the shutters around the exterior of our house.

When I want a timeless paint color for my home, I always check out the historic collections at our local paint store. Dark green paint colors add a richness to any design and there are so many great options!

Here are a few of my top picks for our home.

Oyster Bay by Sherwin Williams (SW 6202) is a striking gray-green color with slate blue undertones. It is included in the Recharge color palette of Sherwin William’s Living Well Collection. The colors included in the Recharge collection are said to fill the soul with calm and optimism. They bring to mind restful retreats, peaceful pools, and total relaxation.

The second-floor bathroom at our Toledo flip house was in dire need of a makeover! Because the bathroom ceiling is slanted, the shower/tub, toilet, and vanity were all squished onto one wall. It felt small and cramped and I was excited to improve the layout of this space.

Choosing the right paint color for your home can be a daunting task, but Eider White by Sherwin Williams is a popular choice for many homeowners. After using this paint color in multiple rooms of our homes, I definitely have first-hand knowledge of using Eider White in your home.

In this review, we’ll take a closer look at this paint color, including its undertones, versatility, and how it looks in different lighting situations.

Whether you’re considering Eider White for your walls, trim, or cabinets, we’ve got you covered.

A garden shed can be a versatile addition to your backyard, serving as a storage space, workspace, or even a cozy retreat. With our new shed now installed in the backyard, I am gathering garden shed ideas to create a charming exterior.

If you’re looking to add a touch of sophistication and drama to your home decor, a dark blue paint color may be just what you need. From navy to indigo, there are a variety of shades to choose from that can create a moody and relaxing atmosphere in any room.

There is something about a house with shutters that instantly elevates the look of the home. In the past, I have described the windows as the eyes of the home and the shutters as the mascara. The finishing touch on the exterior of a house that really makes it pop!

In 2018, we purchased a flip house and I was determined to restore the 1950s vintage blue tile bathroom to its original glory. This image of the bathroom looks much better than it did in person. I had a photographer take before photos and they look too good!
I suppose it is a great example of why you should always hire a photographer when selling your home, though. HA!

This old swing set has had some great times, but it was in dire need of a DIY makeover! In a few short days, we turned a tired, old swing set into a beautiful swing set that looks brand-new.

If you have a shady yard, you may think that having a beautiful garden is out of reach. However, with the right design and plant choices, you can create a stunning shade garden that thrives in low-light conditions.

Check out these 7 shade garden ideas for inspiration and tips on how to make your own backyard oasis.

Mushroom paint colors are a popular choice for those looking for a neutral color palette that adds warmth and depth to their home decor. From light beige to dark taupe, mushroom hues offer a versatile and sophisticated look that can complement any style. Check out my picks for the best mushroom paint colors for your home.

A major trend in the kitchen this year is incorporating a mushroom cabinet color into the design. While it is “on trend”, mushroom-colored cabinets have been a popular color for kitchen cabinets for years. It is a fantastic option for a timeless kitchen design with neutral colors.

Looking for a fun way to spruce up your home without spending a fortune? A peg rail can be the perfect project for any budget and is a super easy DIY. Shaker peg rails are not only a classic and timeless design, but they are also incredibly functional too! For just $20, I installed a cute peg rail in my brother’s kitchen that fits the style and age of the home and is great for organization.

Paint is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to transform a space. These days, you can paint just about anything you can think of including walls, floors, furniture, and kitchen cabinets! This step-by-step tutorial shows you how to easily paint kitchen cabinets, even for those beginner DIY’ers!

This DIY kitchen makeover is one of my favorite projects yet! My brother and sister-in-law, Jon and Shannon, live in a beautiful 1930s home with their three adorable boys, but their small kitchen was not as functional (and pretty) as they would have liked. Because a full renovation is not in the cards right now, we came up with a very affordable plan to increase the function for their family and give this small kitchen a glow-up!

Whenever I stop to admire a beautifully designed image, 9 times out of 10 it is one of these popular Farrow and Ball colors. The Farrow and Ball paint brand is a favorite among interior designers for its rich hues and over 132 dreamy paint colors to choose from. Along with these paint colors being some of my favorites, they are also the most highly rated and reviewed on the Farrow and Ball site.

One of my favorite paint colors to add to a room is a shade of blue-gray A lighter blue gray creates a fresh and breezy atmosphere, while darker blueish gray colors add warmth and coziness to a room. If you are itching to add a little color to your home but are afraid you will choose the wrong color, a blue gray paint color is the perfect place to start!

After living in our home for almost four years, I am finally dedicating some attention to our large foyer. You can check out the full tour of our house the day we got the keys in an earlier blog post. The entryway in our house was one of the big selling points with its cathedral ceilings, curved staircase, and decorative wainscot trim. This traditional space is screaming for a stylish skirted table to drop your keys and place a cozy lamp.

If you enjoy DIY projects, chances are you have used Rub ‘n Buff a time or two! This tiny little tube has the ability to turn a tacky-looking object into something that looks antique or even real brass. Do you remember the line in Meet the Fockers, “you can milk anything with nipples”? Well, you can add rub n buff to any object with a surface! Don’t ask me why that scene pops into my head when I use this product, it just does. This wax buffs smoothly onto wood, glass, porcelain, metal and many more surfaces.

I love a quick and easy DIY and this cute seashell dish definitely qualifies as one. I updated our guest bedroom a few months ago and decided to add a small dish to the nightstand for our visitors to place jewelry or other trinkets. This DIY project took about 10 minutes and I used items that we already owned – now that is a win!

I fell in love with the entryway of our house from the moment we stepped through the door. The architecture of our front entryway speaks for itself, but I am ready to give it some personality and add some function. I have compiled functional and stylish entryway ideas to reference as I plan our foyer updates.

The 2023 paint color trends have been announced and fiery and dramatic reds seem to be a popular choice. The last few years have been about resetting with a new decade and grounding ourselves with the craziness of the pandemic, so focusing on energizing colors in 2023 is not surprising. Let’s check out the color trends to expect in the new year!

Sherwin Williams Alabaster (SW 7008) is one of my favorite neutral white paint colors. Alabaster is the perfect off-white that feels bright and fresh while also having that warm and cozy element to the paint color. In fact, I have it painted all throughout my house! With so many rooms in our current home painted in Alabaster, I decided to do a full review on this popular paint color!

The peony bush is one of my favorite flowering plants and I knew it had to be incorporated into our backyard garden design plans at our new home. Today I am sharing my tips on peony bush care and frequently asked questions on how to maintain them in our garden.

While the bulk of our budget went to interior projects at the Toledo flip house, I tackled some affordable exterior updates as well. The curb appeal of a house is …

We are so close to wrapping up this basement project and I can’t wait to share it with all of you! Creating beautiful and functional areas in a basement is one of my favorite ways to add value to our homes.

We painted the dated, stone fireplace in our kids’ playroom! Our third home had a great garden-level space that we used for the kid’s playroom, but the giant rock wall made the room feel dark.

Creating a functional living space in an unfinished basement is an incredible way to add square footage to your home! Today I am excited to share affordable ideas to create a beautiful unfinished basement on a budget. These DIY projects made all of the difference in our basement and it’s now a space that we use every single day.

Bathrooms built in the mid-century were bold and homeowners were definitely not afraid of color. While many of these retro bathrooms have been replaced over the years, many homeowners are beginning to appreciate the bold bathroom styles from 50+ years ago. Homeowners who are determined to preserve their vintage tile bathrooms without giving up modern amenities in bathrooms built today.

Every year, the biggest paint brands choose a color of the year that they predict will be a popular hue that will dominate design in the new year. This muted hue is the perfect neutral paint color to try in your home. When applied to the walls of a room, this beautiful earth tone creates a cozy and inviting atmosphere.

Adding decorative wall trim is a great way to add architectural interest to your home. It is important, however, to choose a wall trim that is appropriate to the architectural style of the home. Decorative wall trim and molding help bring a room to life as well as serve more practical functions like hiding the seams of the floor and wall.

As a lover of traditional style and designs, I have always been drawn to blue and white decor. It is no surprise then that I am attracted to blue and white Christmas decor! There are so many different ways to incorporate blue and white into the holidays and the history of this combo instantly creates a classic and traditional feeling.

Red and gold are classic Christmas colors that have been used for years around the holidays. For me, traditional red and gold Christmas decor creates a feeling of nostalgia and joy.

Red and gold Christmas trees feel timeless and look beautiful in any home. For inspiration with creating this look in your own home, check out the beautiful designs below that I love. These decorations are either easy to recreate on your own or are images that I recently saved on Instagram or Pinterest.

A few years ago, my aunt found a 9-foot, pre-lit Christmas tree on FB marketplace for a great deal. She loved the shape and size of the tree, but she really wanted a heavily flocked look on the branches. There are lots of tutorials online for DIY flocked Christmas trees so we decided to give it a go!

This easy DIY lacquer tray dupe saved me hundreds of dollars while achieving the same high-end look I wanted! One of my favorite designers is Rita Konig and I have been drawn to the beautiful lacquer trays she designs and sells. I recently renovated my guest bedroom/office and her two-tone, blue and green, lacquer tray fit perfectly with the design concept. A medium-sized tray like below is listed at $275.

When it comes to Christmas lights, I prefer white lights outside and colorful lights on our Christmas tree. My favorite exterior holiday decor is the twinkling Christmas garland I hang around the top of our porch every year. Hanging the cedar garland and Christmas lights is really easy and I am breaking it all down for you in the tutorial below!

This green upholstered headboard may be my favorite DIY project yet. I created this simple DIY tufted headboard for our guest bedroom and it completely transformed the look of our old platform bed. The beautiful green looks fantastic against the pale blue/gray walls and is really the focal point of the entire space. I have created a step-by-step tutorial for you to follow and create your own headboard for less than $200.

Another One Room Challenge reveal is here and I am so proud of the transformation in our guest bedroom/office. One of my favorite parts of this 8-week challenge is how it pushes me creatively to make design decisions and experiment when something doesn’t go as planned.

Large, blank walls continue to intimidate me when it comes to choosing artwork. Whatever fills the walls has to be substantial and large artwork usually comes with a large price tag. The solution in the guest bedroom/office is a gallery wall and I am so pleased with how it turned out!

Welcome back to week 6 of the One Room Challenge! There are two weeks left in this challenge and I really need to get my butt in gear. There are …

Welcome back to week 5 of the One Room Challenge! This week I have continued to work on DIY paint projects. Paint is my favorite budget-friendly DIY trick to change the look of furniture or a design item. I gave a fresh new look to an old bookshelf and decorative tray through the magic of paint.

Welcome back to week 4 of the One Room Challenge! This week I am focusing on the guest bedroom lighting throughout the space. The guest bedroom is large and because the space is so large, I need to include multiple lighting sources to properly light the room.

Welcome back to week 3 of the One Room Challenge! This week I continued to focus on the bed and nightstands, which are the main focal point of the room. To hide the old platform bed, I purchased a mattelasse bedskirt and it completely changed the look of the bed. I also purchased a white quilt so the green headboard would get all of the attention.

Welcome back to week 2 of the One Room Challenge! This week I am focusing on the design of the guest bedroom / office focal point which will determine the choices for the rest of the room – the bed! For this makeover, I am pushing myself creatively and trying to make choices that are a little less safe. I will take you through my entire thought process below!

I am excited to be participating in my 6th One Room Challenge this fall to makeover our guest bedroom / office!

By the end of the summer, I am ready for fall and all of the fun traditions the season brings. The leaves on the trees are changing, farms are harvesting their crops, and using elements in nature is an easy way to decorate for fall on a budget.

Creating a functional laundry room doesn’t have to be complicated or costly. With the right organization, storage solutions, and tools, you can maximize your space and make laundry day much easier. Read on for practical tips and clever ideas to turn your laundry room into a functional and efficient home hub.

I love decorating my home with unique and affordable artwork. My latest DIY is easy, cheap, and I was able to upcycle unused items in my home! This easy tutorial shows you how to make your own patterned photo mat using wallpaper samples.

I am constantly drawn to the beautiful and popular Farrow and Ball paint colors. Unfortunately, the accessibility and pricepoint are two reasons why I have yet to purchase this paint brand.
I know this is old school, but there is something about purchasing paint in a store that brings me comfort! Farrow and Ball paints are sold in limited stores so the purchase would be made online. While I am not opposed to purchasing online, the biggest detractor is the price point. I am usually scraping together my budget for DIY projects, so $115 for a gallon of paint is hard to justify.

Blueish green paint colors are a popular choice for the interior of homes. These two colors complement each other really well when combined. Green adds warmth to a space, while blue adds freshness to a room.

Outdoor DIY projects seem to have a domino effect in our household. What started as a simple tree removal project quickly devolved into installing a brick paver border around our pool. We are always guilty of project creep and this time was no different!

If you are just dipping your toe in the gardening pool, planning your first flower bed garden can be intimidating! I have a few close people in my life who are incredible gardeners and I always seek out their advice when I have questions about my flower garden beds.

This year we built another raised garden box in our backyard using pressure-treated wood and corner brackets. I documented the entire process and am excited to share this easy tutorial with all of you!

Going to estate sales is one of my favorite weekend activities! I love the thrill of the hunt for beautiful, unique home decor and furniture to fill my home. It’s also a great place to check out great architecture and stunning properties around your city. Estate sales are an incredible place to find high-quality pieces at a discounted price, but you have to be quick to snag them before someone else does first! You can find a list of local estate sales through the app estatesales.net.

Creating a welcoming space that feels unique to my family is always on my mind when decorating a room. Our current home is pretty large, so I have to get creative when finding one-of-a-kind art that is also budget-friendly! I absolutely love when our guests ask about a piece of artwork hung on the walls. I

Green is definitely having a moment this year, and I have pulled together some of the more popular green paint colors for you to try in your home! If you keep track of the colors chosen by major paint brands that are named “Color of the Year,” almost all of the chosen colors for 2022 are some shade of green! Green is a popular choice because it is so often found in nature and symbolizes growth. It is said that the color green has the psychological effect of making people feel rested and secure.

My budget-friendly laundry room makeover is finally complete! A few months ago I shared my laundry room inspiration and I can’t wait to show you how I brought that vision to life.

Our small guest bathroom lacked character and needed some extra oomph. Adding decorative trim to the wall for a traditional look was just what the room needed! Today I am going to share how to easily install box molding to a wall for this classic look.

The guest bathroom on the main floor of our house is the only bathroom that has had any updates since it was built in the late 1960s. The shower was updated, the countertop was replaced with marble and new wallpaper was installed.

Using materials that we already owned, I was determined to give our basement staircase a fresh and modern look. My goal was to complete this DIY project spending zero dollars!

I absolutely love the simple scalloped furniture detail that is having a moment right now. I recently gave my daughter’s bedroom a makeover with a Grandmillennial style and added the scalloped furniture detail with this easy IKEA hack. I am breaking down the entire process with this beginner’s level tutorial!

Painting the exposed basement ceiling may have been the most physically taxing DIY I have ever done. Don’t get me wrong, it was totally worth it for the look and the money saved, but it was exhausting!

Looking for the next good book? I have put together a long list of the best self-improvement books to read or listen to this year! I am a big reader and love peppering in self-improvement books throughout the year.

My husband’s family has always had beautifully wrapped gifts with bows of ribbon adorning each package under the Christmas tree.  A festive ribbon wrapped around both sides of the present and a simple bow on top is my favorite look. With this type of gift bow, the recipient can easily unravel the ribbon with a tug of one tail. I asked my mother-in-law for a tutorial on how to make these gift bows and I have been making them ever since! 

This year, I really wanted to give the basement a more finished look and began planning a budget-friendly basement makeover. We built a utility room to hide the mechanicals, updated the overhead lighting, sprayed the exposed ceiling black, and painted the concrete floors.

Sharing the paint color trends each year is one of my favorite blog posts and also my most popular! I am always so inspired when I pull together all of the paint color predictions and can’t help but start thinking of projects for the new year. The theme of the 2022 paint color trends is pretty clear – green is on everyone’s mind!

Today I am sharing 6 ways to create less waste during the holidays. These simple changes helped me to use less and not sacrifice all of the beautiful decor that comes with the holidays.

The foyer in our house is very grand with vaulted ceilings and a winding staircase. It was one of my favorite features of our home when we first walked through it and I immediately envisioned it decked out for the holidays. Brand new garland from the store can cost a fortune, so this year I found creative ways to hang garland on the stairs for less than $20.

We made it to week 8 of the One Room Challenge and the reveal of the vintage-inspired girls bedroom! For my daughter’s bedroom makeover, I tried to incorporate primarily second-hand and already owned items in the design. My goal was to create a beautiful and functional bedroom that encouraged creativity.

Welcome back to week 7 of the One Room Challenge! Incorporating vintage artwork into a design is a great way to create a one-of-a-kind space and save money. One of my favorite items to find at estate sales is artwork and included quite a few second-hand items in Evelyn’s bedroom makeover.

Welcome back to week 6 of the One Room Challenge! The bedding selection is always important because the bed tends to be the focal point of every bedroom! The goal for Evelyn’s bedding was to find an affordable and durable option that looked great too.

Welcome back to week 5 of the One Room Challenge! This week I have continued to upcycle second-hand furniture to fit within the design of my daughters’ vintage-inspired bedroom makeover. Last week I painted the vanity/desk from my MIL blue and it looks really beautiful against the warm pink walls. This week I recovered a bentwood chair found at an estate sale to fit within the bedroom design. I also tackled a quick paint project on the existing nightstand to balance the other side of the room.

I have owned a pair of IKEA RIBBA picture ledges (similar) for a decade and continue to love their functionality. I actually don’t think IKEA even sells this particular style anymore. When I began planning my daughter’s vintage-inspired bedroom makeover, I

Welcome back to week 4 of the One Room Challenge! We are at the halfway mark of updating my daughter’s bedroom and I still have lots of fun projects to share. This week I tackled another fun IKEA hack in Evelyn’s

Welcome back to week 3 of the One Room Challenge! This week I spent time upcycling a thrifted peg rail and two IKEA Ribba photo ledges and I think it may be my favorite IKEA hack to date!

Welcome back to week 2 of the Fall One Room Challenge! This week I chose the paint color and focused on painting the walls the perfect shade of pink. Check out the design plans for my vintage-inspired girls’ bedroom in the Week 1 blog post. Here is a reminder of what my daughter’s bedroom looked like when we first moved into the home two years ago.

Welcome back to another exciting One Room Challenge! This exciting design event was created by Linda Weinstein back in 2011 with the goal of cheering on and supporting online friends to complete a finished room in their homes.

With rising popularity of English designs and cottagecore trends, mauve has become increasingly popular as an interior paint color. To avoid this color feeling dated (very popular in the 80s), I prefer more muted mauves that can easily be used as a neutral within a space.

e in a home that gives them energy every day and brings them joy. This book has helped me to understand how simple design choices can brighten our moods.

This IKEA hack transformation may be my favorite one yet! I decided to give our current IKEA Hemnes dresser an update when I was putting together the design plans for our master bedroom makeover.

Today I am excited to share 5 easy ways to make your laundry room a little more green! These simple changes can save energy and reduce plastic while doing laundry every day.

Chris and I grew up taking family road trips every year and have naturally fallen into the same pattern with our kids. While air travel is nice, we often decide on driving to a destination to save money and have our own transportation.

I have always loved the cottagecore style, but back when I was in college, it was called Shabby Chic! While the shabby chic trend in the 2000s had more of a romantic feel with creamier colors and light pinks, cottagecore paint colors are with warmer, natural earth tones.

You may not have a charming English cottage in the countryside, but you can still create a beautiful English cottage garden in your backyard. English cottages are definitely having a moment and I am all in with the cottagecore and grand millennial trend!

I have always loved the look of an English garden! Since moving into our home last summer, I envisioned creating an English garden in our yard. I have spent hours researching features and flowers found in these gardens and have started the beginnings of my very own English garden in my backyard.

I found this old cabinet at a garage sale and immediately felt the urge to bring her back to life. I decided to paint the cabinet the perfect green paint color that aligns perfectly with the modern designs in my living room and dining room.

We have made it to the MCM living room reveal and I am so happy with the finished product. Our living room is the first area that you see when you come into our home and I am really excited to have a finished space that reflects who we are. Over these last 8 weeks, I have bought a few new items for the room, reused materials that we already owned, and finally put some of my thrifted items on display.

Welcome to Week 7 of the One Room Challenge! I gotta be honest, I have struggled with my time management on this project and am a little bummed that I missed writing my weekly post last week

Earlier this year we began work on our backyard to prep for the English garden I planned to build. Today I am sharing a quick and easy DIY project that has helped to camouflage the ugly electrical meter on the back of the house.

If you’re looking for a simple and cost-effective way to add some visual interest to your garden, consider using bricks as edging. Not only do they provide a clean and classic look, but they also help to define garden beds and prevent grass and weeds from encroaching on your plants. Here’s how to do it right.

This week of the One Room Challenge is all about budget-saving DIY projects for the living room. I have always been thrifty when it comes to decorating and this makeover is no different. The saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” definitely applies to me and I get such a rush out of creating something beautiful out of items that were discarded by others.

Filling the walls in a large room can be a little challenging for me. My goal is always to hang unique artwork that is interesting and doesn’t break the bank. Whatever I hang on our walls, I want it to feel like our family. For week 4 of the One Room Challenge, I am going to share some of the artwork I will be hanging in our living room and where I find them.

If this first time stopping by, welcome, and thanks for visiting! A few years ago I decided to quit my corporate job in Denver and my family moved back to …

Welcome back to Week 2 of the One Room Challenge! Our living room has great bones and the first improvement we made to the room was installing new floors and painting the walls. Check out all of the living room design plans in the Week 1 post.

We started working on our unfinished basement makeover about two months ago and I still cannot get over the transformation! Last year we decided to put our large basement to good use when the country went into quarantine and the kids needed a space to run wild.

Who’s ready for the Spring One Room Challenge?! This time around we will be working on our living room and I can’t wait to pull it all together! For the last two years, this room was set up with furniture we purchased 10 years ago after we were married.

As I write this blog post I am sitting on my back porch enjoying one of the first warm days of Spring. I love when I am able to work on outdoor DIY projects that improve the look of our home while also enjoying the fresh air.

When it comes to painting projects in my home, I always choose to paint myself instead of hiring it out. The cost of labor adds up quickly and I prefer to use that money in other areas of our home. Today I am sharing the best paint supplies I prefer when painting interior spaces in our house.

Last Fall I finished our master bedroom makeover and I am finally getting around to writing the closet organization post. Just in time for Spring cleaning! Our home has incredible storage with large closets in every bedroom and even more spacious closets in the hallway.

My favorite tools to recommend to beginner gardeners | Building Bluebird #greenthumb #englishgarden #gardening #pottedplants