Category Archives: home

5 Simple Ways to Make Your Home Cozy For Fall

As much as I love the cooler days of fall, I do not love the days getting shorter and night falling at 5:00 PM. 

But instead of sitting around under a blanket and complaining about it, this year I’ve decided to embrace the change and implement a few simple ways to make my home cozier. 

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Our Small Home’s Living Room Makeover

Our small home’s living room makeover is three years in the making. As much as I love a good HGTV style flip, this wasn’t it.

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DIY, Budget Backyard Patio

DIY, Budget Backyard patio for a sloping yard

When you have a small home, outdoor space can be such a blessing. Sick of your spouse? Go outside. Need a change of scenery? Go outside. Wanna feel fancy AF? Eat outside.

George and I knew we wanted to create a sort of “outdoor room” in our backyard, but we didn’t have a lot of money to do it. A deck would’ve been both expensive and time-consuming because we’d have to get a permit to do it.

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5 Things No One Tells You About Living in a Tiny House

As someone who has lived in 188 square feet, those tiny house TV shows really grind my gears. Let’s all be honest: yes, living in a tiny house can greatly improve your life and your finances. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows like those TV shows make it out to be. Tiny house problems definitely exist and you should know the reality before you get into the lifestyle. So today I’m spilling the tea and revealing five things no one tells you about living in a tiny house.

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Upcycling with Unicorn Spit

All of these items were upcycled with Unicorn Spit!

I hate when I find an item at the thrift store or flea market that is perfect, except for one flaw. Maybe it’s stained or the wrong color. I had been gathering a little collection of these almost-perfect items, but they had been gathering dust because I didn’t know what to do with them. Luckily when the folks at Eclectic Products reached out to me, I knew I had the perfect projects to upcycle. Eclectic Products, makers of Famowood have a new product called Unicorn Spit that is a gel stain and glaze can be used in a variety of different applications– including wood, fabric and glass.

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DIY, Budget, Large-Scale Wall Art

DIY, large-scale wall art

When I first envisioned my guest room, I imagined painting a large-scale mural on the wall. But once I began painting it was just a big, ol’ mess. Just about everything that could go wrong with the mural went wrong. The lines weren’t crisp and clean, then when I went to sand them down and start over, the paint started peeling off the wall. (I think I bought the wrong finish.) It was disaster after disaster. So, I let myself be sad about it for a day and brainstormed other options. I kept thinking of Piet Mondrian‘s geometric paintings and how I could create something similar. Using wood seemed to be much easier for someone with little background in painting (i.e. me!). It also seemed like it might be able to add some much-needed dimension to the room. Win-win!

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Budget, DIY, Colorful Guest Room Makeover

Daybed with dramatic curtains

We finally completed the guest room and it feels good! Well… to be honest, “Guest room” is kind of a loose term. Our guest room rarely functions like a guest room. We use it to store stuff for our business, pack orders and take pictures. So, it needed it to be light and bright, have good storage, and function as a room for the rare guest.

First, let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

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Where to Donate Your Stuff After You’ve Tidied Up

Where to donate your stuff after you've tidied up!

So you’ve made it through Marie Kondo-ing your whole house or just a big decluttering session? (Here’s 25 ways to declutter if you still need help!) Great! Now the problem is what to do with all that stuff?!

The easy thing is to just dump it all off at Goodwill. And I get that. But unfortunately dropping your stuff off at a thrift store doesn’t mean it will get into the hands of people that need it. Goodwill does some great things, but there are other organizations and people out there who can benefit from your “junk.”

This list is in no way comprehensive and will vary by location. The best thing you can do is Google your area and where you wish to donate items. Then, call them and ask if they are accepting donations. It’s easier than you think!

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One Room Challenge: Week 6: Small House Porch Makeover

Small house porch makeoverThis week was a whirlwind. We had so much to do and so little time. I feel like I sound like a broken record, but again, weather was not our friend. If I’m going to do this challenge again, I won’t choose an outdoor room. I think I was a little too ambitious for my first go-round. But, BUT! We finished! Our small home porch makeover is done! Continue reading

One Room Challenge: Week 5: Yikes!

Inspecting lumber

Inspecting lumber

Yikes, y’all. One week to go with the One Room Challenge and I’m going to be honest: I don’t know if we are going to finish. We’ve still got quite a bit more to build and we’re relying on good weather– which doesn’t always happen around these parts. Continue reading