projects

  • make your own: clay vessel.

    These clever clay catch-all vessels dreamed up by Rose Pearlman, remind me of barnacles in the very best way. And isn’t that fitting? On a dresser or shelf they can function in a similar…

    October 14, 2019 19 Comments
  • make your own: braided belt.

    A few weeks ago, over coffee at our favorite place to catch up and brainstorm ideas, I told Rose that underneath my flowing gown of a dress there was a very unexpected and very…

    September 19, 2019 0 Comments
  • baby proof: kids’ art supplies.

    As a kid, I kept my most special art supplies in an old wine box, with a hinged top and a latch that always went askew. Watercolors and modeling wax and chalky pastels all…

    September 3, 2019 53 Comments
  • tackling a reupholstery project.

    The first thing to know when tackling a reupholstery project is that those time-lapse videos that you see of people rapidly removing staples and easily smoothing fabric before giving a yank here and a…

    August 15, 2019 20 Comments
  • simple stuff: razor blade scraper.

    Every once in a while, I write a round-up of very solid options for very necessary household staples and I put them under the umbrella of simple stuff. Today, I don’t have options to…

    August 6, 2019 16 Comments
  • under-storage with wine crates

    make your own: under-bed storage.

    I’ll write more about the latest iteration of the kid’s room once we’ve had a chance to settle into it a bit and finish a few projects, but I couldn’t wait to share the…

    August 5, 2019 8 Comments
  • make your own: draft guard.

    Longtime readers might recall that for years James and I went without using air conditioning. We didn’t want to block what little light we had with a bulky window unit. And we didn’t want…

    July 30, 2019 12 Comments
  • make your own: lavender cleaning spray.

    If ever there is a time when a simple, kid-friendly cleaning solution is in order, it’s summertime. We’ve been dribbling peach and watermelon juice all over my parents’ back porch for weeks now. Silas’s…

    July 22, 2019 10 Comments