A Beginner's Guide to a DIY Bathroom Update

You know how everyone on those TV house hunting shows is looking for an open concept home? You know, one that has flow and doesn't feel boxed in with small rooms breaking everything up? Well, those are great. But when it comes time to remodel or replace something, you often have to replace all the things since one thing flows to the other. That was the case when we recently remodeled our kitchen. 
We had a half bathroom downstairs that needed updating and it was shockingly easier {and less expensive!} to DIY than we thought. In fact, I took over the majority of the DIY on my own to save money. This isn't the first time I've updated a bathroom. In fact, they are pretty darn easy spaces if you are just getting your feet wet in DIY. I've got a full beginner's guide on how to update your space without breaking the bank. Even if you aren't touching the rest of the home, this will give you a quick refresh that will help you gauge the level of your abilities if you want to progress on in DIY projects. Are you ready?

0

DIY Projects You Can Tackle Yourself

Whether you’ve just purchased a new home or your home of 10+ years could use some sprucing up, it can be overwhelming sometimes. If the list of house projects is starting to give you anxiety, this is your opportunity to tackle some DIY projects, even if you feel like the least handy person around the home. You don’t need someone to paint your walls or tile a backsplash! With patience and a little time, you can tackle all of these yourself! Making practical and stylish additions to your home can feel intimidating. But these DIY projects are simple enough that you can tackle them yourself!

0

Thinking of Remodeling Your Kitchen? Start Here First!

A kitchen remodel can be an exciting venture, but it can also be overwhelming without the proper planning and understanding of the process. And even then you should expect the unexpected! We spent several years planning and researching and we still ended up having to fire our general contractor weeks into the project and we lived in a construction zone for months! These are just a few things that we learned when we took on a kitchen remodel. Hopefully you can learn from our mistakes and take away a few things that will help you along the way too!

0

The Best Thrift Shops in Tacoma, Washington

I've been shopping at thrift shops for decades. In a world of fast fashion and disposable trends, I love that there is a shift towards second hand. Not only is it great for the environment, it can also be a great way to save money too. Many of these shops are a fun treasure hunt for one-of-kind pieces while embracing sustainability and maybe getting a deal too! I love exploring the thrift shops in my area and thought this blog post from 2013 needed an update! We will also explore the differences between each of the different retail destinations from resale boutiques to consignment and vintage shops. I'll even share my local favorites. No gatekeeping here! Come along for the ride!

0

Do You Really Need to Hire an Interior Designer for a Kitchen Remodel?

When we bought our current home nearly 13 years ago, I never really liked the kitchen. It was a custom home, it just wasn't our custom home. The kitchen was spacious and had a lot of upgrades, but the cabinets were dark and when the weather is dreary nine months out of the year in the Seattle area, dark is the last thing I wanted! But the home was relatively new, and I had a really hard time coming to terms with ripping out perfectly good materials just to replace them with something different. I spent years trying to come up with alternatives to create a space I would like better {paint the cabinets?, add a cabinet box?, remove the tile?, add new accessories?}, but the discontent was still there. The years passed and I started to get more serious about doing a kitchen remodel. I had a few different eyes on the project and took advantage of free consultations from interior designers, to contractors to kitchen designers with a cabinet company, because I wanted to try to see what my options were. Here is how I ultimately decided to hire an interior designer for our project and I have zero regrets! You might choose a different option, and I'll lay out some thoughts on what might work best for any budget during a home remodel.

0

5 Ways to Make Life Simple Again

Life has been crazy and dare I say unpredictable. These past few years have taught me that nothing in life is ever certain. Life is too short to get caught up in our busy lives that we forget about the reason we have life in the first place, to live it! If you are ready to slow down and stop rushing through your daily life, here are a few simple ways to make life simple once again.

0

Top Tips for Setting Up a Temporary Kitchen During a Home Remodel

"You're moving out right?" That's the question we got more than once when we talked about the scope of our home remodel. We are several weeks into a full kitchen remodel and not only are we still living in our home, but I'm also working at home in an active construction zone. In addition to a full kitchen remodel we are replacing all of the floors in our whole house as well as remodeling a half bath. Before the contractor even stepped foot in the door, we planned out how we were going to make a temporary kitchen work in our home for our family. We don't eat out a lot, and so far, we have yet to grab take-out, so I'd say these tips for setting up a temporary kitchen during a home remodel are working for us, and I think they'd work for you too!

1

You Can Sell Your Used Kitchen Cabinets and Granite: Everything You Need to Know!

In late 2010, we purchased a new home. It was a custom home that was just a few years old. Here's the thing. I never really liked the kitchen. It's just not really my style and it was dark and Seattle is dark enough for nine months out of the year, that I dreamed of something lighter and brighter. The real dilemma for me was that we had a really nice kitchen. Top-of-the-line materials were used and I have always been of the mindset that you use what you have. Plus, I didn't want to see perfectly good materials ending up in a landfill. I'm not sure when the bug was put in my ear that I could sell our used kitchen, but I have sold just about everything else so why couldn't I sell our kitchen? I'm sharing all my tips and tricks so you can sell your old cabinets and granite, put a little money back in your pocket for your upcoming remodel, AND keep perfectly good materials out of the landfill! It's a real win all around!

0

How To Decorate Your Home for Free

If you have just moved into a new place or you are looking for ways to redecorate your home, you don’t have to go out and buy a bunch of new decor pieces and furniture. There are plenty of creative ways to use what you already have on hand or create something with materials to create a fresh and updated look for your space. Here is how to decorate your home for free.

0

10 Things We Learned from Building a DIY Porch Swing Bed

When I was a kid, our house had a porch swing and it was one of my favorite things. We spent hours on that swing being rocked to sleep by my dad, swinging with friends, and sharing secrets on warm summer nights in the midwest. I have very fond memories of it, with the exception of the one time my dad was rocking my little brother, Ben, to sleep and as he carefully came back inside a bat flew in too. There was an evening of screaming and running from end to end of the house chasing a bat with a broomstick for what seemed like hours. In the end, no one slept much.

We have a covered porch area much like we did when I was a kid, and when I saw the plans from Plank and Pillow for an easy-to-follow DIY porch swing bed, I knew I wanted one! I had purchased outdoor furniture for the back patio about 11 years ago for $10 and had grown tired of it. I was able to sell it on Facebook Marketplace {check this post for more tips for selling your items}for $150, so we used some of the profit on the lumber because, hello, wood is expensive right now! 

Keep reading for 10 things we learned from building a DIY porch swing bed and how we made it our own.

0

5 Hard to Kill Plants for Your Flower Garden

Even the most experienced gardener loves hard-to-kill plants. If you're a beginner, these plants can make everyone think that you have a green thumb. These perennials will come back year after year and give you a starting point from which to build your garden.

1

5 Gardening Secrets for a Bountiful Tomato Crop

One of the easiest vegetable plants to grow is tomatoes. A still sun-warmed tomato is one of my favorite treats in the summer! As easy and plentiful as tomatoes are to grow, they can be a bit fussy sometimes, so here are 5 gardening secrets so that you can have a bountiful tomato crop this summer!

1

Creating Boho Bedroom Decor with the Cricut Explore Air 2

This post is brought to you by Cricut. All opinions are 100% my own.
We are in a transition phase of our life where we have more bedrooms that are empty than full. We've got young adults who are moving out on their own {and even buying their own houses!} and while I've had a few naysayers tell me to save room because "they'll be back," I'm pretty sure the only time the big kids of mine will be back is to visit. I recently transformed one of the kids' bedrooms into a boho guest room using my Cricut Explore Air 2, and it's slowly becoming my favorite room of the house. I didn't have a huge budget to work with, but it's easy to DIY on the cheap making something custom you love using the Cricut.

0

Gardening Ideas for When you are Stuck at Home

The older I get, the more I like to get my hands dirty in the garden. I really don't know what I'm doing, but thankfully, I am not afraid to get out there and try. I think that's what holds a lot of us back. But now, with plenty of time on our hands, and nowhere to go, why not try gardening this spring? You've probably already got a yard full of plants, and if you are like me, you might even have a stash of seeds somewhere too. I've got some gardening ideas for you for when you are stuck at home.

0

Tips for Growing Tulips

Tulips are one of the prettiest bulb flowers with deep, rich colors of almost every hue. While tulips are perennial, they often have to be grown as annuals, especially in hotter climates that do not really suit them. To start them off many gardeners in temperate regions need to place the bulbs in the crisper section of the refrigerator for 10-14 days. Thankfully, in the Puget Sound region where I live, tulips grow great. We even have an annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival that draws crowds from all over the world during the month of April. 
Gardeners who live south of the sub-tropical regions should be able to grow tulips. There are more varieties now than there used to be, and these – Single Late Tulips - are better suited to warmer temperatures. They are sometimes called French Tulips or Warm Climate Tulips. Whatever the variety, here are some tips for growing tulips.

0

10 Things Professionals Do Every Time They Clean a Home

If you’ve ever had your home professionally cleaned before, then you know the fantastic feeling you get from a genuinely spotless home. Professional cleaners do a better job of making our homes sparkle, and despite all my scrubbing and time spent cleaning, this is a reality I’m having a tough time facing. However, if you want to make your home sparkle like a cleaning crew just came through, you don’t need need to hire the professionals! Here are ten things that professionals do every time they clean a home.

1

6 Simple Ways to Add Fixer Upper Style to Your Home This Fall

Adding seasonal décor to your home is a great way to update the look of each room without completely redecorating. And the fall is the perfect excuse to add a little bit of Fixer Upper style to your house! From natural touches to rustic finds, adding farmhouse style to your home is so easy. Here are six simple ways to add Fixer Upper style to your home this fall.

0

Is Removable Shiplap Wallpaper the Right DIY Project for Your Home? An Honest Opinion on the Whole Process

I love shiplap. I loved shiplap before it was a household word. I loved shiplap before I knew it had a name and people like Joanna Gaines started throwing it up left and right. I grew up in a home built in 1860. It's probably what gave me my love of old houses. I love the character and the charm of an old home. My husband, not so much. I've been begging for years to put shiplap up on a wall to which the response I always get is, why would you nail boards to the wall? I finally hit a weak moment and decided to stop thinking about it and just try a little shiplap alternative with some peel and stick textured shiplap wallpaper from Target. I'm giving my honest opinion on how I feel about it and if I'd do it again. Maybe you are considering putting up shiplap wallpaper. Is shiplap wallpaper right for your home? Read on.

2

Keeping Your Family Safe with OneLink Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector

Thank you Onelink by First Alert for sponsoring this post. Add smart protection to your home with the Onelink Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm.

It started with a beep. I heard it after I walked out of the bathroom that's attached to my bedroom. It came from the carbon monoxide detector that had been sitting quietly in the corner for years. I picked up the detector and rolled it around in my hands. I looked for any sign that there was a low battery that was making it emit the beep but couldn't find any. The carbon monoxide detector had done its job. I called my husband, packed up the kids and we left the house. 

Our home was a few years old when we bought it, and we went through a thorough home inspection. I can only imagine it wasn't the homes first and yet no professional had detected the leak that was happening in our garage when a strange set of circumstances were occurring all at once. Turns out the vent from the furnace wasn't properly sealed and carbon monoxide was being leaked and sucked into our home. The same home we thought was our safe space. 

Things might have ended differently had we not had a carbon monoxide detector to warn us of the dangers and I'll be forever grateful that we had one to keep our family safe. Today I'm sharing everything you need to know about carbon monoxide and how you can protect your family. And why our family home will never be without one!

1

5 Reasons Why Online Shopping is Better

This post was brought to you by Fred Meyer Direct. All opinions are 100% my own. I wouldn't tell you about something I didn't love. Promise.
I like shopping. I really do, but sometimes it's a major time suck. And as a working mom with three kids, time isn't something I have a lot of to spare. It's one of the reasons why I love online shopping. In the past decade online shopping has changed the way we buy things and I actually prefer to purchase items online rather than to go into a store. I've got 5 reasons why online shopping is better. I'd love to know if they are the same reasons you love it too!

1