DIY Projects

Before & After Renovations

How I Turned My Creepy, Claustrophobic Bathroom Into…This.

Wait until you see inside.

Awhile back, a reader wrote in to ask me an interesting question: How, she wondered, did I get past the intimidation factor of a redesign? How in the world was I confident enough in my vision to actually...you know...pull the trigger, and make it happen?

The short answer is, unfortunately, that I maintain a (possibly unfounded) belief that if something goes amiss, you can fix it. In other words: it's just a house. And it's just decor. And while obviously you should put a lot of thought into a major renovation before kicking it off, the worst thing that can happen is that you don't like it, and then you either do something else, or you live with it.

DIY Projects

DIY Ankle Cuffs

J.Crew Sandals | Anklets by Me

I have decided that anklets are going to be my thing this summer. But not just one anklet - oh, no. Two anklets. Matching anklets. One on each ankle. 

I decided this the other morning. I was drinking my morning coffee, when all of a sudden a pile of jewelry-making items was deposited on the table in front of me. Apparently Francesca had been thinking of making me matching anklets - one for each ankle! - for my birthday, but then realized, ugh, jewelry making, ugh, and decided that she would give me the idea, and then give me the stuff, and then let me go ahead and do the actual making of the things.

DIY Projects

How To Make Your Trashed Outdoor Furniture Look Gorgeous Again

Winter can be rough on wood.

During the purchasing process for our home, the one thing I asked the former owners if they'd be willing to sell me was their patio table and benches (you can see the set here). It was rustic, and sturdy, and fit the space perfectly - but it was also clearly handmade, so I doubted they'd say yes. And I was right - they said no - but then we moved in a couple of months later...and there they were, waiting for us.

Yay, right?

DIY Projects

Five Super-Easy Denim DIYs Literally Anyone Can Do

Omg, this photo. MEMORIES. I no longer have that pair of sandals, that hair, or that zip code (just re-watched our moving day video and sobbed through the whole thing)...but the shorts? Those are still hanging on. (I wore them today, in fact, which may have been a not-so-hot idea considering the fact that they're in the process of disintegrating, but whatever: I love them, and they fit me perfectly, and they are not going anywhere until the wearing of them results in the exposure of actual NC-17-rated body parts.)

If you've been reading here for awhile, you know that denim is sort of my thing. It's just what I feel best in - and what that means is that I've amassed a truly enormous collection of jeans over the years, approximately three of which I actually wear (so sue me: I'm fickle). And so every spring, I dig out a couple of old pairs that I can hack up with a pair of scissors and transform into new items of clothing that I'll actually wear. (As an aside, I know that jean cutoffs sound like the kind of thing you don't need a tutorial for - "...So you, like...cut them?" - but trust me: there are myriad ways in which to go wrong when doing something as permanent as slicing up your clothing. Let me help you.)

But DIY cutoffs aren't the only denim trick I have up my sleeve - and I am not a person who owns a sewing machine or enjoys do-it-yourself projects that take more than five minutes. Which is to say: The below projects require no experience, knowledge, or talent whatsoever, making them - to my mind - just about perfect.

Before & After Renovations

I Stole My Three-Year-Old’s Closet, And I’m Not Even A Tiny Bit Sorry

This is not my closet; it's Ashley Tisdale's. Mine doesn't have a chandelier, alas.

I was talking to a colleague the other day about a very particular manifestation of mom guilt: the home-and-decor-related type. In short: On top of the other ways that you feel like you have to prioritize your children's needs (all of them), you also feel like you have to prioritize them when it comes to how you set up and decorate your house. And if you don't?

Guilt.


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