Recipes, projects & products that don’t suck.

When we purchased our home nearly nine years ago, almost every single wall in the house was off-white. At the time, I was into bold color. So I went nuts with color on the walls. Bright, sunny yellow in the living room. A cool medium blue in the kitchen/dining room. Warm mocha in the bedroom. Tuscany olive-green in the entry. You get the idea. While I didn’t put any red on the walls (except in the basement), I had touches of red everywhere – in accessories, furniture, artwork. In the kitchen, we had a red hutch and red bar stools. A couple of years ago, I was ready for change. I decided to go more neutral. After the walls were toned down, I slowly began…

Last August, I posted about my coral color crush. I’m still loving coral, but I’ve also got a new crush on the color mint. It’s everywhere right now. Last week at Target, I couldn’t get enough mint. I bought a set of four mint green dip bowls, a mint green photo frame and a decorative minty milk glass bottle (none of which are available online, unfortunately). Speaking of Target (and this is no April Fools’ joke), am I the last one on earth to know about the Target debit card?! When the cashier explained that it’s not a credit card (instead it’s linked directly to your checking account) and that the rewards for using it include 5% off your purchases, free shipping at target.com, pharmacy…

Several months ago, I decided to paint our entryway. Guess what color? Yup. Valspar Summer Cottage. Same color as the front door, the back of the hutch shelves and the pop of color on the living room wall. Now the entryway is bright and cheery (unlike the former dark olive green color). The only problem was that our entry table (a light blue dry sink cabinet) now blended in with the wall. Oops. Didn’t really think that through. At first, I considered painting it white. But it had never been a perfect fit anyway. It was too deep and not long enough to make efficient use of the space. I had a vision for something better. So I measured the space and drew what I…

I have never once decorated for Valentine’s Day – until now. But now I have this hutch, this chalkboard, this white wreath and this centerpiece that all beg for festive adornment. It’s just so easy to add a few simple touches that I couldn’t resist. Besides, winter here in Michigan is drab and gray and depressing – who couldn’t use a little Valentine cheer? If you’re thinking it’s a little early for Valentine decorations, you might be right. But here’s the thing – if you want to make this garland, you’ll need to go to Target NOW and pick up these paper lace hearts in the dollar bin. Another week and they’ll probably be gone. The other thing is Hubs and I will be gone…

Just over eight years ago, Hubs and I were searching for a new house. He had to have a pole barn. I had to have a large walk-in closet. We got both. At the time, the house seemed huge – a big step up from what we had before. Fast-forward to today – the house seems much smaller now and my ‘must-have’ list has changed. Don’t get me wrong, the closet is still a must. But if I were looking for a house today, I would want a decent-sized (preferably fenced-in) back yard (for the dogs, which we didn’t have nor anticipate eight years ago). And I would love a big walk-in pantry. And wood floors. And white cupboards/trim (we have beautiful cherry wood work…