I don’t know about you but I’m so happy garlands and buntings are back in fashion! Most are easy to make and add whimsical charm to any room. I’ve made a few so far but this is the first one I actually documented so I could share the tutorial. What’s great about this paper fan…
The June/August issue of Country Living magazine arrived in my mailbox and there was a snippet about making lavender linen spray. Â Since I had leftover dried lavender buds from making sachets, I thought I’d put my stock to good use. Lavender linen spray is very easy to make and is far cheaper than buying it…
Less than 2 months ago I received an email from Annarita Triarico, an Italian journalist working for Lotus Publishing. She wanted to feature my home in one of their magazines, “Gli Speciali di Casa Chic.”  At first I thought it was a joke, but I looked at their publishing site and realized it was a legitimate…
After decoupaging my kitchen stools, I had a little bit of leftover black toile paper itchin’ to get pasted somewhere useful. I also had just a little bit of script paper leftover from the decoupage desk project. And well, there was my little ho-hum side table that was looking a little forlorn. I found it…
Recently while shopping at two of my favorite boutiques, I discovered the most adorable flowers created with beautiful script tissue paper. One store priced them at $4.95 each while the other store was selling them for $6.50. I figured I could make something similar for far cheaper. This is my version. The ones in the…
About a year ago I scored an old skinny armoire for $40. It’s a great piece of furniture because it doesn’t take up much space. Although I loved the dark wood, it felt a little ho-hum to me. After all the fun I had painting and decoupaging my desk (check it out here), I decided to…
Sometimes you get lucky and things just come together. But first, the bad news. A Geneva, Illinois store icon recently closed its doors after 82 years of business. The Merra-Lee shops were a series of 7 women’s specialty clothing stores (all owned by the same family) that occupied a prime piece of real estate in town. Before closing, they…
Slow but sure, room by room, my house is undergoing a transformation of sorts. Not a full-fledged remodeling assault … just a simple sprucing up. A fresh coat of paint here, a new rug there. Hubby is rolling his eyes thinking, “here we go again.” And so, without further ado … Hubby installed the molding (love him!)….
Rarely do I purchase pre-made curtains for my home. It’s been this way ever since I’ve been messin’ around with hearth and home. And so recently I went on the hunt for curtain fabric. I seriously considered burlap, but then I saw another blog where drop cloth had been used and changed my mind.   After a quick trip to the paint store…
Introducing my new blog with a tribute to my daughter Bridget, who was married to Zac on October 8th, 2011. She wanted a burlap and lace wedding on a country farm and after months of searching, she found just the right venue that blended rustic charm with lots of rural beauty. I just love the…
