Last week I shared photos and highlights from the Country Living Fair held at the Ohio Village in Columbus. Needless to say, I took lots of photos and decided to divide them into two blog posts. This round of photos is centered on the historic buildings that you’ll find at the Village. Most had period…
After all the primping and cleaning for the Summer Showcase of Homes tour a couple weeks ago, I think I’ve finally recovered enough to share a few highlights from the tour. Sometimes when I’m cleaning my house I’ll hear my mother’s voice in my head, “Don’t forget to move the furniture and vacuum underneath it!”…
Are you ready for some major eye candy coming the end of this month? From July 22-26 you can tour 25 bloggers’ homes during the 2013 Summer Showcase of Homes. Since these homes are from around the country, the tour is online so anyone can view it! Â You can see 5 homes each day during…
It’s funny how one day life is going along as it normally would, and then the next day the scenery of your world changes! I’m sure we’ve all experienced this in our life’s journey … giving birth to a child for example. One day life is peaceful and you go through your daily routine and…
For the longest time I’ve been on the hunt for a cow picture for the kitchen. Since I want to keep a farmhouse feel in this part of the house, what better way to accomplish this than with a farm animal? I found lots of beautiful cow paintings for hundreds of dollars but as usual,…
Last June my oldest daughter Stephanie married her beau, Matt. And just this weekend we finally got the digital photo files! We’ve waited so long and I’m thrilled to be able to share them even though it’s months later. Â Rather than share all my fave photos at once, I’m dividing them into two blog posts….
The months of January through March are always hard for me. I’m not a winter person and I suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). I find myself craving longer days, natural light, and warmth. Thankfully the days are getting longer but it’s still cold and snowy here in Illinois. By March I’m ready to be done…
Would you like to step inside my home for a tour of this circa 1875 charmer? It was pink when we moved in and it remained that shade for several years until we painted our house a butter yellow. Inside, wide baseboards frame painted floors. Ample sunlight washes in through two-over-two windows. A spacious built-in,…
hello and welcome My name is Jennifer and I started my blog in 2011 as a way to motivate myself by chronicling improvements to my circa 1875 house. I figured if I was writing about what I was doing, I’d be more likely to tackle and actually finish home improvement projects. My blog eventually transformed…
Yesterday my daughter and I went shopping in Dekalb, home to Northern Illinois University and the birthplace of barbed wire. Since it’s a university town, it has its share of little boutiques and an eclectic coffee house complete with stage for local performing artists. Bridget was looking for Boho style curtains and I was on…
Our Fall colors here in Illinois peaked last weekend and now the color is fading and leaves are falling. So when I looked back through my photos of our recent trip to Galena, I enjoyed seeing the changing leaves on the trees. So without further adieu, here’s the remaining photos of the beautiful, historic homes…
Who doesn’t want a creatively made home? Well, now that I’ve asked that question I can think of a few friends who don’t care what their home looks like. It’s simply not their priority and that’s perfectly fine with me. We all march to the beat of our own drum, after all. But I’m one…
One of my favorite weekend trips is a visit to historic Galena, Illinois. Even Midwest Living magazine has featured it on many occasions. Home of Ulysses S. Grant, Galena’s main street is a shopping mecca of boutiques, antique stores, and many restaurants. But what I love most about Galena is its rolling hills and historic…
If you follow my blog, you know I like to take exterior photos of historic homes in the area and give ya’ll a tour. Recently I found that one of those historic homes in Geneva is now up for sale and I was able to grab some interior photos (source of photo if not mine…
My last trip to Goodwill resulted in a couple of finds that I knew could be transformed. The first project I shared was a little cherub for the wall, which you can see here. The second project is a little crock I transformed into a kitchen utensil holder, with a bit of French flair. I’m…
Since my teens I’ve had a passionate love affair with old houses. Doesn’t matter if they’re large or small … I love ’em all. When I was first married my mom and I would go for walks in historic districts, looking at the homes and sharing ideas on how we’d transform them if we lived…
