Our week took an unexpected turn when we received a last-minute invitation to appear on The Rachael Ray Show. Within 24 hours we were on a plane to New York to DIY in front of a live studio audience the next morning. Between the whirlwind trip, behind-the-scenes moments (yes, Rachael Ray wasn’t trying to hug Sherry), and two major beach-house milestones—moving furniture in and spending our first night there—we have a lot to share. In this post we’ll walk you through how the week unfolded, what woke us up at 6 a.m., which IKEA pieces tested our patience, and the blog that’s inspiring our Halloween decorating. We’ll also highlight a store currently producing surprisingly good mass-produced art.
What’s New
- For more visuals of the beach house, you can view the video and photos we posted last week. Below, these show notes give a clearer sense of how the week played out and what we experienced along the way.
- It was a whirlwind. By the end of the beach-house weekend we sometimes wondered if the Rachael Ray Show segment had actually happened—until we saw photos and remembered the adrenaline rush. More on that below.
Quiz
- Apartment Therapy compiled a list of the most difficult IKEA pieces to assemble, based on a Reddit thread. We checked that list and nodded along—some builds really are more maddening than others.
- This week our patience was tested by the Edland bed—yes, the one we bought and later trimmed the posts on. It’s sturdy when built, but the assembly required careful attention.
- We also wrestled with Kassett storage boxes. They seem simple on the surface, but the assembly can be disproportionately complicated. In fact, we wrote about the frustration years ago.
The Rachael Ray Show
- If you missed the clip on Friday, footage is available on the show’s site and includes highlights from our segment demonstrating whitewashing a brick wall. The in-studio portion included two live demos: how to install a stair runner and how to make an upholstered headboard. Full step-by-step posts for these projects are available on our site for anyone who wants more detail.
- That photo above captured Rachael in a rare quieter moment—busy shows can wear anyone down. We also built the headboard in a cramped green room, which made it a tight but satisfying accomplishment.
- For reference, the blue stair runner we used and the shibori fabric for the headboard are identified in our show notes for readers who asked about sourcing.
We’re Digging
- Brooklyn Limestone’s Halloween displays continue to inspire us. Her themed exterior decorations—like this year’s “Eternal Rest Motel” and past creations such as Sharknado—are clever, detailed, and endlessly creative. We love browsing her archive for fresh ideas.
- We’ve also been impressed by a few affordable art and mirror finds from Target. Several of the wall hangings we chose for the beach house look great in real life and helped pull rooms together quickly.
For a complete list of the beach house sources—lighting, bedding, and more—see the post we linked earlier that compiles all those details. If you want to find something we’ve recommended in past episodes but don’t remember which show notes to check, there’s a master list of everything we’ve featured in previous “We’re Digging” posts.
Finally, thanks to Cardboard Safari for sponsoring this episode. They created some beautiful cardboard-based art that caught our eye—Leah Yellowbird’s designs are a standout example of creative work on an unconventional canvas.
Thanks for listening and following along — we appreciate you!
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