We usually keep up a little Thanksgiving ritual: filling our homemade Thanks Jar with notes of gratitude all through November. This year, our book tour kept us away for most of the month and we almost missed it. So this past weekend we squeezed the tradition in at the last minute and gave it a … Read more

Are you surprised we went thrifting again? I’m not. These chairs originally retailed at $90 each — $180 for the pair — then were marked down to $70 apiece. With an additional 50% off at the register, we ended up paying just $35 per chair, $70 for both. Considering similar metal versions at Ballard run … Read more

Over the past few weeks many of you have asked for a House Crashing post with photos of the other six Homearama homes in the show, so we slipped in and photographed each one—just like we did for this Homearama House Crash back in 2012. Fair warning: this post is image-heavy. Everyone who’s visited the … Read more

This week we dive into a recent survey that uncovers the top regrets homeowners have after moving in — the features they thought they’d love but ended up not liking. The findings are surprising and make for a lively conversation. We also discuss an eye-opening study comparing millennial dads and baby boomers, and one particular … Read more

That’s right — I used the word dastardly. We should be knee-deep in our office cabinets project, but that’s a big job (a weekend project, maybe two), and this rocker has been giving me the stink eye since November, even before we moved. For anyone who doesn’t remember, here’s the short version: I found the … Read more

We didn’t expect to find $1 cabinets again like we did for our previous office built-ins, but we couldn’t resist checking the Habitat for Humanity ReStore for the four cabinets we need to build a peninsula and enclose the microwave and refrigerator. We’re able to reuse the 36″ base cabinet that used to sit where … Read more

Let’s talk about the Benjamin Button–ization of our style. Maybe it was a comment one of you made recently, or a quiet moment of looking around our house, but lately we’ve noticed our style moving in a younger direction. Maybe it’s a mid-life design crisis, or maybe it’s simply the latest stage of our constantly … Read more

If Teddy ever forgets which letter his name starts with, the big wall between the built-ins will remind him: T is everywhere. We recently decided to add a subtle accent pattern across that wall, and after some consideration we chose removable vinyl decals instead of paint. Vinyl is a popular option for kids’ rooms because … Read more

After mentioning our recent near cross-country road trip last week, you might be wondering how we kept ourselves entertained during more than forty hours behind the wheel. We documented much of the trip with our trusty Flip video camera, and this past weekend we finally sat down to edit the footage into a short, fun … Read more

I know the idea of using puffy paint on pumpkins sounds a little dubious—been there—but we decided to experiment this year. After painting pumpkins last season and carving them the year before, we wanted a new approach that added texture and interest without too much fuss. The solution: puffy paint to create raised designs, then … Read more