We’ve refinished hardwood floors in five of the six homes we’ve owned. That doesn’t make us professional refinishers, but as homeowners and hands-on DIYers we’ve learned what to expect, which pitfalls to avoid, and roughly how much the work can cost. This post answers common hardwood floor refinishing questions and shares before-and-after photos from our … Read more

Things got steamy in the foyer. As a quick refresher: we have five rooms covered in wallpaper and we’re testing five different removal methods to see what works best. For our first attempt we used hot water in a spray bottle, which actually worked pretty well. This week’s Wallpaper Exposé focused on the foyer and … Read more

We had a stroke of luck at a neighborhood yard sale: a huge framed painting, more than three feet wide and over two feet tall, for only $20. The frame had a small dent, but that didn’t bother us. Even if we didn’t love the artwork itself, the size and the sturdy wooden frame made … Read more

Let’s talk about what we hope to accomplish before our second baby arrives. When we prepared for Clara’s arrival in our first house, we spent those nine months finishing a few remaining rooms—mainly the full bathroom and the nursery—because much of the house was already complete. This time we’re expecting again, but this house is … Read more

As I mentioned briefly in a previous post, Clara chose her own party theme this year. Of all the things a two-year-old could love—monkeys, ice cream, firetrucks, and the mailman—she picked worms. That decision set the tone for invitations, decorations, food, favors, and activities, and we had a lot of fun pulling everything together. First … Read more

Growing up, my aunt and mom sewed constantly—they made all my Halloween costumes and my aunt even sewed my mom’s wedding dress. Every time I tried to learn on my mom’s machine, though, I managed to break it. Not just jam it—completely ruin it. At least six disasters ended with my mom hauling the machine … Read more

The bathroom makeover Gemma sent us is impressive for many reasons: the moody dark-framed mirror, the thoughtful reuse of shower tile above the sink, and most of all the custom-built vanity. The entire transformation was a DIY project, and the result is a fresh, functional, and stylish small bathroom that feels larger and more luxurious … Read more

As our freshly painted stools dry in the sunroom (pics tomorrow!), we wanted to finally share our May superlatives — sorry to those who have been asking. Below is a recap of the projects, moments, and small victories we checked off in May. We even included a few never-before-seen bits for fun. You can browse … Read more

How about a post on hunting for door knockers? Not that kind of knocker—this is the follow-up we promised yesterday about replacing and refreshing our door knocker and doorbell. Here’s the situation we started with: a charming but clearly aged door knocker. Its biggest issue was that the previous owner’s last name had been etched … Read more

Every day we get about fifty spam comments that promise everything from naked pictures of Lady GaGa to free payday loans (all of which get caught in a spam filter and then get deleted). Most of these are boring, repetitive, and easily ignored: the same offers, the same broken English, the same suspicious URLs. The … Read more