Our Home – simplify the chaos

Getting Back into DIY Mode with 3 Simple Home Updates

It finally feels like spring is here. Trees are blooming, weather is warming, and I feel like I am coming out of a hibernation of sorts. Lately I’ve been feeling the urge to get back into DIY projects around the house – my inspiration to create is coming back! There was a time where I was cranking out project after project, room after room. It wasn’t a sustainable pace, and my desire to tackle projects around our house dipped. I chose to focus on other things within our family and with other commitments in our school, church, and community and now I feel like I have a good balance and am ready to add projects back into the mix.

I decided to jump back into things with three quick and easy projects. A couple of them are so quick and easy that project may even be too big a term. Call them updates, call them tasks – whatever they are, they’re simple to do yet make a big impact and were the perfect things to get my momentum rolling back into DIY around the house so today I’m going to share them with you.

A Sweet and Simple Vanity

My five year old daughter loves to dress up. She loves doing her hair and putting on simple make-up (which at this point is basically just lip balm) and she loves to accessorize. She had created her own little “vanity” area using a chair and a jewelry box with a mirror but it was spilling out and taking over a ton of floor space. Since she shares the room with her older brother, we really needed to find a better solution. I wanted low-budget and small footprint because this is a shared space and relatively short-term; she will eventually be moving into her own room, currently the nursery, and the boys will eventually share this room.

I grabbed a 2 x 4, approximately 27.5 inches long, from our stash of scrap wood to create a little vanity shelf. It was already stained, so I could eliminate that step. I also pulled out two L-brackets and some screws (we already had all these on hand, but they’re all simple, inexpensive supplies to pick up at a home-improvement store). I didn’t want to mess with using anchors, so I used our stud finder to locate the studs and screwed the brackets directly into them.

I shopped my house and collected a small mirror (originally thrifted for $1!) to hang with command strips and a few little trays and containers to see what would fit on the shelf. I tinkered around a bit until I settled on a combination that felt cute, functional, and easy for a five-year-old to maintain.

This was the perfect little project to jump back into DIY: quick, simple, and thanks to using all supplies we had on hand, zero dollars!

My daughter LOVES her new little vanity and uses it every day to get ready!

Faux Plants + Brass Planters

When I hung this collection of vintage brass wall planters in my son’s nursery, I attempted to plant a few live plants. And it looked great . . . at first.

I tried to pick low-maintenance plants with a tolerance for low light, but the reality is the room is dim. It’s nearly impossible to photograph accurately in natural light. It’s north-facing, there’s a ton of trees in our backyard, there’s only one window, and it just doesn’t bring in enough light for plants. After cycling through a few different plant attempts and all of them dying, I finally gave up and decided to go all faux.

I was able to shop my house for 4 different faux plants, but was stuck on the largest planter. I didn’t have anything that worked for it but also didn’t want to buy something brand new. I’m really trying to have a more conscious, smaller consumer footprint when I can and so I wanted to thrift and give new, well, life to a discarded faux plant. It took a couple months on my thrift list before I finally came across a plant that would work, but it was worth the wait (and staring at the dead plant for months, ha!)

Bonus: I was able to snip a few branches off to use in my planter and it didn’t impact the overall look of the original plant so I was able to re-donate it and hopefully someone else will also find use for it!

Picture Grid in the Hallway

We had our foyer and hallway painted in December 2023 and ever since, I have wanted to get some family photos up in the hallway. I often do a mixed-material gallery wall but this time I wanted to do a black and white grid of frames.

And so began a 16+ month “project” that really could’ve been done in one day. I had been brainstorming since December 2023, used painters tape to tape off grid ideas in February 2024, then in April 2024 I cut packaging paper into squares and hung up different configurations of sizes and number of frames to visualize.

These papers hung in my hallway for four months until I finally bought frames in August 2024, and those frames sat propped against the wall in my hallway until April 2025. I’m glad I took the time to really think and plan what I wanted rather than just throwing something up on the walls – this was a good reminder that sometimes it takes time to figure out exactly what you want and that’s okay. But also…once I figured it out and bought the supplies, I definitely procrastinated. I was intimidated to hang a grid knowing the precision needed is different than my normal method, and also it took me a while to choose the pictures I wanted to use.

I finally made myself carve out the time to do the last few steps and surprise surprise, it didn’t actually take that long to install. I used a laser level and that was such a game changer. This is key: I did not align the laser level with the top of the frame! Instead I held the frame where I wanted it, then brought one side away from the wall to see where the sawtooth hangers were and aligned the laser level line with them.

It did take me a while to measure and mark out where every single nail hole was going to go, but it was well worth the effort to check and double-check measurements. It then took no time at all to actually hammer in the nails and hang the frames and thanks to all that measuring, they aligned perfectly!

I’m so glad this task is checked off my list and I love seeing the frames in the hallway! Maybe this can be your sign that the thing you’re putting off might not actually be that bad or take that long, so just do it! 😉

Each of these three projects is pretty small on their own, but they make a big impact in their individual spaces. And bonus – they are all basically next to one another in the house so the overall impact of seeing the three together packs a big punch!

It’s just what I needed to get back into the swing of things and now I’m looking forward to some bigger projects.

Coming Up in May…

A few of the projects I’m going to tackle this month:

1 – Last year we did a huge patio renovation and this month we’re going to continue to upgrade the space.

2 – Finish the living room. This is another space that has been a long time coming and I finally have the inspiration and motivation to finish it up!

3 – Start our biggest renovation to date. This has been years in the making. It’s multi-room. It’s a full gut job. We’re hiring out a lot of the work because of the scope of the job. It’s so exciting for Justin and I and is going to hugely improve functionality for our family. I’m keeping it a tiny bit secretive for now but a hint for long-time followers is it involves a couple rooms that I did surface-level updates to several years ago (one in the very early days of my DIY home projects) to tide us over until full renovations could occur. Plans are almost finalized and I can’t wait to share, but until then I’d love to hear your guesses 🙂

We Updated Our Outdoor Area and I’m in Love

Back in May, our outdoor area got a huge upgrade and we have been enjoying it all summer long!

Our family of five loves spending time together outside. During the summer we spend hours outside each day, and while some of those hours are spent playing at the park or riding bikes in our driveway, a huge percentage of our outdoor time happens between our patio and pond. Even now that school has started back up, when LJ gets home from school and Justin gets home from work we often find ourselves heading outside to chase the last few warm hours of the day with a family swim.

We also entertain frequently because opening up our home to gather others together is a core value of our family. We truly love hosting at all times of the year, but there is something extra special about having friends and family over for long sunny days full of grilling, swimming, yard games, and just lounging by our pond. Our outdoor space is an extension of our home; it feels like an extra room we gain from May-October!

We have spent the last five summers here building traditions, making memories, and enjoying the space as it was, all the while dreaming up ways we could update it to better accommodate all the things we want to use it for. Because we highly prioritize both spending time together as a family and hosting friends and family outside, we knew this is a space we were willing to invest in. We planned and saved and this year we hired a local company to make our dreams for the space a reality!

Upper Patio

Before

After

The previous owners had installed a stamped concrete patio adjacent to our home’s small concrete porch. It was a good size and worked well for our family of five. We could comfortably fit up to eight people around the table, but we frequently entertain more than that. Whether it is another family or two or a larger group – just this summer we had four different occasions with around 20-30 people here! – we often need multiple tables and seating options to accommodate everyone.

We thought about adding on to the existing patio, but there wasn’t a way to do it without it seeming like a patched job, so we decided to take out the old patio and pour a entirely new one that is roughly triple the size. I wanted it to feel aligned with the surrounding nature so we chose a wavy edge and no stain, only sealer. We chose a stamped concrete pattern that feels like natural rock. We originally planned to stain the border, but once the edge was etched I decided I preferred the clean, simple line. I want eyes to be drawn to nature, not a dark stained border. I’m so happy with how it turned out!

For right now, we continue to use the same table and chairs we got off Facebook Marketplace eight years ago, and we pull out a folding table and chairs when we need to accommodate more people. Eventually our plan is to either get two tables or just one substantially larger table, but this year the budget was spent on other things – just a reminder here that home takes time! 😉

We also use the extra patio space as a place we can set up for the youngest kids who come over with a little kiddie pool, water table, and playset.

Pond Patio

Before

After

When we bought the property, we were newbies to the pond life. We both grew up swimming occasionally in friend’s ponds, but we didn’t really ever envision owning one ourselves. I think Justin and I were both surprised by how much we love it though – it’s so fun to swim, float, lounge, and use our diving board and rope swing and it is where so many of our summer days are spent. Whether we jump in for a quick cool off or spend hours swimming and floating, it’s our main gathering spot outdoors!

The previous owners created a sandy beach area about 14 feet by 31 feet. A small concrete wall kept it separate from the rest of the yard. This little beach has always been a huge hit with both our kids and all the kids who come over to play. We love it! The sand has washed out slowly over the years so we added four tons of sand last year and three more this year and should be good for a while. I don’t actually mind that it washes out over time; the benefit is that the bottom of the pond in our swimming area is nice and soft and sandy! Next to the beach was a small wooden deck where we kept two lounge chairs and my DIY umbrella table. We used this space as much as we could, but the boards were starting to warp, crack, and break apart. It also could only accommodate 2-3 people without feeling cramped so we wanted make it much larger.

The contractor we hired removed the old deck and created a huge lounge space surrounding the existing beach area. We used the same stamped concrete pattern on both patios and I love how cohesive that makes them.

Because the ground slopes down to the pond, we needed to have a retaining wall behind this patio and we chose to include a limestone cap on top. We chose to do three large steps in the middle of the patio with pillars on each side and I’m very happy with how this turned out! The limestone ledge is the perfect height for additional seating and has been put to good use often this summer.

Much as I loved our DIY umbrella stand, I had no desire or time to make more this summer so I moved that to the upper patio to provide extra shade and purchased new umbrella tables from Frontgate during their Memorial Day sale. Our lounge chairs were an unexpected score at Costco and our umbrellas are from Lowe’s. Whether it’s adults lounging and talking and watching kids play and swim or kids coming to take a break in the shade and grab a snack or drink, we love having more chairs and umbrellas and space for everyone to use now.

My one regret is I don’t love the combination of the limestone cap with the stair-step end of the retaining wall. Initially, we were going to just have the wall end with a clean, straight edge, but due to a series of events (cliff notes: we asked the mason to pull up the last brick to end the wall a little sooner, it left glue reside, and when they tried to power wash the glue off it took a chunk out of the concrete so we needed to extend the wall anyways to cover it) we considered all our options and decided to do a stair-step finish. I liked the stair step, but I don’t love the way it looks with the limestone cap. My plan for next summer is to come up with some type of planter to have here with a plant trailing down the stair step to disguise this portion (and discourage kids from climbing the “stairs” because they do love to do that!) For now, I can live with the look.

You may have noticed the asymmetry of the lounge chairs. Originally I thought I would do three on each side, but I wanted each chair next to a table so keeping them in pairs worked better. Plus the two sides of the patio aren’t the same width – the one by the dock narrows more to fit the width of the dock. I didn’t want to have chairs in the path to get to the dock since it’s a favorite place for kids to run and jump into the water. Next summer the plan is to find a round lounge chair to fit the empty space and balance the asymmetry.

Playset

One more addition we made to our outdoor space was adding a playset. Our kids have been begging for a playset for a couple years now, and one set of their grandparents very generously offered to gift them one. After considering what felt like endless possibilities, we landed on this set. How fun is that crow’s nest!?

After a couple weekends of assembling (we estimate it took about 23 hands-on hours) it was ready to go and our kids have had an absolute blast playing on it this summer! It’s situated away from the pond and patio, but in full view of both so we can monitor them playing from anywhere in this outdoor area.

Now reveal posts are fun, but my favorite pictures of these space aren’t the neat and clean “finished” pictures, but the snaps of the spaces actually in use over the summer. It shows why we did this and it makes my heart happy to see towels, sunscreen, snacks, and drinks everywhere because that means fun is being had and memories are being made. Here are a few little peeks into our summer adventures:

We feel so lucky to be able to live here, with space and privacy and what feels like our own outdoor oasis, and we are so thankful to be able to gather friends and family here to make lots of memories. All the planning, effort, and resources feel worth it seeing everything come together. It’s been so fun to enjoy this space even more this summer and we can’t wait to make many more memories here in the years to come!

I’m Converting the Dining Room to an Art Space for the Kids

Back in May 2021, I carved out a little arts and craft space for my kids in the corner of our kitchen. It was simple but super functional for two small children and served both LJ and Vi well as they developed their loves of creating.

Flash forward almost three years, and they have outgrown the small desk. They are both very creative and love working on various art projects, and despite my best efforts to keep things organized, the space was overflowing with coloring books, bins of paper, markers, crayons, paint supplies, stickers, play doh, stamps and ink pads, and much more. It got to the point where the “art desk” was just a dumping ground for all the supplies, but they actually needed to do the creating somewhere else because there was no space at the desk. (I’m cringing at this photo!!)

The dining room table is where things naturally gravitated. We really only use it for meals if we have company over (and even then, we’re often hosting in our basement) so the kids started using it as a space for their projects. The table had the advantage of space for both of them to work at once, as opposed to the single-person art desk, and before long the room was taken over with supplies and finished projects. I decided to embrace this season of life: we’re not using a dining room right now, so let’s just turn it into an art room for the kids! But if we were going to do this, I did not want to have another disheveled mess in the dining room, which is what was happening. Exhibit A: (cringing again!)

The biggest need was very clear: storage. Things really got out of hand with the art desk and were heading the same direction in the dining room; I wanted to keep better organization in the new space. I needed it to be very kid-friendly and preferably inexpensive, but also nice enough to fit in with the flow of the rest of the house since the dining room is open to the rest of the main floor. I found the perfect solution at Ikea with their Kallax system.

I love that Ikea sells the basic 8-cube shelf and allows you to customize it with extras and inserts. I chose to elevate the shelf on the black iron legs to make it a little easier to access for the kids. I also chose to use 4 drawer inserts, giving us 8 drawers to categorize and store supplies. The drawers seem small but they can hold a lot! I also chose a few divider inserts and used two horizontally to create additional shelves and two vertically to create slots for storing various activity books. It fits everything that was piled on and in the art desk but with a LOT more organization.

I also snagged this desk organizer at Ikea and a few little pencil cups to keep the most commonly used utensils handy on top. The kids can just take the cup they need over to the table to work. It’s been working great so far! I’ve had this cute lamp for several months now – I originally intended for it to be in the living room but I don’t currently have a place for it there out of toddler reach. I had the idea to try it here for now and I actually love it! It creates a nice warm glow when we just need a little light and not the full overhead lighting.

The only other thing I want to do with this room right now is address the large white wall. I want to add a bunch of frames to the wall to display finished artwork, and I am also debating adding a corkboard over the shelf for a place to dry painting projects. It’ll be a pretty simple but impactful transformation and it really makes our house feel more like us as it works to fit the needs of our family in this stage.

2023 Projects + 2024 Goals

We may be a week into January, but this feels like my New Year’s Day. We traveled to visit family over the last week in December, and then had a nasty little sickness work its way through our family last week, so we didn’t exactly have that Fresh New Year Energy going for us. Then last night, I did a huge cleaning of our main floor and got us reset for the week. All my family members are getting back to feeling better, we’re back in school, and it feels like now we are ready for 2024 to begin.

Every year I like to set some goals for our house projects. Today I wanted to recap how I did on my 2023 goals and map out my hopes for this year. I always hold these plans a little loosely, as I know a lot can change over the course of a year. Looking at last year’s list, I completed some goals, partially finished others, and also did a few things I wasn’t planning for at all. I’m excited to see what this year has in store! First, let’s look at how the projects of 2023:

Bedroom Mountain Mural

I kicked off the year with free-handing a mountain mural in my kids’ shared bedroom. The other three walls are a white and blue color block, so this was a fun addition and a nice nod to Justin and my shared history of living out East among the mountains. It’s colorful and playful and the kids loved it!

DIY Lego Table

As LJ became more and more interested, I was in desperate need of storage. I couldn’t find a ready-made solution that I liked, so Justin and I decided to DIY a Lego table from scratch. This project was able to be completed in a weekend and I am so glad that we made a nice, solid top for when the table is not in use. It’s perfect for keeping baby hands away from the Lego stash and I love that it doubles as a regular table for kids when we have company over!

Kids’ Dresser

Justin and I scored this midcentury dresser off Facebook marketplace approximately 8 years ago (for $30!!) At the time, I hadn’t done much DIY and the dresser was a bit scratched so I thought the easiest thing to do was just paint it. We painted it a soft neutral blue and put it in the nursery for LJ and he’s been using it ever since. Once I painted the mountain mural, the painted dresser placed in front of it just felt like too much . . . paint. I needed more natural tones on the wall! I decided to strip off the paint, sand it down, and re-stain it to its original look. I also used rub n buff to make the legs appear metal to match the drawer pulls, which are original. I LOVE the end result!

Living Room Upgrades

My goal this year was to finish the living room phase one, and while I didn’t get totally finished, I did make progress! The living room has been by far the slowest renovation I’ve ever done. It started with painting the walls and the ceiling last year. We also swapped out the old ceiling fan for a large light fixture. Then this year we hired an electrician to add sconces – we went from zero permanent light fixtures in the room to three and it has made such a difference! I also added a large framed print and freshened up the pillows this year. Then just a few weeks ago, we hired painters to paint the foyer and they also painted the windows black. We’re content with this *very* slow and steady approach to the room and are happy with the progress this year.

Patio Furniture Refresh

My goal was to update the patio – we didn’t end up making any changes to the space itself but I did decide to give our furniture set a little glow up. We’ve had our patio set for several years and it was looking pretty rough, so I spent some time this summer refreshing it with teak oil. I’ve never done anything like this before so it took a bit of trial and error to figure out a good process but I’m really happy with how it turned out!

DIY Bookbag Personalization

LJ started kindergarten this year and requested a Sonic backpack. I’m all about kids having some autonomy and choosing what they like, but for me a backpack is an investment piece. I do not plan to buy a new one each year and I knew his interest in Sonic would fade. We compromised with an iron-on Sonic patch on his backpack and were both super happy with the result! And whenever he’s done with Sonic, we can just remove the patch and put something else on 🙂 Win win!

Kids’ Closet

When we got new carpet in the kids room last year, we had to remove the existing closet shelves because the shelves were installed underneath the carpet. We made things work with a couple rods and shelves and tubs, but it wasn’t an ideal or efficient storage setup. This year we used The Container Store to maximize storage in the space and it has been SO great to have tons of accessible storage again. I decided to paint the walls dark to match the dark colored rods and I love the monochromatic look it created. The closet is also set up in a way that the kids can easily get what they need which has been so helpful.

Guest Room Stencil Wall

After years of having the guest room partially stenciled, I finally finished the faux wallpaper stencil this year! It took many hours, and I worked on different walls at different times, but it was such great feeling to finally finish and having a fully “wallpapered” guest room. I haven’t made a post with the finished process yet because I still want to repaint the all the trim, but just having the walls done was such a good step.

Replace the Basement Carpet

This one felt SO good to finally take care of. It took me several weeks and many many carpet samples, but I finally chose a carpet from a local flooring company and they installed it late this summer. It’s soft and cozy and makes the space feel so fresh and nice! In an effort to keep it nice longer, I added a rug under the dining table to catch any food spills.

DIY Birthday Pinata

This project was a spur-of-the-moment, incredibly last minute DIY that I did on the morning of LJ’s 6th birthday party. We didn’t lean strongly into a theme but he wanted a monster truck cake and the night before the party, as I was picking up a few more party supplies, I saw a fun monster truck pinata. I was immediately inspired to make a dupe and LJ was thrilled with it! I definitely think I’ll do this again for future birthdays.

Foyer Painted . . . FINALLY!

After two and a half years of staring at a half-painted foyer, I finally hired painters to come and finish the job! Of course, I was kicking myself for not doing it sooner. The space seems so much brighter and bigger now (unfortunately, the only photo I had was very dim because it was an overcast day, but just trust me, in person, it’s lighter and brighter!) They also painted the upstairs hallway and the trim work and doors upstairs so the space really feels so much more cohesive with the rest of the home now.

Better Garage Storage

Back in May, I talked about plans for updating our garage. I shared some of the progress on Instagram, but this was all happening as I began to taper off sharing on Instagram over the summer. Life got busy – we had trips planned and a lot of other things happening so we never finished the garage and I never even shared what we were able to accomplish. Oops! The storage we did create around the freezer has been so functional for us and I’m so glad we at least finished that part in 2023.

Whew! Looking at that list, I’m proud of all I was able to accomplish this year, even if it wasn’t quite everything I planned to do. Looking ahead at this year, I’m trying to keep things attainable with a mix of bigger and smaller projects. Life isn’t slowing down anytime soon, and I want to enjoy our family life as much as I can, so we’ll see what all I’m able to get to with our house this year. Here’s what I’m hoping for:

2024 Home Project Goals

Window Trim in the Living Room

The painters who did the foyer also painted all the living room windows, so really the big thing left is to replace the trim to match the rest of the windows in the house and I’d like to tackle that this year. Eventually, I also want to get new flooring and possibly add a small fireplace insert. I’m also kicking around the idea of planking the ceiling! And we need to get a drywall company out here to take a look at a few issues with the walls. So suffice to say, the living room won’t be finished this year, but we’ll keep moving the needle a bit 🙂

Create a Workout Room

This is a goal that got bumped from my list last year. We want to convert this little room in between the garage and basement – we call it the utility room but it’s really just storage – into a workout space. Last year we did clear out a significant amount of the stuff stored inside, but we need to keep chipping away at it this year. Once it’s cleared out, I want to paint, swap out the lighting, add some mirrors, and move in our stationary bike, weights, mats, etc so we have a dedicated space to workout.

Finish Garage Storage

While we were able to create some functional storage in our garage last year, this spring my goal is to finish our plans to make it a fully functional space for our family’s needs!

Updates in Entryway + Hall

Now that the foyer and upstairs hallway are painted, I am inspired to make a few other small updates to the space. The chandelier in the foyer is very dated and I’ve never been a fan, so I’m looking forward to swapping it out for something else. I also want to add artwork and family photos to the hallway walls upstairs, and we need to swap out the can lights and fire alarm.

Convert Dining Room to Art Space

My kids love art. They love drawing and painting and play doh and stickers and modeling clay and color by numbers and really anything creative and crafty. Because of this, we have quickly outgrown the small art station in the kitchen and all their projects have spilled over into the dining room. Since we rarely use the dining room and prefer to eat our meals in the kitchen, I’m going to just embrace this stage of life and convert the dining room into their art space, complete with storage and a place to hang all their creations. I already started this just a bit over Christmas but I’m excited to make this space into something they love and use every day!

Leveling Up the Basement

The basement has had so much progress over the years, but there are just a few smaller projects I want to finish this year. Now that the guest room stencil is done, I want to repaint the trim to match and possibly repaint the guest bathroom, depending on how it flows together. I also need to address the painted tile (spoiler alert: it hasn’t held up as well as I had hoped) and create better storage for all our outdoor things in the entryway. I would love to also paint the windows and swap out the baseboards for the chunkier version we’re using throughout the house, but I’m not sure if that will happen this year or not. We’ll see!

As for personal goals this year, I have two. I want to walk “24 in 24” (24 minutes a day, every day) because we have a big trip planned for summer that will involve a lot of walking, and for our family, we are trying the “1000 hours outside” challenge where we, you guessed it, spend 1000 hours outside in one year. Movement and fresh air are the big goals for us this year.

Bring on 2024!

A DIY Birthday Pinata for LJ

Last night, we celebrated LJ’s sixth birthday! This was the first year we did a big party with friends and he invited six buddies to come celebrate with him. There were many fun parts of the evening, but one of the highlights was this last-minute pinata!

I don’t typically lean hard into a themed birthday party and prefer to get decorations and supplies I can reuse over and over again in future years, but I do usually have a themed dessert based on the child’s interests. This year, LJ surprised my by requesting a monster truck ice cream cake. Even he admitted he’s not typically interested in monster trucks, but that’s what he wanted on his cake so we rolled with it. Then the night before the party, I was picking up a few last minute supplies and I stumbled across this.

I immediately thought how fun a pinata would be at the party, and that it’d be fun to surprise LJ with a monster truck one. I did not love the $20 price tag of this one though, so I got a burst of inspiration to try making my own DIY version of a pinata. It turned out great so I thought I’d share the tutorial today – I had most of the supplies on hand so it ended up costing me just over $5 and took about an hour of active work time.

Supplies

-thick cardboard (I used a diaper box)

-thin cardboard (I used a cereal box)

-painter’s tape (masking tape would work too)

-tissue paper

-scissors

-pen

-glue stick

-candy to fill it!

I decided to keep the shape simple so I used a round fruit bowl to trace two circles onto the diaper box cardboard. The edges weren’t perfectly smooth after cutting but I knew tape would be going over top so I didn’t worry about it.

I cut the two narrow sides off the Cheerios box, and when I realized that wouldn’t quite be enough to go all around the large circles I used one as a template to cut one more strip off the box.

I used painter’s tape to attach the Cheerios strip to one large round circle, then the other. I left one little flap un-taped so there would be a slot to add candy.

Once the structure was finished, it was time for the tissue paper. I stacked a few sheets of tissue paper and cut them into roughly two inch strips.

I stacked the strips and then cut the fringe about halfway into the strip. I didn’t worry about perfection – the strips and fringe were all a little different!

I swiped a glue stick in a line across the bottom and stuck the first piece of tissue paper on. Right above the top of the tissue paper, I swiped another line of glue and stuck another piece on. I repeated this process from the bottom to the top and then cut the excess tissue paper around the edge of the pinata.

I flipped the pinata over and repeated the process on the other large round side, then did the same thing on the narrow side. There was a little adjusting here and there as I glued the edges and trimmed off excess. I did put tissue paper over the candy flap, but did not close it yet.

Just one quick note: The fringe was irregular, but since the tissue paper was all one color it didn’t matter to me. If I was doing a multicolored pinata I would probably have wanted to keep things a little more consistent so the stripes would look more cohesive.

For hanging the pinata, I took a piece of black pipe cleaner and poked two small holes in the top. It was too hard to document this, but I stuck my hand through the candy slot to twist the ends together inside, then I used painter’s tape to stick the twisted ends to the top of the pinata. This felt sturdy enough to withstand a beating from six year old boys!

Lastly, I filled it with candy, and carefully stuck painter’s tape inside the candy slot, adhesive side sticking to the sides and covering the hole as best I could, so that I could press down the flap onto the tape. (In hindsight, I should have taped the flap from the outside and then covered it up again with fringe to give better durability).

I bought a monster truck digital download on Etsy and had it printed at my local FedEx on cardstock. I cut a circle around the truck, glued it to the front, and voila! A monster truck pinata for a total of $5.18.

We used rope to hang it from a broomstick, which Justin held. It was a hit with the boys and lasted about 12 solid hits before bursting open, which was good enough for me (but it burst from the candy flap side and I think if I had taped that closed just a little bit better it would’ve lasted a little longer). LJ loved it and told me I was “the best maker birthday mom ever” which I will take! 😉

Reveal: The Kids’ Closet is finished!

The kids’ closet renovation is finished!

It’s hard to believe that just two weeks ago, the closet looked like this:

In my previous closet post I shared that we went to The Container Store and purchased a custom-designed Elfa system perfectly catered to our needs. I’m happy to report that while you can spend a little more to have it professionally installed, it was incredibly easy to install ourselves!

But I’m getting a little ahead of myself – let’s back up and quickly talk through the prep I did for the space. First off, I had to obviously take everything out of the closet. I took down the rods and shelf and patched all the holes and dings in the walls.

I knew a fresh coat of paint would make a big impact but I didn’t want to spend any additional money. After raiding my paint stash, I discovered I had quite a bit of Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze leftover from painting the living room ceiling. I don’t normally paint walls in a flat sheen but since it’s just a closet, I figured it wasn’t a big deal. We ordered the Elfa system in Graphite, a nice dark bronze metal color, and I thought the monochromatic look would look really cool so I went for it. I’ll admit, I had a moment of doubt when the walls were painted (it’s just so dark!) but once we started putting up the closet system, those doubts vanished. I love the tone-on-tone look!

Once the walls cured, it was time to install. The most important step of installing an Elfa system is getting the top tracks at the right height and perfectly level. We measured up from the floor according to the instructions, used a level to ensure the track was, well, level, and marked each hole. We drilled pilot holes, installed the anchors and screws, and attached the tracks in place. The system comes with everything you need except for the actual tools used to install.

Installing the tracks was the only time a tool was needed, as the rest of the system pieces all just interlock with one another. I hung the vertical tracks off the top track and then locked the shelves, drawers, and rods in place according to the instructions. It was like a big, satisfying puzzle! I won’t re-invent the wheel and repeat all the directions here, but suffice to say the instructions are clear, helpful, and easy to follow. The only snag we ran into was with the drawers – the drawer slides keep falling out after we thought we locked them in place. Turns out, they need to be pushed in very hard to fully lock in place and once we pushed the back rod harder than we thought we needed to, we heard the click that locked them in completely. Other than that, the whole install was quick and smooth sailing!

We did run into a small snag where they accidentally sent me one drawer the wrong size (we had made edits to the original design and for some reason this change didn’t catch in the system). The Container Store was quick to apologize and send me the correct item free of charge. I kept the mistaken drawer and use it as bonus storage on the shelf! I’m very pleased with not only the system but their customer service. Feels like the right time to mention again that this project is in no way sponsored by The Container Store – we paid for it all ourselves and this was just my experience!

Once the system was installed, it was time to bring the clothes back in. Most of their current size + current season clothing is actually stored in the dresser in their room but they each have some hanging clothing too. They like to get their clothes themselves so their current size/season hanging clothes are together on the bottom rod and the current size + off season clothes are hanging on the top rod. I purchased these kid-size hangers – I like that they’re thin, sturdy, made from recycled plastic, and come in cute colors! They are larger than the little baby hangers we had before and will last well into the teen years if not beyond. I got the ocean blues set for LJ and the sunset pinks set for Vi.

Previously, the dresser in their room was stuffed with clothing because I had to store both winter and summer clothing there. I was able to move all their winter clothes into the new drawers in the closet to free up space for their summer stuff to fit comfortably in the dresser and it functions so much better! I’ll swap the two once we get into fall (despite Starbucks bringing back pumpkin spice it is nowhere near fall clothing yet for us haha).

We receive a lot of handmedown clothing from friends and I love it, but I previously had to just store it in giant tubs on the floor. I used the remaining drawers to store Vi’s future 5T clothing, but I needed more storage for other sizes so I purchased these baskets for the shelves and hung little tags off each one to label the contents. I struggled to find baskets the right size, but these fit the shelves perfectly and bonus, are ethically and sustainably made!

I had so much extra shelf space that I could bring in all their extra sheets and blankets, which had the ripple effect of freeing up space in my tiny hallway linen closet. I also keep a little suitcase in here for easy access when we pack for trips and despite storing all that, I still have empty space on the shelves!

It’s nice to know that we have a lot of room to grow and I’m imagining in future years we’ll be storing things like sports uniforms or band equipment or whatever else our kids need in here.

This closet was an investment but I know it will serve us very well for many years to come!

Plans for the Kids’ Closet

I’m gearing up for my next home project and it might not be the most glamorous space, but I’m very excited for adding storage in the kids’ closet!

The previous owners had created their own system with a DIY shelving unit and a couple hanging rods. The setup was okay and hopefully worked well for their needs, but wasn’t a very efficient system for our needs. It felt like there was a lot of underutilized space and with two kids using this room, we need to maximize every inch.

When we replaced the carpet last June, we discovered the shelving unit was actually bolted to the floor underneath the carpet. They had cut a notch in the old carpet to accommodate it and we didn’t want to do that with our new carpet, so we decided to dismantle the whole thing. We’ve been living without the shelves ever since, and while I wasn’t sad to see the old system go, I have definitely felt the loss of storage. Right now all the kids’ clothes are either hanging or stuffed into their dresser and I have bins with hand-me-down clothes in future sizes underneath the hanging storage (and a garbage bag full of clothes a friend passed along that I haven’t had a chance to sort through yet). It’s been working okay, but I’m ready for more efficiency!

One of the challenges in thinking about a new closet design was having to think about what we need now, when we have a five-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl sharing a room, and what we’ll need in the future, when we have two teenaged boys sharing this room (eventually, Ollie and Vi will switch places). There’s also a small door to an attic space that we need to keep accessible, and the longest side wall isn’t deep enough to accommodate hangars.

All those challenges had me feeling a little out of my depth. We debated coming up with our own solution using Ikea storage and some DIY hacks, but it was going to require a lot of finagling with the attic access to maximize like we wanted to. My friend recommended The Container Store and their free closet planning service so we decided to check them out before jumping into an Ikea project.

We were totally blown away by the options at The Container Store and the fact that their planning service is totally free. (I want to emphasize that this is in no way sponsored by them, we paid for everything and this was just our honest experience!) We didn’t need to make an appointment and were just able to talk with a consultant about our needs. He took all the dimensions we brought and in just a couple hours was able to create a plan using their Elfa system that perfectly fit our space and our needs. Their rendering even included a 3D view which was so helpful to visualize what it will look like!

It was the simplest planning we’ve ever done and he ordered all the necessary pieces for us – bonus for us that they were having a 25% off sale! It ended up costing a little less than double what our makeshift Ikea hack was going to cost, but with a lot less work and a LOT more storage and function so it felt worth it to us. The system arrives this week so I need to prep the closet for install now.

Before the system arrives, I need to:

– remove all the remaining shelves and hanging rods

– patch and paint all the walls

– re-install baseboards (these got ripped out when we updated the carpet and were never added back in)

I would also really like to replace the light fixture and possibly add a small mirror. I know that’s not the biggest deal in the closet, but I think it would be fun to add some of those touches.

If you want to see updates in real time, be sure to follow along this week on Instagram!

A DIY Backpack Compromise

We’re gearing up for a big milestone around here: LJ is about to start kindergarten!

A few weeks ago we were in Target getting school supplies and had an unexpected meltdown in the backpack aisle. I wanted to buy a backpack that would last all the way through elementary school at a minimum, but LJ saw a Sonic backpack and immediately decided no other backpacks would do.

LJ loves Sonic . . . for now. But what about next year? I wanted to prioritize sustainability and I just know that in a year or two (if not even sooner!) he might be tired of Sonic and want something else. But according to his impassioned pleas as he literally laid his body down in the middle of the aisle in protest, he will always love Sonic forever and pleasemommyIonlywantthisbackpackIpromiseI’llnevergettiredofit. We were at an impasse.

It is important to me that he likes his backpack and feels some level of autonomy in these decisions, so I wanted to try and come up with a solution that worked for us both. And then I had an idea – a DIY idea!

I researched various backpack options and landed on Terra Thread. Their backpacks are high quality, fair trade certified, and sustainably made so that made me happy. I got this backpack in Tidal Blue, which is the color of Sonic, and that made LJ happy. And then, for the final touch . . .

. . . I bought a Sonic iron-on patch! LJ gets Sonic on his backpack, I get well-made, long-lasting quality, and the best part is whenever he does get tired of Sonic, it’s easy to remove. Win, win, win!

I had never used an iron-on patch before and it took just a bit of trial and error, but overall was an easy little project to complete. Here’s what I did:

I initially thought I wanted Sonic in the very center, but ultimately landed on having him stand on top of the logo. I think it seems unexpected and fun there!

Once the patch was exactly where I wanted it, I covered it with a tea towel.

The directions said to use a tea towel and high heat, but I wasn’t exactly sure how high to go so I started on the cotton setting (medium-high) since the backpack is cotton canvas. That was not hot enough and the patch easily peeled off. I truly needed HIGH heat to fully activate the glue and have it adhere properly. I turned it all the way up and placed the iron on top of the tea towel over the patch and pressed firmly for a full 60 seconds.

I also opened up the bookbag and firmly pressed the iron onto the patch from the other side of the fabric for another 60 seconds.

Lastly, I firmly pressed the edges of the patch for 2-3 seconds at a time. This wasn’t in the directions but I think it helped ensure the edges were firmly adhered. My mom suggested throwing in a few stitches (she did live through the 80’s so she’s a patch expert! 😉 ) and I might do that if I notice the edges coming up over time but for now it doesn’t seem necessary.

Voila! A Sonic backpack that will actually grow with LJ. This truly was the best compromise for both of us and he is SO happy with it. He’s already talking about adding other patches like Tails and Mario and honestly, I’m fine with that! He can personalize this with as many patches as he wants and I’m looking forward to how the look will evolve over the years.

Now on to kindergarten!

Using Souvenirs Throughout My Home

As we’ve been settling back into life after our anniversary trip to Prague a couple weeks ago, I’ve loved finding places for the souvenirs I brought back. I was reflecting on the types of things I have started collecting on trips and I realized that the most common things I get these days are for our home. Of course there’s the occasional piece of jewelry or bottle of local wine or piece of clothing (I loved hitting up Czech thrift stores and found some gems!) and Justin and I have had the tradition since our honeymoon to get a magnet everywhere we go, but time and again, I come back to items that are for use or display in our home.

I love curating our home into a little haven that feels like a reflection of my family, and incorporating little pieces of places we’ve been, whether near or far, is definitely a part of that. I’m a minimalist at heart and don’t want to collect too many items, but traveling is a big part of our family life and I do love the reminders of both big and small adventures.

Today I thought I’d share the three things I most often use as souvenirs from our trips. These items go a long way in bringing unique little moments to places in our home and serve as sweet reminders (and inspiration for more travel in the future!)

Original Art/Local Art

Of course you can display photos you take on your trips, and I’ve definitely done that, but there’s something extra special about having a piece of artwork to hang.

Original artwork from a local artist in Florence, Italy

So often when I’m traveling we come across local artists selling their work in a street fair or farmer’s market. I enjoy browsing the selections and when there is a special piece that really speaks to me, I try to purchase it if size and budget permit. I love incorporating these little reminders of our travels into our home – they make me smile every time I see them and bring back memories from each place!

Original artwork from New Orleans, still searching for the perfect frame!

I usually try to buy an original piece but I’ve also picked up prints from local artists occasionally.

Print artwork from local artist in New Orleans

I find that picking up artwork here and there is a great way to mix different styles into your home to bring a unique level of character that feels personal to you and your family. Art is so subjective so DO NOT worry about what is trendy or what someone else might choose – there are no rules and it’s just about what YOU like and want in your home. It will still feel cohesive because it’s all stuff you like and it’s a way to have a collection unlike anyone else’s!

Print from local artist in West Virginia

Postcards & Tickets

Original artwork is great, but it can also understandably be expensive. A budget-friendly solution is to save the tickets from something on the trip (public transportation, concert, attraction, etc) and stick them in a frame when you get home. Museums, particularly art museums, often have really pretty tickets that are fun to keep and display! I love this little ticket from the Vatican tucked into our bedroom gallery wall.

I’m excited to also use this ticket from the Mucha Museum in Prague once I find the right frame! The gift shop in the museum was full of expensive souvenirs, but this ticket alone is the perfect little way to remember a unique experience from a trip we both loved.

Postcards are an even cheaper route to go and can often be found for less than $1. I picked up this fun one on a trip to Austin and it’s a quirky nod to all the murals we saw throughout the city.

Functional Houseware

On most trips, I don’t have the packing space to grab pieces for our home but occasionally I do have room in my suitcase for something. On our recent trip to Prague, I chose to pack extremely lightly so I had some extra room for souvenirs for our home. I was thrilled to stumble upon a cute little farmer’s market where local artisans had little booths and I picked up a handmade wooden cutting board, wooden spoon, and two small, handmade ceramic platters.

Handmade items from local artisans in Prague

I think a key for me with things like this is to find things I will actually use. I don’t want something that feels too precious and just sits on a shelf in a cupboard; I want things that I bring out and incorporate into our life! I’m excited to use these unique items in our home and know they will serve as sweet reminders of our trip every time. They are also beautiful enough pieces to have out on display if I want to use a small platter as a catch-all tray or keep the cutting board out on my counter for quick access, like I do with this small maple one from a special day date Justin and I had.

Maple cutting board from a day trip to a local town in Indiana

Home takes times in many ways. It takes time to plan for, budget for, and execute renovations, It takes time to DIY a project. It takes time to figure out how to best make your home work for you. And it takes time to curate the items that make your home functional and beautiful. Incorporating souvenirs is one of my favorite ways to add character, personality, and that cozy feeling of belonging into our home and I know this will continue to evolve in the future.

Finding Unexpected Inspiration in Czechia

In the beginning of June, Justin and I took a parents-only vacation for our anniversary and checked a top destination off of our travel bucket list. Neither of us had ever been to the Czech Republic before and exploring this beautiful country together was such a fun way to celebrate ten years of marriage. We spent four days in Prague and two in a small, quiet town named Kutná Hora and the whole trip was just incredible. (Psst – scroll to the end for a few specific recs!)

I’ve shared before that I’m always drawing inspiration from our travels and this trip was no different. I found myself so energized by the architecture, the colors, and the culture! There was one unusual aspect though: I realized early on in our trip that I was very drawn to one thing in particular over and over and over again. Can you guess what it was?

Yep. It was the doors.

I sure didn’t have “fall in love with doors” on my European vacation bingo card, but that’s exactly what happened. I took pictures of doors. I took pictures with doors. I stopped and admired and took mental notes about doors. I. Loved. The. Doors.

I think part of the reason doors were on my mind is because replacing our front door is quickly rising to the top of our home project list. We need to prioritize this sooner rather than later because the outside door frame is damaged and falling into disrepair; it not only looks terrible but it’s inviting critters to make their homes in the hole around the door frame (obviously problematic for many reasons).

It felt like everywhere I looked, doors were giving so much personality. Each one was unique and beautiful and full of character. Doors weren’t just a functional means to an end, they were thoughtfully crafted to fit the story of the building and I really want that to be the case for our home too. Obviously we’re not going to have enormous handcrafted doors made for our home, but the more I saw, the more I realized there are a few things I was particularly drawn to and want to think about as we begin the process of replacing our front door. Today I’m sharing a bunch of pictures of the doors I loved and the takeaways I’m keeping in mind when we shop for our doors.

Double Doors

If it’s possible, I absolutely want to use a set of double doors! There is something about double doors at an entrance that feels so special and elevated. Our current front door is a single door but it has a fixed pane on either side, so if we take the whole thing out I believe we would have enough room for double doors.

Window Panes

I loved the doors with windowpanes! They feel both classic and modern, which fits right into the aesthetic of the rest of our home. Right now our front door’s glass is frosted so it’s nearly impossible to see who is at our front door and I would love to have something with clear glass windowpanes. If double doors are not ultimately an option for us, I like the idea of fixed panes with lots of windows on the side like the above photo.

Historic Hardware

There were wrought iron details on so many of the doors and I found that so charming! While an elaborately decorated door wouldn’t really fit the rest of our home, I love the idea of using antique hardware – I snapped this pic to show how an old door handle was retrofitted for modern keys and would love to do something similar if we can!

Wooden Doors

There were some fun statement doors, but I was overwhelmingly drawn to wooden doors. Doors with some character, some nicks, some scuffs, and a nice worn-in stain. Right now our front door is painted to match the trim but I absolutely want to have wooden front doors when we replace!

Fun fact: I loved these doors in Kutná Hora and as we were taking the picture, the homeowner came home! I just explained that we really liked the doors and he invited us in to see the whole home (we politely declined but it was a funny interaction!)

Check out these babies I found on our last full day in Prague! Wooden double doors with clear glass windowpanes and historic detail – are these my dream front doors!?

I have a feeling this search for the perfect front doors will not be quick and easy, but I’m planning to scour antique shops, salvage shops, and also look at newer options to find our Goldilocks – not too big, not too small, not too ornate, not too plain, just right for our home. Let the search commence!

Traveling to Czechia? Here are a few things we loved!

Prague

*Jewish Quarter. Touring this area and the synagogues and buildings was an incredibly moving experience and an important education on Jewish history in Prague (and Europe in general). We chose to add the audio guide to our tickets which gave a lot of additional information and context. I would recommend dedicating a full morning at minimum for the tour, and make sure to give yourself time in the afternoon to process and reflect on everything. It’s a lot to take in and the information is really difficult at times (I cried multiple times, especially through the Terezín Children’s art exhibit in the Pinkas synagogue).

*New Town + Old Town. Any guidebook or travel itinerary will have specific places to go in both New Town and Old Town and my suggestion is to pick a few that you really want to do and then spend the rest of the time wandering the sections. You will likely stumble upon more of the suggested tourist spots, but you will also have so much fun just walking and exploring. There is truly SO much to see and do and it is hard to actually get lost since there are so many large historic landmarks. I also recommend exploring both at day and night, as the vibes are different and each is uniquely fun!

*Castle Quarter. I absolutely recommend spending a half day exploring Prague castle + St Vitus Cathedral. You can access the grounds and see the outsides and a small section inside the cathedral for free but we found it to be well worth buying tickets + audio guides to get the full experience.

*Use the public transportation! We used trains, metros, trams, and buses and all were fairly easy to navigate once you got the hang of the system. All public transportation uses the same ticketing system which is helpful! English is very widely spoken so you can always ask a question to a staff member or bus driver and they’re happy to help. It’s a fun way to broaden your scope of exploration and see more of the city/country in an authentic way.

Kutna Hora

I absolutely adored this charming small town and highly recommend making it a priority to visit. We spent just under two days there and while you can make it in a day trip from Prague, we were glad to have some time to just relax, explore, and enjoy a slower pace in a town that wasn’t overrun with tourists.

*St. Barbara’s Cathedral is gorgeous!! Well worth a visit. We also saw the Bone Church and St Mary’s Cathedral and both were interesting (the bone church is pretty chilling though, I’m not sure we’d ever want to go again).

*We stayed in this bed and breakfast and loved it. Great location, delicious breakfast, warm and gracious host. We would definitely recommend it!

*This is the perfect town to just wander and explore. We lingered at restaurants and popped into thrift stores, cathedrals, tiny museums, a Vietnamese market, parks, overlooks . . . it was the perfect little getaway in the middle of our vacation.

Those are the highlights of our trip but I’m always happy to give more information or specific recommendations if you want so feel free to ask away in the comments!