living simply and embracing imperfection
Of all the fruits I preserve in some way – freezing, canning, or drying – dried plums are probably my family’s favorite. They are simply a wonderful chewy-tart snack that we eat almost as fast as I can dry them. And they are NOT prunes – they don’t have that off-putting texture or smell, nor [...]
You might have realized by now that I’m always on the lookout for simple handmade gift ideas that I can recreate for a fraction of the cost. In fact, you can find a whole series on handmade gifts here. I think homemade gifts are fun to give (and get!) because there’s a little bit of [...]
As promised,here is a tutorial on how to make a bench from two old, broken dining chairs in a classic French/European style. We finally finished it enough to photograph for you after I saw folks pinning the unfinished version I posted a while ago. I’m sewing a cushion for it, so it’s not totally done, [...]
Even though there are lots of tutorials out there, I’ve gotten a number of questions- here and in real life – about the basics of Pinterest, so I thought I’d do a quick introduction for those who need it. If you are a Pinterest-pinning fool, this isn’t for you, however- I’d love for you to [...]
Ornaments made from vintage book pages seem to be pretty popular. There are many different kinds I’ve seen, and I made a few this year to add to our Christmas decorations. I like them all, but my favorite is this Rosette Ornament I made with accordion folds. You definitely get a lot of bang for [...]
I really wanted to do something special and different with these garage sale chairs when I decided to redo them (see the before and after of the chairs here). Painting them something other than white (my go-to color) was the first step. Covering the seats with burlap (really popular right now) was the second step. [...]
A couple years ago, I wrote about our family’s easy gift wrapping system. A key component of this system is wrapping sturdy boxes and the lids that come with them separately so that they can be opened without tearing the paper and then be reused from year to year. While the finished box looks complicated, [...]
My daughter and I bought the material for this project last November. How does this much time go by? Ugh. She’s been very patient, and I finally finished it today. Seriously. She gets major kudos for not bugging me weekly about it, because she was very excited about it. Back in November. Um, well…I think [...]
Since we moved to a house with a fireplace insert, finding an easy way to bring wood into the house became an issue we didn’t used to have. Well, bringing in wood without leaving a trail of bark and wood shavings, that is. When I saw a canvas log carrier advertised last fall that sold [...]
As the first step towards a small remodel of our kitchen, adding an over-the-range microwave has made a huge difference already in how we’re able to use our kitchen and counters. However, we had to reconfigure the cabinet above the stove to make this a reality, and of course we are sharing the steps with [...]
I cannot tell you how excited I am to be able to write about my success with a cast iron pan. Because for many years I was not successful. How many? Twenty years- and I wish I were joking. I aquired my cast iron pan shortly after Brian and I were married- I think it [...]
My whole family loves using these easy-to-make flax seed pillows for everything from sore necks to foot warmers (on cold nights it’s a treat to slide into bed with warm toes!). And they have been one of the most popular gifts I have given as well as one of the most popular things I sold [...]
I’ve been wanting to post this bread recipe for awhile, because next to Easy Artisan Bread, it’s my favorite bread to make. It’s mixed and kneaded in a food processor, (although, like anything, it can be made by hand) so most of the preparation time is spent waiting for the rise. In fact, this can [...]
Do you have old clip earrings, pins or costume jewelry stashed away somewhere? Me, too – I’ve picked up a lot of old buttons and jewelry over the years, thinking to use them in crafts. While most are very beautiful they really wouldn’t ever be used for their original purpose anymore. Inspired by cute push [...]
Need a gift for a techie? How about a cover for one of their electronics? This cover is a fairly easy sewing project, although you do need basic sewing skills. Since it’s a custom fit it would work with any size Pad, eReader, or other small electronic device. This project came about because Brian bought [...]
This little wooden table clock is a really cute and easy gift- even for the “less crafty” among us. It takes just a few easy steps and some inexpensive materials to create this- and not much time involved, either! I made one for myself when I gave these as gifts a few years ago, and I [...]
Today I’m going to show you how to make an easy (I swear!) rustic wall clock. This makes a great gift- I made these a number of years ago for my family for Christmas and they all loved them. In fact, they were way more enthusiastic for them than I thought they’d be! Isn’t this [...]
Remember me telling you about this dining table I found on Craigslist for $50? What I neglected to say is that I’ve never actually refinished anything before. I’ve finished new wood and painted finishes. I’ve even lightly sanded and refinished a surface without fully taking the first finish off (this vanity top). But I’ve never [...]
*UPDATE: Check out the definitive FAQ for the Paper Floor Technique where we answer all the many questions we get about this cool solution for any floor issues you may have!* Brian and I have created a video tutorial that shows all the steps needed to create a do-it-yourself floor using brown kraft paper and [...]
If you’ve got bread cooling on the counter, lettuce growing in a raised bed, cards ready for the next birthday, ketchup, mayo, and chocolate syrup in the fridge and jam in the freezer, what better thing to do now than sew some simple projects? And we’re talking projects that can be made with only a [...]
I’ve always admired dressers converted into vanities. In our city bungalow there just wasn’t enough room in either bathrooms for a dresser-vanity, so when it came time to remodel the bathrooms in our current house I was happy to see there would be enough room in the master bath, but just barely. Although I do confess [...]
Our family LOVES salsa – if we don’t eat it everyday, at least I think it’s safe to say we eat it every other day. We have been spoiled with the flavor of salsa made with a variety of home-grown tomatoes, peppers, and onions. So every August and September I make enough batches to see [...]
I believe a cottage can be anywhere or anything (condo, ranch, farmhouse) as long as you have a "cottage mentality" which puts people above things, celebrates imperfections, embraces simplicity, and finds joy in everyday life. Thanks for joining me!
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