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Decorating for Christmas With What You Have
Decorating for Christmas is a Family Tradition Decorating for Christmas is a tradition in my family. In my earliest memories, we had two Christmas trees—a fresh pine in the family room and a shiny aluminum tree in the living room. Over the years, the decorations became much more lavish. By the time I had children, Christmas at my parent’s house was a holiday wonderland with garlands and bows everywhere, Santas and angels as tall as toddlers, and a giant wreath above the fireplace mantel hung which was hung with 30+ hand-beaded stockings. Every year there were multiple trips to Michael’s and Hobby Lobby for fresh ribbon and floral picks, more…
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Reasons to Buy Vintage Furniture Instead of New
Vintage Furniture gives your home character and personality as well as protecting the environment.
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Peg Doll Patterns and Instructions
Peg Dolls While searching for sturdy figures to populate a dollhouse castle and cottage for my grandkids, I ran across peg dolls on Etsy–knights, kings and queens, woodland fairies, forest creatures, families and adorable little characters of every kind. Simple and solid, they were perfect for little hands. With a few patterns and supplies I had on hand, making peg dolls became my evening hobby. I had so much fun with own designs for woodland, wildflower and bird peg dolls that I decided to make some of my peg doll patterns and instructions available on Etsy. Peg Doll Patterns for Download Click on any peg doll caption to go directly…
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How to Make Big Building Blocks from Boxes
How to make big building blocks from boxes, step by step with photos.
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Dollhouses and Peg Dolls
My granddaughter Mabel was 2 and 1/2 when I decided that she would enjoy a sturdy age-appropriate dollhouse. My search led me to Etsy shops and beautifully handcrafted wood houses. Unfortunately, while the craftsmanship was inspiring the prices and shipping costs were more than I planned to spend. Turning as I often do to one of my favorite sources for local resale, Facebook Marketplace I found several good options. An older Melissa and Doug dollhouse made of sturdy wood was available nearby. When I pulled up to the seller’s home, a woman juggling a dollhouse and a conference call signaled that she was throwing in a wooden castle, a shoe…
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The Frances Modern Inn East Austin Hotel
East Austin In East Austin opposites stand side by side–shabby next to chic, craftsman by contemporary, home next to business Sparkling new store windows reflect the weathered brick and razor wire just across the street. Angular modern homes cast shadows on pastel bungalows while those with dinner reservations vie for parking with residents. As the last bits of local color on South Congress fade to fashionable neutrals, Austinites turn to East Austin for fine art, creative cuisine, and a sense of Austin history. Recently, I was delighted to be in the neighborhood to attend the rebranding reveal of the former Cat Noir hotel, a boutique hotel which is now The…
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How to Manage a Home Renovation
You Bought a Fixer-Upper You have acquired a home with wonderful bones. You love it but it needs a lot of rehab, perhaps much more than you imagined. Now you are wondering how to manage a home renovation. So many decisions to make! How to Manage a Home Renovation If the thrill of acquiring a home with great potential gives way to overwhelm writing out a plan will help you. Words help us untangle the thoughts that keep circling in our minds, and plans give us direction and a course of action. Define your projects and organize them by priorities First, make your projects list; then, organize it by priorities.…
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Re-styling for Your ArtEssential Home
The Gold Mirror Re-styling for your ArtEssential home is creative reuse that rewards you with one of a kind treasures. Sometimes this means restyling something you’ve had for a long time, like this mirror that hangs in my breakfast area. The mirror was brown oak, and used to hang behind my son’s collection of miniature buildlings. It moved with us several times but never found a new place to hang until I decided to paint it gold. On the round part of the trim I painted suggestions of bamboo then added brown spatters for visual texture. That took a couple of hours and cost nothing. No carbon emissions or shipping…
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The ArtEssential Home
“The latest fads have never dictated my home style. I surround myself with the things I love–furniture, art, rugs, and accessories accumulated over time–and that always works for me.“ –ArtEssentially Yours An ArtEssential Home A Dozen Different Homes I’ve lived in a dozen different homes as an adult–each one very different. The first few were rentals that had hardwood floors and big drafty windows. We made them cozy with hand me down furniture, lots of paint, dried wildflowers and muslin curtains made from 5 dollar sheets. I discovered early on the satisfaction of doing it myself. The next three homes were child-friendly and casual. With three children plus friends playing…
