The First Five Steps at The Red House
These are the first five actions that will lay the groundwork for the Red House renovation. Earlier this week, we introduced you to The Red House R...
17-03-2023 19:33
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Welcome to the Red House!
Let’s go on a tour of our latest renovation project, our ‘new’ old mid-century home! Located in SW Michigan, this house is getting a...
14-03-2023 19:32
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Workshop Organization + How it Looks Today
Today we’re breaking down the items we used to spruce up the pint-sized workshop off of our Chicago kitchen. The workshop in our Chicago home ha...
10-03-2023 19:30
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Stylish Pet Beds for Your Best Friend
Today we’re rounding up a collection of stylish dog beds that will keep you home looking chic and your best friend feeling cozy. A Bed Fit for a...
02-03-2023 19:32
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Is Music in the Kitchen Mandatory" + A Smart Speaker Ro
Today we’re discussing the importance of music in the kitchen and rounding up a bunch of our favorite attractive smart speaker options. For us, ...
28-02-2023 19:28
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How to Paint Furniture
Today we’re taking you through a handful of easy steps to give a piece of furniture new life with paint! This is our process for painting (almos...
22-02-2023 19:34
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A 6 Month Review of our New Appliances
It’s been six months since we installed our new appliances. Today we’re giving our honest reviews of all of them! We completed our kitchen...
14-02-2023 19:28
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Kalvakota Project Reveal!
The Kalvakota project has been over a year in the making – from dark to bright through the magic of paint, organization and keepsakes. It’...
09-02-2023 19:31
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How We Installed a Floating Quartz Shelf
Today we?re talking through the planning and execution involved in adding a functional floating quartz shelf above our new range. When we began the pl...
02-02-2023 19:29
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How Much Did Our Kitchen Cost"
We?re sharing the breakdown of our kitchen budget with you. How Much Does It Cost" As promised, we?re breaking down how we spent our dollars in o...
31-01-2023 19:27
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Completing our Family Room With Natural Shades
Today we?re sharing how and why we added natural shades with motorized lift from our friends at Bali Blinds to put the finishing touches on our second...
26-01-2023 19:34
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5 Kitchen Trends We?ll See in 2023 and Beyond!
Today we?re breaking down our top 5 kitchen trend predictions for the new year and beyond. Our recently completed kitchen renovation gave us lots of o...
24-01-2023 19:36
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5 Hidden Features in Our Renovated Kitchen
Today we?re highlighting our 5 favorite hidden features in our recently completed kitchen renovation! Earlier this week, we released the full reveal o...
19-01-2023 19:35
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Our Boldest Kitchen Reveal Yet
The reveal of our colorful Chicago kitchen, almost 1 year in the making! Happy Kitchen Reveal Day! This month marks one year of planning and executing...
17-01-2023 19:35
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Our Goals for 2023
This is what we?re looking forward to taking on in the new year! A New Year, A New Outlook We?re easing ourselves into the new year, with the intentio...
11-01-2023 19:35
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2022, the Year We Evolved
The Year We Evolved In January, we said aloud that 2022 would be the year we evolve. For the near-10-years that we?ve lived in our Chicago home, our f...
22-12-2022 19:25
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Adding Functional Beauty to Our Kitchen with Delta Faucet
Our kitchen renovation is almost finished! Today, we?re breaking down all of the stunning functionality that Delta has brought to our kitchen renovati...
16-12-2022 19:29
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How To Add Lighting to Your Pantry
Today, we?re talking through the simple process of adding motion-activated LED lighting from IKEA to our big new pantry cabinet. When designing our ne...
12-12-2022 19:31
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These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things | 2022
As we near the year?s end, I can say that 2022 had us finding our footing again after a handful of shaky years. We started and almost completed our ki...
08-12-2022 19:32
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Why We?re Landscaping the Front Yard at Tree House
These are the plans for our front yard landscaping project at our Michigan Tree House, from building a berm to choosing perennials. Why Landscape the ...
06-12-2022 19:44
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How to Case a Door Opening
Today we?re walking through a handful of easy steps to add elegant wood casing to an existing door opening! When we purchased our Chicago home, there ...
24-11-2022 19:33
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Kitchen Progress! 5 Transformative Updates.
Wow! It feels like we?re thisclose to finishing our months-long kitchen renovation. Today we?re sharing five huge updates that have us using the kitch...
21-11-2022 19:27
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How We Organized Our Kitchen
Take a peek inside our drawers and behind our cabinet doors! These are all the ways we?re keeping our kitchen tidy and organized. Follow along with th...
18-11-2022 19:27
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YBH Holiday Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers
Stocking Stuffers just might be my favorite list to dig into. A few of these are already in my cart ? #9 for Lucy and #13 to add to Scott?s growing co...
15-11-2022 19:34
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YBH Holiday Gift Guide: For the Mentors In Your Life
Whether you?re on the hunt for a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or teacher, today?s gift guide is all about the ones you look up to ? with a focus o...
14-11-2022 19:32
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YBH Holiday Gift Guide: For Self-Care
There?s not a single item in this list of self-care essentials that I wouldn?t love to open, from cult favorite collagen to CBD infused body oil. In f...
11-11-2022 19:33
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YBH Holiday Gift Guide: For the Home
This one?s for all the homebodies, hosts, and all around home lovers in your life! The ones that look at real estate listings ?just for fun,? the ones...
10-11-2022 19:34
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YBH Holiday Gift Guide: For the Family
Our Family Gift Guide focuses on treats, games and activities for all to enjoy! From murder mysteries to movie nights to staying in touch with those f...
09-11-2022 19:34
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YBH Holiday Gift Guide: Baby, Big Kid + Toddler
The littlest ones we love might seem like the easiest; after all, they have lists for days, right" We?ve made things simpler by condensing those ...
08-11-2022 19:30
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YBH Holiday Gift Guide: For Your BFF
We?re kicking things off this year with gifts for your best friend! They?ve been with you through thick and thin, they?re the coolest person you know,...
07-11-2022 19:35
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How to Buy Stone Kitchen Countertops in 3 Steps
Our countertops are in! Today we?re sharing how we found our fabricator, selecting our slab and a deeper dive into how the countertop selection proces...
18-10-2022 19:35
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Are You Hosting for the Holidays This Year" Try a Brunc
Chances are, you?ve heard me rave about brunch gatherings in the past. I love a good brunch date, so of course I love a larger brunch gathering as wel...
11-10-2022 19:34
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How To Install Drawer Fronts Onto Inset Cabinetry
Today we?re talking through the steps we took to install drawer fronts onto the drawer boxes of our inset cabinetry. Our kitchen is progressing nicely...
28-09-2022 19:23
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The Weekender: Family Room Tweaks, The Prettiest (and Practi
Small Tweaks, Big Impact As we?ve lived with the play and family rooms for well over a year now, small things have continued to bug me. Several months...
23-09-2022 19:20
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How We?ve Gotten By for 2 Months Without a Working Kitchen
We?ve officially reached the 8 week mark since our former kitchen cabinets, countertops and sink were removed by their new owners. 2 months without a ...
20-09-2022 19:25
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Our Tips for Installing Kitchen Cabinets When Your Floors Ar
We?ve finished installing one run of cabinets on flooring that slopes upward about 1/2? in the back. Here are our tips for getting everything secure a...
15-09-2022 19:19
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The Kitchen Renovation: First Impressions of Our New Applian
Our appliances were delivered a few weeks ago. Here?s a quick rundown on how we?re feeling about them so far! Prior to getting started, it?s worth not...
06-09-2022 19:41
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The Weekender: Kitchen Cabinet Building Kick-Off, What I?m L
Let the Cabinet Building Commence! This is our first time building a kitchen using Cabinet Joint cabinetry, and our first impression is: WOW. The craf...
02-09-2022 19:48
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Collective Q+A: How do you show your home love as we transit
School is back in session for many of us, and with that comes the changing of seasons. Does anyone else feel the pull of nostalgia at this time of yea...
01-09-2022 19:49
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All the Details About Our Kitchen Flooring
The who, what and why about the maple hardwood floors we installed in our kitchen. The Floors Are Finished! The hardwood floors in our kitchen are ins...
17-08-2022 19:22
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10 Ways We?ve Added Valuable Storage Space to Our Home
From Built-ins to furniture hacks, here are 10 ways we?ve added hidden and unexpected storage space in our Chicago home. Stash Your Stuff! You can nev...
15-08-2022 19:19
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The Weekender: A First Look at Our Kitchen Floors!
The Floors Are In! Yesterday was a wonderful whirlwind. We were mostly kept in the dark as a team of two from Peter?s Wood Refinishing (can?t recommen...
12-08-2022 19:19
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10 Ways We Maximized Every Inch of Our 850 Square Feet Home
Here are 10 ways we designed our small house to maximize every square inch. Our Michigan Tree House isn?t large. Including the sleeping loft, it clock...
09-08-2022 19:15
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Lucy?s Back-to-School Wardrobe
Long gone are the days where we have the only say in what Lucy wears. Our 4-year-old has strong opinions on clothing, and she enjoys selecting her out...
05-08-2022 19:23
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The Kitchen Is Gone! (And How We?re Making It Work)
This is how we sold our kitchen and appliances and how we?re making it work now that we?re without one. The kitchen is gone! Although we?ve been in pl...
03-08-2022 19:22
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The Weekender: We Fell In Love with a House
We fell in love with a house. One week ago, a message with a link to a neighborhood house listing was sent to my DMs. Next YBH project", it read....
29-07-2022 19:20
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The Weekender: Palm Springs + Recreating My Childhood Summer
A Childhood Tradition, Recreated Growing up, I spent a month every summer with my grandparents in Pittsburgh. Just me, no siblings. It was so special,...
15-07-2022 19:22
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5 Inexpensive Cleaning Products We Can?t Live Without
Sometimes the best tool for the job is the simplest! Today we?re talking through our 5 favorite inexpensive cleaning products that help us power throu...
13-07-2022 19:20
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Adding DIY Landscape Lighting to Our Chicago Front Yard
The landscaping in our tiny urban front yard is filling in perfectly so it was time to add landscape lighting to make it pop in the evening. Here?s ho...
07-07-2022 19:23
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A Collected Kitchen: The Mood Board
Sharing the design direction for our Chicago kitchen renovation. A Collected Kitchen with YBH Earthy red cabinetry, black marble countertops and layer...
05-07-2022 19:24
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Collective Q+A: What Is ?Home Hacking,? and is it Right for
I first stumbled across Emily and Corey of Little Chicago Two Flat on Instagram early this year, after Emily left a comment on one of our posts. Of co...
30-06-2022 19:24
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Adding Solar Lighting to Our Tree House Backyard
Today we?re walking through our simple and cost-effective DIY solution to bring more ambient light to the backyard of our Michigan Tree House. When we...
28-06-2022 19:23
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Things We Love for Summer
A round up of things we use and love during the summer months, from home goods to sunscreen and everything in-between. Summer Lovin? It?s officially, ...
21-06-2022 19:26
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The Biggest Room Transformations After 9 Years of Loving and
For all of my before-and-after lovers, this one is for you. This month, we celebrate 9 years of loving and living in this home! We feel beyond lucky t...
16-06-2022 19:24
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Why We Added a Temporary Table to the Kitchen (+ a Round Up
We added an inexpensive temporary table to the kitchen in the midst of our renovation. Here?s why. Earlier this week, I elaborated (in Stories) on our...
09-06-2022 19:20
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Behind the Scenes of LaTanya?s Feel Good Makeover
What really went down over the course of the 3 days that we gave LaTanya?s home a makeover" Keep reading for all the details! Casey from The DIY ...
03-06-2022 19:23
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LaTanya?s Feel Good Makeover Reveal!
After months of planning, we completed this Feel Good Makeover over 3 days. Continue reading for all the before and afters! This post is in collaborat...
25-05-2022 19:25
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A Quick Start Guide to Happy Houseplants
These are the few things you can do to every houseplant to keep them happy, healthy and thriving. Houseplants bring color, life and cleaner air to any...
24-05-2022 19:26
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Choosing Tile for Our Kitchen: How We Narrowed it Down to ?T
This post is sponsored by our friends at The Tile Shop. Today we?re breaking down the process of selecting tile for our kitchen renovation and all of ...
17-05-2022 19:22
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The Design Plans for LaTanya?s Feel Good Makeover!
It?s time to share the design plans for LaTanya, who will be getting a feel good home makeover this weekend! This post is in collaboration with Amazon...
11-05-2022 19:21
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Designing the New Kitchen Cabinet Layout (+ Sharing the Plan
Here?s a big preview into the layout of our new kitchen design! This post has been months in the making, and we couldn?t be more excited to share it t...
09-05-2022 19:23
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Lucy?s Big Kid Unicorn Bedroom Reveal!
A unicorn bedroom doesn?t have to be a theme. We?re sharing how we incorporated magical elements to give Lucy the unicorn room of her big kid dreams! ...
06-05-2022 19:22
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Yummiest Mother?s Day Cocktail to Try
A cocktail that?s easy to sip, smooth yet tart. Even before Kim was mom to our little Lucy, we always found fun ways to celebrate Mother?s Day. Whethe...
02-05-2022 19:22
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The Guest Room Is Taking Shape!
Our guest room is not only shaping up, it has literally taken on a whole new shape! This post is in partnership with Brooklinen. All Brooklinen produc...
29-04-2022 19:22
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Collective Q+A: What Is the Kitchen Feature That Changed the
Spoiler alert: We?re in the thick of our own kitchen renovation. JK, you already knew that. But! Did you know that many of the design elements we?re i...
26-04-2022 19:24
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The Weekender: Our Family Vacation!
Sun for the Soul Last week, we were quiet on the blog and socials because we were on the road! We took a family road trip to the Florida panhandle to ...
22-04-2022 19:20
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Kitchen Renovation Update: Closets, Colors, Cabinets and Mor
It?s been a while since we?ve chronicled the kitchen renovation on the blog! Here?s how things are taking shape so far. The Guest Room The kitchen ren...
20-04-2022 19:24
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A Simple Closet Reorganization for Under $100
Today we?re walking through the steps we took to utilize every square inch of our average-size entry closet! The entryway coat closet in our Chicago h...
18-04-2022 19:22
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The Weekender: The Good, Not-So-Good, and Really Good News f
The Good, Not-So-Good, and Really Good News from Kitchen Demo Day If you?ve been following on Stories this week, you know that demolition started in t...
08-04-2022 19:19
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30 Ceiling Fans That Look Great Doing Their Thing
We?re rounding up a list of 30 ceiling fans that are as beautiful as they are functional! We?ve also included a few purchasing considerations for good...
06-04-2022 19:20
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How To Rewire a Light Fixture with a Cloth Covered Cord
Today we?re talking through the simple steps we took to replace a boring standard clear plastic electrical cord with a colorful cloth cord! We?re near...
29-03-2022 19:23
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All of Your Spring Garden Questions Answered!
When should you prune your garden" Where should you cut back your hydrangea" What type of fertilizer should you purchase" Do you need f...
25-03-2022 19:18
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How to Build a Simple Bunk Bed Ladder!
Today we?re walking through the steps to build a strong ladder for our daughter?s floating loft bed. It?s easier than you might think! Lucy?s floating...
23-03-2022 19:19
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30 Whimsical Lights for Kids and Adults Alike!
A round up of whimsical lighting for ceilings and walls that kids and adults will enjoy! In searching for the just-right, unicorn-ish, magical light f...
21-03-2022 19:20
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The Weekender: Shifting Moods, Covid 2 Years Later, + My Eve
Shifting Seasons, Shifting Moods It?s almost spring, can you FEEL it!" Depending on where you live, this may not be breaking news, but to Chicago...
18-03-2022 19:21
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How We Built Lucy?s Loft Bed!
Today we?re breaking down all of the steps for the build-out of Lucy?s fully custom floating loft bed. A quick note: We hope this goes without saying,...
16-03-2022 19:21
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Wallpapering Soon" Here are 5 Tips to Help the Process
If you?ve been inspired by all the wallpaper you?re seeing, you?re not alone. Wallpaper is back! Before you get started, we?re sharing the 5 things th...
10-03-2022 19:19
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How To Add a Rotary Dimmer to a Wall Sconce
This is how we easily added a rotary on/off dimmer switch to a pair of hard-wired brass wall sconces for our daughter?s ?big girl? bedroom. Ever find ...
25-02-2022 19:17
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29 Swivel Chairs That Steal Our Hearts
On the hunt for your perfect swivel chair" We?ve rounded up 29 of the ones that steal our hearts, in the hopes you can find yours. We added this ...
21-02-2022 19:14
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The Weekender: Loft Bed Progress and a Small Setback
Slowly But Surely I had planned on this being a more robust post for you today, with additional photos of loft bed progress and close-ups of installed...
18-02-2022 19:20
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Filtering Light and Increasing Privacy with the EasyTouch Li
Today we?re sharing how we utilized the new EasyTouch lift system from our friends at Bali Blinds to put the finishing touches on the window coverings...
16-02-2022 19:42
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Collective Q+A: What is Your Favorite Valentine?s Day Tradit
We may not celebrate or decorate for every single seasonal holiday around here, but there?s one night a year that we always look forward to ? Valentin...
14-02-2022 19:18
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Hide Your Television within a Gallery Wall!
Would you hide your television within a gallery wall" We?re sharing how we layered frames, art and photos to make it work. On a bit of a whim, we...
10-02-2022 19:15
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5 Ways We Keep Our Airbnb Running Smoothly From Afar
Today we?re talking through 5 ways we?ve learned to manage our ?Tree House? Airbnb while living 90 miles away. Just over a week ago, we opened up the ...
07-02-2022 19:20
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How We Maximized Storage in Our Craft Room by Using Floor Sh
Today we?re breaking down the way we used a floor-standing shelf to maximize vertical storage for craft supplies, decor and photo props. A Shifting Sp...
02-02-2022 19:43
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The Weekender: Stay In Our Homes, Attractive Toy Storage, Sm
Rent Our Two Flat! Unit #2 of our Two Flat will be available to rent starting April 1st! We?re sad to see our tenants leave, as they?ve been part of t...
28-01-2022 19:26
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Lucy?s Room Color Reveal!
Lucy?s bedroom is PURPLE! We?re sharing how we decided on the perfect shade to suit her personality: Mellow Mauve (1004-7C) from Valspar. Lucy?s room ...
26-01-2022 19:42
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Why We?re Moving Our HVAC Closet to Completely Change the La
Today we?re talking through a mechanical closet shift that will make a massive difference in the way we?re able to utilize the space in our kitchen. A...
24-01-2022 19:41
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Have a Wall" Make a Mudroom!
This post is sponsored by AllModern. Earlier this month, while the Kalvakotas were out of town, Scott and I snuck into their home and whipped up a mud...
20-01-2022 19:15
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How We Created An L-Shaped Sideboard and Gained An Entirely
This is how we created a large L-shaped sideboard using two separate pieces of furniture ? and gained an entirely new room in the process. When we fir...
18-01-2022 19:26
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Let?s Organize Together
Let?s kick off a week of fine tuning the systems in our home! Keep reading to see the schedule, and let?s do this together. What does The Year of EVOL...
14-01-2022 19:21
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Kicking Off Lucy?s Purple + Pink Unicorn Bedroom
Lucy turns 4 today, and we?re celebrating by kicking off the design of her purple and pink unicorn big girl bedroom! This is how we?re making it happe...
12-01-2022 19:47
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Our Goals for 2022!
Happy New Year! Happy new year to you! It turns out that the weirdness of 2020 trickled much farther into 2021 than any of us would have liked, didn?t...
10-01-2022 19:19
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2021, the Year of the Pause
The Year of the Pause At the start of this year, we promised ourselves that our word for 2021 would be pause. I hesitate to even bring 2020 into this ...
17-12-2021 19:18
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A Big Kalvakota Project Update
We introduced the Kalvakota Project in September, and it?s taken every bit of these last few months to make a decent dent in the makeover. Between sup...
14-12-2021 19:47
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The Weekender: A Visit to Vermont + Quick Ship Gifts
Our First Visit to Vermont! Over the weekend, Scott and I visited Vermont for our first time! We were there with a group of incredible creators to eng...
10-12-2021 19:48
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Collective Q+A: Which Project Are You Most Proud of In 2021&
We physically write our yearly goals for ourselves, but we share it publicly to hold ourselves accountable. Anything from home projects to new family ...
08-12-2021 19:42
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These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things | 2021
It?s time for our annual Favorite Things list for 2021! This year has been? well, it?s been a year, huh" We filled it with wonderful times, like ...
03-12-2021 19:22
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3 Ways the BISSELL ICONpet EDGE Has Made Cleaning Easier
The two youngest members of our family are our almost 4 year-old daughter and our 60 pound shed-happy dog, Catfish. Between the two adults and two sma...
02-12-2021 19:45
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My Makeup Routine + Favorite Products
I?m sharing my makeup routine and my go-to products for a bright, natural look. Bright + Natural After sharing my skincare essentials, I received coun...
29-11-2021 19:17
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