My kitchen has long been one of those rooms in my home that I put in the category of "almost complete."  When I moved in, it had already been beautifully redone with white headboard cabinets, marble countertops, a farmhouse sink, and wonderful stainless appliances to boot!   But, the problem is that it's kind of an awkward size.  There isn't truly enough room to put a nice island (not to mention any type of table), yet without something there is just this dead space in the middle.  Plus no where to put out food for guests or let a friend sit to talk to you while you cook.

So, my idea for a solution became a kitchen island on wheels.  Thus, I could move it into the corner under the window when it became to burdensome, but I have it there for everyday use - because if there was one downside to my beautiful kitchen, it's that it is a little short on counter space.

under the window when it became to burdensome, but I have it there for everyday use - because if there was one downside to my beautiful kitchen, it's that it is a little short on counter space.

Last week, I took a look at my closet and thought - OMG, I have not worn some of these clothes in years.  Literal years.

So today, it's #GYSTS and I've purged my closet of all those clothes that I have no idea why I am still hanging on to them. 

I couldn't stomach spending $1,500 USD or more on a yoga retreat, so I decided to DIY my own - and it wasn't nearly as hard as you might think!

It's a little more work figuring out the what/where/how of things, but with everything essentially walk able in Ubud, it was a really enjoyable experience.  Plus relaxing... holy moly, I was relaxed.   I'm hoping that the next person who travels to Bali and tries to DIY their own retreat has a little easier time than I, with the help of this post, because you should enjoy and explore every minute of it.

This one's for the beginners out there looking for a DIY Project to expand their horizons... and are in need of a little extra umph in the bedroom (if you know what I mean).

My upstairs bedroom is 3 walls of windows, and the remaining wall had two doorways and a stairwell.  So that left me with the problem of where in the world to place my bed?  After re-arranging time and time again, I discovered there was no other solution except to put it in front of a window.  Thus, I desperately needed a headboard to keep from pulling down the blinds!

I searched on-line for a while, trying to find something reasonably priced for my full-size bed, but to no avail.  And after looking at all these upholstered headboards, I thought - how hard can it be?  And I was right, this is a DIY Project that any beginner can take on.

Inspired after seeing the living room of Rachel Bilson, as reported by… I set out to incorporate many of the feel and principles of this design, but put it on my $3,000 or less goal for the entire room.  Starting from a blank canvas, I had no idea if this would be achievable – but, I sure was going to try!

We have an expanse above our living room sectional that was in desperate need of some art. I had originally planned on hanging a gallery wall, but a little Pinterest digging revealed that a simple ledge provided a lot more flexibility -- with a lot less work.

Though we used this technique to revive the hinges and locks for the Hundred-Year-Old Windows, the same method could be applied to many other things. Both the hinges and locks on our windows had been covered in many, many layers of paint or rust. I wanted to find a way to strip and restore them back to their former glory. 

 love my old house. Like, LOVE it. And there's nothing that makes me happier than when I'm able to salvage something useful and restore it to its former glory.

One room that has been sitting empty since I purchased my house 6 months ago is the Sunroom. The walls were this dirty looking off-white, with moth-eaten white curtains covering the beautiful 6-foot windows. They still had their original hardware, but of course it had been covered in paint.  Though I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with the space at the time, the first step was obvious: Restore those hundred-year-old windows!

When I started scouring the Internet for my Mary Poppins costume, I figured I could just purchase a parrot-head umbrella, being that Mary Poppins is a rather famous movie. I soon realized that I did not want to spend that kind of money, particularly on an umbrella that would have no practical use aside from costume accessory. It couldn't be that hard to DIY, could it?

With the days of college fraternity and sorority parties behind us, we have little excuse to dress up and get creative. But I refuse to leave the days of childhood dress-up behind me. So when I can find an occasion (and occasionally I am proactive), I will go ALL OUT to have the most creative and original costume.

I will admit, I did draw inspiration for this particular idea after seeing Lauren Conrad dressed up as Mary Poppins a few Halloweens ago. But I think I topped her on originality, if nothing else.

A DIY on Making Giant Fringe as the Perfect Backdrop.

Normally a round of applause after a great performance would be sufficient, but what about that special backdrop to showcase their talents?  No teensy stage is good enough, they need a backdrop!  And what better for that, then GIANT FRINGE!

When Mitch and I moved to St. Louis, we bought a 110-year-old house in Tower Grove Heights, a historic area in St. Louis City just south of Tower Grove Park -- almost 300 acres of running trails, ponds, green space, pavilions and Busch-league kickball.

The house had been completely (and beautifully) renovated by a local company that specializes in restoring historic homes in the area. It had been gutted to the studs, with all-new plumbing, electric, HVAC, and a new roof. By the time they were finished with Humphrey House (as we call it), he was absolutely turn-key and SO handsome, but also totally inoffensive. The house was smartly renovated by a firm, not an individual, and so the details were designed to be as palatable as possible. It was vanilla, is what I am saying, and I am a person who enjoys sprinkles.

When I first heard Caroline suggest the idea of using wine corks to hold place cards for her Rehearsal Dinner... All I could think was "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED."

I realized that the actual wine-drinking would not be my biggest contribution, but still, I thought I'd finally found the upside to being "the crafty one." But my excitement was short-lived. Did you realize that stores actually sell wine corks? Like, not in wine? Convenient, and unfortunate.

Here's my HOW TO!

The future Mrs. May had one last request – something glamorous to add to her up-do once the veil came off.