Hey all! It's been quite a while since I published on this blog, but it feels like the tiki bar needs a moment in internet time on this site. When we bought our 1950's home about two years ago and I saw the finished basement, I knew my home tiki bar dreams could finally become… Continue reading Home Tiki Bar Reveal
I've been working on the kitchen any spare moment I've had for the past few weeks, and I'm finally done! Phase I, sanding and staining the cabinets black, is complete, and I'm so excited to start on Phase II, the floors. Most of the details on why we are updating our kitchen can be found… Continue reading MCM Kitchen Remodel: Phase I
We've been in our mid-century house for almost a year, and we've really made a style mark on our home. The collection of rooms as a whole is pretty eclectic, like our Art Deco glam main bedroom or modern tiki basement den, but we are leaning mid-century modern in most other rooms. It's been fun… Continue reading Future Plans for the Kitchen
Aloha, fabulous readers! Today I wanted to share with you my super easy makeover of our original 1950's built-in bar in the basement lounge. Recently Lick Paint reached out to me and asked if I would join their VIP Decorator team, as they launch their product in the US, and I was ecstatic for the… Continue reading Tropical Built-In Bar Makeover
Hello again readers! It's been about a year since I've last posted here on the blog, but I'm trying to get back into it again, so here's hoping I can keep it up! Last October we bought a new house in the Northern Kentucky area. With Ryan's pottery studio being located in our home, I… Continue reading We Have A New House!
Hi y'all! It's been awhile since my last blogged DIY, but I have a unique one to share with you! A few months ago, Ryan and I were bemoaning the fact that his office was a shipping facility disaster. While it's amazing that his pottery business online sales are higher than ever, it also means… Continue reading Hidden Mattress Wall
It's been awhile since my last blog post, but I'm back in action with a new DIY! This project was super easy and cost practically nothing, which is my favorite kind of project 🙂 I've been buying and selling a few of these wicker chip and dip holders lately, and I always wondered why there… Continue reading DIY Wicker Chip & Dip Liner
I did it...I finally took the plunge and painted my fridge. Ahhhh! In all seriousness though, I'm so glad I did it. My dream is to have vintage 50s appliances (or retro reproductions), but the budget just doesn't fit that dream at the moment. In the meantime, a modern fridge painted cherry red does the… Continue reading DIY Retro Red Fridge
For the 8 years my husband Ryan and I have been together, we have collected a number of pottery pieces, mostly mugs. That awesome collection needed to be displayed, so Ryan created these custom cubby shelves for our dining room for display. We enjoy picking mugs from the shelves each day for our tea, and… Continue reading Tiki Bar Cubby Shelves
The last couple week’s I’ve been working on my client Dio’s dining room/kitchen and it’s my favorite room so far! I’m a bit obsessed with tropical elements, so I was onboard when she showed me her inspiration photo for the dining space. Leo’s Oyster Bar has decor to DIE for, so it was fun to… Continue reading Tropical Dining Space
Is anyone else fascinated with vintage store signs and hand painted lettering on windows? I’ve always loved the attention to detail and fancy scroll work of vintage sign painting. I even did my graduate thesis on the importance of historic sign techniques. I know, I’m that kind of architecture nerd. P Well that passion for… Continue reading Old Fashioned Lettering Art For Your Home
It's no secret in my family that I take after my dad, when it comes to antiques and vintage. We are both equally obsessed and love going on hunts together for cool pieces. In particular, we share a love of vintage glassware. My collection of vintage glassware has become quite large (to my husband's annoyance),… Continue reading DIY Vintage Glassware Candles
So all of our big projects inside our home are complete (as far as I know, hehe), so it's time to focus on the exterior. Exterior projects and gardening are much more intimidating for me, so I haven't done much outside. But my skills have grown a bit and I have a great vision for… Continue reading Mosaic Outdoor Dining Table
Earlier this summer, I constructed an awesome outdoor bar with my dad for their patio. I really wanted to create one for myself, but our patio is a third of the size...there was no way that design would fit. Then one day I was perusing the antique mall with my mother-in-law when we saw this… Continue reading Sewing Table Turned Outdoor Bar
I've had this idea of sunset ombre valances in my mind for over a year, and I knew it would bring another fabulous layer to our eclectic living room. Our living room is a varied mixture of antiques, retro furniture, global touches and LOTS of color. And while my old DIY tassel curtains served us… Continue reading Our Custom Macrame Ombre Valances
This project has been a long time coming! I've been working on the bar on and off for 6 months and it's almost completely done! The only thing left is a custom sign with our tiki bar name, The Coconut Kiln, and it will look perfect. When I first discussed the idea of making our… Continue reading Our (Almost) Complete Tiki Bar
As someone, who travels on the regular, the lockdown and subsequent halt to all activities was an adjustment. First and foremost, I’m thankful we (Ryan and myself) are healthy and have our jobs, but it was a bummer to cancel so many plans. I’ve been back at work flying for a month now, getting back into the… Continue reading Traveling During COVID: My Tips on Flying and Driving Safely
When we first bought the house, my colors for the kitchen were black, white, grey and red. I had a few touches of aqua, but it was mostly the four other colors. It was a vast improvement from the previous style of kitchen in there, but it wasn't quite my retro dreams. I realized after… Continue reading Kitchen Towel Framed Art
A few months ago we completed our master bedroom makeover, and it's my favorite room in the house. I like deep, dramatic colors in bedrooms. I want the room to envelop me and feel like it's night time all day. We also have beautiful Art Deco furniture in there and lots of gold accents. The… Continue reading Mini Master Closet Makeover
Many of my projects during lockdown have been organization focused. Being stuck in your house for months on end makes you really focus on what does and doesn't work. With that in mind, I decided to tackle the problem area at the top of our stove. Because the piping for our gas line sticks out… Continue reading Over the Stove Shelf
A few weeks ago, I was browsing Facebook Marketplace (my current obsession since thrift stores and antique malls are closed) and I discovered two decorative suitcases for $15 total! Needless to say, I snapped them up. One was a plain black metal, which I decorated with my sticker book of vintage luggage labels. I'm not… Continue reading Suitcase Cat Bed/Side Table DIY
With the quarantine still going strong, and us cooped up in the house, I've noticed more and more problems I need to tackle. Minor issues to be sure, but when you start spending all your time in the house, the little things start to get to you. Our kitchen seems to collect the most clutter,… Continue reading 3 Cheap Kitchen DIYs for Decor & Organization
Though I've been blowing through lots of projects during this quarantine, I haven't gotten to my most anticipated changes for the kitchen. I have to wait until it's safe to have a contractor redo our kitchen floors (hopefully we still can in June). I've been debating on whether to do the appliance DIY before or… Continue reading How I Changed The Color Of My Toaster Oven
We LOVE our cats. No doubt about it! However, we don't love that they use our furniture as scratching posts... They already ruined our dining chairs beyond repair (which I since replaced with wood chairs), but I wasn't going to let our fabulous mid-century orange sofa meet the same fate. I began researching ways to… Continue reading Protecting Your Furniture With Craft Vinyl
When I was coming up with a design scheme for our bathroom renovation a couple years ago, I knew I wanted bright colors and something bold. However, all my designs included wallpaper and Ryan was not keen. He was worried the small space would be too busy and hurt his eyes. There was no convincing… Continue reading Tips for Beginners on Wall Stenciling
Our little family consists of us and two adorable cats, who we love to bits. Most of the time we can't get enough of them...except when it comes to their antics with their food dispensers. When we bought the new electric food dispensers, Marble quickly figured out how to get a couple food pellets at… Continue reading DIY Cat Feeder Cover
When we were house hunting 4 years ago, we knew we wanted an older home. I'm very passionate about historic architecture, and love the character that comes with most of these homes. Though our Craftsman home was partially flipped in the 90s, it still retains some beautiful historic character. One such piece of character I… Continue reading How To Boil Paint Off Hardware
Though I love many of the original features of our 1920s Craftsman home, the fireplace tile wasn't one of them. It's a boring square brick tile that the previous owners painted over with grey paint. Nothing special. One of my first projects the first year we were in our home was painting the fireplace floor… Continue reading DIY Faux Tile Fireplace Floor
As many of you know, I LOVE working on our house. There isn’t a room I haven’t touched. Except for our bedroom that is...For the first 3 years we lived there, our bedroom was just remnants of our furniture we bought cheap for our apartment and a faded duvet that didn’t quite match everything going on… Continue reading Art Deco Bedroom Refresh
This past weekend, Ryan and I had the opportunity to go to St George, Utah for a clay conference. We rented a super nice Airbnb with a group of four other ceramic artists, me being the tag along for the trip. Though we all had dinner together each night, I was on my own during the day… Continue reading St George, Utah Trip
Last week, we got to spend a beautiful few days in Mexico City. Three of the last four years, Ryan and I have gone out of town for New Year’s. We like to jet-set away from the cold, miserable Kentucky weather and go somewhere warmer that we haven’t been to before. I had been wanting… Continue reading Mexico City NYE Trip
It’s no secret that I’m in love with all things old, historic, and vintage, even while traveling. I love hearing about a city’s past and how it’s affected current times; seeing the culture it instilled. My particular passion is architecture, especially buildings that show off its craftsman’s skills. However, my trips that are history heavy… Continue reading St Augustine: A Tropical Getaway For History Lovers
For all my life, I’ve been surrounded by the notion of empowerment...”be your own boss,” “take charge”, “change the world,” “climb the ladder.” For a young girl who had quite the imagination, this was a heady notion. I needed to make my mark on the world, however that may be. What I didn’t realize until… Continue reading The Power Of The Supporting Role
Last week I went on a trip to Los Angeles and San Diego, centered around going to the three baseball stadiums located there. My travel companions (my in-laws, husband, best friend and her girlfriend) are all baseball enthusiasts, and enjoy visiting all the stadiums around the country. I was game with the idea, as long… Continue reading How My Trip To California Showed Me Travel Is More Than Checking Off The Tourist Spot Boxes
We FINALLY finished our bathroom remodel and I couldn't be more relieved! We started it in early June, and let's just say we were thrown alot of wrenches in our timeline. As with any major remodel, not much goes as planned, and problems arise...but we pushed through and it looks great! I want to… Continue reading Our Bathroom Remodel
It's been a few years now that my husband Ryan has done art shows. There is rarely a month that we don't have at least one show to sell at, so I've had to dress for all types of weather (even when indoors). I've learned the hard way that some outfits, however cute, are impractical… Continue reading My “Comfy Cute” Outfit Staples When I Work Art Shows & Other Events
Hello readers! I’m sorry I’ve been MIA for several months...this past spring the blog felt like a chore instead of a fun outlet, so I took some time away from it. However, I’m back and ready to share my travels, fashion tips and home decor stylings! My husband, Ryan and I just got back from… Continue reading Our Long Weekend in Iceland
Whether it's by train, plane or automobile, travel can be equally fun and exhausting. The allure of escaping town and exploring somewhere new is great, but being cramped up in a seat for hours on end can be uncomfortable. That's why it's important to wear the right clothes on heavy travel days. You could be… Continue reading Chic And Comfortable Clothes For Travel Days
Being restricted on liquids can be difficult, especially on longer trips. Sometimes you need more than 3.4 oz of shampoo and other liquid toiletries. Yes, you could buy something once you get to your destination, but sometimes that new destination has super expensive prices or no brands you prefer. Replacing some of your liquids with… Continue reading Solid Product Alternatives For Travel Toiletries
My husband and I took a trip to St. Thomas last week, and it was such a life refresher! Our lives are constantly busy, and even when we take breaks to travel, it's usually sight-seeing and jam-packed. This is the first vacation we've taken in awhile that just about relaxing and spending time at the… Continue reading Relaxing Week in St. Thomas USVI
My love of leopard print probably stems from my passion for all things vintage. Or my days as a Mt. Carmel grade school kid, "Go Cheetahs!" The ladies from decades past really knew how to wear spots, and I love seeing pictures of how they boldly styled this daring print. Lucky for us, leopard print… Continue reading Chic Ways To Wear Leopard Print
The time has finally come, it's Dressing Room Reveal Day! I like to think that everyone was waiting with bated breath for this, so just indulge me. I've always dreamed of having my own room like this...the ultimate glam-cave just for me, to be creative and get ready. A few months back, my husband Ryan… Continue reading Vintage Glam Dressing Room Reveal
It's no secret that I hate winter where I live...the cold temps, the grey skies, snow, the list goes on. It literally brings down my mood. A few months after I began college, I started having amped up anxiety issues (including my claustrophobia), would randomly vomit up meals, and feel more anti-social. Nothing completely… Continue reading How I Use Travel To Combat SAD
One of my goals for 2019 was to incorporate my other interests, like history and architecture, into my travel blog in new and interesting ways. So many places around the world are embracing their historic roots in such fun ways and I want to share them with you, even if you aren't a history aficionado. … Continue reading Maverick Chocolate Shop
Sorry for the short hiatus from the blog. Between family obligations, the holidays and work, I was swamped. I did have some time though to think up new and exciting ways to merge my different interests on the blog! Today's post is one such merger, I hope you enjoy it! With a background in… Continue reading 4 Ways To Wear A Fair Isle Sweater
I've always enjoyed giving gifts, especially making them, but it can get overwhelming when you have so many people to think of. I don't want to leave anyone out, or not make a thoughtful choice, but it can be hard to think of the perfect individual gift for each person. Also, it's become more of… Continue reading DIY Holiday Gift Boxes
For many, the most ideal winter vacation is escaping the cold and sitting poolside with a drink (my kind of choice for sure!) But for those who want to fully embrace the holiday spirit, a little cold weather is worth the magical decor and activities. Sometimes you can even have the best of both, warm… Continue reading Best Places to Visit During the Holiday Season
It's that time of year...when you get your Christmas shopping lists together, and consequently stress over what to get everyone. Holiday gifts can be stressful and expensive, and most think their loved ones want those shiny new gadgets or whatever is trending. While it's true that some people might, I know my family and friends… Continue reading Shop Small Businesses This Holiday Season
The bathroom renovation, except for a couple trim pieces, is finally done! As standard with any renovation, it definitely took longer than expected, and we encountered a few challenges...but it's done and I'm proud of the work we accomplished. Pretty much all the renovations we took on for the guest bathroom were a new experience… Continue reading Travel Inspired Bathroom Renovation
Hello all! I know it's been a few weeks since I've had a new blog post, my apologies! I though once fall hit I'd be less busy than this summer, but it seems I'm busier than ever. Currently the bathroom renovation (among other obligations) has taken up most of my time, and I hope to… Continue reading Niagara Falls Day Trip
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