Recycle. Refurbish, Repurpose. Reuse.
You don't like tomatoes? If your only experience with them are tomatoes from the grocery store or the wedges you get in your restaurant salad, well then, I'd have to say that I can't blame you. What passes for a tomato in most places during most of the year is a tasteless fraud with a… Continue reading It’s Time to Plant the Tomatoes! (Even if you Don’t Like Them)
It started with a simple sentence. "We really need a new kitchen floor," I said to my husband. A month later, I find myself in the middle of an entire first floor home renovation. I'd been worried about the kitchen ceiling ever since the day we moved in. Made from layers of plaster that were… Continue reading In the Middle of a Spring Home Makeover
Once in a while I manage to interest my husband into building something for me. Over the years, my bookish professor/writer has turned out to be a halfway decent carpenter. With warm weather finally arriving, he wandered into the barn this weekend where he found some cast off pieces to be just right for crafting a… Continue reading Recycling Cast-Offs Into Handcrafted Garden Benches
If, like me, you live in an old, historic home you have to deal with many challenges not found in modern construction. One of the most common problems is damaged walls. Often, old plaster has been badly patched or walls are layered with difficult to strip wallpaper. One solution is to knock down the old… Continue reading Patchwork Wallpaper Project
This is a fun project that makes a gift card holder in the shape of a handbag. Super cute and way more interesting than those gift card boxes you buy at the store. Step #1: Gather your materials. I chose to use solid color embossed card stock for the body of my bag. For the… Continue reading Make Your Own Handbag Gift Card Holders
Carrot cake was not a popular thing when I was a kid. In fact, I never heard of it until I was in my 20's. I remember that it didn't sound very appealing. A cake made with a vegetable? Come on. Really? But my mother-in-law at the time swore that it was delicious and she… Continue reading Barb’s Favorite Carrot Cake
While February usually brings deep snows and frigid temperatures to Ohio, this year we have been enjoying a stretch of unusually warm weather. February and March were to be my months for organizing my dressing room and pairing down my wardrobe. But with temperatures climbing into the 50s, 60s and even reaching a 70° day,… Continue reading Organize It! The Front Porch
Americans spend an enormous number of hours in their cars. I don't particularly like to drive. No, let me rephrase that. I HATE to drive. When I was working, I spent just about an hour a day driving the 14 miles to and from my job. It took me about 25 minutes or so each… Continue reading Lifelong Learning and the Daily Commute
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