Our Home. My Canvas.
The mason jar has become ubiquitous in our home. They’re everywhere. As in can’t swing a dead cat without hitting one everywhere … And my family has become so accustomed to their presence, they no longer question my varied and increasingly bizarre mason jar projects … or my sanity. And when I decide to serve them up a dessert or a meal in a mason jar, they simple shrug and grab a spoon … But beyond the … [Read more...]
I wasn’t going to write a Father’s Day post (sorry honey, sorry dad). It didn’t even cross my mind … does that make me a terrible wife? A terrible daughter? A terrible person? But then I came across this amazing post from one of my favorite bloggers. And as I wiped away the tears after reading her eloquently written prose, the guilt settled in … I mean, it’s not like my husband’s a … [Read more...]
I’ve been remiss. I’ve kept you in the dark. Can you forgive me? I promised a tutorial on the sequin mason jar that I shared last week. You know the post, right? The one where I ran a giveaway for a case of amazing blue Ball mason jars … … and before I get to the ‘how to’ part of this post, how about I finish up that piece of unfinished business. Because the giveaway is closed. A winner … [Read more...]
Did you ever invite yourself to a party? And I’m not talking about some coy, roundabout way of trying to pull an invitation out of someone. Listening with rapt attention as they regale you with tales of their past parties. Gasping and laughing and expressing with great enthusiasm about how much fun it sounded … … letting your voice trail off as you look longingly at the storyteller. Hoping an invitation would … [Read more...]
Today I’m a teaser … Not a ‘ha ha’ teaser. And definitely not a make people laugh at your expense teaser. That would be mean. No, today I’m a flirty teaser. With a bash of my eyelashes … … and a wink. I may even throw in a hair flip as I tell you that I’ve got a guest post up today over at i heart naptime … It’s a summer project. Hence the … [Read more...]
My baseboards had an inferiority complex. They’re very insecure. Self-conscious. Constantly comparing themselves to other baseboards in the neighborhood … … and coming up short. And skimpy. And, well, wimpy. If my baseboards were on the playground at school, they would get picked last for kickball. The definitely can’t climb that rope in gym class. And I fear they would be in serious … [Read more...]
Do you know what happens when you (read: me) decides to tackle a bazillion mason jar projects while your (read: my) injured finger heals? You catch the attention of the Ball brand people, that’s what happens. And they send you a very nice email asking if you’d like to receive a case of their Heritage Collection 100th anniversary Ball brand mason jars to craft with ... Why yes. Yes indeed. I would love to receive a … [Read more...]
Hey – here comes summer! On Memorial Day weekend I still had the heat on! I am very upset with the chilly and wet spring in Chicago, and I’d like a refund. If I can’t get any money, I’ll take whatever is in the big box, Monty. I was even more upset the other day to realize my kids have grown up. Couldn’t someone have sent me an email about this before now? I was walking Ernie along our street and … [Read more...]
My less-than-stellar track record with plants has been well documented here. On the blog. Here … and here. Oh, and here too. I’ve even resorted to making paper flowers. But now that area nurseries are stocked with annuals … and those mini nurseries have popped up in the Menards and Jewel parking lots … I’m getting a bit anxious. And not just because I haven’t tended to the garden yet … [Read more...]
“Land of the free because of the brave.” Can I take a moment to thank all those military families out there – past, present, future – for your service and sacrifices for this country? You truly are brave. And have kept this land free … Free so that we can spend our extended Memorial Day Weekend hosting backyard barbecues in peace. Surrounded by friends and family and neighbors who will raise a toast to your … [Read more...]
Yes. I’m finally sharing the dining room remodel … I’m not sure what took so long. Perhaps because I was futzing with some window panels. Window panels that I finally scrapped … and that “scrapping” involved hardware removal. And caulking. And sanding. And painting. Which should’ve been a breeze considering the hard work was already done. The board and batten was installed … [Read more...]
Nineteen years ago today, Mike and I danced our first dance as husband and wife to Be My Baby … It was a beautiful day. Perfect weather. Perfect setting. Perfect company. Some tears were shed … Tears of joy, that is … … or so I hope. The little people who jumped all over the altar during the ceremony graduated from college this past … [Read more...]
I had every intention of calling in sick today. But it wasn’t going to be a real sick day. Because I’m not sick. I was going to give you the fake sick call-in … * Cough * Hellooooo …. That was going to be my opening. The fake cough followed by the gravely, drawn out hello. Spoken softly. Almost a whisper … * Cough * Another cough for good measure. … [Read more...]
Click on the picture to be taken to the clip board Turns out I’m brilliant. Who knew? Certainly not me. I’ll own up to smart … concede to inventive … humbly accept creative … But brilliant? Yeah, that one eludes me. You see, the folks at Hometalk asked me to collect my favorite mason jar projects on a clip board. And I thought sure. Sure, I can … [Read more...]
Chalkboard paint. Do you love it? … or do you hate it? Are you sooooooooooo over all those chalkboard paint projects? Like you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a chalkboard painted flower pot ... or door ... or awesome chalkboard calendar made from and old window over it? Because you know what? At the risk of sounding so two-thousand-and-five, I’m … [Read more...]
Hi there! My name is Linda and I’m a Jersey-born-and-bred Midwestern transplant who lives in Chicago with my husband and two children. We've lived in our home since 1995 and over the years our style has changed and evolved. I wouldn't call my home a work-in-progress -- more like a rework-in-progress as I refresh and remodel things around here ... one room at a time.
