Tag Archives: DIY

The Hallway: A Little Progress

Since our house is a center hall colonial (the hallway/staircase is the first thing you see when you walk through the front door), it was important that this be one of the first projects we tackle. It seemed like a fairly simple one, but boy were we wrong! And as you can tell by the […]

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February 16, 2012 - 12:18 am

Leia - Wow, I can definitely tell the difference! Working on beautifying a home is definitely hard work, but the payoff is worth it :)

February 16, 2012 - 7:54 am

Amy - Eek! Painting stairs is no fun whatsoever . . . luckily, the end result makes it all worthwhile. So congrats on a job well done–it looks great! Looking forward to the rest of the “tour.” :)

February 16, 2012 - 9:25 am

Keeley @ My Life on a Plate - Those hardwood floors are beautiful! Great home choice!

February 16, 2012 - 10:36 am

Camila Faria - I really like the grey walls. I recently painted one of my bedroom walls grey and I’m loving it!

February 16, 2012 - 11:29 am

Gloria - This is looking amazing already! Our walls are a very similar shade of gray – love it!

February 16, 2012 - 12:59 pm

Piper - Wow, already such an improvement – I should send you pics of the current state of our hallway stairs – it’ll make you love your stairs even more!! :)

February 16, 2012 - 4:50 pm

Sabine - What a difference! You’ve done a great job – and I don’t even want to think how much work it was.

February 17, 2012 - 9:48 am

Cafe Fashionista - Gah! Maddy the difference is incredible! The two of you are doing such an amazing job with this project! :)

February 17, 2012 - 2:23 pm

Rachel @ The Redhead Fashionista - It’s really looking good so far, Maddy! I can’t wait to see more!

February 17, 2012 - 2:39 pm

Audrey Allure - The transformation looks wonderful – it definitely does look better than before (even without the railing!)

February 17, 2012 - 6:31 pm

chavonne - I love hearing about this stuff. It keeps me motivated. WE’RE STILL PICKING OUT PAINT COLORS for the first floor but at least its something

February 19, 2012 - 9:09 pm

The Guilty Hyena - The difference is palpable !! :) a successful completion of a project is such a hugely satisfying and rewarding feeling, even if it can be challenging at times.

February 22, 2012 - 3:46 pm

Nadette@Eat, Read, Rant! - It’s amazing how paint can make all the difference in the world. Happy house fixin’!

March 3, 2012 - 5:24 pm

Tiera - Looks so good! I love the wall color as well.

{DIY Prop} Valentine’s Day Bunting Flags

When brainstorming for Valentine’s Day photo ideas, bunting flags instantly came to mind. They are all the rage in the world of photography props and it’s plain to see why.  They are inexpensive and a great way to breathe a little fun to your photos. For this super simple DIY project,  I used Valentine’s themes cardstock and mini wooden clips with red […]

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February 2, 2012 - 12:18 am

Hannah - Stop it right now with all that cuteness! I just can’t take it! ;) Great idea for the bunting! I’ve been thinking of using some old scrapbook paper to do the same thing.

February 2, 2012 - 12:42 am

Tiera - Lovely! I like easy craft ideas like these :) And your niece is ADORABLE!

February 2, 2012 - 2:20 am

camille - thats so creative what you did! it looks so cute! and that baby is adorable!
i still dont know where exactly in the us i’m going to… you see, i was approved by the brazilian comitee, but i’m still waiting on the approval of the American comitee. People say that if you’re approved here, you’ll be approved there, but i’m still tense over it…i’ll only know it around april or may… and as soon as i know where i’m going i’ll let you know! :)

February 2, 2012 - 8:43 am

Cafe Fashionista - This is such an adorable decorative idea, Maddy – I LOVE it! And your niece is the cutest! :)

February 2, 2012 - 10:04 am

Mindy - i love these little flag banners. I havent made one yet, but I have a baby’s 2nd birthday shoot in few months that I am thinking these would be perfect for!

February 2, 2012 - 11:56 am

Life with Kaishon - She is the most perfect baby girl : )

February 2, 2012 - 1:10 pm

Christina Lee - AWWWWWW! That does add the perfect backdrop, doesn’t it?

February 2, 2012 - 3:48 pm

chavonne - You have the most adorable nieces. They’re so smiley and cute! Oh and i like your instgram photos, you make everyday things special

February 2, 2012 - 5:53 pm

Camila Faria - How adorable! So simple and cute. You have the best ideas Maddy!

February 2, 2012 - 5:59 pm

Amy - I absolutely love bunting flags–so fun! And your nice–eek!–I just want to kiss those cheeks!

February 2, 2012 - 10:52 pm

Jo - She is ADORABLE!!
And aren’t you clever with the bunting!! Love it!

February 3, 2012 - 10:11 am

Sarah - Dodeline Design - This is adorable Maddy! Love them!

February 3, 2012 - 10:29 am

Gloria - This is such a cute DIY! Can’t wait to see more VDay photos!

February 3, 2012 - 2:57 pm

Audrey Allure - I love the tiny heart clothespins! Can’t wait to have my own place to decorate for the holidays!

February 7, 2012 - 5:16 am

Kimberley - Dream. Delight. Inspire. - They (and the little cherub) are so beautiful! I’m inspired to do a little V Day decorating around my studio now. Thanks! x

February 8, 2012 - 11:59 am

Nadette@Eat, Read, Rant! - That’s a really cute idea, you’re so good at this. And of course, the baby is adorale!

TODAY: One Thing at a Time

It’s been two months since we moved into the house and as expected, things are progressing slowly and surely. Upon moving, we were eager to begin the process of renovating immediately.  But after jumping into the first project with little research, too many unplanned and costly trips to the Home Depot and a few tears of […]

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January 10, 2012 - 12:13 am

Angelia Sims - Well, ya’ll look too cute in your “work” on the house projects. I think it will all mean so much more to you when finished, since you are doing it yourself. Way to go!!

January 10, 2012 - 2:09 am

Tiera - MASSIVE project! Taking it one one thing at a time sounds like a good plan :) Good luck, and can’t wait to see the results!

January 10, 2012 - 7:19 am

Camila Faria - One (baby) step at a time, right? I know how that works. Good luck guys!

January 10, 2012 - 7:51 am

dana - Looks like a bit of fun and a whole lot of work! Glad to have you back blogging :)

January 10, 2012 - 8:07 am

Amy - Just keep telling yourself, if will be oh-so fabulous when it’s all said and done. I’ll look forward to seeing some of your projects here . . . who knows? Maybe it will inspire me to get a few things done! :)

January 10, 2012 - 8:12 am

Keeley @ My Life on a Plate - From what I can see, you two have a BEAUTIFUL home! I’m a big fan of taking the time to live in a house before tackling too many overwhelming (and expensive) projects. We’ve lived in our home for about 7 years and although we are ready to move on, I love that it took us years of painting, replacing, and re-arranging areas to get to where we are today. We took our time and budgeted and I realized that you may think you know exactly what you want to do with a room, your tastes and needs will change.

January 10, 2012 - 8:55 am

Cafe Fashionista - One day at a time sounds like the perfect solution for your project, Maddy – especially if it leaves more time for blogging! :)

January 10, 2012 - 9:26 am

Sarah - Ahh home improvement…what fun! I am the same way…I want it amazing immediately and way overwork myself. Try to enjoy it, and we missed you around here so don’t go too crazy! :-)

January 10, 2012 - 10:24 am

Gloria - What an AWESOME feeling it will be to look around your finished house and think “We did that! And that! And that!…” So impressed!

January 10, 2012 - 10:44 am

Hannah B - Oh man, I know exactly where you are coming from. I have a hard time focusing on one project if I have a million going at once so I made it a habit, in the home décor arena, to focus on one manageable task at a time…just like you said.

Congrats on having a space to make your own!

January 10, 2012 - 2:04 pm

Mishck - Take a breather!!!! No need to rush:) moooooo-shaaaaa

January 10, 2012 - 2:51 pm

tinajo - I know the feeling – but it will become so great in the end! :-)

January 10, 2012 - 3:01 pm

Elle sees - I would love to own a house and DIY, all younghouselove.com style. Good luck!

January 11, 2012 - 5:09 am

Buckeroomama - Kudos to you two for tackling it yourselves! I have a feeling that it’s going to turn out wonderfully. :)

January 11, 2012 - 11:56 am

rooth - Splitting it up into smaller manageable pieces seems like the much smarter idea. Thanks for sharing the photos and can’t wait to see each room’s transformation

January 11, 2012 - 2:45 pm

Sabine - Right you are, Maddy. It’s your house which means there is no rush… and I think it looks very cosy already.

January 12, 2012 - 9:39 pm

Nadette - Wow, you make home rennovation look fun. But my sister has a fixer upper, I know better, lol. Happy House fixing!