My boys have been asking for a plant in their room. Seeing as how things can get rowdy in there on a regular basis, I’m thinking a hanging plant would fare best.

I came across this brass himmeli hanging planter on etsy. Isn’t the design perfection at its simplest? The modern style is a nod to Finnish tradition. The Swedish word “himmel” means “sky” or “heaven.” Prism-like ornaments were originally created to celebrate the winter solstice and bring good fortune but they’ve grown in popularity and now you’ll find them all over the world any time of year.

I want air plants. Like, bad. How adorable is this beaded planter? Each bead is dyed and strung by hand. It’s sort of the modern version of macrame hangers. I could see it hanging out in a small office or nursery.

Speaking of nursery…this mobile is would be perfect for a baby’s room. It’s so delicate and dainty.

Each of the items above is available through HRUSKAA, an etsy shop specializing in Scandinavian decor. The shop’s owner, Melissa, says that all of her designs are created keeping small space living in mind. She believes everyone – even those of us not living in McMansions – deserves beautiful pieces to display in their home. True!

Do you have any hanging plants in your home? Any suggestions for me plant-wise?

images: HRUSKAA

I’ve been itching to repaint the master bathroom. We painted it Benjamin Moore’s Tapestry Beige before we moved in. Don’t get me wrong. I love Tapestry Beige. It’s in our living room, kitchen and hallway. But in our naturally dark {boo} bedroom and bathroom it looks dingy. It’s not that noticeable on the blog because I’m able to lighten the pictures. In fact, you might not even be able to tell that I repainted.

I wanted there to be less of a contrast between the walls, trim and ceiling so I repainted the walls to match the trim and ceiling – Benjamin Moore’s White Dove color matched in Behr paint. I’ve never painted an entire room – walls, ceiling, trim, doors – one color before but I like it in our teeny master bath. With many of the small details painted the same color, the room feels less busy. I don’t know if I would like this effect in a different, larger room but in a really small bathroom it works.

The wall color helps camouflage the small cabinet {also painted White Dove} that we added last winter to house HH’s electric razor and toothbrush.

This picture better shows how the walls, cabinet and door sort of all fade together into a warm white abyss.

Because our bathroom is prone to splatters and drips {currently we’re sharing the bathroom with our three kids}, I chose a satin finish for easy cleaning.

With the master bathroom repainted, next on my list is the master bedroom. It will happen this week. I have no choice. My older kids’ last day of school is Friday and I’m banking on getting nothing done once they’re home for the summer. Our bedroom is naturally dark {it’s the room that gets the least amount of natural light in our house} so I’m going to play up that effect and go for something cozy. I’m tweaking my original plans just a bit. Here’s a peek.

More progress to come!

For those of you keeping track, the bathroom makes four rooms {the bedroom will be the fifth and last!} I’ve repainted since moving in not even a year ago. I shouldn’t be allowed to pick paint colors when I’m pregnant.

Click here to see who won last week’s Teal & Lime giveaway!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Friday seems like a good day to be spontaneous and step off the beaten path. I’m going to try sharing five things on Fridays. They might be five things I do every day, five things I would buy if I won the lottery, five things every stylish house should have, five things in my wardrobe, five things I’m good at, five things I’m awful at, five things I love to eat, etc. You get the idea. So, here we go.

I have not been a very good pinner. My pinterest account was lacking. But if I had to choose one thing to fall by the wayside, I would choose pinterest over my kids, piles of laundry, blogging, a DIY project, sleep, New Girl and wine. Yes, those are things that have been preoccupying my pinterest time. Sorry pinterest.

A little over a year after welcoming #3, I finally feel like I am starting the slow return to normal. Whatever normal is. Is it just me or does it take longer to find “normal” with each sequential kid? #3 was a doozie for me. My worst sleeper by far. But the good news is she’s developed into a great little sleeper {hallelujah!} and she’s pretty much the cutest thing ever {I might be biased}. And, yes, those two things go hand-in-hand. The better she sleeps, the cuter she gets. So keep sleeping, pretty girl.

Anyways, I found some time last week to update my pinterest boards. I deleted some {goodbye pregnancy} and added others {hello shelf styling}. They are by no means a done deal but they reflect my style much better. I want to keep curating and adding as I discover inspiration online and now I have a good foundation to do it. Here are five things I added to my pinterest boards.

Sources: design*sponge // Olson Kundig Architects // Emily Henderson // Miles & May // Chez Larsson

I love the feel of that living room. Simple and laid back. The modern cabin on stilts is HH’s and my dream abode. Emily is so good a creating little moments within rooms. I wouldn’t be upset if that wood and wenge bench decided to take up residence at the foot of my bed. And the literal indoor/outdoor mat puts a whole new spin on “cuttin’ a rug”.

What have you been pinning lately? If you want, you can follow my continued pinning efforts here.

Notice anything different?

Yep, there’s a new rug in town. But, first, the back story…

I love the sisal rug shown above. It’s crazy durable and after a year of living with three kids, it looks the same as the day the UPS man delivered it. One caveat. Not everyone’s feet are as seasoned as mine. I grew up in the country where it was okay normal to walk outside barefoot. I still prefer bare feet over the trendiest shoes. {That’s why you see my feet naked in nearly every photo of me on the blog.} But my HH and my kiddos have sensitive feet {the kids get all of their persnickety traits from their father – ha!} which deem the natural sisal a little too “scratchy” and “rough”. Sissies, I say!

To put the rug-related whining at bay, I made a futile attempt to layer a striped DIY rug over the sisal but it was welcomed with little excitement. Still not comfy enough for my delicate family. In an effort to secure the “Mom of the Year” award, I reluctantly started hunting for a plusher option. Two must-nots: 1) it must not cost a bazillion dollars and 2) it must not shed profusely.

About a month ago, after nearly six months of hunting, I found THE ONE. It is plush, oh so plush. In all, it cost me less than $275 for the 8′ x 10′ size. {Looks like the price has since increased.} And it barely sheds. BARELY SHEDS! I’ve been eyeing moroccan berber rugs for a while but they are so expensive and I was leery of reviews reporting beast-like shedding. So when I found this polyester version, I decided to give it a try.

What can I say? We are smitten. It is the rug version of clouds in heaven. I would say it has boosted our living room’s cozy factor 1000%. My feet are becoming more refined by the minute. But don’t expect them to start wearing shoes anytime soon. Another quality we were unexpectedly surprised by is the rug’s sound absorbing abilities. The vaulted living room sounds cozier if that makes any sense. HH and I noticed how the rug quieted the room as soon as we rolled it out.

The 8′ x 10′ shag is slightly smaller than the 9′ x 12′ sisal and doesn’t come with a non-slip backing so I just layered it on the sisal. The natural fibers of the sisal seem to hold it in place pretty well. I vacuum it once weekly and that’s plenty. My only complaints are that the rug is polyester and it does have an initial carpet smell. The odor was remedied with a week’s worth of open windows. And I will make my kids eat organic everything from here on out to counteract the negative effects of polyester. Kidding. A little.

I can’t keep the kids off the rug. They are like moths to a flame. Mabrey enjoys rolling around on the rug like so…

…when she’s not practicing her WALKING!

And, finally, proof that I have secured the “2013 Mom of the Year” award…

The day we received the rug HH and I rolled it out, vacuumed it, opened the windows then let the kids have at it. As noted, they were all about it. The very next morning Layne, our eight-year-old, woke up early, made his bed, got dressed and went out to the living room where HH found him planted face down in the rug at 7:00 a.m.

HH: Layne, what are doing?

Layne: Puppies and rainbows, Dad. Puppies and rainbows.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Our patio reveal is up over on The Home Depot’s blog, The Apron. Here’s where we started…

…and here’s where we ended up…

The goal was to create an outdoor dining space that jives with our simple, modern, cozy style. To see more pictures {day and night!} and hear all the details, check out my post over on The Apron. Bonus: There are many great ideas from other bloggers over there, too, to get your creative juices flowing.

Sprucing up the back patio jumpstarted more outdoor projects. Stay tuned…

Click here to see who won last week’s giveaway.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

And they all live happily ever after. The end.

Okay, there’s more to it than that.

So, by now you know that I’ve partnered with Target to bring you the best of Threshold. {If not, you can catch up here and here.} This month I was asked to feature Threshold goodies in my bathroom. I’ve been wanting to add something to the wall above the toilet. {On a side note, do guys care what they look at when they pee?} I browsed the Threshold aisles and immediately zoned in on a trio of sea urchins.

I have a peculiar fascination with anything urchin-esque. I can remember going to my grandma’s house when I was maybe 5 and she had a children’s book {couldn’t tell you the title or story line} that included a picture of a child stepping on a sea urchin in the ocean. I read the book every time I was at my grandma’s and I was so infatuated with that bothersome urchin. That’s how it all started.

Now, thirty years later, there are three sea urchins hanging above my toilet. I am not normal. Off the shelf, the urchins were a little too dark for my liking so I spray painted them gold - the same spray paint I used on our garden stool. If I may, let me correct myself: Now, thirty years later, there are three gold sea urchins hanging above my toilet. Still, not normal.

I brought in a few gold accessories on the sink top so the urchins wouldn’t be all “Damn it! I knew the one time I made an effort to dress up for a dinner party everyone else would be wearing jeans and loafers. I’m overdressed and under-appreciated. Never again.” I bet you didn’t know sea urchins were so temperamental, did you?

The soap dispenser and tumbler have an antique brass finish. My bathroom is quite the melting pot for metal finishes.

Shop the look: brass soap pump / brass tumbler / rattan wastebasket / metal urchin

I apologize for the artificial light in these pictures. It’s just that HH and I spontaneously decided to landscape our front yard. By ourselves. With three kids. {That’s contradictory, isn’t it?} As in digging, trenching, planting, shoveling, watering, wheelbarrowing, sweating, raking and seeding our crack house into submission. In the midst of our spontaneity {which totally isn’t like us}, I forgot to take pictures of the bathroom before the sun went down.

I am tired. I love Target. Sea urchins are fascinating.

***UPDATE: Daytime urchin pictures because I felt guilty.***

This post brought to you by Threshold, a Target collection. The Threshold collection focuses on specialized design techniques including hand-painted accents and artisanal touches to make each piece unique yet affordable. What differentiates Target’s new Threshold collection is its unprecedented style coupled with its high quality and affordability. Thank you Tar-jay!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

One week from today our outdoor dining patio will be featured on the Home Depot’s blog, The Apron. To hold you over until then, I thought I’d share a few of the DIY projects that were involved in the makeover. The Home Depot provided us with a dining table and bench to help furnish our back patio and the rest was up to us. There were budget and time constraints – not to mention the Ohio weather was NOT cooperating at all until a week before the already extended deadline. But I think projects like these {ones that require little time and not a lot of money} provide the most opportunity for creativity and inspiration.

Patio project #1: Update a garden stool. We had a ceramic garden stool sitting in our garage just begging for a makeover. Originally, it was a glossy green. {You can see the original stool here on the front porch of our previous home.} I had been eyeing pricey gold versions for our patio makeover so I decided to try painting ours. HH was concerned that regular spray paint wouldn’t adhere to the shiny, slick surface. After a little research googling, I discovered that applying a few coats of flat white spray primer first would be my best bet. I wiped down the stool, applied two coats of Rust-Oleum primer then finished with two coats of Rust-Oleum pure gold spray paint. Behold! A much cheaper alternative to the trendy gold and brass versions floating around on the internet. I like that the finish isn’t brassy but is a little on the “champagne” side. Very sophisticated. It’s been outside for a few weeks now and is holding up superbly.

Patio project #2: DIY a modern outdoor art piece. I can’t get over Ariele Alasko’s work. As much as I’d love to own an original piece, it’s just not in the financial cards for us. So I did the next thing best thing. I sketched a simple chevron design and handed the drawing over to HH who brought it to life. HH started with a 3′ x 3′ piece of treated plywood as the base. He borrowed a neighbor’s planer to rip 2 x 8′s {leftover from demo’ing the original 8′ ceilings in what is now our vaulted great room} down to ½” thick strips. Using a compound miter saw, construction adhesive and finish nailer, he attached the wood strips to the plywood base. He trimmed the outside edges and framed them then stained and sealed the entire piece. We hung the outdoor art on our home’s brick exterior with concrete anchors. The piece is sheltered by a deep 3′ eave and hangs on the north side of the house to avoid rotting and fading.

It is my favorite part of the entire patio because 1) it’s a personal design and 2) we used wood salvaged during our home’s renovation. It’s just a bunch of wood but it holds a lot of meaning for us. It turned out so great! HH and I are thinking we’d love to incorporate more pieces like this inside the house.

Patio project #3: Create portable light poles. Ever since I started brainstorming the patio makeover, I knew I wanted to string globe lights above the patio but there was one teensy, weensy problem. There aren’t any outbuildings or trees in the backyard to string lights to and I didn’t want to sink poles into the ground permanently. Along with HH, I came up with an idea for portable light poles.

HH poured 7″ of concrete into two concrete tube forms, set fencing top rails into the wet concrete, placed 4 eye bolts into each concrete base {for tethering purposes if necessary}, then held everything level and in place with a clamp/ladder system for 24 hours. It wasn’t until after the concrete was dry that we realized the clever clamp/ladder system had a fault. The only way to remove the ladder was to turn the entire apparatus on its side and slide the ladder off the metal rails. Oops! Luckily, it wasn’t a huge problem. More funny than anything. We removed the forms and cut the poles to our desired height. We added looped end caps to the top of each pole. String lights can be secured to the loops with zip ties. To be honest, we weren’t confident these poles would work out but, so far, they have been wonderful! They are sturdy enough not to topple or lean when lights are strung from them (or even during thunderstorms) yet they are light enough to move around. We haven’t had to tether them.

There are a few peeks at our patio tweaks. Can’t wait to share the final result next week!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Oh, hey. It’s Friday and I’m just hanging out in my laundry nook posing all The Price is Right beauty-like. I am so weird. My idea of a good time is staging amateur photo shoots in my house. Not necessarily with me in the picture but I like seeing other bloggers in their homes, so I thought I’d give it a go. I should have put on shoes.

The last time I showed you the laundry nook it looked like this…

Not too much has changed but I would like to point out my recents tweaks and then give you the full monty. Of the laundry nook’s innards, that is.

First up, I took all y’alls advice and rehung the homemade curtains {I cut up and hemmed IKEA linen panels} under the DIY countertop. Instead of clipping the curtains across the top, I gathered the fabric and clipped it about 2″ from the top hem. I guess you could call it the poor man’s pinch pleat. And it rocks. You guys are awesome with a capitol AWE! The gathered top looks more polished and pulls the curtains up off the floor a bit which makes sweeping easier. I haven’t heard other bloggers say this but I, for one, think a great advantage of having a blog is receiving ideas from the peanut gallery. Sometimes, even as a blogger, it’s really helpful to see my house through others’ eyes. Thank you!

The other obvious change is the mirror. The original mirror wasn’t the best shape for the vertical space between the two upper cabinets. The round mirror hung above the mantel in our previous home and there was no harm in trying it out but, once I hung it, I knew I’d eventually replace it with something taller and leaner.

I spotted Feiss’s Cleo mirror on Wayfair and the measurements were perfect. Its shape is curvier and a bit more feminine than I’m usually drawn to but I thought the curves would help break up the straight lines of the cabinets and countertop. Plus, hello, I am a girl {I don’t think I’ll ever be able to call myself a “woman” and feel comfortable saying it} and I am the only person in our household who uses this nook so I’m entitled to a little girlification when I’m handling dirty underwear, no? I clipped some forsythia, redbud and other green stuff from the backyard and threw them in a vase. Along with the leaning mirror, they give the nook a relaxed feel.

Please note the reflection of the dining pendant light in the mirror. Money shot.

I also enjoy seeing pictures of all the people whose dirty underwear I’m tending to while I tackle mounds of laundry. The second tier countertop was the best idea I could come up with to hide the dryer’s control panel. The magnetic photo strip is angle iron that you can find at any home improvement store. Ideally, I would prefer a dryer with controls on the front but there’s nothing wrong with ours so I made do. I strategically placed a few horizontal photos near the start button for easy access.

The photos can be removed to change the dryer’s settings but I rarely change them from load to load.

HH made the wood countertops using boards he found in the attic during renovations. He secured them together lengthwise with joiner biscuits and wood glue to get the depth we needed. The lower counter rests on wall cleats at the sides and a 2×4 in the middle. I painted all the supports white to blend in. The upper counter rests on the wainscoting.

There’s a secret trap door that gives me access to the washer’s control panel.

HH installed sliding latches to lock the door in the closed position. The door itself can’t support much weight when closed {a full laundry basket is fine} but the rest of the countertop is really sturdy. I can stand on it, no problem, and I have. Both countertops – the lower, deeper one & the higher, shallower one – are removable in case we ever need to get to the water/electric hook ups for the washer or dryer. They just slide out.

And now for the full monty…

BAM. The cabinets and woven baskets hold laundry supplies, lightbulbs, a water pitcher and our owner’s manuals. We have empty shelves!

The washer and dryer take up most of the floor space under the countertop.

There’s room next to the dryer for a rolling cart, drying rack, petite ironing board and small trash can. I hung the ironing board from a hook that’s screwed into one of the wall cleats.

My little laundry nook isn’t perfect but it makes me happy and I’ve come to love it. Since it is part of our mudroom/dining room, I keep it tidy and it keeps me honest. I try not to let laundry pile up in here. And whenever we get around to having a party {we are so due for a party}, I think it could moonlight as a bar.

Everett really, really, REALLY wanted me to take his picture. He says he’s going to be a principal when he grows up {lord help us all} and this is his attempt to dress like one. A clip-on tie on top of an argyle sweater vest on top of a striped polo and everything tucked in to show off the *reversible* belt. So smooth.

Thanks to Wayfair for supporting my habit.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I’ve had requests to share my favorite etsy shops and finds. Dare I say I spend more time browsing etsy than pinterest? It’s true. I’ve decided to try weekly etsy features and see how they go over. Let me know if you enjoy them!

This week on etsy I stumbled upon the most amazing collection of handmade chandeliers and sconces via Stimulight. The urchin-like starburst lighting has a midcentury vibe that reminds me of the Sputnik but is more affordable than the popular vintage pieces. Most of the fixtures are listed with a price tag of less than $400 while true Sputniks and even high end replicas can sell for upwards of $1,000.

The custom fixtures are made with the utmost attention to detail. The metal spines are crafted from high quality wire and can be adorned with hand painted wood beads for an explosive effect.

Along with chandeliers, the shop also offers handsome wall sconces and table lamps. I could see a pair of urchin sconces above a buffet in a dining room or flanking the bed in a master bedroom. A single sconce near a rocking chair or glider would be so adorable in a nursery.

After discovering this inspiring little shop, I was delighted to find out more about the maker and designer behind the pieces. The shop is the result of a creative collaboration between a visual display manager and an engineer. Zach Dutton, one half of the Stimulight duo, is a visual display designer for West Elm. Yes, THE West Elm. I’m a huge fan of West Elm so it’s really no surprise that I’m drawn to the experimental lighting gig spurred by one of their designers. I don’t think this newly introduced tangent shop will be sitting on the sidelines for long!

What do you think of these affordable spins on a vintage design? Are you a fan of West Elm too?

images: Stimulight

Surprise!

On a whim, I rearranged the living room furniture. We’ve been living here for nearly a year and something felt off about the living room layout. So I decided to switch things up. Luckily, rearranging furniture doesn’t cost a dime, takes little time and is totally reversible – you know, if things don’t work out like you hope they do. Also, my miraculous lifting powers have been likened to an ant’s. Don’t let my petite build fool you. I’m strong when I have to be. Like when an overturned car needs to be removed from a stranger’s mangled body {just kidding, that’s never happened to me} OR when a large piece of furniture needs moved across the room and I’m the only person older than 9 in the house {on the contrary, that happens quite often}.

The leather sofa used to sit perpendicular to the picture window but now it lives in front of it. I posted a sneak peek of the new layout on instagram and a follower said they needed shots of the room from different angles. Being an online peeping Tom of houses myself, I can appreciate that. This post is devoted to images of what our real life living room looks like right now. No styling. No prepping. Heck, no finished walls in some areas. Just straight up giveittomelikeitis. Here ya go.

As soon as I moved the furniture around, I was sold. Putting the sofa under the window totally opened up the room and felt more relaxed. My immediate thought was “this is it!” My second thought was “I hope HH likes it.” I pulled the switcharoo while HH was at work. He didn’t even notice when he got home that day. But after two mum days, he spoke up out of nowhere as if it had just hit him “I really like the furniture this way.”

Sold and sold.

It’s funny how a little thing like changing your furniture layout can change the way you use a room and feel in it. We used this room quite a bit before because it’s our only “sitting room” but now…NOW…we hang out in it. It draws us in. The kids are falling for it too. Mabrey loves standing on the couch, looking out the front window and watching neighbors walk their dogs down the street. {dog-dog!} It’s the place to be. All. the. time.

Reconfiguring the furniture even makes the unfinished fireplace wall look better. Okay, not really. But it does give me a clearer vision for the room.

Clearer vision decision #1: the brick fireplace surround is totally getting painted white. You may recall that the original red brick didn’t bother us enough to paint it ASAP so we were living with it as-is because un-painting brick is not an option.

Clearer vision decision #2: the TV will be framed out and recessed within a simple white tongue and groove feature that reaches to the ceiling. Long-time readers may recall that we had a grandiose idea to hide the flatscreen with a large painting that would raise/lower at the push of a button. But, now, that idea seems a little over-the-top. A little too “you’re trying too hard.” Sorry to everyone who was anticipating that.

I am working around the boob speakers. I hung two mirrors from Joss & Main and I think they’ll do. As much as a mirror can do next to bosom audio devices.

In case you’re wondering where the subwoofer is {I know, it’s weird that I can read your mind like that}, it’s rocking its ginormous cube self on the floor behind a curtain that’s behind a basket that’s behind a chair. Ha. I’ve got you right where I want you, subwoofer.

The media cabinet is vintage and I haven’t done a thing to it. It is screaming for an update. Don’t worry. I have an idea. Isn’t this sliver of wall begging to be a vignette? Much like the old drywall mud drippings on the hearth leftover from renovation are begging to be scraped off. Seriously. I am that busy lazy.

Looking back the other way is our crack house’s front door. I am ashamed.

We don’t use the front door yet. It’s a pain to open. It sticks and the jamb needs rebuilt. There’s a nice gap at the bottom too that I’ve stuffed with a beach towel until we find time + warm weather to tackle the door. Fancy, we are not. The UPS guy automatically brings our packages to the picture window for delivery. He knows.

Clearer vision decision #3: the shoe cabinet and octagon mirror will be relocated to the master bedroom. I love them together – just not here. They’re crowding the door. Plus, HH wants shoe storage in our bedroom. Currently, all of our shoes are stored on a rickety shoe rack in the garage.

Do you like our solution for disguising the wall speakers? It’s just an off-the-shelf wall shelving bracket system that you can get from nearly any home improvement store. We topped it with pine boards that we cut to length, stained and sealed. I LOVE them. I’m going to have fun filling them up.

Clearer vision decision #4: we won’t be DIYing a console table for behind the leather sofa. When the sofa used to live where the gray chair {above} now lives, we thought it needed a sofa table. But the sofa’s new home is under the window so we’re good. HH is way too excited about being able to set his drinking glass down on the slate windowsill behind the couch where it can’t get knocked over by rambunctious boys or a curious lil’ girl. He tells me at least three times a day how much he likes it. That’s what she said.

So what do you think of the recent turn of events in our home? Are you appalled by our living conditions? Has rearranging furniture given you a clearer vision for a room too?

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking