Blog

Featured

Fall Tablescape

I just love fall — the cooler nights, carving pumpkins, drinking warm cider, smelling freshly baked apple pies, wearing cozy sweaters, and oh the brilliant colors as the foliage explodes with shades of red and orange!

Until this last year, I was a school administrator and thus never had time to decorate for fall. Now that I am retired and doing education consultant work, I have more time and enjoy decorating our home for different seasons.

My father passed away on July 27, 2017. I miss him, but know I will see him when I get to Heaven. Dad had several old cars and trucks. He loved to restore old vehicles. This container (oblong metal box in the photo above) is the toolbox (behind the driver’s seat) in one of three of trucks Dad had behind his barn. I believe the truck is from the 1940s.

 

I just love using something that is genuinely old and rustic. It also reminds me of my Dad. Continue reading “Fall Tablescape”

How to Mortar Wash (German Schmear) a Brick Fireplace

Materials Needed:

    • Plastic or drop cloth
    • Painter’s tape
    • 2 buckets (one for mixing mortar and one for water)
    • Durable gloves
    • Mortar mix
    • Electric drill (for mixing mortar)
    • Mixing paddle
    • VersaBond White Mortar Mix
    • Putty knife (metal is preferable)
    • Heavy-duty sponge
    • Rags

Continue reading “How to Mortar Wash (German Schmear) a Brick Fireplace”

How to Patch Drywall

Background:

My Mom purchased a small house down the street from us. It was in decent shape but needed some repairs and updates. In addition to electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and several cosmetic updates such as painting, tiling the bathroom floor, updating the shower, installing new flooring, painting kitchen cabinets, updating the fireplace, replacing doors, etc. we needed to patch several holes in the drywall.

Continue reading “How to Patch Drywall”

Making a Wipe Board from an Old Window

In 2001, we moved to Cullman, Alabama and renovated two houses 🏘(side by side built in the 1930s) in the historical part of town. We had a contractor renovate one of the houses 🏚for our family to live in.  Neal (and I as his trusty assistant 😉), renovated the second 🏚. Both houses were 💎s in the rough. I was skeptical 🤨, but Neal saw the potential 🤔.

Continue reading “Making a Wipe Board from an Old Window”

How We Transformed Our Porch (Total Porch Renovation)

Our porch has been an ongoing project for several years. In this post, I share the TOTAL transformation process, which includes links detailing each specific phase.

Continue reading “How We Transformed Our Porch (Total Porch Renovation)”

How to Create a Brick Border (Lay a Brick Roll lock)

Our patio porch has been an ongoing project for several years. In this post, I will share how we laid a brick border (brick roll lock) around the edge of our patio porch. A brick roll lock is a series of bricks laid on their face with their ends visible.

Continue reading “How to Create a Brick Border (Lay a Brick Roll lock)”

How to Install Simulated Stone

Over the past few years, we have been working on our porch. In this post, you will learn how to install simulated stone.

We used Hermitage simulated stone manufactured by Horizon Stone. We love this simulated stone because it looks like real stone because of variation; there are so many different shapes. We purchased this from Jenkins Brick in Pellham, Alabama.  We also used Argos Custom Blended Masonry Cement; the color is Savannah Ivory.

Continue reading “How to Install Simulated Stone”

Installing Simulated Stone on the Exterior of Our House

We used Hermitage simulated stone manufactured by Horizon Stone. We purchased this from Jenkins Brick in Pellham, Alabama.  We also used Argos Custom Blended Masonry Cement; the color is Savannah Ivory.

We love this simulated stone because it looks like real stone due to the variation; there are so many different shades and shapes. When we were renovating/adding on to our house, we actually traveled to Chattanooga to see this stone on a house.

Continue reading “Installing Simulated Stone on the Exterior of Our House”