Unique handmade art: our Crater Lake tree ring print (and custom framing with coupon code!)

10.14.2019

Unique handmade art: our Crater Lake tree ring print (and custom framing with coupon code!)

Unique, personal art is a big goal of ours in this home. We've had a mishash of art styles over the years from all different sources, but we have decided we are done with mass-produced generic art and only want to bring in pieces that are special to us. Of course we want them to be beautiful, too!

I'd been seeing tree print woodblock prints around lately, I think most of them by one artist: Erik Linton. He cuts and prints by hand so, so many beautiful tree rings and offers them in any color and lots of sizes (depending on the size of the tree!). He reached out to me and offered one of his prints for our home, and Jason and I were so excited! We love the look, and he has prints from places that are very special to us.

We really considered his Yosemite ponderosa pine tree ring print (36"x36") and Jason's family loves Yosemite. But the 36"x36" was actually just a little too big, and we decided on this 24"x36" Crater Lake tree ring print (from a 100+ year old red fir tree). Jason and I have both been to Crater Lake, and it is one of Oregon's treasures and we love celebrating this state.

You can see lots more prints on Erik's Etsy shop here.

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How to lay mosaic tile flooring!: Week 2, One Room Challenge bathroom reno with hexagon floor

10.09.2019

How to lay mosaic tile flooring!: Week 2, One Room Challenge bathroom reno with hexagon floor

I have a love/hate relationship with tiling. I LOVE that it is a totally doable DIY and is not technically difficult. Anyone can do it, with a few tools and confidence. I HATE how long it takes (on walls) and how many steps there are, with annoying running out to the backyard to mix more mortar or grout... it's messy and hard on my back and takes longer than it should. BUT it is a great way to improve your home and if you do it yourself, it can be cheaper than hiring out installation of even the cheapest flooring products!

Good news is, I've tiled FIVE bathroom floors now and the verdict is in: mosaic tile is the easiest to install!! I'm sharing a full tutorial for how we replaced our old linoleum flooring with hexagon mosaic tile below. You can totally do this!!

This post is part of my series of 6 posts about the 5-week One Room Challenge. You can see all my posts about this project here. Previous posts:

• Week 1: "Before," design, and demo!
• Week 2: You're here!

Tiling is a great skill to learn and starting with a nice, horizontal surface like a floor is a good way to learn. This tutorial will walk you through installing mosaic tile (that means sheets of smaller tile on a mesh backing) on a floor like a bathroom.

Start by demoing your previous flooring, down to the subfloor (usually particle board or plywood). I do suggest you do some research for the right base for your tile backer board depending on your previous flooring and subfloor. Also, note how much clearance you have under your door to the existing floor... we had sheet linoleum and 1/4" or so of clearance, so after we removed our flooring but added 1/4" of backer board, mortar, and 6 mm high tiles, we did need to trim down the door.

Project-specific conditions aside... on with the tutorial that you can use as soon as you're ready for tile backer board!

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Complete powder bath renovation!

10.08.2019

Complete powder bath renovation!

You know I'm deep into our full bath renovation and overwhelmed by redoing the shower... so here's a smaller-scale project that is 100% complete to enjoy in the meantime!

Sometimes the smallest rooms can make the biggest impact--but small doesn’t always mean easy for a DIY renovation! Tune in to the Your Home Story podcast this week to hear all about Ashley’s powder bath renovation (including what it ended up costing)!

Here's a shot of this beautiful tiny bathroom, plus a "before"!

You can find links to what we talked about below.

• Ashley’s post on the Stylemaker Event
• Small Powder Bath Renovation Plan
• Sarah Sherman Samuel Bathroom Inspiration
• Wall Mount Faucet Cost
• Quirky art by Wink Wink Studio
• Powder Bathroom Full Reveal

You can find us on our blogs or connect with each of us on Instagram:
@suzannahstanley
@biggerthanthethreeofus
@yourhomestorypodcast

And you can join our Facebook group here to connect with other listeners and ask questions!

Listen here or in your fave podcast player!

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Main bathroom full gut makeover: Week 1 One Room Challenge! Before, design, and demo!

10.02.2019

Main bathroom full gut makeover: Week 1 One Room Challenge! Before, design, and demo!

Bathroom reno time!!!!!!!! Our main bathroom is a huge eyesore and mix of pieces from over the decades, including denim blue trim, multicolored reddish tile, and glass blocks on the shower. YIKES. It lacks storage and yet has bars and shelves everywhere on the walls, and the floor is cracking around the shower. It's on the main floor of the house and we is the main bathroom we use--it's also our only tub and shower right now! It will be a massive project to redo it and I will be sharing all about it with you over the next 5 weeks!!!

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Home Renovation or Design Burnout :( :( :(

10.01.2019

Home Renovation or Design Burnout :( :( :(

If you want to know how I really feel about all the projects we have going on and everything we're trying to do to this house (and have been doing on houses for the past 3 years.....), read on!! I am super passionate about this topic right now as I'm currently fighting overwhelm as we start our main bathroom renovation for the One Room Challenge and try to wrap up yard stuff and some bigger projects.

I am so glad we're talking about this on the Your Home Story podcast this week!

It happens to the best of us… overwhelm and burnout with DIY and/or design projects around our homes. It can be so hard when you want to do more to your house than you really can--physically, mentally, logistically, financially, for your health…! Ashley and I have both been there and we have a completely honest conversation about what we’ve struggled with AND what has worked for us! There are solutions!

We did this entire kitchen reno ourselves, in about 6 weeks over last summer. We are proud but tired!

I really hope you enjoy and learn from this honest conversation!

You can find us on our blogs or connect with each of us on Instagram:
@suzannahstanley
@biggerthanthethreeofus
@yourhomestorypodcast

And you can join our Facebook group here to connect with other listeners and ask questions!

Listen here or in your fave podcast player!:

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Birthday resolution, plus what I'm buying for fall (for work and weekends!)

9.26.2019

Birthday resolution, plus what I'm buying for fall (for work and weekends!)

A couple weeks ago on my birthday, I shared on my Instagram stories I shared a goal for myself for this year... I need to take care of myself more, but not just by taking time to read, relax, all that--I need to buy myself the clothes and makeup I need in order to feel put together.

This form of self-care is an area I've really struggled with for a long time since I hate spending money. But I'm really trying to be more balanced about it and buy myself things I need!

With that in mind... I'm sharing a few items I'm really excited about and have bought or am seriously considering for my fall wardrobe!

Faves so far are that camo sweatshirt (wearing it as I type this--the perfect at-home comfy piece that still makes me feel current and cute), and these jeans are so, so flattering! I am 100% on Team High Waisted Jeans and have been needing some new ones that aren't skinny in the leg. (Love them--you should also size down in these!) It's hard to find cute jeans that don't have raw hems these days, so both of the pairs in this collage are a little more versatile than the raw ones.

I definitely struggle to find cute shoes for work as my requirements are tough: real leather, relatively flat but not frumpy, come in wide widths (I have wide feet), and affordable. These fit the bill!

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