Whitewashing Wicker
How many of you have baskets lying around the house that don’t quite fit the look you’re going for in your home? There’s an easy fix for that – whitewash. With spring in the air, it has put me in the mood to lighten up the colors around my house, so I thought I’d start small by whitewashing some baskets. When you see just how easy it is, you might be tempted to whitewash everything in your home! To get started, select a basket made of a porous material, not one that is smooth
Weathered Wood in Witty Ways
Looking for new and unexpected ways to bring the modern farmhouse trend into your home? Think barns, think weathered wood, think rustic, think… wallpaper? By now you have likely seen weathered wood accessories and furniture in the home decor section of every store. It is even in many of our homes, like my dining room table above. But if you would like to get the look in an unexpected way, there are fresh, faux and fun ways to do it without it looking like the laminate fiberbo
Backyard Maple Sugaring
Did you know you can make maple syrup in your own backyard? Maple sugaring – the process of turning sap into syrup, sugar and candy – is not a phrase one typically associates with Long Island, but that is where I found a nature preserve that teaches you how to do it. Every year at this time, Hoyt Farm Nature Preserve, located in Commack, NY, holds classes to teach about the process. They cover the history of maple sugaring and take visitors out into the field to demonstrate h
Case Closed
Do you ever wonder how to put together compelling arrangements on a bookshelf, tabletop or wall? The key to creating them is balance. The easiest way to do this is with color. I used this principle to help me find storage bins for a wall of bookcases in my living room. My goal was to create more texture and storage with bins made out of natural materials. To see the beginning of the process, take a look at my post from last week, Bookcase Basket Case. Here is a before shot, w
