How To Design Your Room

What's left of my ring. Before my hubby too I were fifty-fifty considering marriage, I’d chosen the band I hoped to someday wear: a Tiffany yellowish diamond. Still, when he proposed, on a chilly Oct eve inwards 2012, I was shocked to run across my fantasy band nestled inwards the piddling velveteen box he held inwards his palm. The engagement, the shimmering diamond—it all felt similar an illusion, likewise skillful to live true. I felt privileged to apparel such a beautiful diamond—and that luster never wore away. As late equally this fall, I told my hubby how lucky I felt to convey the ring. This was no starter ring. This was my forever ring. But then, this November, I was volunteering for Operation Christmas Child, the charity that sends shoeboxes of toys to children exactly about the world. My project was simple: practise bins of extra toys—coloring books, plastic rings, Beanie Babies—that could live added to whatsoever skimpily filled boxes. Halfway through my th

Can You Guess What This Is? People oftentimes comment on my mightiness to uncovering treasures at thrift stores, thence inquire if I tin learn them my ways. Although I create bring a few Goodwill shopping secrets , I believe it's to a greater extent than nigh having an eye — learning to meet potential inward a forlorn-looking exceptional piled onto a shelf alongside a dozen other donated goods.  Here a few of my most recent (and favorite) finds: I unremarkably scoff at thrift-score tchotchkes, but this lilliputian guy was also cute to overstep up. He doesn't bring whatever defining marks, thence I bring no persuasion if he's worth anything. But he alone terms a quarter. And who could pass upward that sweetness lilliputian face? I also constitute the tray he's sitting on at Goodwill for $5 (a Target cast-off), together with I bought the antique typing tabular array beneath (see it here ) at a thrift store for $10 a few years back.  Several months ag

I've been working on decorating my breakfast nook, in addition to afterwards I (well, Frank) installed an antique schoolhouse light, I felt the infinite needed some other vintage element. The large blank wall was practically begging for a vintage sign, except for i problem: The authentic ones are crazy-expensive. I wasn't willing to pass a few hundred bucks on a sign for my kitchen. Plus, I wanted something personal: a sign advertising a spot inward my hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, or inward my electrical current town, Westminster, Maryland. I couldn't uncovering anything that check the bill. So I decided to brand a sign of my own. Again, I didn't desire to pass much money, thence I decided to poke approximately underneath the porch of my 100-year-old house, hoping I'd uncovering the perfect slice of wood. I works life a long board that was angled at the ends, inward a cast reminiscent of Tennessee. This was all the inspiration I needed. I used a pen

A timeless tendency I love: lacquered walls.  For those of you lot who don't know, Frank too I are moving to Maryland. (Finally! Goodbye, Lehigh Valley!) It close probable won't survive on until the halt of the year, simply that hasn't stopped me from house-hunting —and, of course,  imagining how I'd decorate my favorite properties.  I'm peculiarly enamored amongst a brick abode built inwards 1893, amongst its soaring 10-foot ceilings, bag doors, too hand-stamped hinges.  It's the perfect abode for an elegant decorating tendency I've had my optic on: lacquered walls. This high-gloss pigment complete is maybe close associated amongst the Hollywood Regency style — known for its glamourous finishings, amongst a slight Asian influence. Makes sense: Lacquering has its roots inwards ancient East Asia, good earlier Hollywood Regency borrowed the shiny finish.   The earliest iterations of lacquer involved harvesting the toxic sap of a tree native to East

This calendar month marks the 60th anniversary of the notorious Thunder Road crash on Kingston Pike inwards Knoxville, for which the famous ballad past times Robert Mitchum was named. It also marks the passing of Edward "Eddie" Harvey, a onetime racecar driver in addition to whiskey machine mechanic, who died on Monday, Apr 7th, 2014, at historic catamenia 91.  I had the privilege of interviewing Eddie inwards 2008, when I was inwards journalism school, for an assignment most Thunder Road. Nearly vi years in addition to hundreds of interviews later, he remains i of the most interesting people I've e'er encountered.  The even he contributed to is below; I volition last posting the total contents of my interview with him later.  John Fitzgerald in addition to his buddies coasted on their bicycles into the parking lot of Mr. Galyon's service station, similar many mornings, inwards search of a Moon Pie or a Nehi soda. But this morning, Apr 1, 1954, was differen

Back inwards November, Julia Child's onetime French cottage, known affectionately every bit "La Pitchoune," or "the niggling one," hitting the marketplace for the starting fourth dimension time, listed at or then $880,000. The famous chef's stucco getaway was built on the grounds of Simone Beck, co-author of  The Art of French Cooking.  Child as well as her married adult man Paul visited the 1,614-square-foot habitation every yr from the fourth dimension it was built into the 1990s, amongst the understanding that ownership would render to Simone as well as her married adult man 1 time they were through amongst it. That happened inwards 1992, afterward Simone died.   The kitchen of La Pitchoune was modeled afterward the 1 inwards the Childs' Cambridge, Massachusetts, habitation (which y'all tin come across on display at the Smithsonian), consummate amongst extra-tall counters — Julia was 6-foot-2 — and pegboard inwards lieu of upper cabinets, pre