There's No Place Like Home
It’s all about home today! Our favorite home book: The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka and a free bunting for your front door. Happy home!
It’s fall! It’s cozy! Finally, it is time to snuggle up and thoughts turn to home…
My husband and I met long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away called Minnesota. As newlyweds, he was a student at the University of Minnesota’s graduate school of Architecture, and we spent many weekends dreaming about designing and building our own home. One day we visited a home designed by then-Minneapolis architect, Sarah Susankah. That home was on a parade of homes, and it was an example of her philosophy: The Not So Big House. It was a revelation. Everything that contemporary American home design said — big, bigger, biggest — is wrong according to Susankah. The big, bigger, biggest attitude consumes more resources, wastes space, and builds homes which create divisions and separation in families rather than bringing them together.
We went home from that home tour and immediately bought Susankah’s book, The Not So Big House. It has been a touchstone for us as we considered which homes to buy (this is number three) and what renovations to consider (this house will be our third major renovation). More than anything, The Not So Big House helped to shape our thinking about quality over quantity, energy efficiency, and sparing resources.
I have more about The Not So Big House today on my website. I hope you’ll check it out! Susankah has written several other books as well as other resources on her website, too.
And don’t forget to check out the Autumn Bunting project I posted last week. Not only is there a longer bunting for a fireplace or doorway, there’s also a cute little one that says “Home” which is perfect for your front door. The downloads are free, and the buntings use items you probably have around your house. Put it up instead of a wreath for the season. Enjoy!
Happy Wednesday!
Angela
The Not So Big House
Sarah Susanka
DIY Autumn Bunting
Free Download!
New Today: Gifts!
Today: two gifts — one to keep and one to give! I have instructions and printables for a darling Autumn Bunting project for your home as well as details on the best baby gift ever!
I have been spending a lot of time thinking about gifts and giving as I am preparing for The Nice List to arrive. Have I mentioned that I can’t wait!
Well, today I have two gifts — one for you to give, and one for you to keep!
To give…
Best Baby Gift Ever
My friends and family seem to be in a baby boom! So many babies have been born in the last month! So today I am sharing my favorite baby gift to give. It isn’t expensive, and it is the best baby advice new parents will get! I’m writing about Me Ra Koh’s amazing book Your Baby in Pictures! Check it out!
This is the best gift we received! Find out why and see some of the pics I took of Bambino.
To make & keep…
Autumn Bunting
This week I pulled out our fall decorations, and welcomed fall into our home. I made this sweet bunting for our fireplace, and I’ve written up instructions for you! You may have the materials needed already at home — paper lunch bags and two kinds of ribbon plus the free printables I’ve provided. It is really simple, and looks very cute on a fireplace, a doorway, or anywhere you need a little boost.
Instructions and printables to make this sweet autumn garland for hearth or door.
And as a bonus I have also included a free printable for this cute garland for your door — or a smaller spot that needs a little touch of hygge. You’ll find it on the Autumn Bunting page, too!
Happy Fall, y’all! Wishing you crispy apples, cool breezes, and crunchy leaves today!
XOXO
Angela
Great Classic Stories for the Car
This summer I discovered MPR’s new feature — Classical Kids Storytime — and our whole family loves it! At this writing there are four classic children’s stories available — Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, The Three Little Pigs, and The Night Before Christmas.
Classical Kids Storytime from MPR
I listen to National Public Radio all the time. It is my favorite source of news and music. But I don’t just listen to my local NPR station (Colorado Public Radio, which is awesome). When I am working at home, I often listen to Minnesota Public Radio’s Classical and Choral Music streams (they also have a wonderful holiday music stream at Christmas time). Even though I haven’t lived there in nearly 20 years, listening to the local news for Minnesota takes me back to my years of living in Northfield and Faribault… sigh.
This summer I discovered MPR’s new feature — Classical Kids Storytime — and our whole family loves it! At this writing there are four classic children’s stories available — Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, The Three Little Pigs, and The Night Before Christmas. Each story is presented radio-theater style with wonderful classical music enhancing and advancing the stories.
Cinderella presents the story as told in Rossini’s opera which is fun and funny. The Little Mermaid is updated and multi-dimensional. And rhyming version of The Three Little Pigs has a great lesson — “If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.”
Lynne Warfel records most of them together with other familiar radio voices. The storytelling is charming, and parents, these recordings won’t get old fast!
Here’s the best part: they are all available to download for free! So you can play them on your phone or in the car — that’s what we do! This morning we listened to The Three Little Pigs twice on the way to school.
I love public radio, and this is yet another example of radio done well. Enjoy!
New eBook Launches today!
Learn the secrets to one of my favorite side-hustles: selling my child’s clothes on Facebook. My new ebook helps you get started or get organized — all inspired by Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method. Check it out!
I am delighted to announce the launch of a new ebook today in my shop…
A Closet Full of Memories: Using a Facebook Closet Page to Organize & Sell Your Child’s Clothes
This book comes as part of my journey with the KonMari Method, Marie Kondo’s system for sorting, organizing, and tidying your home. My KonMari journey started two and a half years ago. We had moved, and I broke my foot. I needed a project and stumbled upon Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
I had been buying and selling furniture on Facebook and Craigslist for awhile, but I didn’t realize that I could do the same with children’s clothing. But you can! And clothing children is expensive — buying and selling online makes it all so much cheaper.
So, I invite you to order A Closet Full of Memories today!
This ebook is for everyone! If you are already selling, I share my personal secret weapon: the Facebook Closet Page. Not only does my closet page help me stay organized, it also allows my followers to shop my items before anyone else.
And if you haven’t started selling yet, I walk you through choosing what to sell, taking great photos, and using your closet page to keep it all together.
Selling your child’s outgrown clothing can be a fantastic side-hustle for any parent, and this book will teach you how to do it well! From photographing to shipping it out, A Closet Full of Memories walks you through the process and helps you set yourself up for success.
A Closet Full of Memories is available as a digital download today! And if you want to read more about it, check out this page.
Art Journaling
Art Journaling is part of my creative process, and I am currently keeping two art journals. Get a sneak peek into both of them!
New content today: all about my practice of Art Journaling! I have only taken one studio art class since middle school -- a pottery class in college. So, let's be clear: I am not a trained artist. However, working in other media -- painting, drawing, collaging, scrapbooking, sewing -- unleashes my creativity and stretches me in new directions.
Enter: Art Journaling.
I actually have been journaling and art journaling for years -- I just didn't know that it had a name! I have boxes of journals embellished with photos and collages and sketches in addition to the words I have recorded. I always thought it was a little strange -- not a sketchbook, not purely words. Now I know it is its own medium: Art Journaling.
Today I'm giving you a peek into Art Journaling -- the materials and practices I use as well as the two art journals on which I am currently working. I hope you'll take a look!
Art Journaling
My practice and techniques as well as a glimpse into my own Art Journals.
Order The Nice List
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Questions? Let me know! And don't forget to order your copy of The Nice List!
Repurposing Vintage Linens
Washing vintage linens and turning them into no-sew curtains
My grandmother died this summer at the age of 97. One of the mementos I chose from her home after her death, was a pile of vintage linens -- handkerchiefs, aprons, towels, table linens, and sheets. I've started to repurpose them, and today I am sharing my first projects! Click on the photos below to read about my experiments with laundering the first batch of vintage linens as well as the no-sew curtains I made from sheets and table runners!
And don't forget: The Nice List is available for preorder on Kickstarter! We are almost 25% funded! Hooray! Order your copy now!
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The Nice List
Buy The Nice List on Kickstarter and increase the joy in your Christmas season!
Put yourself on The Nice List early this year!
I am so excited to announce the launch of my Christmas planner, The Nice List, today!
What is The Nice List?
The Nice List is an easy-to-use Christmas gift-giving planner which helps you get organized, save money, and give better gifts. And the Nice List helps you keep track of the gifts you give year after year -- so you never give the same gift twice unless you intend to do it!
The Nice List will be bound in vegan leather with an elastic wrap to keep it closed. The cover will be embossed with gold, and the contents will be printed on archival paper — a thoughtful, elegant design. This is a planner small enough to take with you, but big enough for writing and journaling.
Where can I buy The Nice List?
We are doing all sales through Kickstarter. Make a pledge of $25 or more toward our $8000 goal. If we meet the goal in 30 days of less, The Nice List will go into production, and a copy (or a few copies) will be in your hands before the Christmas season begins! It's that easy!
To learn more and make your purchase, check out my Kickstarter page: The Nice List. And let me know if you have any questions.
Broomfield Heights: Affordable Atomic Ranches
Broomfield Heights offers affordable Mid Century architecture with classic Atomic Ranch homes at reasonable prices
In 2017 we moved from Los Angeles to Colorado. We looked all over the Front Range for the just-right house, but when we stumbled on our little Atomic Ranch-style home in Broomfield, we were smitten!
My husband and I both have a bit of a nostalgic love for Mid Century Modern architecture. My grandparents had a gorgeous Mid Century home, and my grandmother and great aunt have both given me some beautiful Danish Modern furniture over the years. But a Mid Century home in California was always out of our reach.
Enter Broomfield, Colorado!
Broomfield Heights was established in 1956 -- a modern suburban community exactly halfway between Denver and Boulder. Carved out of farmland, Broomfield's master-planned neighborhood, featured Atomic Ranch-style homes with all of the amenities a 50's family would want.
Broomfield's Mid Century roots have largely been forgotten. Mid Century homes in Denver are coveted and pricey, but the homes in Broomfield Heights aren't marketed as Mid Century or Atomic Ranches, and many, like ours, have been stripped of their original charm over the years.
But we are out to change that! Without turning our house into a museum, we are working to update this cute little house and bring the best of Atomic Ranch living in the 21st century.
One of the selling points for our neighborhood: this fabulous historic film! This is the original sales pitch for Broomfield Heights made in 1956. Enjoy!
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