Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 197 Comments

Shopping For A Nursury Rug & Curtain Fabric

You all remember where we left off when it comes to the big nursery makeover, right? We painted the walls a nice pear color and added a splash of light aqua to the ceiling: Well… then it was time to go shopping. And not just any kind of shopping. Seriously determined we-have-a-goal-and-we’ll-make-fifty-stops-if-we-have-to shopping. And that goal was a lofty one. We set out on a Saturday morning with the hope of hunting down five distinct items for the recently painted nursery by that very evening: Some sort of light fixture, either a big fun patterned pendant lamp or some sort of playful and sweet chandelier A plush 5 x 8′ 100% wool rug (without any

[ Read More ]

| By | | 43 Comments

He Said, She Said: Our DIY Column Is Back

If this magazine cover looks familiar, then you’ve probably already noticed that the second appearance of our “He Said, She Said” column in Do It Yourself Magazine is out on newsstands. Seeing it again was no less exciting than the first time we tackled decorating disputes from both sides of the gender line, especially since we got to cover even more reader questions (hooray for two-page spreads!). Plus we got the help of a professional illustrator to bring one of our floor plan suggestions to life. It felt like what we imagine providing descriptions to a police sketch artist must be like – though much less “make his eyes more sinister” and more “let’s make the coffee

[ Read More ]

| By | | 88 Comments

How To DIY A $100 Backsplash With Stainless Steel Stick-On Wall Tile

When Amy sent over her $100 backsplash makeover we were so inspired and just had to share. Here’s her letter: I whipped this out in about five hours and am very excited about the results! I bought nine packages of these light, thin stainless wall tiles. The tiles include double-stick foam squares for hanging, so there is no messy tile work. Some reviewers recommended Liquid Nails, but I was worried about making corrections if thing didn’t line up properly. I can go back if there is a problem, but they feel very secure! You can cut these tiles with a pair of scissors and even bend the tiles! I snipped a cut on each side

[ Read More ]

| By | | 345 Comments

A Nursery With Pear Green Walls & A Light Blue Ceiling

Pretty much from day one (even before we learned that the bean was actually a beanette) I was dreaming of painting the nursery walls a fun pear green while taking the ceiling from bland ol’ white to a light aqua color. But somehow saying “green walls with a blue ceiling” conjures up all sorts of scary Trading Spaces episodes so even my dear hubby wasn’t getting my “vision” until we broke out the paint swatches and I was able to explicitly show him what I meant. There’s a tip for you ladies: many people (especially guys who don’t speak “interior decorating”) are visual creatures. So saying something like “I want to paint the side tables

[ Read More ]

| By | | 99 Comments

Where To Keep The Sponge & Dishcloth At The Kitchen Sink?

Q: I love your blog and often check in twice a day. Thank you for your great work! But I have one question: what do you do at the kitchen sink with the few things you regularly use for washing-up/cleaning the dishes and the table (like a sponge, a dish cloth, a brush, dishwashing detergent, maybe gloves)? Are there good solutions out there that look clean, well-organized and perhaps even cool? What would you suggest to anyone who hates having too much stuff lying/standing around in the kitchen? Thank you and greetings from Europe. -Monica A: Good question! In a nut shell, we keep a dish cloth folded up next to the sink or draped

[ Read More ]

| By | | 85 Comments

A Beautiful Light Blue & Red Nursery

When Brieanne sent over her amazing nursery before and after pics we couldn’t wait to share the major transformation. Here’s her letter: Last year my sister asked me (her younger sister with the architecture degree) to help her with her nursery for my future (and now completely adorable) niece Claire. Because my sister and brother-in-law could possibly have more than one child in their current space, they wanted a decently gender neutral nursery. Beginning with some bedding by Skip Hop my sister loved, we started a “mood board.” The criteria: gender neutral, simple, non-cluttered and CHEAP. Jen (my sister) wanted something fresh and relaxing for herself, knowing the nursery would be mostly for her enjoyment.

[ Read More ]

| By | | 150 Comments

Turning A Third Bedroom Into A Nursery

Now that we’re done with the big bathroom makeover it’s nursery time, baby. Pun intended. The sad thing is that we love our third bedroom, so the idea that it has to somehow disappear to make way for the bean is a tad bittersweet. Of course we’re over the moon to meet our little girl in May and can’t wait to start whipping up the perfect nursery to welcome her to Casa Petersik. We’re just use-what-you-have kind of people, so the idea of suddenly having a daybed, table, chair, rug and ottoman without a happy home had us stumped for a good half hour or so. Then we channeled Tim Gunn (picture us putting on

[ Read More ]

| By | | 39 Comments

Budget Blooms: Take Two

Remember I shared my first of the year flowers a little while back (a sweet monthly gift from the hubs)? You may recall that they had a bit of New Year’s sparkle thanks to a cake stand full of gleaming silver ornaments… … but I mentioned that in a week or so I’d retire those and fill the pedestal with something a bit less holiday-focused. In all honestly I figured it would be something naughty (cupcakes, cookies, brownies?) but somehow we resisted that tooth-rotting stuff (maybe it’s the whole we-regret-our-holiday-gluttony syndrome that hits each January) and filled our clam shell fruit bowl nearby to the brim with apples, oranges, pears, avocados and other healthy fare.

[ Read More ]