Creative and Cheerful Home Design
Hello, sweet friends. I have been itching to write here but I’m not always sure what to say. This post lacks a cohesive point but I’m just using it to log my thoughts about homeschool life three months in.
Read More1. Ben is on his way home from California as I write this. We live close to the airport and see lots of airplanes. It is fun to think of his plane flying right over us!
Read MoreOur dining area (it's really an eat-in kitchen) has long been a sore spot for me. It is one of the most-used rooms in our home. We are here for meals and snacks and the assortment of puzzles, legos, coloring, and crafting sessions. I want it to really work well for the way we live. But I also want it to be pretty!
I have been thinking of giving it a little attention and changing things up, which is why I was so thrilled when the kind people at Photowall asked me if I'd be interested in trying out their product. Photowall is a Swedish company that produces wallpaper, wall murals, and canvas prints. (You can even turn your own images into wall murals!) I knew right where I wanted a little wall pattern: our dining area.
Read MoreGuys, I built this bookshelf for the girls' room and I can't even tell you how much joy it brings me. It is possibly the plainest bookshelf ever (the only detail is that I sprayed the tips of the legs gold) but I LOVE it. So very much.
Why? I love when a vague idea takes form and becomes something tangible. This was a project I designed and made with my own hands. It tested my limited math skills and my patience. But also, I love it because I learned some lessons about persistence, progress, and the joy of keeping at something until it is finished . . . even if it takes six months.
Read MoreIn my last post, I shared some shots of our DIY pea gravel patio. Here's the nitty gritty on how we transformed it—and how you can, too, if you'd like to tackle such a project! I'm even going to talk numbers, because I want you to see how budget-friendly this project is.
Read MoreSummer in Minnesota! Such a beautiful thing. After being cooped up inside all winter, when springtime hits we are ready to be outside. This space was born out of a desire to make being outside way more comfortable.
Read MoreFirst, Ben taught me how to make GIFs and my life may never be the same. Keep reading for some awesome GIF action.
Second, if you follow me on Instagram, you saw that in May I found this amazing mid-century chair at a garage sale for $20. It was in really great condition (especially the under-seat supports) but it didn't come with any cushions. I've seen some chairs like this on Craigslist for hundreds of dollars, so I was super happy to scoop it up. I only wish there had been two. :(
Read MoreSo many have gone before me on this one! This project is certainly not an original idea—I saw a cinder block outdoor bench in the pages of Better Homes & Gardens a few years back (this one, I believe) and then the googling and Pinterest-ing followed (check out this one and this one). There are a million of these out there in different configurations and that's the beauty of a cinder block bench—it is inexpensive, easy to customize, and simple to assemble.
I made this a few years ago and we used it as seating for our outdoor dining table. At first, I left the cinder blocks plain, but last year, I painted them white. I changed up our table and chairs a bit on the patio and moved this bench to a corner by the fence. Ben was teasing me the other night that it got demoted. :)
Read MoreGardening is a relationship and boy am I getting in deep! I don't know if it is the stage of life I'm in, genetics, or just living in Minnesota but I am falling in love with caring for plants.
During a long Minnesota winter, green life indoors is just so helpful. And when the snow melts and the sun comes out in the spring, I just about die of happiness to see little green sprouts in my garden. The girls and I have started to habit of going out after breakfast to “check on our plants." In the early spring, we would see what was coming up, and now we can see what is blooming! I tell them the name of each plant and we talk about the flowers. And I have two good helpers for watering!
Read MoreMemorial Day weekend is here! We are heading up north for our first cabin weekend of the season. It will be especially fun for the girls to spend so much time with their cousins, I think. Many memories to be made! What are your plans?
Let's jump in!
Read MoreModern Chemistry At Home is about beautiful, cheerful home design that suits the way they live and doesn't cost a fortune. Come take a look at our home design experiments.
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I'm Amy, the Modern Chemist, and here's my hypothesis: Each one of us wants a beautiful, cheerful home that suits the way we live and doesn't cost a fortune. With a little hard work and creativity (and perhaps some help from me!) that home can be the one you are in today.
Are you ready to fall in love with where you live? Because class is about to begin. Put on your white coat, grab your safety goggles, and roll up your sleeves. Together, let's observe, measure, experiment, rearrange, paint, power tool, and create until we prove this hypothesis is true.
Welcome to Modern Chemistry at Home.
