Guest Post:: Erin from His & Hers

When I added "Buying an old house and fix it up to be a showplace" to my bucket list my husband just smiled and told me to have a good time. So for now I'll just live vicariously through Erin from His and Hers as she and her husband Rick tackle project after project on their century old home while keeping their sanity and sense of humor intact. Today Erin is here to give us a behind-the-scenes look at some of her adventures in turning an old home into a dream home.

The happy couple

Hey everyone! I'm Erin from His & Hers, and I'm excited to be guest posting at Strictly Simple Style today. Thanks, Karen, for inviting me! :) I spend my days attempting to convince 10th graders that knowing the difference between "effect" and "affect" matters. My husband spends his days attempting to convince customers that they don't actually need to pantomime the insertion of a Nuvaring when consulting his pharmaceutical knowledge. Together, we spend our evenings working on projects around our century-old house, which we bought in February of this year.

We enjoy making our home more beautiful and functional, but we don't take any of this temporary stuff too seriously. This is why you might, at any given time, stumble upon a picture like this in a post about refinishing or replacing old trim:

Speaking of making our home more beautiful and functional, though, one of our biggest accomplishments, to date, it that we've removed several hundred birds from our house. Don't worry; only one of them was real, and it was dead. Very, very dead. The first room that needed to be purged of our two-dimensional fine-feathered friends was our downstairs half bath. We painted stripes on the walls, hung new DIY sconces, spray painted a $12 gold yard sale mirror, and the one among us who understands power tools built a vanity. Hint: it wasn't me.







The second room on our bird-purging list was the room that we recently made our master bedroom. This room is nowhere near done, but so far, we have demolished an imposing closet (taking the room from 12'x12' with a narrow entryway to 12'x18'), put up new drywall, eliminated a textured ceiling, refinished the old pine floors, installed new trim, and painted the walls and ceiling. Here's what it looked like right before we began smashing walls with hammers. My husband would like you to please note the birds and not his backside.

Progress:

And where it stands now, definitely unfinished, but so, so much better than it was 6 months ago:

Do you like what we've done with the adjoining room?

Some of my favorite smaller projects to date are this yard sale lamp makeover:

This DIY storage ottoman:

And the makeover of these sconces, which involved the use of old applesauce jars:

So that's a little about my blog and some projects we're proud of. I'd love it if you stopped by to say hello and introduce yourself. :) Thanks again, Karen, for letting me crash your blog!



Thanks for sharing Erin! To stay up-to-the-minute on Erin and Rick's progress with their renovations visit their blog.

A Taste of France

Can you think of anything more exciting than the opportunity to move to France for several months to improve your culinary skills? That dream experience became a reality for my niece Celeste, a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, when she competed for and won an internship in Puycelsi, France. Celeste's is journaling about her journey, which began in early September, on her new blog Cooking in Southwest France with Madame Alexander.


Whether you are a foodie or not you'll love the charming images Celeste has shot in her new neighborhood and the restaurant/inn where she is interning.

Celeste on the Job

To get a bigger taste of France visit Celeste's blog.

Using Your Mercury Glass Year Round

I found this piece last week at TJ Maxx for under $10.

Mercury glass is making an entrance in retail stores more and more each week. As the holidays approach you'll see it even more. But mercury glass isn't just for the holiday season; it can be used 12 months out of the year.

It pairs beautifully with autumn colors

It adds sparkle to Christmas displays.

It can be used in large or small doses to create vignettes on a buffet or an entryway or side table during all four seasons of the year.








It's perfect for A Valentine's Day wedding


The Knot






Collections of mercury glass can be displayed year round.


Via Elements Design





Heidi from Show Some Decor used her mercury glass candlesticks for an Easter display.








A bouquet of pastel flowers in a mercury glass vessel makes a romantic summer centerpiece.


Southern Living




Fresh or dried hydrangeas placed in a mercury glass vase would be a nice addition to a bedside table any time of year.


Country Living

If you have mercury glass pieces stored away with holiday decorations don't hesitate to pull them out and enjoy them year round.

*Images via Pinterest unless otherwise noted.

Driftwood

Adding natural elements to your home is a great way to update for fall. From lighting to furniture to accessories, pieces constructed of driftwood are one way to bring both nature and style to your home this season. See what I mean-

Via Kelly Interior Design













Via High Camp Home

Driftwood Votives from Ballard Designs

My favorite is the simple centerpiece of driftwood combined with succulents and a single pillar candle. Which would you add?


*Images via Pinterest unless otherwise noted.

Fall Front Porch 2011

One of our family's favorite fall traditions is a trip to the pumpkin farm the first weekend in October to gather the elements for a fall porch display.

My wreath from 2010 faded but the grapevine wreath form and berries I used in last year's display were salvaged to create a new wreath for the door.

Fall Porch 2010

Fall Porch 2011

Which display do you prefer 2010's or 2011's?