Photo from A*T Boston

On Apartment Therapy Boston, they're flaunting their inexpensive and versatile WILMA curtains from IKEA (yep, IKEA rules again!).

In white (or black) sheer at just $9.99 a pair, these curtains can work in any room in the house. Well, that's simple and easy...

See A*T Boston for four tips to arranging your WILMA curtains too.

When we bought our house, I went wild with cheap and pretty bamboo shades throughout. Do you have the same window coverings in several rooms?

Related posts:

Elegant DIY Window Covering

How to Make Your Own Curtains: Cheap & Easy

Wanted: Yellow Flowered Curtains

Photo by vpzmom

This Sunday, November 15th is America Recycles Day, and the folks from Recycle Bank are here to share some great recycling tips for kids

5 Recycling Tips for Kids
By Dinah Eng

If your kids don't know the basics of earth-friendly living, now is a perfect time to introduce them to the small concepts that can make a big difference.

"Whether it's talking about what goes into the trash or learning how to make compost, teaching kids the principles of recycling starts with the parent's own behavior," says Tessa Hills, president of Kids for Saving Earth.

"If you start by doing things a certain way, children will follow your lead," Tessa says. "Once they're used to (environmentally-friendly) practices, they won't know any other way to be."

Kids for Saving Earth was created in 1989 by Tessa and her husband William, after their 11-year-old son Clint died from cancer. They thought Clint, who started a club for Earth-saving actions in his elementary school, would approve of their non-profit organization.

Tessa is here with us today with five fun ways to teach your kids about recycling:

1. Swap everything.

We all like to hang onto things that we love, but if we want new things, we usually have to let go of the old. So go through your stuff and pick out what you don't need anymore. Just make sure it's still in good, usable shape. Then have a swap party with your friends and swap everything. You'll get something new and be able to share something you once loved with a friend.

2. Reuse a napkin week.

Instead of using paper napkins, pick out a different colored washcloth for every member of your family. For one week, keep the washcloths in a drawer in the kitchen, and take them out for use at each meal. Wash when needed. Who knows? After a week, you may get your family to stop buying disposable paper products altogether.

3. Create less trash.

Ask your mom or dad to buy reusable sandwich boxes that can be washed — instead of disposable plastic bags — in which to pack your lunch. Tell them to skip the bottled water and buy stainless steel drinking bottles that can be reused.

4. Throw a green birthday party.

Plan your birthday party (or any party) with eco-actions. E-mail your invitations, serve organic food and use washable plates instead of disposable ones. Suggest your friends bike, walk or carpool with their parents to the party and that gifts be wrapped with recycled paper or reusable bags.

5. Conserve resources.

Keep extra cups in your car, so that when your parents drive through your favorite fast food place, you can order just one large drink and split it up in the extra cups. It'll save money that just might end up in your allowance the following week.

  For more kid-friendly recycling tips, check out Kids For Saving Earth. 

Do your kids lead eco-conscious lives already?

Related posts:

How to Help Green Your Child's School

How To Help Kids Go Green

Jenn Savedge: A Lifetime of Green Living

Thanks to one of my favorite photographers, Jennifer Causey of Simply Photo and Simply Breakfast fame, you can now purchase the beautiful work of a few other great photographers (more of my favorites!) in her new Simply Photo pop up shop.

Featured in the shop are photographers Shari Altman (co-curator of the inspiration blog this joy+ride with yours truly), Molly Wizenberg (aka Orangette), and Brian Ferry. Each have 8x12 prints of their photographs selling for just $30!

Great wall art or gift ideas...

And don't miss Jennifer's pretty 2010 Simply Breakfast calendar, also on sale in the shop for $32.

Do you have photography hanging in your home? What's your favorite genre: family, nature, everyday beauty, other?

Related posts:

Great Art $20. Really.

Affordable Artwork for Your Home

Pretty Fall Photography from CafeMoms

Photo from Design*Sponge

Always been a fan of vintage botanicals, so I'm thrilled to find this DIY project, via Design*Sponge, to make your own pressed botanical prints.

Get the full "how to" for this pressed fern wall art project on Design*Sponge.

Related posts:

Decorating With Branches, Twigs & Tree Trunk Slices

Make-Your-Own Tree Branch Series

DIY: Paint Old Picture Frames; Make New Art

Photo from marthasnail

Photo from Apartment Therapy

How I love it so!

Off to go switch all my sheets and quilts and bedspreads and blankets around now...

Related posts:

Polka Dot Sheets: Current Sentimental Obsession

Table Setting Inspiration: Mismatched China

Cubby Loving: Organize With Mix-n-Match Cubbies

Photo by df813

Just a short post in honor of our military veterans today — all the mothers, fathers, aunties, uncles, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, cousins, and friends who serve or have served...

For the men and women who leave home and loved ones behind to serve our country:

Photo by JessicaA08

Photo by JatonFowler

Photo by ncchatty

Photo by YoMama2005

And for those they leave behind...

Photo by TariMeccico

Thank you for everything you do!

Are you honoring a special veteran this Veterans Day?

Related posts:

7 Ways to Celebrate Veterans Day!

Celebrating Veterans Day

Giving Back to Vets on Veteran's Day

Coming Home: A Soldier Recalls the Trip

This week, Anthony helps a CafeMom troubleshoot why the interior walls of her mudroom sweat moisture and condensation as the weather gets cooler.

Ask HGTV's Anthony Gilardi your home improvement or home repair question TODAY in the comments below!

Question:

Hi Anthony - with the change of seasons and closing up windows and pulling doors tight, the walls in my mudroom are sweating. It is a very old house and I doubt insulated well, if at all. Three sides of the room are exterior walls. There are drips, like condensation, on at least two of the exterior walls. I imagine it may get worse as temperatures outside drop. The room is only heated with a space heater around 60 degrees, but can I do anything without starting a major wall tear-out this winter?

— DogsMom 

Answer:

Hello, DogsMom,

Nice to hear from you again.

This problem, believe it or not, is very common. Good news! There are many different, possibly inexpensive and simple solutions.

I understand that times are tough and you wish to “Master Your Domain” and save some money. So the logical, yet pricey, solution of ripping down the walls and adding brand new insulation is put on hold until we figure out all of our options.

To completely solve the problem, we need to play my favorite game…"Home Detective." To play this game correctly and get to the bottom of our problem, we need some more information.

As my “Anthony Apprentice,” I need you to gather some answers to some questions. Once we have all of our information, we can go over the most practical, money-saving, options.

Fact:
We have a “mudroom” with three (3) outside walls in an old house that is currently heated by a space heater at around 60 degrees.  

Questions:

1. Are there appliances, such as a washer and dryer in the room?
2. If so, how is the dryer vented, and is it electric or gas?
3. What is above the ceiling? Attic? Crawl space? Is there access to the area?
4. What is the square footage of the room? (Anthony Note: To find square footage measure the room LENGTH x WIDTH.)
5. What kind of siding is around the exterior of the room?
6. Number and location of windows in the room?
7. What kind of flooring?
8. What is directly beneath the room? Basement? Crawl space? Is there access to the area?
9. What is the connecting room? Kitchen or other?
10. Are you using an “electric” space heater? Does it run all day? Does it run when other appliances are running?

Okay, DogsMom, you have your homework.

These questions should be easy to answer. However, I never leave my “Anthony Apprentices” hung out to dry. If you’re having problems getting these answers, please contact me, and I’ll walk you through the process.

You can do this! I have faith in you.

Good luck. And don’t forget — together, we can “Master Your Domain.”

Thank you,

—Anthony Gilardi 

Need advice on a do-it-yourself home repair or improvement? Leave your question for Anthony in the comments below, and he'll respond in a future post.

Previous Ask Anthony posts:

BATHROOM: Fix a Leaky Toilet

BATHROOM: Fix a Noisy Toilet

CARPENTRY: Basic Carpentry 101

DO-IT-YOURSELF: Top 10 Toolbox Essentials

DRIVEWAYS: Repave a Driveway

GREEN: Find Non-Toxic Construction Supplies

ELECTRICAL: Run Electrical to the Garage

ELECTRICAL: Fix Popping Circuit Breaker

EXTERIORS: Fix a Leaky Rain Gutter

EXTERIORS: Strip Chipped Paint off a Concrete Porch

EXTERIORS: Deal With a Mouse Problem

FLOORING: Refinish Hardwood Floors

FLOORING: Fix Slanted Floors

FLOORING: Remove Carpet & Sticky Adhesives

HEATING, VENTILATING & A/C: Thermostats 101

HEATING, VENTILATING & A/C: Install an Additional Thermostat

HEATING, VENTILATING & A/C: Troubleshoot Your HVAC

INTERIORS: Fix Cracked Ceilings

INTERIORS: Understand Types of Wall Anchors

INTERIORS: Choose Wall Anchors for Furniture Safety

KITCHEN: Troubleshoot a Broken Garbage Disposal

KITCHEN: Fix Unhinged Cabinet Doors

KITCHEN: Deal With a Sink Disposal Clog

LAUNDRY ROOM: Remove Your Washing Machine Agitator

LIGHTING: Remove a Broken Light Bulb

PLUMBING: Fix Slow-Draining Sinks & Tub

PLUMBING: Fix Foul-Smelling Sink Drains

PLUMBING: Drainage 101

SEASONAL (SUMMER): 10 Summer Maintenance Tips for Your Home

SEASONAL (SUMMER): 6 Ways to Conserve Energy This Summer

SEASONAL (FALL): Prep Your Home for the Fall Season

SEASONAL (WINTER): Winter Heating 101

WINDOWS & DOORS: Fix Sticky Screen Door

WINDOWS & DOORS: Weatherproof Doors & Window

Hachette Filipacchi announced yesterday that they're giving Metropolitan Home the ax and that their December issue would be their last.

Hachette is down to one shelter publication (and a former place of employment of mine) Elle Decor. Whew, am I glad I switched when I did!

I hate seeing these great titles and amazing editors go. So sad.

Has your favorite magazine folded?

Domino Magazine Folds: A Moment of Silence Please

Southern Accents Magazine Folds

The Fall of Home Magazines

Photo by forevermom75

Do You Think It's Too Early To Put Up Your Christmas tree?: that's the question CafeMoms are discussing over in Advice for Moms.

So far the "Yes" vote is winning (although about 35% of you say "No, it's *not* too early").

What's about in your home?

Since we get a real Christmas tree every year and the trees never seem to thrive in our house (hello, pine needles EVERYWHERE), it's way too soon for us to get our tree. I did have an egg nog latte the other day though. Mmm, 'tis the season!

Are you raring to go full force into holiday shopping and holiday decorating? Or do you want to wait until after Thanksgiving to get started? Maybe you even wait all the way up until the week of Christmas to decorate?

For you early birds, here in one CafeMom's Christmas tree for you to enjoy.

What kind of holiday decorator are you: fanatic, steady as she goes, or total procrastinator?

Related posts:

Do You Have a Real or Fake Christmas Tree?

Little Kids vs. Christmas Tree. Who's Winning?

A Christmas Tree Theme: Do You Have One?

See this video at CafeMom.

No Impact Man is the new documentary chronicling eco-obsessed New York City writer Colin Beavan and his family's radical upheaval of their big city lifestyle (his wife Michelle and toddler in what looks like sheer guilt and intimidation). The goal? Go one year without leaving a carbon footprint.

I'm exhausted just thinking about such radical change on my own, let alone while raising a child. Is this really the way to going green?

Not to mention, is this even remotely possible for most American families who have to, you know, get to work and take care of their families day to day, which means counting on basic transportation methods, buying milk in a plastic container, and using electricity.

If nothing else, though, Colin and his family have gone to an extreme that the rest of us can learn from (and pick and choose from...). No doubt many of his methods in deprivation can be adopted in smaller ways by the rest of us.

Are you going to see No Impact Man, have you read the No Impact Man book, or have you been following Colin Beavan's blog?

Have you changed your lifestyle an any one extreme and greener way in the name of saving the planet?

A great DIY project to create a striped woven rug. — Woman's Day

The black-and-white stripe will never go out of style. — Apartment Therapy

Brighten up accessories with this easy striping project. — My Home Ideas

A roundup of pretty painted stripes. — Casa Sugar

Six ways to decorate your home with stripes, without making it look like a circus tent. — Yahoo! Shine

Do you have any striped patterns in your home?

Related posts:

Stripes for the Home: Here, There, Everywhere!

How to Mix Prints

Nursery Design: A Colorful Baby Girl's Room

Thought this short story from CafeMom EsmeVincent about a boy, his dog, and a shared midday nap was so adorable.

"The Friday before Halloween, we were getting ready for naptime (my almost-two-year old ds Brandon, dh, and me)... I went to get Brandon some water and when I walked into the room, I saw this.

'Dog Dog' (aka Toby, our four-year old beagle basset mix) needed to be with Brandon, so dh put him in the crib with him. Toby was SOOO comfy he really didn't want to get out.

(We knew that if there was ever gonna actually be a nap, Toby had to get out of the crib.)

Brandon LOVED every second of it. He loves his 'Dog Dog,' and 'Dog Dog' " loves him and protects him... Plus, Toby knows Brandon is a good source of food. :)"

Toby the dog snoozing in Brandon's crib

Brandon, so happy about his four-legged crib mate

Too cute!

Does your family pet insist on sleeping in bed with your kids?

Don't toss those old campaign signs! Reuse them.

The results are in, which means election season is officially over. It’s time to take those campaign signs off the front lawn. However, instead of throwing them away, why not put them to good use?

Disney FamilyFun magazine recommends turning old campaign signs into special birthday signs for your children. Just prime and paint them with a “Happy Birthday” message and reposition them in the front yard for a very special birthday surprise.

And why not save the dough you might pay for one of those yard storks and use one of these signs to announce a new baby to the neighborhood instead? This would be a fun project for an older sibling.

In the past, I have also used old campaign signs to communicate garage sales and FOUND: pet postings, and baby/wedding showers.

What do you do with your old campaign signs?

Related posts:

Creative Reuse Ideas for Everyday Household Items

Creative Reuse at Home: Give Old Pieces New Life

Boy shocked by campaign sign?

Photo from beauty everyday

This crab apple branch in a simple glass vase, via beauty everyday, makes me very happy. Happy it's autumn. I love autumn. And I love bringing autumn indoors whenever I can, and this a very lovely idea.

Do you like to bring in the season's blooms and branches?

Related posts:

Decorating With Branches, Twigs & Tree Trunk Slices

Bring Autumn Indoors

A Simple Gratitude Tree

Make-Your-Own Tree Branch Series Makes Good Wall Art

Photo from All Modern

While I love bird decor, I'd never want totally "bird out" my house. Less is more and all that...

That said, I love this DwellStudio Pearl Chinoiserie Duvet Cover with pretty birds all over it. Cause I don't have any birds in my bedroom. Yet.

What's on the duvet cover, comforter, or bedspread in your bedroom?

Related posts:

Bird Decor for Your Home

IKEA Bird Tray

Birdies for Babies

Aren't these two wall units incredible? They're constructed with lots of recycled drawer fronts and other pieces of furniture.

This seems like it could be a wonderful DIY project for the extra creative and extra talented. For pieces this elaborate, you need to have a good eye for detail, design, and material collaboration, as well as some construction expertise, especially for stability and safety sake!

But I can't help but drool and love the eco-value of such a project — genius creative reuse that puts old furniture back into play in a lovely way. Check out Thomas's Piecemeal Coffee Table too. *sigh*

Photos by: Markham Johnson

Have you ever tried to mix and match two pieces of furniture? Did it work?

Related posts:

DIY Projects From Repurposed Drawers

Cubby Loving: Organize With Mix-n-Match Cubbies

Wall Cubbies for Collections & Things

Tree parts (branches, twigs, and tree slices) make good home design. I mean, did you see the adorable twig coat hooks and door pulls in Farminmama's house? Luh-uv!

I'm a huge fan of bringing nature inside my home — trees! — whether that means scattering acorns and seedlings in my window sills, putting fallen tree branches in vases, having my dad make something for our home from wood, or buying cool designs, made from fairly raw tree materials.

Shown above (clockwise from top left):

Custom Tree Slices, $18 from BROOKLYNrehab

Enchanted Woods iPhone Dock, $98 from Anthropologie

Branch Hook, $15 from gildem

Custom Tree Trunk Cake Stand, $40 at Jessica Johnson

Do you have any cool home decor made from tree parts? Tell us about it.

Related posts:

Tree Pedestal Cake Stand

Rustic Tree Slice Chalkboard

Found Wood Turned Artful Wooden Bowl

Birch Wall Panel

See this video at CafeMom.

The folks at PaperSpring just sent me this video about their new neato-looking product StickyStock.

StickyStock is a Post-It-type sticky paper that sticks to any flat, dry surface without leaving a residue. Upload any image or graphic you want to have printed on StickyStock.

I like — especially in terms of photos you want to change out often and a monthly family calendar you switch monthly. Would be a great way to print party invites or save the date cards too. There are so many cool ways to use it.

Pricing for StickyStock ranges from $0.49 (4x6 sheet) to $3.99 (11x17 sheet). Shipping is FREE.

Photo by AshBayGrammy

Hi, friends of Home & Garden Buzz,

I just wanted to take a moment to tell you thank you.

THANK YOU!

Your comments have been so fun and lively lately. I'm loving it.

I hope that you know your feedback to our posts is what keeps Daily Buzz going. While we try our best to find things that you'll like or that will get you talking (or laughing), it's always good to hear what you think, what you like, and where you take a pass.

Even though I don't respond to all you comments, I read every single one of your comments daily. I love them! So keep them coming...and keep reading. We love having all of you and your unique perspectives here each day.

Two more things:

We are lucky to have two experts paying us regular visits in Home & Garden Buzz — financial expert Jean Chatzky and HGTV handyman Anthony Gilardi.

I hope you'll head over and leave a finance or money question for Jean or a home repair and improvement question for Anthony. They're here to give us FREE ADVICE, mamas! So we just need your questions.

If you'd like to post a question anonymously, you can always PM the question to me, and I'll post it without your screenname.

• Ask Jean Chatzky a question
• Ask Anthony Gilardi a question

Photo from GeekSugar

Lots of Legos are in my future since we're taking the boys to Legoland over the Thanksgiving break; however, I wasn't expecting to see something so Lego-rific before then — like this Lego kitchen island, found via GeekSugar!

Check out this Lego kitchen designed by Parisian designers Simon Pillard and Philippe Rosetti. It's an IKEA kitchen island covered in more than 20,000 Lego pieces. Wow!

Related posts:

Recession Decorating: Craft Legos into Kitchen Accessories

Lego-Themed Bedroom for a 7-Year Old

Lego Birthday Ideas?

Photo from D*S

Pretty enamored of these elegant window coverings, found on D*S — and they're do it yourself!

Textile artist chela edmunds used cut felt circles and a sewing machine to make this pretty window covering, which both lets light in and gives her a sense of privacy.

Click over for her how-to instructions.

Once you've figured it out, call me and I'll give you my window measurements. :)

Related posts:

How to Make Your Own Curtains: Cheap & Easy

Curtains & Wall Art: Cheap DIY Home Decor Ideas

Wanted: Yellow Flowered Curtains

Photo from Pup to Go

I keep staring at this photo of the dog in the Pup to Go dog carrier, as seen on Daily Candy. I just can't believe a dog would go for this.

Well, for one, your (small-ish) dog better like it cause the Pup to Go will cost you $125. Available for dogs 6 to 25 pounds.

And do tell me — a non-dog owner — why would a dog or a dog owner go for this "legs out front carrier" contraption? Please explain.

Just like last year on my birthday, this year on my birthday (TODAY!), I'm going to share some of the things I want want want.

Half the fun of wanting is sharing in the wants. So I'm going to share with you.

Sheri's Birthday Wish List for the Home:

1. Yellow Check Pillow from Flock Home (shown above)
2. "bored" hand embroidered linen by Joetta Maue (shown above)
3. Jet Set Storage Bench from Urban Outfitters (shown above)
4. Summer Squares, Seven watercolor painting by Heather Smith Jones (shown above)
5. Ektorp Sofa (gray)
6. Bråviken Sink (and a bathroom remodel)
7. Round Teapot (grey)
8. Vintage Swedish Wooden Tray
9. A tin of Green Peony
10. Chickadee Tea Towel
11. Artful Blogging subscription
12. Tivoli Radio
13. Avian Card Set
14. Custom embroidered artwork of my home
15. Healthy, happy home and world peace (and many more!)

I'll stop while I'm ahead and tell you the truth. I already have everything I need on this birthday. All I can truly wish for is more of the same in the years to come.

Okay, now wish me a happy birthday, okay?

Tracy of jumilla stories with her family

Today's Show & Tell Home Tour lands us in the 1950s modern Los Angeles home of Tracy Bartley, arts industry WAHM and mom to two girls. She blogs at jumilla stories.

Come on inside...

Oh, L.A., it's such a lovely city, and Tracy Bartley's home says Los Angeles in so many ways. I think you're going to love Tracy's mix of artsy, modern, and family loving. Here we go...

A few quintessential L.A. palms

Street view of Tracy's home

Tracy, tell us a little about your family and your home. 

We live nestled in a wonderful neighborhood in Woodland Hills – a suburb of Los Angeles — located in the San Fernando Valley. Our home is part of an Alexander development, designed by the architects Palmer and Krisel, built in 1955. It is considered an example of “vernacular modernism” and has all the trappings one expects from a California mid-century modern home: lots of floor-to-ceiling windows, open-beamed ceilings, a fairly open floor plan, a carport, a swimming pool, and palm trees. We purchased the home eight years ago from its original owner. It was stuck in an early 1970s time capsule, but to my husband David’s credit, he saw the potential and we have been in a state of remodel ever since. Our home is a 1,450 square foot, 3-bedroom that fits the four of us — my husband, me, and our two daughters, ages 5 and 8 — perfectly. There’s even room for a small backyard flock of chickens and ponds for two red-eared sliders.

The family hooks in the front entry way

Kids art and book collections

How do you approach decorating in your home? What's the most important thing? 

Being kid-friendly without looking too much like we are overrun with kid stuff. Our girls' presence is definitely felt, but we have incorporated a lot of storage into the furnishings that help stow away all the Legos, etc. We are much more of the Charles and Ray Eames style of mid-century modernism as opposed to a more minimal look. I don’t like clutter – but do like having mementos of our travels and families around us. I couple kid-friendly with the indoor-outdoor element that we are so lucky to be able to take advantage of where we live. All our rooms open up onto some type of patio area, and that connection has definitely influenced my decorating choices.

The living room is open to the back patio

Lovely natural light throughout the room

You have two young daughters. How does the girls' STUFF influence the look and feel of your home? 

My eldest especially is “a collector.” It has been a bit of a struggle to find a way to organize their shared room. I am so lucky that David — who works as a fabricator at a museum — has been able to custom design and build much of our furniture. Wherever we could, we built in storage so that the girls' toys can be easily tucked away. I can frequently be heard quoting the old adage: “A place for everything and everything in its place.” A collection of baskets, cubbies, boxes, etc. stow away treasure and help to keep the house looking less cluttered.

The girls' room

Tracy's 5-year old with her Dad on a Saturday morning

Great design can be expensive. How do you get the most bang for your buck? 

I am a regular thrifter and try to be discerning in what I bring home. We have also been lucky that David’s parents had a love of mid-century design and much of our furniture and accessories have come from them. We have saved a lot with David building some of our furniture, and when we do splurge on an item — usually artwork — it feels like an investment.

The family room cubbies, which David built in, serve as great toy storage

Relaxing in the egg chair

Tell us about the best deal you have gotten lately for your home. 

Oh, let me think. This past week I picked up a vintage Beaver State Pendleton blanket and some antique Native American baskets at the thrift for under $20 total. The blanket especially made the house feel ready for fall.

Tell us about one DIY project you have taken on recently and love.

David just designed and built a new mailbox for us. The house originally had a mail slot, but we didn’t want to go back to that when we put up a new front door. We also didn’t want to attach any new element to the front of the house, so we settled on a free-standing mailbox. In pricing out ones we liked, we found them to be very expensive, so David built a unit that utilizes the redwood we have in our fencing and is set in the large garden bed of our front entrance-way. I am very happy with how this turned out.

The free-standing mailbox, which David DIY'd

Do you have a favorite piece of furniture or decorative item in your home? Tell us about this item.

Our home is filled with art — from pictures by the girls, works by David, works by friends, and works by the artist I worked for, for many years. I don’t have a favourite.  Each one holds significance for me and surrounds me with memories of many who are no longer close by.

You are a creative person and you work in the arts too. What household chore do you tend to back burner most so you can tend to your creative life?

David and I both have Visual Arts degrees. I am fortunate to work from home as an administrator for an artist’s estate. My work's time demands vary depending on many factors. It feels lately that most of my creativity goes into raising our girls! We are dedicated to improving our neighborhood public school and turning it into a Community School Park. We have worked to tear out more than 180 tons of asphalt from the campus, planting over 100 trees and 600 drought-tolerant shrubs. Our own garden, I am afraid, has suffered from neglect as a result. I have promised myself that this winter we will get back to our own yard! 

Tracy's backyard office — a Modern Shed

One of the family chickens

Swimming pool

What is your most important everyday ritual at home?

For myself, it is getting up at 6:00, a half hour before the girls, kissing David goodbye as he leave on his bicycle to work, packing lunches prepared the night before into backpacks, and still having time to enjoy my coffee and read part of the paper.   

As a family, our meals are very important. At breakfast, it is just the girls and me, but I make sure that it is quality time — we start the day off with conversation about what lies ahead and a good breakfast in our tummies. We wrap up the day together for dinner and time for reflection on the day's happenings. These are rituals that I grew up with and that provide us all with comfort and stability.

After breakfast

The girls in the kitchen (yep, more awesme built-in storage)

In your home, what is one indulgence you give into?

We don’t have cable television — but recently upgraded our internet service so that David and me could watch more Hulu!

We live quite frugally actually and have only indulged in a few things as part of our seemingly neverending remodel. I think that good quality and well-designed fixtures for our bathroom and lighting throughout the house have been important investments.

The newly remodeled bathroom

Ah, they know me well at our local Goodwill and National Council for Jewish Women thrift! I also keep my eye out for certain vintage items on Etsy and eBay. 

Los Angeles has so many great design resources. Luckily, they are all a fair drive away for me! I love visiting Modernica and Plastica. Everything at the new Heath Ceramics is so lovely, and there is always something to tempt me at ten10 — usually vintage pottery or outdoor furniture. I found a beautiful Stan Bitters birdfeeder there; that is one of my favourite things.

Master bedroom patio view

I am always inspired by the posts at Remodelista. The ongoing remodel at shelter is wonderful to watch unfold — and reminds me that when you are doing it yourself, nothing happens overnight! I have also recently gotten caught up in The Brick House – a mid-century remodel happening in the “Inland Empire” region of SoCal (her thrifting and Craigslist scores make me green with envy).

Tracy, dreaming of my own Modern Shed like yours, which makes ME green with envy. What a special hideaway for a WAHM. It was sure lots of fun tromping around your home. Thanks for sharing it with us. 

Tracy Bartley is a Canadian living with her husband and two girls (her "bugs") in suburban L.A. and dreaming of Galiano Island. When she's not digging in the dirt looking for bugs with her bugs, she works as an Administrator of an artist's estate. She believes in the power of community, wants to build a stronger bond with her sewing machine, and blogs about her everyday at jumilla stories. You can also find her at Two Green Chickens and sew green.

Don't miss our previous Show & Tell Home Tours:

According to the article, if your bank recently closed, if your credit union failed, or if you are a former employee of a company that went under, you may have some money with your name on it.

And to think I jumped for joy when I found a $5 bill in my coat pocket from last winter!

Check out the Woman's Day website to see if you might be entitled to any money.

Have you ever been pleasantly surprised with money you weren't expecting to receive?

Related posts:

Ways to be Responsible with Money

Financial Advice from Jean Chatzky