Suzannah Hamlin Stanley's Blog, page 21

Why (and how) I put my newborn on a schedule

Newborns are not predictable and you always hear it's impossible or even bad to put them on a schedule. You just use wake windows and time between feedings. Otto didn't have a nap schedule till he was at least 4 months, and then it was mostly because we had multiple babysitters throughout the day and needed some predictability for us in his evening schedule. But now I have two little ones, and I quickly realized, it's different this time.
How the schedule started
I think even in the first week I i...

Affordable patterned floor tile round-up. Plus Week 2 One Room Challenge bathroom progress

We kicked off demo and tile last weekend and the bathroom is already looking transformed! I'm working on an tutorial for how to lay medium-sized square tile but in the meantime, wow, I am so impressed by how the patterned tile we chose looks. It was crazy affordable and it's nothing ground-breakingly original, but it really makes a great statement and I am now all excited about patterned tile!

There are also a lot of temporary tile techniques out there these days. I have friends who've painted an...

Moody eclectic modern living room makeover

This week on the Your Home Story podcast, an exciting reveal.

Ashley’s been working on meaningful, personal updates to her living room for the past almost 2 years! It’s finally feeling basically done and she’s reflecting on the trials and errors and what’s made it really work for their family.

Image source

Resources and links:

Wood Flooring InstallNeutral Paint in the Living RoomThe MakeristaHouse of BrinsonHacking the Chandelier to make it work. The corner cabinet that gave Ashley fits. My corner b...

Mastering putting baby down drowsy but awake (plus the best newborn sleep tips I've learned)

Lack of sleep has been the #1 hardest thing about having a new baby for me, both times. I know occasionally there are unicorn babies that sleep in long chunks from day 1, but both of mine have given me 1.5-hour to 3-hour blocks of sleep the first few weeks, often interrupted by 1-3 hour-long sessions of feeding them and trying to get them back to sleep. Awful nights. It's so, so hard and has (both times) led to lots of Googling baby sleep tips and reading this book (quickly--plenty of time to re...

Upstairs bathroom reno plans: Week 1 One Room Challenge!

I'm so excited it's One Room Challenge season again! We have yet another bathroom planned for this ORC (I've done two other bathroom challenges--this midcentury modern-inspired one at my friends' home and our main bathroom) and it's not that I loooove them over other rooms, but this house did have two dated bathrooms so now we have to do the second one!

New here?
If you're new to this blog from the ORC site, welcome!! I'm Suzannah, a longtime DIYer and design lover currently making over our 1937 T...

All about demo! The DIY home reno demo phase

Demo!! It's an exciting, terrifying, messy phase of home renovation.  From this bathroom renovation we did last fall
We are chatting all things demo in today’s Your Home Story Podcast episode. From gutting bathrooms and kitchens as a whole to the nitty gritty like how to remove carpet and drywall… you may be grossed out at times but will definitely leave the show feeling empowered to start tearing out flooring, walls, etc., of a space that you hate!

In the show today, we talked about:
Ashley’s ori...

How to make BIG home & furniture purchases

We got a great question from a member of our Facebook group: how to pull the trigger on the purchase of a big ticket furniture item? We talk about how to pick something you’ll love for years and can work with multiple trends, how to spot high quality, which pieces to spend on versus save, and more. Image source

Resources mentioned:
@rignellranch pro painting tips Story highlightsInvestment Furniture: The Best Pieces that Hold Value Furniture Buying 101Episode 65 about my dining room reveal and din...

Fall home tour and my top 3 tips for decorating for fall!

I am really careful with seasonal decorating since I'm a bit of a minimalist and don't like buying and storing pieces that have limited use. But I do like to get into the spirit of a new season, and I've found three simple tips help me every year!

Sharing some updates we've made to the living room and dining room lately... happy fall!

My top 3 tips for decorating for fall

I keep it simple--but I do make noticeable changes!

1. Add/replace soft pieces.

I've had blue tones in our throw pillows all sprin...

Intentional living interview

Home improvement and design influencer Cassie Bustamante is on the Your Home Story podcast today talking about how she pushes herself to be creative with a limited budget, how important it is for her to step away from home inspirations so that she can reset her own head space, how she makes no-spend months work, and some projects that she shared that really show how you can be more creative when you have to be!

During the show, she talked about:

Ashley's Guest Bedroom RefreshCassie Bustamante’s B...

How to organize and store household & DIY supplies (paint, lightbulbs, tools, etc.!)

We got a great question from a member of our Facebook group recently: “What are the ways you organize and store house supplies? Paint, paint supplies, tools, light bulbs, etc.” This week on the Your Home Story podcast, we share how we do it plus best practices/tips, and cover all these types of supplies and more! Image source

Resources mentioned (includes affiliate links):
Lots of great information on how to paint by @rignellranch!Healthy Home Expert interview with tips on indoor air quality (regar...