Suzannah Hamlin Stanley's Blog, page 34

Life, home decor/project, and podcast updates

This week on the Your Home Story podcast we figured it was about time to update you on what we are both up to (personal and home decor), all things ORC, and even what we are excited to talk about on the podcast over the next few months. If you love gabbing with your BFF, then this episode is for you!
margin-left: a...

The solution to our dining room rug problem (and a discount code!)

Ah, the old question--can a dining room look "finished" without a rug?? I know the answer is yes, for modern spaces, small spaces, round tables, and other creative looks, but for our house--NO!


Thanks to Ruggable for providing this rug for my review!

Before our kitchen reno we pulled up the ivory stripe rug I had in here when I finished the dining room... I just couldn't handle worrying about it anymore! I LOVED the look of it, but people walk through this room all the time, and we wer...house--NO!Thanks

How to PHASE a bathroom reno (keep that shower as long as possible!), tons of wall tile, and painting tips: Week 3, One Room Challenge

We're in the middle of the work for our bathroom reno, and I think the middle is probably the worst place to be. The design excitement is over, you've had your house torn up for a while, you're tired of things being in weird places, it's starting to look better but you're working on it alll the time, and there are still hurdles to cross before you're close to done.

But we've made this reno as painless as possible in a few ways, and I'm sharing about those today. This ba...

Kitchen organization!!!

Working in an organized kitchen makes every minute in there easier and happier. I've been working on pantry and dish cabinet organization since we did our kitchen reno and while it's a work in progress, I did get some professional help, and am getting deep into organization principles today!


Organizing your kitchen cabinets is a small-scale DIY that can make a huge difference. Today on the Your Home Story podcast Ashley and I talk through common issues for kitchen organizing, including li...

Unique handmade art: our Crater Lake tree ring print (and custom framing with coupon code!)

Unique, personal art is a big goal of ours in this home. We've had a mishash of art styles over the years from all different sources, but we have decided we are done with mass-produced generic art and only want to bring in pieces that are special to us. Of course we want them to be beautiful, too!

I'd been seeing tree print woodblock prints around lately, I think most of them by one artist: Erik Linton. He cuts and prints by hand so, so many beautiful tree rings and offers them in any...

How to lay mosaic tile flooring!: Week 2, One Room Challenge bathroom reno with hexagon floor

I have a love/hate relationship with tiling. I LOVE that it is a totally doable DIY and is not technically difficult. Anyone can do it, with a few tools and confidence. I HATE how long it takes (on walls) and how many steps there are, with annoying running out to the backyard to mix more mortar or grout... it's messy and hard on my back and takes longer than it should. BUT it is a great way to improve your home and if you do it yourself, it can be cheaper than hiring out installation of e...

Complete powder bath renovation!

You know I'm deep into our full bath renovation and overwhelmed by redoing the shower... so here's a smaller-scale project that is 100% complete to enjoy in the meantime!

Sometimes the smallest rooms can make the biggest impact--but small doesn’t always mean easy for a DIY renovation! Tune in to the Your Home Story podcast this week to hear all about Ashley’s powder bath renovation (including what it ended up costing)!

Here's a shot of this beautiful tiny bathroom, plus a "before"!

You can find...

Main bathroom full gut makeover: Week 1 One Room Challenge! Before, design, and demo!

Bathroom reno time!!!!!!!! Our main bathroom is a huge eyesore and mix of pieces from over the decades, including denim blue trim, multicolored reddish tile, and glass blocks on the shower. YIKES. It lacks storage and yet has bars and shelves everywhere on the walls, and the floor is cracking around the shower. It's on the main floor of the house and we is the main bathroom we use--it's also our only tub and shower right now! It will be a massive project to redo it and I will be shari...

Home Renovation or Design Burnout :( :( :(

If you want to know how I really feel about all the projects we have going on and everything we're trying to do to this house (and have been doing on houses for the past 3 years.....), read on!! I am super passionate about this topic right now as I'm currently fighting overwhelm as we start our main bathroom renovation for the One Room Challenge and try to wrap up yard stuff and some bigger projects.

I am so glad we're talking about this on the Your Home Story podcast this week!

It happens to t...

Birthday resolution, plus what I'm buying for fall (for work and weekends!)

A couple weeks ago on my birthday, I shared on my Instagram stories I shared a goal for myself for this year... I need to take care of myself more, but not just by taking time to read, relax, all that--I need to buy myself the clothes and makeup I need in order to feel put together.

This form of self-care is an area I've really struggled with for a long time since I hate spending money. But I'm really trying to be more balanced about it and buy myself things I need!

With that in mind... I'...