Suzannah Hamlin Stanley's Blog, page 40

All about our DIY kitchen reno DESIGN!

I've teased about it before (like in our 2019 projects list)... we are planning a full, DIY kitchen reno for this June!! I'm actually swimming in design decisions right now, but am sharing the renderings, inspirations, and more with you!

I dished to Ashley in this week's episode of the Your Home Story podcast. We'll be doing brand new cabinets, flooring, plumbing, tile, and more. I also share in the episode why this probably won't be our forever house, some of the renovatio...

How to throw a simple, stress-free first birthday party. Otto's birthday!

Otto is one!! And, we have survived a year of parenting. That's all cause for celebration.

I know some people who go all-out for first birthdays. There's a theme, printables, themed snacks and activities, strong color scheme, adorable desserts, long guest list including all their friends with kids... (Seriously, I have at least two friends who LOVE hosting parties and are so good at it and did this for their kids. That has been part of my model of parenting the past 5+ years.)

I, on the...

How I lost the baby weight (fast) without dieting

Otto will be one year old this week! I definitely have struggled to write this post because it is an emotional topic for me and a lot of people, but I figure now is kind of the last chance I have and I think it is valuable to share.

If you're like I was and concerned about keeping on weight after pregnancy, working on body image issues, trying to eat well and work out... you may enjoy reading about my experience!


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How to lay big hexagon tile!: Week 3 of the One Room Challenge

We are making big progress on this bathroom reno!! I have been sharing updates in my Instagram stories, but wanted to dive deeper into one of the major elements of the project.

One design element that was essential to my clients from day one was larger scale, dark hexagon tile. Almost all the bathrooms they were inspired by featured black or grey 5-8" hexagons!

I had never laid large hex tile before--I've done mosaic hexagon tile, big squares, and subway tile--but I knew we could do it...

Landscape design interview with the pros

I would LOVE to get to improving our yard this year but there is so much I don't know!! On the Your Home Story podcast this year we want to bring in more experts to educate our listeners (and us!) on topics like this one--landscape and hardscape design, what you can DIY, when to do what improvements...


Plus, it's about the time of year when you may want to start planning exterior projects like deck/yard upgrades and landscaping. We called in some experts about landscape/hardscape design, Engel...

Serious demo, and bronze vs. black fixtures: Week 2 of the One Room Challenge

As I shared last week... we will be making over a dated bathroom in just 6 weeks! We're midway through week 2 now, in the "it gets worse before it gets better" stage hands-down. MAJOR progress has occurred over the past week, including all the demo and looking at a ton of drawer pulls and faucets! We are having a hard time choosing black or brass fixtures, read on for that...

Plus, one of the issues that came up in this reno shows an example of how sometimes, the newbie DIYer rou...

Behind the scenes: our dining room makeover

Want to hear the details and story behind our dining room makeover? (GOOD before/afters coming at you here!)

As I shared in this post, we just finished renovating our dining room. This wasn't the same as redoing a kitchen or moving walls around, but made a huge difference. Paint, decor, and important details can make over a room on a small budget and quick timeline (if you can decide on decor faster than I can, that is!)

Ashley grilled me on the changes in this week's episode of the You...

1961 pink and red bathroom makeover!: Week 1 of the One Room Challenge

Today's a big day!!!!! Announcing a big project--I'm going to make over another room in just 6 weeks for the spring 2019 One Room Challenge! It's the 1961 pink and red main bathroom of my good friends Gabriela and Matt. Their home is clean, freshly painted, and well-maintained... but this bathroom still has the original PINK sink, tub, and toilet!! And needs a window replaced and some plumbing fixes as well. We are going to turn it into the modern midcentury-leaning space of their...

FREE ways to update & improve your home!

Lately I've been feeling super overwhelmed by all the projects we have planned (or need to plan) at this house. It's an old house, we knew it was a fixer-upper, and it has great potential... but we need to spend money and time improving it. Plus, I get really hung up choosing exactly the right thing for any little decor purchase!

However, there are plenty of really beneficial projects/improvements that don't cost any money at all (some not even that much time!) and yet make a huge differe...

Removing carpet on stairs and transforming our upstairs hallway! Spring break projects

It is safe to say we had a very productive spring break! Basically, we mapped out our year early this year and figured out that because of Jason's school schedule and a few small trips we have planned, we had a little time spring break and then a couple of longer chunks in the summer to do house projects. And we had quite a few on the project list!


For our spring break project, there were a lot of things that we thought about but we decided one manageable chunk (that would definitely feel...