Suzannah Hamlin Stanley's Blog, page 68

Christmasey minibreak! The Heathman Hotel for the holidays

We kicked off the holiday season strong last weekend with a minibreak staycation and Christmas shopping in downtown Portland, cutting down our tree, husband's work holiday party, a trip to the mountain to play in the snow, and a low-key party with friends! Phew!

We love taking little local trips to unwind a little and this one at The Heathman really started our busy weekend (and holiday season) off right! Not only is it all decked out for the holidays with lots of Christmas trees and festive d...

DIY gifts that are actually useful (DIY gift guide!)

Search "DIY holiday gifts" and you'll likely find a lot of options for hot chocolate in a jar, possibly even with pipe cleaner reindeer antlers and a red pompom nose. Another common DIY gift tutorial is the personalized coffee mug using Sharpie or other semi-permanent tool, but trust me, those do not hold up to many washings!!

I'm a pretty practical person, even around the holidays, and I don't love making, giving, or receiving cutesy gifts that aren't useful and I don't have a place to store...

#Stanley90sreno week 8: A little burnout, plus holiday distractions (and Christmas tree hunting)

Well... we've lost some steam. I wish I could say our energy and spirits were as high as ever as we get close to the holidays and our days get busier... and if left alone, I might still be working on the house in the evenings and every spare moment on weekends. But I would probably get really burned out and stressed and not really notice it. Husband has reached his limit before I have, and has forced us to slow down a little and we had a very quiet week at home sticking to a pre-fixer upper r...

Health(IER) holiday treat: molasses ginger cookies, a grain-free version of an old tradition! And free groceries from Whole Foods!

Flash back to the holiday season, 2006. I was on the treadmill at the University of Oregon gym reading a Cooking Light magazine. (2006 Suzannah thought a low fat vegetarian diet and lots of steady-state cardio were healthy, and that she could eat all the sugar she wanted, just not too much butter.) I found a molasses cookie recipe with crackled sugar on top that sounded yummy, and tore the page out for my recipe binder! (Pre-Pinterest.) I made that recipe every holiday season for several year...

#Stanley90sreno week 7: Almost to the detail stage, plus lighting and cabinets! Fireplace advice?

We are getting to the bottom of our constant to-do list for Phase 1 of our reno! (Not including installing the floors, kitchen counters, or kitchen tile and shelving, which we don't have yet.) I had some extra time this week and weekend with the Thanksgiving holiday, and while I wanted to get lots of work done around here, I almost ran out of little tasks I could do by myself!

Starting to look almost homey in here...

Our to-do list this past week and weekend included (finished items crossed off...

My top 6 Cyber Monday sales!

I have been totally converted to online shopping for Black Friday weekend and Cyber Week after a few great experiences online shopping and a terrible experience at the one store I tried to go to in person. Never again!!

And there are more great sales going on today, so I rounded up just a few (with top picks) I know I don't want to miss!
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Grain-free, Paleo pumpkin bread with collagen protein (dessert or breakfast!)

First, I will keep the Black Friday stuff REAL short today and tell you my top three sales this weekend, where I have been doing some shopping from the comfort of my couch!!

World Market (I ordered cute gifts, jewelry, these adorable Santa mugs, and some decor stuff all 40-50% off--TODAY ONLY)Express (everything 50% off including my favorite jeans of all time! plus free shipping with no minimum)LOFT (everything 50% off, shopping for elegant sweaters and accessories as I multi-task writing this...

Preparing for black friday and cyber week (for the home)!

For most of the past year and a half we've been in maybe-we'll-be-moving-soon mode and I haven't bough much of anything for the house. Aside from changing out throw pillows and bedding seasonally, our townhouse looked pretty much the same for most of 2015-2016, but my style has changed! Since we found out we were buying our 90's fixer upper, I've been online window-shopping nonstop for rugs, lighting, and even some fun accessories, trying to put together the look I'm i...

#Stanley90sreno week 6 update: tackling the kitchen! And blinds

This was a big week!! We made huge progress on the kitchen update but there's still lots to do so hopefully this coming week will be a big one, too!

We set a goal of having all our dishes unpacked and new sink hooked up by Thanksgiving so we could cook our dishes to contribute to the family meal. An ambitious goal, but... we do well with deadlines. ;)

We set this schedule for our cabinet-painting, sink and countertop-replacing phase of the project. We'll do the painting of the walls, new backsp...

Transforming dated doors with paint and hardware (step-by-step and video)

It's door reveal day!! I am so excited that this post is finally ready for you all because that means the project is mostly done and I've been wanting it for literally months now! This project has probably made the most difference in our home so far, even more than choosing the wall color or pulling up the carpets. :P The good news is, updating doors and trim is easy and requires minimal tools and investment, and ANYONE can do it. I'm really stoked to share my experience with you.

I have run a...