Blog - at home with Ashley

DIY Garden Beds

5 weeks ago, I talked my husband into building me garden beds as his Mother’s Day gift to me. Well, he made them and we planted everything in time for it to be a great gift! But it wasn’t until today that I put the finishing touches on them. Honestly, I love these DIY garden beds and am SO glad we got them in early this year so we can enjoy them through the fall and for many years to come.

The first year we bought this house, I put a garden in the ground in another location. A few things grew, but mostly it was a fail. Last year I didn’t do a garden since we didn’t get to this house after spending the winter in Florida until June. At that point, it felt too late.

All that to say, having a successful garden now feels so great! And I love tending to it! Want to hear how we made it?

[Read more…]

Ikea Alex Desk Hack

For my son Don’s room I want to add a desk where he can do homework and draw. Plus I want some storage for art supplies. So I decided to do an Ikea Alex desk hack! I’ll use the Alex drawers and upgrade them to look like a dollhouse shop. I’m so excited for this project and showing exactly how to make it.

If you like dollhouse furniture projects, make sure to check out the dollhouse nightstand and dollhouse dresser (both are IKEA hacks as well).

[Read more…]

Alcove Bed IKEA Hack

For my 8 year old son’s room, I want to create an alcove bed for him. His room is big so I think building in a cozy bed nook will really help define the space. This project is an IKEA hack which feels appropriate since bed boxes have Scandinavian roots. Let’s get building!

[Read more…]

How to Prep for Wallpaper

When it comes to wallpapering successfully, the key is good prep! After years of experience with adding wallpaper to every room of my house, I’ve learned how to prep by testing samples, smoothing, cleaning, priming, & planning out the layout. I’ll show how to prep for wallpaper with examples of when I did it right and wrong so you can look like a wallpaper pro too.

[Read more…]

Bed Sheet Dress

I love the idea of making a bed sheet dress! You can use vintage sheets- which is a great way to save money AND use recycled fabric. Plus you can find really fun patterned fabrics. I’m using a Liberty of London print- which would be very expensive to buy. PLUS it has trim on the flat sheet and pillow cases that I can use on the dress!

[Read more…]

Rainbow Easter Decor

One of my favorite holidays is Easter. I was born on Easter, I love the colors, and it’s the start of spring. Bunnies, chicks, tulips- it’s all good to me! So I thought I’d add decorations to my mantle, stairs, dining table, and make a wreath to create some rainbow Easter decor. I’ll share exactly what I did in case you want a similar look!

[Read more…]

Ikea Tarva Dresser Hack

My son doesn’t have a good sized dresser in his room- he’s grown out of his smaller old one. Recently I made a dollhouse nightstand and thought it’d be great to expand the neighborhood a bit! So I’m creating an Ikea Tarva dresser hack for this makeover. I think this DIY will be really run as I take a boring dresser and totally customize it.

[Read more…]

Ikea Step Stool Hack- Grubban

I recently built my son bookcases for his room. Since he’s 8, he can’t reach the top shelves. So I decided to add a step stool to his room. I wanted a pretty one, but everything I found was out of my price point (silly me, I don’t want to spend $500 on a stool for a kid’s room). Luckily I found an affordable option- the Grubban! It’s $23 and perfect for this IKEA step stool hack.

[Read more…]

Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack- Built Ins

For my son’s room I wanted to add some bookcases to really ground the room and provide lots of spots for books. I want the shelves to look built-in, but do it on a budget. Enter the Ikea Billy bookcase hack! I bought the bookshelves for super affordably and then really customize them to look high end. Want to see how I made these?!

[Read more…]

DIY Electric Fireplace

If you’re looking to add a DIY electric fireplace to an empty wall that is traditional and beautiful- this tutorial if for you! It is a also an affordable project too. Learn how to frame and finish a fireplace with this detailed tutorial.

We’ve started working on my 7 year old son’s room. It’s big so I decided to take up some of the square footage with a DIY electric fireplace flanked by built-ins. In the winter, his room is cold so I thought this would be a great cozy edition! I’ll show you how we framed out and built the mantel for our electric fireplace.

This is our third fireplace build so we are experts at this point! You can see the first fireplace tutorial from my kitchen here and the second DIY fireplace from the main bedroom here.

[Read more…]