A Web Vacation.

Since it's that extra ambiguous time of year where we barely know who we are between and around the holidays and as it's been a bit, a long bit, since I've taken y'all on a trip through the internet for some great reads, interesting tidbits, and fun things to look at, I figured it was time again.

Besides, my stupid back is still being stupid which is stupid and stupidly results in nothing getting done which is stupid.  Extremely, stupidly frustrating to be exact.

And since my Pocket overfloweth with goodies, it is time to empty the pcoket fuzzies and go for a web spin!

Oh but first, I've updated the look of the blog!  Take a look around!  Quite pleased as punch, I am.  Nice, yeah?  The previous look was error-riddled but neither here nor there; this looks much nicer, IMO.

All righty, Pocket time:

A very recent read was this 28 Odd but Useful Tips All DIY'ers Need to Know from Family Handyman.  Some you may already know, some were new to me, and some were quite worthy of remembering for sure.  

This is my childhood in bottles and cans.  Visit Eleven City Diner in Chicago, it is an absolute must.

In the color department, we've got Pantone Picks Two Colors of the Year for 2021 from The New York Times, a gray and a yellow.  How happy am I, omg.  Yellow!  With the splashes of yellow I'm tossing around the house lately, I've retitled myself Visionary, haha!  We could all use a little cheer and Illuminating is lit!  Ahhh, lit, pun....

Keeping with the cheery yellow theme, how about Remodelista's Trend Alert:  Sunny Yellow Kitchens, 10 Favorites.  Coulda popped a little more yellow for my taste, but, some of those really work for me.

And to really beat the yellow horse, how about 20 Breathtakingly Beautiful Yellow Bedrooms for More Upbeat Mornings.  Mmmm, that makes me so happy.

Oh my goooooosh do I love these flowers.  I wait utterly impatiently for the bloodroot to bloom in spring.

Ok ok ok, I'll move on!

If that was too much of a color punch for you, check out House and Home's These 70+ Rooms Prove a Pop of Color is All You Need.  Perfect if you're looking to dip your toes into the world of color but are concerned about going too far.

Or if you're looking to have some fun with paint, check out my paint section for how-to's (and oh, lots more to come this year, ooh, can't wait to share) or Homedit has Cool Painting Ideas That Turn Walls and Ceilings into a Statement.  What's also handy about that article is a thorough discussion of paint if you've ever been confused.

Then I count down daily, incessantly peek out the window, for my peonies to bloom.

Or, oh this is super cool, Apartment Therapy has this article, Before and After:  A $36 Project Turns a Plain Bedroom into a Colorful Wonderland.  Awesome.  Yes.

Buuuut, if you really want to dance, House and Home's 45 Rooms that Prove Black Walls are More Versatile Than You Think....yeah, some gooooood eye candy there.  Totally do-able, totally not scary in the remotest.  Truly.  Try it!

Moving on to interior design, check out This Vibrant Barcelona Apartment Has the Most Remarkable Doorways.  This apartment is about way more than doorways.  Click over, you will not be sorry.

Mike and I took a walk in the park together.  Got dive bombed by a Red-Winged Blackbird too, meanies.

And oh yep, I'm still about the wallpaper.  So when I saw Business of Home's Wallpaper is Making a Comeback -- And This Time it's For Real, I was positively jazzed.  Tellin' ya, follow my tips and you'll never be frightened of wallpaper again.

As a bonus, hint hint, here's a wallpaper calculator from Spike's Calculators.  Ahem, cough.

I took a field trip to Sawyer, Michigan, and oh.  Oh, what a day.  Read about it here.

Bob Vila had a (surprisingly) good article with the 10 Things People Get Wrong About Decorating Small Spaces.  Nice job, Bob. 

Better Homes and Garden's shared this Take a Peek at Blogger Dabito's Revamped Bungalow.  Oooh.  Oodles of fun ideas there.

We took our first vacation in seven years.  This goofball came with us and I swear, I have never seen this dog happier than he was on this Lake Michigan beach.

Here's an interesting take on clutter, reasons why we clutter, and advocating for not decluttering, The End of Minimalism over on The Atlantic.  I dunno, I still feel we all have way too much stuff.  I know we do and I should get at editing again pronto.

Plants were quite the thing this year, huh?  Did you up your plant collection?  If so, here are 13 Free DIY Plant Stand Plans from The Spruce.  Hm, I might have to make one or two of those.

Walkies in the park with the aforementioned pooch.

Bob Vila had a tip for the Easiest-Ever Homemade Plant Food.  I tried it myself, and eh, I think it was fine?  I didn't notice any real difference.  My plants didn't die!  But, I figured it was less expensive than commercial plant food.  Come spring, I'll give it a whirl again.

Whooo, that's a bunch, wow!  One last one as a good chuckle is always most certainly welcome so here's Architectural Digest's 65 of the Absolute Worst Construction Fails We've Ever Seen.   

Our Christmas dessert.  The BEST cheesecake I have ever made in my life.  Stay tuned to The Bake Dept for that recipe.

What on earth do these random the heck photos have to do with this post?  Nothin'.  Just slices of life outside of the blog.  Despite 2020 being uh, what it was, there were some truly exceptional moments that I will treasure forever.  I hope there were some rays of sunshine for you as well.

Upcoming stories this year?  Looking forward to sharing the laundry room complete re-do, whooie!  I'll wrap up the master bathroom shower, thank goodness.  And no doubt we'll have lots more fun.  Stay tuned!