Daly Digs -

The Perks of Decorating with Faux Stems and a Roundup of My Favorites

When it comes to decorating your home with beautiful blooms, faux stems and florals offer a great alternative to fresh flowers. Not only do they bring long-lasting beauty to your space, but they also offer several advantages over their natural counterparts.

The Perks of Decorating with Faux Stems

vase / stems / bowl / mirror / lamp / chairs

1. Long Lasting

Unlike real flowers that wilt and require regular replacement, faux stems and florals maintain their pristine appearance indefinitely. Whether you have a busy schedule or lack a green thumb, these lifelike alternatives offer longevity that doesn’t fade away. They’re a cost-effective solution, as you won’t have to constantly purchase fresh flowers to keep that realistic look.

kitchen / faux seeded eucalyptus

2. Versatile and Seasonal

Faux stems and florals offer a wide range of options, regardless of the season. Unlike real flowers, which are often limited by availability and seasonality, faux stems and florals provide year-round versatility. You can choose from a vast selection of blooms, colors, and styles to suit your preferences and match your overall style.

pendant light / branch / vase / stool

3.… Read more

A Quick Update to Our Front Entryway

Our front entryway has seen a lot of changes. During the construction of our garage addition, we parked in the front yard and used the front entryway to access the house since the side-door access was blocked. We moved the bench and coat rack from our old small mudroom into the entry so we (and guests) had a place to put all the things. Now that the garage is completed, we access the house through the mudroom and the front door will be primarily for guests. The hodgepodge of pieces that got us by during construction served their purpose but now, I’m ready to give a quick update to our front entryway.

Before

Surely, we can do better!

When it came to searching for entryway inspiration, I assumed I’d do a table or cabinet style with a mirror, a vase of florals or greenery, and a lamp. The problem with that is, there are two vignettes within eyeshot of the entryway that are just that – a table with a lamp, a vase with greenery, and a few other small decor pieces.… Read more

Yard Makeover with Yardzen Part 2

Now that you have read all about our yard makeover with Yardzen and have seen the first draft of their design (swoon!), let me tell you where we’re at.

Revisions

After we received our initial conceptual design, we were invited to make revisions within Yardzen’s user-friendly feedback studio. It allows you to click anywhere within the design and make a note or request the removal/replacement of any plant or element. There were a few plants in our initial design that I requested alternatives. After I provided feedback, they replied within a day informing me that they were working on updating the design. At this point, I was invited to schedule a project review call so that’s an option if you prefer to speak to the team directly.

Contractor Bidding

Yardzen offers contractor matching and will connect you with a local, vetted landscaping company if you wish but the shopping around, bidding, and installation of the project is out of the purview of Yardzen. They can help guide you, but they do not play a role in the installation of their design.… Read more

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

I recently asked the mamas on Instagram what they really wanted for Mother’s Day. It’s no surprise to me that the majority of responses had to do with some pampering! A massage, a facial, a gift card for a mani/pedi. So go ahead and ask for a day at the spa, ladies! A couple of other responses I liked were meal prep services and family photos that she didn’t have to organize. But everyone loves to open a gift so here are some Mother’s Day gift ideas:

You can never go wrong with cashmere; this sweater is so versatile. It will be a staple in her closet for years.
My favorite special treat, this macaron set will brighten her day. They are as tasty as they are beautiful.
A small version of the infamous primrose mirror, you can’t go wrong with this vanity mirror.
If mama isn’t a fan of cooking, this might not be the way to go hah. But if she is, I am in love with my ceramic cookware set. It comes in several colors and this version with the gold handles is stunning.

Yard Makeover with Yardzen Part 1

This post is sponsored by Yardzen.

Now that we have wrapped up the garage addition, it’s time to focus on our yard and curb appeal. I am so excited to share all the details about our landscaping and yard makeover with Yardzen! So far, the process has been fun and exciting.

Yardzen is the leading online landscape design platform. They create a detailed custom landscape design specific to your home and climate. They offer several packages from custom planting for your front yard to custom planting and hardscaping for your full yard. They even have packages for exterior design which include exterior paint, windows, doors, and roof selections by Yardzen’s team of exterior designers. How cool is that! We were gifted the full yard package, including custom planting and hardscaping design for the entire property (up to half an acre).

Yard Makeover with Yardzen

The Process

After you select your package and create an account, everything is managed in the dashboard. The first step is completing their onboarding process. It includes uploading photos and videos of your house and yard and outlining your wish list, must-haves, and goals for the project.… Read more

Our Farmhouse Pantry Remodel Project Introduction

We are kicking off a new project soon – a farmhouse pantry remodel. It includes the area off of our kitchen where our powder room is located. If you’ve been here a while, you may recall that back when we did our kitchen remodel we shifted some things around to make room for a small mudroom and a wet bar. Well, things are changing…again!

Since we added a mudroom in the breezeway as part of the garage addition – and we’re eventually adding a wine room “speakeasy” – we no longer need our old mudroom and wet bar as they are. So here we are, moving some walls again, this time to create a larger pantry and a hallway to access the power room for added privacy.

Farmhouse Pantry Remodel Plan

Here is a before and after floor plan showing what we’re trying to achieve.

We are removing the wall that divides the old mudroom and pantry to make one large pantry. Then, we will eliminate the wet bar, create a hallway in between the pantry and powder room and move the powder room door from the outside to inside the hallway.… Read more

The Mudroom Wallpaper Contenders

If you are following me on Instagram, then you know that we are approaching the finish line progress in the mudroom! The cabinetry and Millwork has been installed and the room has been painted. We ended up staining the tonge-and-groove ceiling and painting the rest. Now that it is painted and the ceiling is stained, I definitely think the drywall above the shiplap needs some wallpaper. So I’ve been mulling over many, many samples.

mudroom

I think some pattern will be great to break up the dark paint and the ceiling stain. I want a wallpaper that ties in the green but complements the brick and ceiling, too. I am loving organic, nature-inspired patterns for this space. Something with fruit or a floral is speaking to me. I have sampled so many good ones! Here are some of the top mudroom wallpaper contenders!

wallpaper roundup

Do you have a favorite?… Read more

A Roundup of 12″ Brass Cabinet Pulls

It’s time for the finishing touches in the mudroom, including cabinet hardware. I like to think of hardware as the jewelry of the room. It’s the finishing touch that adds that extra special touch. There are few rules when it comes to hardware and mixing of styles and finishes typically achieves the best look. Because I’m leaning into some British design vibes in the mudroom, I knew early on that I wanted to incorporate wood knobs, but that I wanted to mix them with some 12″ brass cabinet pulls. We have some small drawers under the cubbies that were perfect for the knobs but the cubby doors and the armoire doors and drawers are quite large and perfect for a long pull. After sampling an 8″ and a 12″, the 12″ was definitely more appropriate. I scoured the internet for my favorite 12″ brass pulls and narrowed it down to these two:

I like them both but preferred the one on the left. I felt that the polished brass looked better against the dark green cabinetry and the streamlined style and backplate juxtaposed the chunky millwork and trim in the space.… Read more

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas For Toddlers

I love the idea of making every holiday special for Shiloh. It doesn’t have to be big, but just something to show them some love and change things up. This year for Valentine’s Day I am gifting her a gift basket with a few cute little Valentine’s gifts. I also love the idea of a holiday specific activity, like making homemade Valentines for her friends or preparing heart-shaped pasta for dinner. Celebrating the little moments is something I look forward to in my parenthood journey and I hope she looks back and remembers them fondly. Here are some cute, simple Valentine’s Day gift ideas for toddlers.

Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Toddlers

The Day it Rained Hearts Book / Heart Bracelet / Valentines PJs / Heart Tee / Glitter Heart Hair Pins / Acorn Basket / Love Bug Garland / Unicorn Doll / Heart Crocks / Love Grows Everywhere Book / Heart Sunnies / Fun Hair Clips / Pink Basket / Licorice / Sidewalk Chalk

Shop the Post:… Read more

Our New Asphalt Driveway Process and Cost

Finally! After 6 years of parking on the grass, tracking in dirt and grit, waiting until the day we could add a garage and construct an actual driveway, it’s finally here! Once the garage addition was complete, the first order of business was getting the driveway in order. Because of the length, we chose asphalt. Asphalt is less expensive than concrete but it requires a little more maintenance and doesn’t last quite as long. That said, it was the right choice for us. I actually like the way the black asphalt ties in with our house. Our main concern was how hot it would get underfoot but the majority of the driveway is shaded. So far, the heat hasn’t been an issue. Things may be different in the middle of summer. Anyway, here are the details and cost breakdown of our new asphalt driveway.

New Asphalt Driveway Process

Culvert Replacement

The first thing we had to do was replace the culvert. The old culvert was a narrow PVC pipe and had incurred some damage over the years. We had it replaced with a metal culvert and had them do concrete end caps so it looks nice and clean.… Read more

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