Magazines and catalogs are pretty, but this is how to style bookshelves for real life using your photos, your treasures, your mementos, your stuff. Actual books are optional! From the moment I took the first step into my current home, over a decade ago, I was smitten. We were looking to move and this house, located directly across the street from our old home, no kidding, was on the "if that house ever came up for sale, we'd buy it" list. The yard was big enough for a pool . There was room to add a dream kitchen and there was a large basement for the kids to make their own. Dreamy all the way around.

I love creating things with my sewing machine, unfortunately it's not always smooth sailing. I am convinced that my sewing machine hates me. When I was a little girl, my mother told me that I was very mechanical, "You definitely take after your dad!" That was a huge compliment, since my dad could fix just about anything. Well, like most people, when he was motivated to do so. I remember admiring his tools in the garage on a regular basis, tiny drawers full of washers and screws, a peg wall that held hand saws and his favorite sign . My brother and I would play for hours at that workbench, pretending and creating, making a mess more often than not.

How do you know when things are not working for you? Sometimes you just need a few minutes to step away from the noise to figure it out. The answers are always inside. Hello friends. If you have been a longtime reader of Exquisitely Unremarkable you know that when I write a  piece, it's generally purposeful.  It's usually a crafty DIY or a personal essay about a specific  topic in my life that I think you may find relatable. I try to entertain, educate and empower. But not today. Nope. Today, I'm just sort of thinking out loud.

Curtains are expensive but you can make them yourself, even if you don't sew. Check out my collection of cheap and easy DIY curtain ideas. From valances to full panels, rod pockets, box pleats and ring clip patterns. The tutorials are super simple, sew or no sew. Come peek at the patterns. One of the best ways to decorate a room and define its style is with the addition of curtains. Of course, window treatments are not cheap and finding the right ones can be tough. Years ago, I couldn't find the curtains I wanted so I asked a friend to make them. She told me no way, I will teach you. You can do it yourself .

It's never easy to lose a parent. How you cope may not have anything to do with how old you are and everything to do with the fact that loss at any age is hard. I lost my dad when I was twelve. He was fifty-five, way too young to die.  I was shocked when he left us, completely unprepared for the inevitability. Although, now, as I look back, I realize that at twelve , I probably should've known better, should've seen it coming, but I didn't want to, I suppose.