My baby is two! Time’s flying… we wish we could slow down these years… I can’t believe she’s two… and all those other cliché things to say. We celebrated her second trip around the sun in our backyard with a small gathering of friends.
Read MoreThe thrill of renovating outdoor spaces is they always get better with age. We overhauled our backyard last year and the plant growth during this last trip around the sun is wild! Get ready for lots o’ photos.
Read MoreWe overhauled our backyard it’s my new favorite “room” at our house. Here’s what it cost to completely transform the space.
Read MoreMy baby girl turned one year old this summer!! We celebrated her with a simple outdoor bash with a few friends and family. We had colorful decor, a custom felt crown, a pile of berries, and the sweetest one-year-old!
Read MoreOur backyard is complete!! Before, it was lackluster, unusable, and dangerous. Now, it’s full of fruit trees, veggie beds, flowers, and spaces for play, dining, and lounging. It’s perfect!
Read MoreOn the back of our house we have a door that isn’t really a door - it goes absolutely nowhere. The door opens to drywall and framing lumber. We’re required to keep it, so I’ve devised a plan to make the most out of it.
Read MoreI didn’t want to toss out my trusty childhood lawn chairs just because they were falling apart. So, I found a way to reinvent them to last another three decades, and add some colorful charm, too.
Read MoreWhen we remodeled our primary bedroom a couple of years ago, we added beautiful outdoor seating to extend the space to our backyard. It’s been great! But, I’ll admit that I neglected doing a deep cleaning for two years. Mostly because it’s just so easy to care for outdoor furnishings in our climate. They sometimes get food spilled on them, and they do get rained on, but the San Diego sunshine often dries out the moisture and bleaches out the stains in a matter of days. Or so I thought.
Read MoreThere are very few things I love more than mature trees. Like, maybe only sleep, eating, and TV watching rank higher. My husband probably ranks below mature trees, and I’m sure he’s okay with that. Trees are the best and I love them and want everyone to plant at least 5 trees per person, right now. But - I cut one down. I’m sad about the loss, but glad about the future. I’m a bag of mixed emotions.
Read MoreI’ve been sharing oodles of front yard and landscape posts (get ‘em all here) and the icing on the landscape cake is always lighting. I installed the lights only a couple of weeks ago and it’s amazing how much the space has transformed in the evenings. In typical fashion, I thought long and hard about lighting, so here’s the full scoop on making our front yard garden just as pretty at night as it is during the day.
Read MoreLandscaping is expensive. Like rly expensive. People always told me so, and I never believed them. Once I got wind of how much a full landscape project cost, I aimed to find all the ways to save funds, so this is the first of many upcoming blog posts sharing how we saved thousands of dollars fixing up the exterior of our home. Stay tuned for more coming, and click through to read this one about how I got the utility company to pay for pruning - a savings of thousands of dollars!
Read MoreGuess what! I've decided to do a One and a Half Room Challenge with outdoor seating! The new back door will give access to the outdoors, which is such a great way to expand the size of our master. The problem is, our backyard isn't so great.
Read MoreHammocks, cookbooks, gardening, sewing, and the other things I’ve been up to on my impromptu break, and more.
Where I’ve been, shooting on film, my dream house, retro costume inspiration, energy rebates, a magic cake, textiles I don’t need but want, a lampshade DIY, my best defense against mosquitos, a new podcast, what’s killing home remodelers, best decision-making advice, overheard parenting, Little Women on acid home tour, best marble etch remover, and more.
If you like florals and color, this bathroom is for you. If you don’t, well, maybe scroll through and you’ll be converted? Or not? Either way, here’s the reveal of a bathroom addition that’s finally here - after a whole three years of construction.
My baby is two! Time’s flying… we wish we could slow down these years… I can’t believe she’s two… and all those other cliché things to say. We celebrated her second trip around the sun in our backyard with a small gathering of friends.
What I’m binge watching, the things I ordered for summertime fun, an incredible legacy, ranking films, a dozen things to say to your kids daily, design decisions, sibling bonds, and more.
I have such love for my historic house, but I’ve shamefully been neglecting the exterior paint. The tired finish was peeling and the faded colors did no justice to the architectural beauty of my 1915 craftsman bungalow. It was time for a change - a transformation that would honor the home's history while infusing it with fresh energy.
The thrill of renovating outdoor spaces is they always get better with age. We overhauled our backyard last year and the plant growth during this last trip around the sun is wild! Get ready for lots o’ photos.
Ashley has been restoring her craftsman bungalow since early 2015. The Gold Hive chronicles the journey of DIYs, restorations, renovations, and stories.
I'm Ashley, a type-A homebody fixing up my historic home at a snail’s pace in California. I share home improvement DIYs, tips for sustainable living, and renovation stories - all while aiming to add more color and present real, lived-in spaces.
© 2024 Ashley Goldman / All Rights Reserved
Please do not use any images without proper credit (a link back to my site/social channels within the first 120 characters).
The Gold Hive contains affiliate links in sidebar banners, in images on the Shop The House page, and as text in select posts. This means that I may earn a small commission if you purchase something I recommended. Sponsored posts or gifted products are noted as such. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting bloggers and creators.
What I’ve been up to - from gardening, to film photography, and the books and shows we’re enjoying. Plus a house tour that requires a closer look, grass seed to always have on hand, cedar shake excitement, historic window screens, and the privilege I’m reminded of daily.