Craftsman Mailbox
Loving our new mailbox! The Craftsman detail gives our modern ranch a little bit of a period feel without being too fussy.

Craftsman Detail for a Modern Ranch

One of the reasons that I fell in love with my little ranch house about 15 years ago was that fact that it sat nestled among trees including four gigantic pines. They had stood here long before the neighborhood came into being and gave our modern house a quaint cottage feeling. As much as I loved these pines, their health had been declining and we made the decision to have them cut down.

It was a sad day.

A Craftsman Pick-Me-Up

To cheer myself up we shopped for a new mailbox. I wanted something that would feel a little vintage, but wouldn’t look too out of place in front of a modern ranch. Something Craftsman-style felt like it would work. We settled on this one by Architectural Mailboxes called “Coronado” that we found at on sale at Home Depot.

Finding numbers proved a little harder. Everything was either too “plain” or too “fancy.” Finally I stumbled upon these Craftsman decals at Streamline Designs on Etsy.  The font reminded me of the beautifully creepy Art Deco font on American Horror Story Hotel. I love the idea that Rob and I can share a little inside joke will still making out house look homey.

Landscape Planning

Now that the huge shade-casting trees are gone, I need to start thinking about some sun-loving landscaping. I’d like to keep the Craftsman theme going. Any ideas for inexpensive ways to do that? I started a Pinterest board with a few things I’ve found so far: https://www.pinterest.com/marie_young3/front-yard-ideas/