Old Town Home

Old Town Home is a blog dedicated to chronicling the successes and failures of an Historic Old Town Alexandria couple as they live in the charming historic district while attempting to completely renovate and appropriately restore an 1880s Victorian row house...almost entirely on their own.

Mardi Growl: A Howlin' Good Time

Authors: Wendy

Last week we led you on a virtual tour of the Vola Lawson animal shelter in Alexandria and told you about a wonderful event we planned on attending supporting the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, and Friday evening we had the pleasure of enjoying the event, all in the name of supporting a wonderful cause.

The event, the Animal...

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Spousal Mind Tricks, Precison Glueing, and Mending a Broken Chair

Authors: Alex

Last weekend Wendy and I hosted a New Orleans inspired dinner party for several of our friends with a rather lovely tablescape that didn't suffer one bit from a lack of white napkins. We had a great time with some wonderful food, fun company, and our fair share of debauchery. However, we had a little bit of an issue with our dining...

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Putting a Spring in Your Step: Creating a Spring-Inspired Tablescape

Authors: Wendy

The frigid winter temperatures are slowly giving way to longer days and the sound of birds chirping. It can only mean one thing: Spring is in the air! And what better way to celebrate the changing of the seasons than creating a fresh and fun spring-inspired tablescape.

Recently we hosted several friends for an informal dinner party,...

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Snowquester is Coming - Is the DC Area Ready?

Authors: Alex

Inevitably over the next several days, you're going to hear about the weather in the Washington, DC area. It doesn't matter if you are a local and the news is plastered with status updates, or if you live 3000 miles away and Brian Williams mentions it briefly on his evening report. If there's one thing at which DC is great, it's...

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Who Let the Dogs Out? Getting to Know the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria

Authors: Wendy

Alex and I have a project list a mile long these days, but that doesn't mean we aren't totally excited to take a little time out of our schedule to support a great local organization with a wonderful cause. Saturday, March 8th, marks the third annual celebration of Mardi Growl, a gala fundraising event held to support the Animal...

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Boobs in the Hizzouse: You Voted, I'm Listening

Authors: Wendy

The boob is staying. Or at least that's what the popular vote dictates, much to my dismay. I'd like to thank everyone who voted in last weeks "au natural or cover that shit up" vote in regards to our feminine looking (in my opinion) Victorian doorstop, despite the fact that my preference of breaking out the paint didn't come out on...

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Top o' the Morning to You: Live Tweeting the St. Patrick's Day Parade

Authors: Alex

The beginning of March marks the long awaited approach of Spring, as well as the day of festivities that include the St. Patty's Day parade, classic car show, and dog show. The morning's line up kicks off rather early, so we hope you'll join in and follow along as we cover the event. 

We'll be live Tweeting, Instagramming, and...

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Reader Poll: Bare or Covered Up. That is the Question

Authors: Alex

Wendy and I have has an ongoing debate in our house that we need you to settle for us. The options are simple: "covered up" or "au natural," but the decision has our house divided.

It's an age old question that plagues home owners day and night, and more specifically, our home's doorstop. To paint or to not paint, that is the...

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The Finishing Touches: Accessorizing our Master Bedroom

Authors: Wendy

Like choosing the perfect accessories to complement a little black dress, choosing the finishing touches for a room can make or break the look. After months of backbreaking work, tedious labor, and even an injury or two, the paint was dry in our master bedroom and we were finally ready to take on the accessories. But where and how do...

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Toolbox Tuesday: Fire Safety First

Authors: Alex

When I was younger and I thought of a "handy type person," I typically conjured thoughts of people like Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor. His caricature represented the gold standard in avid hobbyists that throw caution to the wind, often suffering the nearly disastrous affects of their ill fated attempts to rewire, rebuild, or...

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