Hi everyone! I’m Suzy Handgraaf.
Welcome to my home and my life here at Worthing Court.
I am constantly updating, makeover’ing and transforming my home on a budget. My passion is helping others transform and update their homes which I can do virtually, or in person!
I couldn’t do all that I do without the help of my husband, Darrel, aka Pookie. I’m the decorator and he provides the muscle when needed!
I know that you, my friend, are passionate about your home and the life that you live in it. I’m here for you!
My mission is to provide enjoyment, fulfillment and inspiration by bringing you an abundance of the best in easy, inspiring and affordable home decor ideas.I will show you that creating a home that you love doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive.
Here at Worthing Court, you’ll find decorating ideas and inspiration, design tips, design dilemma solutions and tutorials for creating and decorating on a budget. I also provide a Free Printable Library available to those who sign up for my newsletter, which is published each time I have a new blog post. My newsletter is a great way to be sure to keep up with all the latest!
My decorating roots run deep and are life-long. All the way from “designing” my Barbie’s house underneath our dining room table, to ownership of eight homes that I fully decorated myself. I began receiving requests to help others with their homes early in my life and have never looked back!
I’m purely self-taught through research on my own, years of experience and by working directly with other interior designers. I have a natural talent and an eye/gift for interior design and decorating. I keep up with current trends and am able to work with all types of design styles.
At one time, I owned and operated a custom window treatment and soft home furnishings workroom (think pillows, headboards, etc) where I made everything myself and worked directly with interior designers. They frequently sought my advice, but I also learned a lot from them. To get my business up and going, I attended classes at The Custom Home Furnishings Academy.
Let’s get a little personal:
- I’m a child of God living by Grace every moment of my life.
- I’m the wife of a retired Marine Captain, mother of one, step-mother of three and Nanama to three precious girls.
- I worked in the corporate world for 30+ years and am so happy to be out of that rat race!
- I cook when I have to, but I don’t enjoy it. I don’t enjoy doing laundry either!
- My favorite, budget friendly places to shop for home decor are Target, HomeGoods, Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx, Walmart and Marshalls.
- I am TERRIFIED of spiders! Sadly, I passed that fear along to my daughter.
- I don’t enjoy painting, in fact I’m very sloppy, but I do it because…budget.
- I have two furbaby shadows, Zoey and Buddy, that frequently make an appearance in my Instagram stories.
Tell me about you – I love hearing from you! One of the best things about blogging is getting to know people from all over the world. I would love to get to know you too!
You can reach me via email at: worthingcourtblog@gmail.com
Carolyn Lawrence says
Suzy,
I love your blog. I was wondering where you got the beautiful blue table in your den or great room. I love the color and the size. I have looked on line, but no luck.
Thanks,
Carolyn Lawrence
Kendy Cox says
Hi trying to get into your free printable library, I did use the password you gave me, but still no nothing happened, what am I doing wrong , thank you for your help
Suzy says
Thank you, Carolyn! If you’re asking about the small blue table beside one of my chairs, it’s just a table that I purchased years ago and painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Napoleonic Blue.
Peg says
Hi Suzy; I would like to replace the ugly builder grade pedestal sink in our powder room to a vanity with some storage; I have gone online to all the big box stores & am shocked at the $500 plus price tags on a particleboard vanity!!
Any suggestions?
P.S my husband is NOT handy so can’t make one out of a dresser (although I do love that look!)
Suzy says
Hi Peg. I agree that the prices of bath vanities is crazy high! Unfortunately, I don’t have a true bargain shopping place for you, but I can tell you that I’ve found the best prices for them to be at Lowes and Home Depot.
Sue says
Check out habitat for humanity thrift store. You can also check for left over pieces of marble at a fabricator.
Laurie says
Hello there. You have a beautiful basket on your fireplace filled with pine cones and greenery. Can you PLEASE tell me where I can get one. Your taste is so amazing.
Please let me know. Thanks.
Laurie 😃
Suzy says
I have had several baskets on my fireplace with greenery over the years. 🙂 Can you possibly give me the link to the blog post where you saw it? That way I’ll know exactly which basket you’re asking about.
Peg says
Suzy .. thanks so much; going to keep looking there!!
Brenda Edwards says
Hi Suzy, I have a house on the Outer Banks as well.This is our first Fall & I am looking for ideas. I love the blue pillow with the orange pumpkin on front. Did you make that? Also, where did you find the chalk board pumpkin at? Thanks for sharing your beach house make over. Its lovely!
Brenda
Suzy says
Hi Brenda. Isn’t the chalkboard cute? I bought it so many years ago that I can’t remember where I got it. The pillow that you’re asking about actually has an interchangeable cover on it. You can find the tutorial for how I made it in this blog post: https://www.worthingcourtblog.com/no-sew-changeable-pillow-covers/
Brenda says
Could you please tell me your source for wood open lanterns and also yellow lanterns mounted on wood on each side of fireplace.
Thanks so much B
Suzy says
Hi Brenda. I have quite a few images of my fireplace here. Could you please give me the link to the blog post that contains the lanterns you’re asking about?
Deedra W. says
Hello! I have just recently come across your blog through a picture of your family room decorated for Fall. So beautiful! Do you mind telling me what your paint color is that you used? I am currently trying to pick a paint color for my own family room. Thanks so much!
Suzy says
Thank you! Our wall color is Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige.
Deedra W. says
Thanks so much! It’s beautiful!
Marianne Tiffany says
Hi, Suzy…I love, love, love your blog and how you keep it real budget-wise. I was wondering if you would provide a holiday decorating checklist like the fall list you did…Waiting until after Thanksgiving this year to decorate for Christmas will make the already short CHRISTmas season short and I’d like to enjoy it up for as long as possible. Thoughts?
Suzy says
Hi Marianne. That’s actually on my list of things to do for Christmas! You’re looking for more of Christmas decorating timeline – right?
Marianne Tiffany says
Exactly…I have one of those households where putting up the tree before Thanksgiving is frowned upon but hate to wait for it all until after Thanksgiving since there is only 3 1/2 weeks between the two. I’ll look forward to using that when it arrives. All my best?
Mary in VA says
I just watched your tutorial on Facebook about decorating the Christmas tree. Even though I’ve seen trees beautifully decorated, it never occurred to me that “this can be done at home.” Now I know. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise!
JANET MORRIS says
I’m 74 years old and just retired after 42 years managing medical offices. I enjoy doing any type of crafting and decorating my house with sometimes a little help from a dear friend!
I also enjoy shopping and especially frequent TJ Maxx, Home Goods, Marshall’s, Macys and Chicos.
Since my retirement just began hoping to find more time for oil painting, cooking and finishing my uncompleted sewing projects. I wear hearing aids and still have reduced hearing so unable to join a lot of women’s clubs but do belong to my church’s women club and I’m been their treasurer for the past 2 years..
I have a wonderful husband and son and I’ve been married for 54 years to the same guy! I’m a commited cat lover and have 2 darling kitties that I enjoy pampering.
I live in southern Ohio and looking forward to your website especially during our dreary, cold winter days!
Suzy says
Thank you for introducing yourself, Janet. It’s nice to meet you and hear about your life and interests! Too bad we don’t live closer together!
Teresa says
I love your blog, with all of your ideas inspiring. I am contemplating painting my dining room chairs and the base of the table. I noticed yours and wondered if you had painted them? If you did, would you let me know what brand paint, color you used, and any tips? Thanks so much!
Suzy says
Hi Teresa. Yes, I painted all of my dining room furniture! Here’s the link to the blog post with all of the details, including the paint brand and color: https://www.worthingcourtblog.com/dining-room-finishing-touches/
Amy says
Hi Suzy,
I just wanted to let you know that I linked to your blog and used one of your photos with credit on my post about 7 easy DIY shelving projects. Thanks for the inspiration!
https://804sycamore.com/7-easy-diy-shelving-projects/
Let me know if you’d like me to change or remove anything about your references.
Thanks, Amy
Sue says
I am lucky to have a small home in the San Francisco bay area. So my mid century needs help. I love chalk paint and thrift stores. I would call my style bohemian with red oriental rugs. Always looking for inspiration. It takes two jobs for me to afford house payments so I have little time for extras. Love your site and style. I used to live in the south and I miss that.
Suzy says
So nice to have you here in the community! 😀
Rochelle Posey says
HI Suzy
Could you tell me where your friend Nancy got her bowls with lids. I was looking a her casual table setting and love those bowls. I love the whole setting!!
Suzy says
Hi Rochelle. Can you tell me which blog post you’re referring to where you saw the bowls?
barbara says
Love your emails. How do you attach the wreaths to mirrors? Can’t quite see what’s holding them together. TY
Suzy says
Hi Barbara. There are a couple of ways that I attach wreaths to a mirror. One is to use a suction cup hook on the mirror itself, if the wreath isn’t too heavy, and actually hang the wreath from that. When the wreath is too heavy, I’ll wrap a piece of ribbon or twine around the top of the wreath and hang it from a thumbtack that I’ve added either to the top or the back of the mirror. Hope this helps!
Susan says
Suzy, your post today about the different colors to decorate for fall was outstanding. So informative, and candy to the eye just scrolling through. Thank you.
Suzy says
Thank you for letting me know, Susan! I hope you found some inspiration for your own home. Happy fall!
Hannah Pecoraro says
Where can I buy that birch print that you found at AtHome.com? I can’t find it in the site, but maybe I’m on the wrong place? Thanks a million!!!!
Suzy says
I’m sorry for taking so long to reply – I just found that there was a technical issue on the backend of my blog that was preventing me from seeing comments. Anyway, I’m sorry, but I don’t have another source for that print. 🙁
Brenda Vetter says
I printed off the fall free printables, but it comes off center and I have no idea why. Part of the left side is cut off. When you click on it, it is on center, but when you go to print it, it is off center. Any suggestions? Also, why did I have to resubscribe to your blog to get the free fall printables? If I unsubscribe to the new one, will the old one be gone, too? Confused. Brenda Vetter
Suzy says
You don’t need to resubscribe to the blog to get any of the free printables. The password to the printable page is at the bottom of every email that I send. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with the printing problem – everything prints fine on my end. :/
Damien says
https://www.remodelaholic.com/beach-condo-renovation-before-and-after/
I really like what you did here. I have a question about the laundry you added. Wasn’t there a water heater in the bath closet? What did you do with it? How did you vent the dryer?
Suzy says
We tore out the closet in the bathroom to make room for the stacking washer/dryer and moved the water heater underneath the kitchen counter, back in the corner (we had seen this done many times). It’s a short water heater and fit under there perfectly. I don’t remember how many gallons it was, but we had no problem with running out of hot water. Our dryer was vented by attaching a flat vent onto the dryer and then adding sock onto the end of the it to catch any lint. We were on the first floor though and in hind sight wished we had vented it through the floor of the building. We occasionally checked/changed the sock over the 8 years that we owned the condo and never had a problem with that setup.
Damien says
Hanks for getting back to me. I thought that may have been the case. I toured one and saw the tank heater.. a point of demand heater would have been a terrific replacement for what you did. I have seen purpose built indoor venting solutions for dryers too. The only issue I see with indoor venting is the humidity so the bathroom vent fan should be run to solve that when drying clothes.
Suzy says
The humidity was a concern of mine too, especially since it’s already so humid at the beach. It turned out not to be a factor though. We kept a small fan on top of the dryer that we ran to keep it dried out from showers, etc. 🙂
Damien says
I suppose a dehumidifier would be helpful too if it were an issue.
Any noticable heat increase?
Suzy says
It’s been several years since we owned that condo, so I don’t really recall. I’m sure there was some though.
Damien says
Thanks again for the dialogue. Really enjoy the blog.
Judy says
Love your blog! Just saw all your spring decorating ideas for the front porch. I love that long basket on the front door with all the spring flowers. Where can I ring just the basket? Thank you. Love your ideas.
Judy
Judy says
Just send a message about the long basket on the spring front door. I meant to say where can I find it.
Reta Mae Leroux says
Hi just wanted to let you know that I did not receive your book and if I did I can not access it.
Suzy says
Once you confirmed your subscription, you should have received a separate email that contains a button to click on to download the ebook. Did you receive that? If you don’t see it, you might try checking your spam folder or trash (in case you accidentally deleted it).
Lori Gray says
Hi Suzy:
I came upon your site via Pinterest. I am very interested in a sunburst mirror that was included in your post: “How To Re-Decorate And Refresh Any Room Without Spending A Lot Of Money,” Add Mirrors. Specifically, I like the mirror that is convex and has 16 rays. 4 large Rays, 4 medium and 8 small. Can you give me any help on where to find it?
Thx
Lori
Suzy says
Hi Lori. I purchased that mirror at a local home decor shop several years ago. I’m sorry, but I don’t know where to find one that is similar. You might try Googling “sunburst mirrors” to see if you can find anything.
Lori Gray says
Thanks Suzy. I will begin to search for a similar one. It is unique and very appealing.
Lori
Betty Vasel says
I enjoy your blog and admire your lovely home! I like your white entertainment center and remember that you said it was older, but updated. Where did you find it? I keep looking for something similar but they all have too many doors or too much glass! Thanks so much, Betty
Suzy says
Thank you! I purchased that piece several years ago at Rooms To Go. It originally had doors where the shelves are on each side, but I removed them when I painted the unit white.
David says
Hello Suzy!
I noticed on Pinterest some outdoor netting tables alongside your article “Budget Friendly Home Decor That You Can Buy Online! ”
The tables look great, please can you say where they are from?
Thanks 🙂
Suzy says
Good morning! I have 9 years of blog posts on here and am not familiar with that particular blog post. Could you give me the link to it?
Dona says
Hi Suzy,
My name is Dona Miller from Jamaica.
I enjoy every minute of your design. You are such an excellent motivator. At times i cannot be bothered to fix a room but as i look at the different inspiration that you exert i felt the external motivation instantly. Thank you so much i have learnt a lot from you.
Blessings
Suzy says
Hi Donna. Thank you SO much for your kind words! It always makes me happy to hear when I’m able to inspire anyone.
Lynn A Damiano says
Hi Suzy – I absolutely love your talents and taste. I’m especially interested in how to bunch the ribbon the way you did on tree #1 red and white flocked. Thanks much!
Suzy says
Thank you so much! To do the ribbon, I just loop it and squeeze it together and then tuck it into the tree. Sometimes I twist a tree branch around it to hold it in place. Sorry I don’t have a tutorial here!
Lynn says
Thanh’s so much! I’m also going to attempt to flock my tree – I get a live tree so if you any suggestions- you’re work is amazing!
Suzy says
You’re very welcome and thank you again! I’ve never attempted flocking a tree myself, so I’m afraid that I don’t have any tips for you. Have fun!
Ces Thompson says
Hi Suzy,
You are absolutely amazing at decorating! I am so glad I found your blog as I was searching online and we connected! I cannot thank you enough-I love my hutch and built-ins!
Debbie Holman says
Sweet Suzy, love your style! I am moving into a 55 and over and am doing paint, flooring and lighting. I am a traditionalist and have antique pieces and off-white sofa, chairs. My questions are what color flooring, and would you still use Agreeable beige on the walls? I mean to ask if you still prefer that color or if you were to repaint again, would that still be your choice?
There is not a lot of natural lighting, so I want to lighten it up. All the rooms have tray ceilings and I planned on white ceiling and trim throughout.
I studied your flooring and want to go with a light color and I think yours is natural? Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thank you!
Suzy says
Hi Debbie. I think you mean Accessible Beige, not Agreeable Beige – right? If so, I still believe that Accessible Beige is the best beige that I’ve ever used and will absolutely use it again. It isn’t a dark paint at all, but if you want to lighten things up a bit, I would ask them to mix the paint at a lighter intensity. For example, when we painted our brick exterior, I used Network Gray, but I asked Sherwin Williams to mix it 85% intensity. It’s the same shade of gray – just a lighter version of it. Hope that makes sense! My floors aren’t natural – they are stained with Minwax Special Walnut. I would call it a medium brown color.
N Fisher says
I would like to sign up for your newsletter but have not found a place to do that. I am reading through the e-book and hope to get a plan started.
I love your style!