Ready to refresh your front porch for the New Year? I’ve been thinking about it! A DIY New Year’s doormat is the one way to welcome guests, nod to the new year and create a fresh new vibe. Whether you’re hosting a New Year’s Eve party or looking for a thoughtful hostess gift, this simple project is fun, affordable, and customizable to your style. With just a few materials — a plain doormat, paint, and a Cricut or vinyl stencil — you’ll have a trendy, custom piece! MATERIALS Plain doormat (coir or any natural fiber mat works best) Paint (outdoor paint or...
DIY Projects
Gingerbread Gift Bag: A Simple & Adorable Holiday DIY
I think I am late to the “gingerbread house” craze, but I am having so much fun with these this year. A couple of weeks ago, I gave some haunted houses (on clearance) a gingerbread house refresh and had so much fun with this. Recently, I saw several people make these gift bags and had to give it a try! Are you looking for a unique and festive way to wrap your holiday gifts this year? Skip the store-bought bags and try this adorable DIY gingerbread gift bag! Made with a plain brown lunch bag and a paint pen, this...
Turn Your Holiday Puzzles Into Stunning Home Decor
Looking for a creative way to elevate your holiday decor this year? Instead of packing away those beautiful Christmas-themed puzzles after finishing them, why not turn them into charming, one-of-a-kind wall art? Framing a completed puzzle is an easy DIY project that combines the joy of puzzling with festive home decor. It’s the perfect way to add a personal, cozy touch to your space while showcasing your love for puzzles and the holiday season. Below, I will share my favorite holiday puzzles and how to frame and display the puzzles! my favorite puzzles! I love both 500 piece and 100...
Create Your Own Custom Poster Hanger: A Simple and Stylish DIY in Minutes!
I’ve been gearing up for seasonal decor and wanted something pretty, functional, and affordable that would allow me to easily swap out prints—whether it’s for seasonal changes, travel photos, or special occasions—without the expense of framing. These DIY poster hangers are the perfect solution! They’re super easy to make, fully customizable in size and detail, and offer a stylish way to display prints. Let’s dive in with these simple steps to create your own! materials: Trim pieces (ideally trim from your scrap wood pile, nothing heavy) Stain and/or poly (ideally whatever you have on hand) E6000 adhesive Magnets Washers Picture...
MacKenzie-Childs Inspired Haunted House
You know I love going from “old to gold,” and this project hit the mark! I was inspired by the whimsical charm of a MacKenzie-Childs Haunted House and decided to put my own spin on it. This fun DIY starts with a tired, miniature Christmas house, some black spray paint, and a few miniatures. Here’s how I made it happen! the house I thrifted several miniature houses from estate sales and Goodwill for about $3 each, choosing ones that weren’t overly Christmas-themed. After a couple of coats of black spray paint and primer, I had a solid base to work with. I even painted the wood the house...
Streamline Your Display Stand Build: Essential Tips and a Step-by-Step Tutorial
Ever spent hours building something, only to realize it could have been done in half the time? Don’t let this project drain your energy. Benefit from my “trial and error” to building a stunning, sturdy display stand in record time with these tips and a straightforward tutorial that even beginners can master. These stands were initially used to display children’s outfits and to be used as a centerpiece! So, the stand needed to be pretty as well! MATERIALS base I used a candle pedestal as the base for my display stand. I had 2 at home but found 5 more...
ReStore Furniture Flip: 4 Key Considerations for Choosing Your Perfect Project Piece
Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores are a great source for project pieces. Whether you are looking to revive a piece for your home or to resell, here are 4 considerations that I keep in mind when purchasing. material A solid piece of furniture is a good basis for a project piece. For me, this usually means a piece made from wood (entirely or at least the top and face frame). Below is an example of a piece made from wood that just required some sanding. This sanded down nicely! Check out this blogpost for the “after”. A material with a surface...
Budget-Friendly Front Door Transformation: Achieve a Stunning Look for Just $30!
Looking for a way to refresh the look of the entry to your home? Here are some key tips to consider when giving your front door an uplift with paint! You will be amazed at the difference it makes! And, this is a super quick and affordable project. Which areas to paint In my opinion, it is best to paint not only the door, but if there are other elements to the door package, those should be painted as well. For example, if the door has sidelights, the area around the glass should also be painted including the trim. (In...
DIY Spray Paint Workspace Must Haves
If you are a DIYer there is a good chance you are painting in your garage. I love a sprayed finish, so I mostly use a paint sprayer to apply paint. Over the years, I have found several tricks that work well when setting up your painting area. paint booth If you are spraying smaller pieces, this DIY spray booth is easy to make and assemble/disassemble as you need it. I used it to paint kitchen cabinet doors and it worked well as I was painting a cabinet door at a time! From time to time, I spray larger furniture...
Top 10 Estate Sale Flips!
I love a good estate sale find! And, an estate sale flip is even better! Here are my Top 10 Estate Sale Flips! DOLLHOUSE This little dollhouse was on the garage floor and begging for a reno! ($35) This would fall into the category of “an unexpected find”! Below are the “before” and “after”. I have several blogposts on the dollhouse reno. Links are below. Dollhouse DIY Bathroom Details | Dollhouse Kitchen Details | Dollhouse Bedroom | Dollhouse Window and Window Boxes | Dollhouse Living Room Details | Dollhouse Flooring Option | Dollhouse Flooring Option Oak Table & Chairs This...
Reviving an Antique Table & Chairs
I got a set of table and chairs from a property that my nephew was selling. (Free!). I had a creative block when thinking about what to do with them. In the end, I just took the plunge and started with the table. I let the condition of the wood guide my approach. The wood is oak and was actually in pretty good shape considering the age. There are signs of the period it was made. The edges show wear from where families rested their forearms. It took several hours to sand, but sanded up nicely! The pedestal was more...
Furniture Painting Tips to Ensure a Quality Finish!
I have painted a lot of furniture over the years and found a few tips that lead to greater success in achieving a professional paint finish. FURNITURE PREP As with any painting project, preparation is the key to a good finish! Do NOT skip preparing the surface for paint! This is the most time consuming part, but, in the long run, it will save you time. (Painting is the speedier step!) Clean the Surface – This seems obvious, but applying paint on a clean surface lends to better paint adhesion. If you are painting a furniture piece, there is a...