Adding wall decor to a room can add warmth, color and interest — this is nothing new. Filling blank walls can be daunting – but, with a little patience and reflection, you can create something meaningful and not necessarily spend a fortune. My daughter, Kelly, moved into a new townhouse and had very little decor to fill the space. She spends a lot of time in her home office with a lot of light and high ceilings. I took some time and looked for some quotes from some of the people she follows on social media or podcasts. Kelly is...
DIY Projects
Beverage Container | Fourth of July
Check out this estate sale find I picked up for $10. It was the perfect price point to test the navy blue and copper paint colors I had been wanting to try. The tub could be used for an outdoor beverage container, a planter or perfect for “bob for apples”! I cleaned it up a bit and applied a couple of coats of spray paint to give it new life. This summer, I dressed the tub up for the 4th of July!
Pergola Shades | Pretty and Practical
Pergolas are a great way to define an outdoor living space with some architectural interest. As a bonus, pergola shades add great design features through color, texture, movement and shade from the mid-day sun. I installed a pergola a few years ago and loved the defined area and recently decided to tackle the pergola shades. I considered three aspects when tackling this project. FABRIC Outdoor fabrics come in a variety of colors and patterns. (Watch for sales or coupons from JoAnn Fabrics or Hobby Lobby!) The width of the shade is about one inch smaller than the opening of the...
Kitchen Refresh | 5 High Impact Changes to Gorgeous in Gold and Grey
My kitchen was one of the last, big projects to tackle in my house. Even though I was not changing the kitchen layout or flooring, I was procrastinating a bit due to the expense and disruption. Let’s take a look at the five upgrades that transformed my kitchen from builder-grade to a gorgeous gold and grey upgrade! CABINETS Let’s face it, kitchen cabinets have significant impact when changing the look of a kitchen. With this remodel, I budgeted for new cabinets, but didn’t break the bank. I went to my friends at Dawson Builders for my Aspect cabinets (Aspen, Poplar) with...
Laundry Room | Puppy Room Made Buffalo Check Fancy
With what started out as a kitchen renovation on the main floor of the house, has turned into a refresh of all of the adjoining rooms. Our laundry room gets ALOT of traffic. It houses the entrance from the garbage (the most used entrance into the house), the dog’s bowls, leases and of course, the washer/dryer. The laundry room had been painted some time ago with a two tone paint technique and a black border. The laundry tub was stained with paint and the molding was in definite need of a refresh. I had an extra cabinet from a miss-order...
Half Bath Refresh | 5 Updates with Big Impact
Last year I replaced my kitchen cabinets and countertops and at the same time, replaced the vanity countertop in the nearby half bath. As with all remodels, one thing leads to another and I didn’t like the color of the vanity with the countertop, as lovely as each of them are separately. It was time to give the half bath a refresh. Sometimes starting a project can be overwhelming, but the refresh really boiled down to six easy updates that transformed the room. 1. VANITY The vanity was is good condition but the wood color did not go well with...
Chest | From the Farm to the Foyer
I love bringing old, tired pieces back to life again. My friend, Kathy, asked me to refurbish a chest that had been sitting in a barn for years. It needed lots of cleaning and love to bring it back to life again. But, look at how interesting the piece is! Those curves!!! Materials Ryobi Sander 110 and 220 grit sandpaper Strypeze Steel Wool Denatured Alcohol Safety Glasses Tack Cloth Wood Filler Sherwin Williams All Surface Enamel Verathane Triple Coat Sherwin Williams Polycrylic Car Detail Sponge Rub and Buff, Antique Gold STRIPPING I got to work on stripping the old stain....
Laundry Room Shelving | Repurposed Cedar Chest Lid
Kelly’s laundry room needed some shelving, so I fashioned a piece of cedar from a cedar chest I got from an estate sale into a shelf! (The chest was used as a planter in my garden!) Materials Wood (to suit purpose and space) (2) Flanges (2) Elbows (2) Connectors (2) Hangers Spray paint Screws I wanted the shelf to have a rod to hang clothes. I cut down the cedar chest lid to be deep enough to accommodate a hangar underneath. (I had already refinished the wood. (sanded and varnish) I had some spare flanges, and elbow and only need to buy two...
Bathroom | Spa like Design on a $3000 Budget
The first tiling project we tackled in my daughter, Kelly’s, new townhouse was her second bathroom. It is small in size, but has just enough room to be functional and beautiful at the same time. The bathroom has the comfort of a home spa with marble-like tile flooring, larger subway tile with a classic but current look and faucets and lighting adding the right amount of sparkle. The townhouse was built in the late 1990’s with the typical builder grade finishes. We had a handyman pull up the linoleum and remove the shower tile, molding and vanity and replaced the...
Dog Bed | Repurposed Bed Pillows
I admittedly have an obsession with our puppies and think they should be comfortable at all times. So extra pillows in a house full of puppies means a couple of new dog beds. This project was simple to repurpose and dress up some unused pillows with fun fabric in just a few hours. Supplies Needed 2 bed pillows Choice of fabric Snap tape Needle/thread Sewing machine PILLOWS Tack pillows together CUT FABRIC Cut fabric about 4 inches larger than the width of the pillow and about 5 inches longer than the amount needed to cover the pillows. SNAPS and SIDES...
Making a T-Shirt Quilt in 6 Basic Steps | New Life for T-Shirt Treasures
True to form, a few weeks before Christmas I decided to tackle an ambitious project with the aim to gift it. Armed with a bag of baseball jerseys/shirts, I set out to make a t-shirt quilt for my son, Kevin, an avid baseball player through his university years. I left myself only a couple of weeks, so I needed to be efficient and get going! I watched a few YouTube videos and this is what I found to work for me in a few simple steps! Supplies Needed: 20-25 t-shirts Light weight interfacing Rotary cutter Quilt board Fabric backing Planning...