January 2016 – Love My DIY Home

An Apothecary Cabinet Flip – A Fresh Start

January’s Fab Furniture Flippin Contest – A Fresh Start On a trip with my DH to Door County we found this great little shop with several interesting pieces just screaming to be loved on. The prices were decent but we only had room in our van to take home two pieces. The first was a one piece china cabinet and the other a little dresser that had never been cared for – raw wood with dinky sad little knobs. It reminded me of an apothecary cabinet. I went back and forth trying to decide what color to choose – because I just had to paint it! Since General Finishes sponsored the Fab Furniture Flippin Contest again this month and donated a quart of their new chalk style paint to finish the piece, all I had to do was decide on a color. Some may shudder at the thought of painting … Read more

10 DIY Projects to Upcycle Old Picture Frames + A FREE Printable!

We downsized recently and have 4 boxes of old picture frames filled with my kid’s pictures. I don’t have much wall space in this new house, so I needed to figure out what to do with all the frames. Boxes and boxes of frames… Not only am I a Mom of Many; I am also a photographer. 15 8×10 frames of school pictures on one wall from my old house… various framed candids, family pictures, sports pictures, baby pictures etc. all over the other walls. That’s a lot of frames! After a bit of research online I have come up with some fab ideas to share with you. Actually I did this for me, but you are free to join the party. I encourage you to click on each original source to see the ones with tutorials and if you pin any projects, please do it from the original source … Read more

Antique Night Stand Re-do

What’s hiding in your basement? A couple of years ago I gave our daughter, Jillian, a night stand that had been a family heirloom from my husband Mark’s aunt, Aunt Emily. She had painted it white, but wasn’t happy with the results. I had a 2 1/2 week stay in Virginia with Jillian where we spent a week decorating her living room/dining room at her new place. This is one of the pieces we hauled out of her basement to try to salvage. Newly married, in school, and on a tight budget, this had to be another “use what you have to save money but it’s gotta look good” project – right up my alley! Spray paint is an easy and cheap fix. The dark stain shows right through and the paint peeled right off where it had bubbled. We honestly didn’t know if we could fix it, but … Read more

From Trash to Treasure – Update old brass decor, don’t toss it!

I told you about the cast off treasures I got from a friend in my first From Trash to Treasure post here. Here are brass pieces that NO ONE wants. After painting the brass finishes with my dark walnut satin Rust-Oleum spraypaint, I decided to mix and match the parts to make new pieces. Brass decor isn’t very popular these days, but there is no reason we can’t update. When I painted this one, (pic above) the paint didn’t settle in the grooves, giving it dimension. (It’s OK to go ahead and think I planned this.) I put the painted brass on my kitchen island to dry in the warm kitchen (negative 10 degrees in my garage where I painted it). Each time I passed by them, I thought about how they would look once I put them together. I don’t wait very patiently for my projects to … Read more

Aiding Refugees in Lesvos {Love My DIY Home}

Helping Refugees – My Son’s Mission

To My DIY Tribe: As you look around you and see all that God has allowed you to have – a safe, clean home, warmth, family, friends, freedom of worship, medical support, possessions, warm clothing, jobs, money, entertainment, hobbies… Please pray for my son, Andrew, volunteering on the island of Lesvos helping the refugees who are escaping from Turkey. He is considering a dangerous move to help diminish the lives lost while escaping by boat. He is considering going to Turkey as a scout. He could end up in a Turkish jail if arrested for aiding the refugees. Here is his journal if you want to read his first hand accounts: AndrewFrania.com This is the ultimate DIY – risking your own life to save people you have never met. He is supporting himself with the unemployment from his seasonal job. Please support him, … Read more