Unique Sixteen Drawer Cabinet Redesign

A few years ago, my friend’s mom passed away and I was given her little 16 drawer cabinet by her daughter. She had used it for her sauce packets and tea bags. It took me along time to figure out what I wanted to do with it, how to redesign it and for what purpose. The it hit me. I could use it for my random tools and furniture parts that were scattered all over my workshop. Ah ha! So I got busy and designed each drawer differently to not only show my own personality, but to also showcase some different furniture redesign techniques on a teeny tiny scale.   The BEFORE: To prepare a piece for paint, DH and I first needed to clean, sand and prime: Remove the Colonial looking top part. Cleaned with Krud Kutter and scuff sand. Shore up the drawers so they fit well. Spray … Read more

[VIDEO] A Cat Condo for 2 – Part 1

A Cat Condo for Two – Part 1 Originally I had a little kitty tower that I created for my cat, MIA that sat next to me in my office where she would be with me during the day and hopefully curtail her walking on my keyboard as I worked. For the most part it was a great fix, and we both enjoyed being together most of the day, though she often asserted herself when she felt it was time to feed her by walking back and forth in front of me as I typed. I’m a totally obsessed cat lady, so when we got a second cat, MAX, from the shelter, I had to do something different for my office. More on that in the video… MIA was one of three sisters dumped at our vet’s. I’d not had a cat in YEARS, so it was a real treat … Read more

Fall Tablescape {Love my DIY Home}

Fall Tablescape – Seven Days of Tips 7

What about the kids? Until now, I’ve shown you MY fall tablescapes. Today I’m going to share some links from other sites. I just saved you a couple of hours searching online for ideas. I don’t want to give away my plan for this year but suffice it to say that our kids table is going to be as interesting as the adult table – and much more fun! It will be my focus this year. Let’s consider “kid boredom.” While we are finishing up the mashed potatoes and whipping out the gravy lumps, the kids are thinking, “I’m going to starve to death!” I suppose the big kids (our DHs) are probably thinking the same thing. If you give them some appetizers and games all their own, you will not only make them happy, but give you a bit of peace while you finish up dinner prep. It’s OK … Read more

Fall Tablescape – Seven Days of Tips 5

Fall Inspiration The other day I said to my DH, “DH, look at that mountain (we have a little mountain here called Granite Peak), doesn’t it look like a patchwork quilt with all that yellow, orange and red?” In his creative artistic visionary way he replied, “Looks like a bunch of colorful trees to me.” Isn’t he amusing? Bring Fall Inside A fall tablescape isn’t just for your dining room – how about your couch table, bedside table, or front door accent table? So many tables. So many ideas. Use them all.     This fall arrangement is on a buffet at my front door. You know, I’ve found it gathers much less, “junk” when I’ve decorated it for the season. I suppose it’s because the “junk” so detracts from it’s prettiness that I’m much better at keeping it cleaned off.      The bottle above came from the limo … Read more

Fall Tablescape – Seven Days of Tips 4

Has anyone ever told you, “This is a no-brainer?” or… Ramble on with the instructions like you’ve done it all your life? Have you ever called tech support and had to call time out because they told you to copy that, type this and insert it there and you had no idea what they were saying? I don’t really speak geek; do you? Here is a quote from an email sent to me by a friend. I’ll call her “Sally.” “All your DIY ideas are great.  And I love Pinterest for that as well, but like you said, time is one of the big issues and with me I have to add the word “talent”, “eye for it”, etc.  I don’t have what it takes.  I sometimes have ideas but I don’t have the time, money, know-how, energy, etc. to actually do it.  I guess I’ve started too many projects … Read more

THANKSGIVING Tablescape {Love My DIY Home}

Fall Tablescape – Seven Days of Tips 3

Bring in a touch of the outdoors for your fall tablescape this year. Pine boughs, pine cones, pumpkins, berries, leaves, even rocks are a good choice. And of course, it doesn’t hurt that it’s free. Time to get creative. Think outside the box. I like free. Free is good. Plus, candles work well with the outdoors because they are made of natural products. Who doesn’t like candles?     Look through your serving pieces and pair them with your candles and lanterns filling in with the natural things you scarfed from your yard.     I found this “pumpkin” at Goodwill for $3.00. The berries were clearanced at Jo-Anns for under a dollar. Pine boughs – front yard. You can even spice up nature with a little silver spray paint. Click here to read about it.     Think of how things are laid out in nature – layered naturally. … Read more

Fall WI Landscape {Love My DIY Home}

Fall Tablescape – Seven Days of Tips 2

Happy fall, y’all!  It’s been snowy and cold here in Wisconsin. So cold. But it’s also B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.   This is what I see on my way home every day. Of course, when this is our inspiration – we want to bring this beauty into our homes. But first, let’s talk texture. What do glass, wax and vegetables have in common? Well, nothing until you bring them all together into a sweet little tablescape.   Pop Quiz: What do you put on top of a candlestick?   A Pumpkin, of course!   One key to keeping your tablescape interesting is to mix your textures. Put soft with hard, bumpy with smooth, round with square…OK, that’s not a texture, but you get my drift. Get creative. Use what you already have on hand. Go outside and see what free stuff you can use to beautify your home. Then put it all together … Read more

Fall Tablescape {Love My DIY Home}

Fall Tablescape – Seven Days of Tips

 Creating a fall tablescape is easy and inexpensive if you use what you already have on hand. Join me for 7 days of tips on how to bring it all together. NOTE: These 7 tips were published a couple of years ago, but if you’re looking for ideas, you’ll see these again here on LMDH, three a day and one on Thanksgiving morning to help you decorate this year too. Drag out all your decor you have stored around the house – stick it all in a pile on your kitchen table and play around with it! You’d be surprised at what you an come up with. Grab a candle stick here, a basket there, see what you can put together and then And there ya go… You have a super fancy tablescape unlike any other!   Serving Bowl, Coffee Beans & a Candle Here I put together a plain … Read more

Antique Accent Table Redesign – Start to Finish in 7 Minutes

I’ve found video to be the best tool in sharing projects. We see everywhere pretty pictures, both before and afters, but seldom see HOW it was done. Today I’m a project that I video’d all the way through to the staging. We found this accent table at a local estate sale and it was labeled “antique.” I paid a little more for it since it is so unique. A “unique antique”. 🙂 I used all products from my online store, featuring Retique It products at FurnitureFlippingMarket.com. Go have a look at all the great products – quality products you can trust. I will list all the materials and link them below the video. Materials List: Oil-based Primer Ultratique all-in-One Paint – Robin’s Egg Ultratique all-in-One Paint – Alabaster Stain & Glaze  (old oak or dark oak will work to give an antique look) Wonder Brush (there are three sizes!) Polyacrylic … Read more

Adding a Bit of Glitz to a Motif – The Royal Collection Metallics

Add Some Glitz! The Retique It Royal Collection Metallics Are you wanting your pieces to stand out so people take notice? One way to create the WOW factor is to add a little glitz. Whether you are stenciling a piece of decor, redesigning furniture, or even stenciling on a wall, metallics are a great choice. I recently redesigned a coffee table for my living room and of course I wanted a piece of art rather than just a plain ‘ol table! Today I’m sharing a video showing you how I giltzed it up. Sometimes the best things are the simplest! I used the Royal Collection Metallics by Retique It by stenciling just a bit of trim on all of the leaves. You don’t see it at first when coming into my living room, when casually glancing at it from the front, but as you walk around to sit on the … Read more

Love My DIY Home