Fab Fall Projects & Blog Hop 2015

A Fall Front Yard & Deck Project You Too Can Do!   NOTE: This post is from 2015. It is now 2022 and looking back, I am so thankful I decided to learn about landscaping and curb appeal. I hope this will encourage you to do the same.   We bought our house a few years ago and it was in a shambles. The yard looked like it was a backwoods farm that hadn’t been touched in years. Here are before pictures of our house just before we bought it. It was pretty sad looking.     The front was nondescript with overgrown greenery and stones full of dirt and dried up greenery. After a year of not addressing the stones in front, tons of weeds took root and made it look even shabbier.  I did manage to put up the heart my son, Andrew, bought for me years ago. … Read more

Product TIPs for the Furniture Flipper and Decor Creator!

I’ve been working on recording tips for those of you who want to grow your skills in redesign and marketing. You can find all of them here: 100 Random Furniture Flipping Tips Video Series >>> I have Tips #83, 84, 93, 94,96, 99 & 100 for you today – Products That Make Your Life Easier! But for now, come view a compilation of some products you can find on Amazon (afflinks below the video) that may just lighten your load a little and make room to enjoy your creativity more. Kneeling Pad: https://amzn.to/360VidV Knee Pads: https://amzn.to/3duj0Dp Work Stool/Creeper: https://amzn.to/3ye4E21 Canvas Dropcloth: https://amzn.to/3hfl5Ek Bed Risers: https://amzn.to/3Ao5ACX Scrubs: https://amzn.to/3duBdAK Paint Coveralls: https://amzn.to/3jushz2 Bent Brush: https://amzn.to/3w6ZJhK Zipwall: https://amzn.to/3h7PPZ0 NOTE: Be sure to check around for better quality or priced products – the ones I listed in the video are not necessarily recommended by me; they are just shown as examples. Some of these products … Read more

DIY Pumpkin Floral Centerpiece

They say the third time is the charm. So, here is my third flower arrangement I’ve shared with you – a DIY floral centerpiece. By showing you my first three attempts at flower arranging I’m hoping you’ll get the idea that you can do this too. HONESTLY…it really is quite easy. My little ceramic pumpkin turned floral centerpiece is the best yet. Here’s how I did it…     I started with leaves around the bottom and then added a candle.     It only took a few more flowers to make it fuller. I just kept moving them around until I was happy with it. The leaves were too big. I just didn’t like it and it didn’t really match the picture I had in my head. It was OK, but “OK” wasn’t good enough.     So I took the leaves out and I knew it was done … Read more

Darbi the Guest Master Night Stand – I Got to Keep This One!

A Night Stand Named Darbi Occasionally I get to keep one of my projects. It’s super hard for me to watch my pieces go out the door when I sell them, but I comfort myself when I look down at my hand holding the cash! LOL This one came from a consignment shop we visit every couple of months. I thought it perfectly fit my daughter’s description of a side table she was looking for and the $12 price tag fit the bill too. But of course, “Best laid plans of mice and men,” as it turned out it was too tall. So sad for them, yay for me! It now sits next to our guest master king size bed. Find out more here which bed you can also use in order to have a great night’s sleep.   Here it is before:   White is a Fave of Mine … Read more

DIY Tomato Cages and Gardening Tips {Love My DIY Home}

DIY Tomato Cages – Save the Maters!

It’s TOMATO GROWING TIME!   We made our own tomato cages …because those tomato cages you buy at Menards are so stinkin’ expensive! We started out with the skinny wire ones that were left in the garden by the previous owners. FAIL. Then we graduated on to the heavy duty ones – but only bought two – $8 each is crazy, don’t you think? In my uber-frugal mind that is a FAIL. When you have 50+ tomato plants there is no way you can justify $400 for cages. No way. We’d already put a grand into our new garden so there was no way we would put out another $400 for cages. If you want to hire mailbox posts, you can check it out here!  So we made our own…out of concrete reinforcing mesh. We cut up a big roll of the mesh and made about 35 of them.   … Read more

Antique Door Hall Tree Part 2 – The Seat

#sponsored The Second Part of My Upcycled Hall Tree Project. First I painted a door for the back drop of my hall tree. See it here: Antique Door Hall Tree Part 1. Now I’m showing you the seat part I’ve attached. It was an antique radio base that I found at an antiques estate sale. The Before   MATERIALS (RED indicates affiliate links for your convenience) Old Fashioned Milk Paint Snow White Old Fashioned Milk Paint Marigold Yellow Old Fashioned Milk Paint Salem Red Scotts Rags General Finishes Gray Gel Stain General Finishes Gel Top Coat – Wipe On Polyvine Wax Finish Flat Varnish Renaissance Innovations Paint Brush   Thinking Outside the Box Since it has a flat back, there are few uses it could be upcycled for – it’s a perfect fit for a hall tree. I cleaned and sanded it, then white washed it with Snow White Old … Read more

Antique Door Hall Tree Part 1 – THE DOOR

#sponsored post   About 4 years ago… We bought several doors at an auction house that had been stripped off a house that was being torn down. The house was over 100 years old and falling apart.   Here is one, How to Upcycle an Antique Door Part One and How to Upcycle an Antique Door Part Two that I upcycled a while ago with spray paint and regular paint, making it into a hall tree that now sits in my entry way. It’s one of my favorite project to date.   Today I show you another project with another door from that house, but upcycled differently – different paint, different techniques, different colors.   THE BEFORE MATERIALS (RED indicates affiliate links for your convenience) Old Fashioned Milk Paint Snow White Old Fashioned Milk Paint Marigold Yellow Old Fashioned Milk Paint Salem Red Scotts Rags Polyvine Wax Finish Flat Varnish Robe … Read more

Steam Punk Mixed Media Nightstand for DH

#sponsored   While shopping at a Restore in MI We happened upon their 50% off furniture day. I found a three drawer nightstand that would be perfect for my DH’s (darling hubby) side of the bed. I already had one that I had repainted for my side of the bed and he had my mom’s little antique table that wasn’t nearly big enough for him and all his junk…all his precious possessions.   He needed drawers to hide all his stuff, so this at $20 fit the bill.   And of course I have to start with the before:     There is so much to tell about about this one. Lot’s of improvisation, creativity, and experimentation was called for, and I’m glad it turned out well because it was for my DH’s Christmas gift.   I used a ton of resources for this project – I’ll list links below, … Read more

Mission Beautify Ivy by Saltwash and Pure & Original

#sponsored Have you tried Saltwash yet? While at the General Finishes Conference, we met the Salt Wash originator, Carol Hunter, and she gave us a 10 oz. can of Saltwash to try. Pure & Original had already given me two of their classic colors, Poetic Blue and Steel Blue, so we chose them to combine with the Saltwash.   The combination was stellar. The Saltwash gave it a unique look – one that will fit into any home from a classically traditional to Coastal, to Farmhouse. Not many designs can pull that off, but this one can.   “The Before”         “Ivy” was sitting in an abandoned house amidst piles of trash. We almost missed her. We brought her home, cleaned her up, sanded and got her ready to try out a new look. She had great bones. We named her “Ivy” because she is no longer … Read more

Barn Door Hardware Transforms an UGLY Hallway

#sponsored OUTDATED Doesn’t Begin to Describe It Yes. I admit it. My hallway was boring, ugly, dark, uninviting – you get the picture. Before we bought the house, the one wall across from the closet had a type of salt wash that made it very rough. I sanded it down and painted before we moved in, but never liked the hallway partly because it was dark and partly due to the bifold doors. Or should I say “bifold door.” The one was off and the other had a doggie door in it. I have no idea why other than I know they had lots of animals, so the animal “stuff” must have been in the closet.     For the past 5 years I’ve waited to update that hallway and get new doors, but I’ve been holding out, wanting the barn door look. Every day I just ignored that area … Read more

Love My DIY Home