Natural Light is Fickle I went a couple of years without proper lighting for my furniture staging. It proved to be very difficult to catch natural light and eliminate distracting shadows. I would often have to fix any lighting errors on Photoshop before I was able to post my projects. Frustrating didn’t cover it. It made me crazy to spend hours trying to create a quality representation of my piece. The worst moment was when I needed to get my post out and I hadn’t taken pictures yet and the sun was fading. Ugh. It wasn’t pretty. Choosing the Right Light Kit My DH finally decided to just go on ahead and buy me a light kit, the (aff link) Fancierstudio FL9060S4 3800 Watt Softbox Light Kit after I told him about one that I Continue reading
Industrial Lighting on a Budget
It's Time to Shed Some Light on Your DIY Projects Since becoming an affiliate for several online stores, I've got the Gimme Gots for home decor. Industrial, vintage, farmhouse...today's styles are quite interesting and look great with the new painted/distressed/antiqued furniture look. Definition: Gimme Gots gim·me /ˈɡimē/ informal - contraction verb: gimme = give me gotz / slang for have An overwhelming feeling that one must have something that is only satisfied by the purchase of the first and last detail. With Spring around the corner, we're all dreaming of updates - my latest piece to my puzzle is lighting. We have two hallways in desperate need some Continue reading
The Complete Guide to Shipping Furniture
Jenni Ingram from Roots & Wings Furniture wrote (aff link) The Complete Guide to Shipping Furniture Ebook for those of us who are considering extending our market - but are afraid to take that step toward shipping nationwide. Take Your Furniture Business to the Next Level You may be interested in learning the ins and outs of shipping your furniture. When you've put your heart and soul into redesigning and refinishing your piece and then get a request from a state 1000 miles away you are so frustrated! The thought of shipping your furniture seems too much trouble and too risky. BUT, at the same time you also know that if you were willing to ship to out-of-state customers you Continue reading
Background Options for DIY Indoor Photography
Photography Backgrounds - Are They Really Necessary? Whether you are into still photography or portraiture, you have known the pain of trying to get it just right while shooting indoor. Lighting, backgrounds and flooring options can improve or limit your outcome. Some of my most frustrating moments has been trying to make due with what I have to get a good shot. But shooting outdoor isn't the safest or easiest scenario. If it's: too cold too hot windy too bright intermittent shade It can be challenging or even impossible to get a good shot. But then if you take it indoors you have other issues. Background, flooring, lighting, and available space all play a Continue reading
Subscriber Giveaway Winner Announced!
If you are a subscriber and entered last month's drawing, this is for you! Stencil LMDH Subscriber Giveaway 2.25.2017 from Val Frania on Vimeo. Thank you, Isaac and Maddie! To enter future giveaways and receive tips, tutorials and free stuff, click here or the banner at the bottom. Congrats to our winner! I have a free Word Art for you today. This is the quote that the winner sent with her entry. Just click and give me your email and I'll send it to you. If you've not subscribed yet it will put you on my email list, but feel free to unsubscribe after your download. Tamara, email me at Val@LoveMyDIYHome dot com and give me your address and I'll send you the Continue reading
1980s Style Bookshelf Redesigned
I've been tooting the "flip it don't toss it" horn for quite a while now - have you heard it? Look around your house. Do you own any funiture that is the same ol' same ol' from the 80s? Are you tired of hum drum? Let's look at a bookshelf re-designed out of the 80s and into the present. This old thing has been sitting in my hallways for a dozen years. It was time for a change and I'm not willing to go out and spend $100, but I will pick up a brush. Since (aff link) The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company provided products for this project, I was able to experiment a bit and come up with an original piece of art. Yep. I said "art." Art Continue reading
It’s About TIME – The Skinny on a Little Side Table
Last week when I tried out the (aff link) HomeRight Finish Max on a rolling storage cabinet, I threw in a little skinny side table. Two for the price of one, so to speak. It was green, then dark brown, and now it's a light tan, with decorative stenciling. It's a bore no more. Super easy, 1,2,3,4 1. Spray one coat with Benjamin Moore Advance using a (aff link) HomeRight Finish Max. I only did one coat for easy distressing. 2. Distress, lightly. 3. (aff link) Stencil clocks and some French script. Continue reading
Rolling Cabinet Makeover with HomeRight Finish Max Sprayer
"Spray it Pretty" #sponsored post This month The Fab Furniture Flippin' Contest®, "Spray it Pretty" is sponsored by (aff link) HomeRight. They sent us all a Finish Max sprayer to complete our projects, something I've been hearing a lot about from other furniture flippers, so I was glad to give it a try. Along with the sprayer gift, HomeRight is giving prizes to one winner - one being this (aff links) spray shelter. We bought "Ellie" at an estate sale - the same one where we got the Ethan Allen China Cabinet that I turned into a buffet a few months ago. She was one of the last pieces remaining at the estate sale on the last day. I hadn't even Continue reading
7 Tips for Pricing Flipped Furniture Without Stress
As you finish your flipped furniture and put it up for sale, do your research on pricing and then stick to your advertised price. Every piece I've sold has had low-ball offers thrown at me. Here is a bit of advice drawn from experience on how to lessen the stress associated with selling your creations: 1. Don't be offended - most people are looking for a deal and don't think of it is offensive to low-ball or to ask for a discount. I usually just respond with, "Thanks for the offer, but my price is firm." It never pays to be rude. Within a few minutes of posting "Katherine", I received an offer of $100 - I had it priced at $175, a special price since it was so close to Christmas. Here is the actual PM: . She Continue reading
Ethan Allen Coffee Table Stars in “The Taming of the Shrew”
#sponsored post It looked like an easy flip... Have you ever had a DIY project that you just wanted to throw out the window, chop it up with an ax and then burn it to make sure it was totally eradicated from your memory? Beware of the "easy" ones... There's a little consignment shop about 45 minutes from us that we go to occasionally to look for furniture to flip. The prices are reasonable, usually, so it's worth the trip. Of course visiting their other little shops and burger joint doesn't hurt the experience either. We found an Ethan Allen coffee table that looked like an easy flip, so we grabbed it and brought it home. (It's the "EASY" ones you need to Continue reading
