home decor – Page 2 – Love My DIY Home

[VIDEO] A Cat Condo for 2 – Part 2

This is the second video in my Cat Condo for 2 series. Click the link to see the first video, Cat Condo for 2 Part 1 where I show you the beginning stages of this redesign. I didn’t my first attempt, so I started over – I’m inviting you to come along as this dresser turns into my Mia and Max’s beautiful Cat Condo for 2. In this video, I show you how I changed course from my original plan of using a green distressed look to a much better design using completely different paint colors and techniques: raised stenciling, stenciling, and color blending. If in doubt…don’t. Sometimes we don’t like the course we are on and need to change it. Just do it. You’ll be happier in the end. Some of the Products Used in this Project: Retique It Gothic Grey, Spiced Cider, Willow, Camelot & Midnight Black Ultratique All-in-One Paint Retique It Royal … 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

The Cobbler’s Children Have No Shoes

Too often I hear of furniture artists who have been putting off refinishing or redesigning their own furniture…so focused on the business of painting other people’s pieces, they neglect their own home. I determined a long time ago to not be the one who personifies the saying, “The cobbler’s children have no shoes.” I want to walk from room to room smiling as I see my own works of art. This video is a walk through of our home where you can see several of my own pieces of furniture art. I don’t have every piece the way I want them, for I got very tired of the wood look everywhere, but I’m making great headway. I still have two end tables, a highboy to paint and dresser to finish for my home, along with a new set of nesting tables I’ve not decided whether I’ll keep or sell. I … Read more

4 Sided Decor Tin for Staging

A DIY 4 Sided Decorator Tin for Staging Furniture Combining Saltwash, Retique It Ultratique, & Southern Blenders I created a DIY decor series for my Blueprint members a while ago. This is one of the projects I included and I’m sharing it today with you to encourage you to do a bit of DIY to help your bottom line. Ya know…there are more ways to make money besides raising our prices, like finding ways to cut our expenses. Save some $$ by creating your own staging decor. This tin is just one example of a really inexpensive piece you can change with paint – or in this case, paint and Saltwash. Click the picture below and it will take you to the tutorial on my YouTube channel where you can find more tutorials and reviews. Do you DIY? If so, what have you done? Leave a comment and tell … 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 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 – 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

Apply [Retique It] Polyacrylic Without Drag

When I first started redesigning furniture, applying the topcoat was very frustrating for me. It dried too quickly, giving me drag. Drag happens when you swipe another strip of poly overtop poly that has already started to dry. It’s tricky to get a good application when the poly dries too fast. This could happen if the room you are working in is very dry or too warm. So make sure there’s enough humidity in the room and/or the proper temperature to give you time to work. No matter what I did back then, I couldn’t get a smooth, consistent finish. After lots of sleepless nights, then plenty of practice and research, I discovered a method that works AND a product that makes it so very easy. In this video, I demonstrate applying Retique It Polyacrylic with a detailer sponge. Easy peasy! The Polyacrylic (interior water-based polyurethane) and Polytique It (exterior … Read more