Val Frania

Neon Clipboard Transformation {Love My DIY Home}

Neon Clipboard Transformation – Just a Bit of Whimsy for the Craft Room

I have a super easy craft – well, I probably shouldn’t even use the word “craft”. It’s While walking through Walmart, I always walk through the office supplies department. Have you seen the black lucite clipboards for $2.44 that were accented with neon clips? Oh boy. Neon. perfect for my new craft room. Perfect for a little bit of decoration. At first I thought I would use Mod Podge and scrapbook paper, but then while walking through a dollar bill store I saw these stickers that I’ve used several times while scrapping. LOVE.LOVE.LOVE these stickers. Honestly, 15 seconds. FIFTEEN. I peeled off a flower, cut it with my paper cutter and stuck it on. They have little pull out hooky things that I can hang on a nail. When my DH got home at first he thought I’d bought them as is, then when I told him I hadn’t, he thought … Read more

Brush Paint Vs. Spray Paint – Before and After Nightstand

I have a before and after antique nightstand redo for you today. And it only cost $1.25. BUT, let it be known…next time I tell you I’m going to brush paint a piece of furniture using traditional paint, please stop me. Seriously. Stop me. I thought I’d give it a whirl but the whirl turned into a relentless week of painting because the tanins bled through. It was on my kitchen island. For a week. I like to use spray paint when I want a smooth finish. You can also contact Stubbins Painting San Diego – and take the help of professional painting contractors to give a professional and classic look to your house or a piece of furniture. I didn’t prime first when using traditional paint, which was a major mistake and consulted the painting companies phoenix. Then I found some great spray primer that I use now when … Read more

Painted Pegboard for DIY Craft Room {Love My DIY Home}

Decorative Peg Board – Craft Room Decor

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose,” ~ Dolly Parton. Imagine a place where your most inner self can feel at peace. For some it’s in their garage restoring an automobile. Others it’s behind a pulpit, sitting in front of a MAC or Pfaff sewing machine. Do you have a place like that? Possibly, if you are reading this you may be “one of us.” THOSE people that are happiest with a can of spray paint in their hand leaning over an old beat up piece of furniture…or shutter…or door/window/pallet? You name it. For those who find joy in enhancing not just the interior but also the exterior of their spaces, explore seamless gutter services to ensure that your home maintains its charm while being well-maintained. That’s me, btw. That’s me with the can of spray paint in an old pair of sweats out in 44 degree … Read more

Color Choices – Go Bold or Go Home

Do you ever feel it’s time to color outside the lines? Do you go to the store to buy paint or curtains or your next set of couch pillows and end up bringing home pretty much the same thing you bought last time and then wonder why you’re not excited about it? Or, have you taken that step into Willy Wonka’s world and gone crazy with color? Or style. Or texture? I always wondered why people were so in love with animal prints. I SMH over hot pink painted bookshelves and pillows that look like exploded rosettes. But… change is in the wind. The time to plunge into adventure and throw caution to that wind is here. Color Choices It’s time to crawl out of the brown/white/beige cave and look for something different. A new lease on decorating life started with a new bed set. Yep. A bed set. That … Read more

Free Word Art – You’re My Favorite

Happy Monday, my people! I have created a free word art for you today. Feel free to download it by clicking on the photo below or on its title just below the word art. It is formatted as an 8×10 JPG so you can go get it printed as a photo suitable for framing. If you click the banner above, you will be able to download another free word art in April that I have made exclusively for those on my newsletter list. LMDH newsletters have a link giving you access to my free word art downloadables page. Free is good. You’re My Favorite (8×10 JPG) Enjoy.

Building a Balcony Garden – Guest Post by Dane O’Leary

A Step-By-Step Guide Even the urban dwellers among us should know the joys of gardening. In fact, balconies are a wonderful opportunity for you to unleash your inner botanist while utilizing your outdoor space in a functional, beautiful way. You may not see that limited outdoor space as being capable of sustaining a miniature Garden of Eden of your very own, but just about any balcony can become an urban oasis with a little planning and these simple steps. Step One: Planning Before diving into gardening therapy, you need to plan your balcony garden with the help of experts from www.choosegreenergrass.com. This is a very important step that will determine how your space will be organized and what you’ll need to pull it all together. It’s a good idea to measure the space so you can figure out what size pots and planters will work best for your individual space. … Read more

How to Upcycle an Antique Door – Part 2

In How to Upcycle an Antique Door Part 1, I showed you how I had painted brown on one side. Now I will show you what I did to the other side. I kid you not – this is by far the coolest project I’ve done and you could for sure do this yourself. Now you’ll see what I did to the other side and the end product. Here are the two sides… IN THE RAW This is the one side that I painted brown that you read about last week. Now let’s look at side two. MATERIALS (Affiliate Links) Sanding Sponge Rust-Oleum 2x Painters Touch Spray Paint American Decor Creme Wax Hobby Lobby Hardware 1 ” Corner Brackets Step One – Side Two: Clean and sand, but not so much that you lose the textured layers of old paint. I used a (afflink) Sanding Sponge, Fine/Medium. These sanding sponges … Read more

How to Upcycle an Antique Door – Part 1

This is my favorite DIY thus far, an upcycled antique door turned into a trendy piece of home decor for just pennies. My DH and I found some old doors at an auction – about two years ago. They’ve been sitting out under our lean-to since, just calling to me, “Paint me, Paint me…” Here are the before pictures – side one. Here are the before pictures – side two. They’re pretty cool in the raw, but I had other plans. This will turn into a series because there were many steps to the project. Step One: Clean and sand both sides, but not so much that you lose the textured layers of old paint. I used a Sanding Sponge, Fine/Medium. These sanding sponges are easy to use and if you don’t use too much pressure, you can preserve the alligator chippy look of the many layers of paint, yet … Read more

A Real Life Home Before and After {Love My DIY Home}

Sometimes ya just gotta make a mess…

Better Homes and Gardens? Have you ever looked through the Better Homes and Gardens magazine or read a blog post about a new living room update and thought, “Wow, she sure has it together.” or, “My house never looks like that.” Well, I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t draw wrong conclusions about the people behind the “perfect homes.” We usually only show you the one perfect moment that we’ve staged just for the story. It only lasts until the photo shoot is over. I thought I’d show you a real life “before and after.” To encourage you To let you know you are “normal,” or at least a normal as the rest of us, whatever that is. Real life is so much better than the pictures you see online or in magazines. These before and after pictures are in reverse order typical to what you expect to show … Read more

Stand Alone Cabinet – A Side of the Road Rescue

My friend, Lisa, picked up a little free standing jelly cabinet alongside the road and brought it to church, asking me if I wanted it. It was pretty icky… …bruised and battered with stains and a couple of bandaids stuck to the shelf. Gross! But I saw its potential. Wayfair.com has a similar cabinet for $138.99. Amazon has one for $137.99. Well, when I say similar” I mean if it were new. And clean. And never before touched by human hands. The “saving” process… My DH cut off part of the legs so it would fit under my kitchen cabinet island. After cleaning it up a bit, I cut paintable textured wallpaper to fit the shelves. At first the plan was to just paint them, but there was no white spray paint to be found. So when trying to figure out what else would suffice (I’m not one to wait … Read more