Summer Floral Arrangement {Love My DIY Home)

DIY Summer Flower Arrangement

While on a road trip with my DH this week I picked up some clearanced (70% off) flowers and vases at Michaels in Flint, MI. Last night I put together two flower arrangements while we sat around the table and chatted at my DD and SIL’s house.  20 minutes, tops. Really, it was that easy. For this vase, I just stuck them in after cutting them at the proper length. E.A.S.Y. For the second vase I cut some foam and pushed it down to the bottom so it was secure. I cut more flowers and arranged them, bending down the bottom few and filling in the bare spots. It was that easy. Here’s something comparable at Target for $19.99. Mine cost $2.50 for the vase, 50 cents for the foam and about $3.00 for the flowers. Not only was it cheaper; I like mine better. If you DIY, you can … Read more

Fifty cent tile table topper | Love My DIY Home

What Does One Do With a Fifty Cent Tile?

What does one do with a 50¢ 12X12 tile? Tile a floor (a VERY small floor) Use it as a cutting board Use it as a trivit (for a VERY big mug) Paint it with chalkboard paint and prop it against the counter top for a menu Put it beneath a plant to protect your floor Use it as a centerpiece for a bowl of fruit (8 year old Isaac’s suggestion) What did I do with a 50¢ 12X12 tile? I found this tile at Habitat for Humanity for 50 cents and I immediately thought about my antique nightstand that holds my Young Living oils diffuser. I was a little concerned the mist would damage my table top, so when I saw this tile on the cheap I snatched it up. Here it is – notice I did nothing to it before I took the picture. Real life. I am … Read more

Messy porch after a long winter

Antique Chair – Better than a Hobby Lobby Hack

The front porch needed some serious help after our long winter, so the first step was to fix my antique chair, one of my first projects from last year. Welcome to my life… (no pretending to be perfect here) See it tucked in the corner behind all the big pots next to my grandson’s worm collection? We got this and two other chairs as part of an auction bundle, spray painted it and have had it on my front porch for a year. I wondered if it would survive the winter – yep, I was too lazy to take it in and just kept brushing the snow off as I passed by. The seat only had a few scratches on it, so that is easy enough to fix.  It’s hiding a couple of ugly electrical boxes. I thought to just go ahead and paint the chair again before putting together … Read more

The Thirteenth Colony Antique Store | Love My DIY Home

The 13th Colony Antiques of Minoqua

  We came across The 13th Colony on our way to Minoqua. WI. There are three reasons I stop to shops like this:   1. I like to support Mom & Pop shops.   2. I enjoy getting ideas for my own home, mostly on how to use what I already have in a new and different way.   3. It helps me establish what I do and don't like for my decor.   I rarely buy anything at places like this because I am a DIY'er and very cheap! But I did find their prices reasonable and the selection of never before seen products was intriguing. They were kind enough to let me photograph their store. I'll let the photo essay do the talking. I’m also planning to write a short essay for this one as I find this amusing. If you also like to create beautiful essays, then … Read more

DIY Arrangements | Love My DIY Home

Make Arrangements to DIY – Grab and Stuff!

Psst. Pssssst. There is something you need to know. You may have never been told this before, but believe me. I know what I'm talking about. OK, I'm going to say it..     You don't have to pay anyone to do it. You don't have to take a second job to afford it. And the best part is – you can do it in 5 minutes. What am I talking about? DIY arrangements – arrangements you can copy. Easily. This has to be one of the easiest DIY's I've shared. Grab and stuff baby.   GRAB . AND . STUFF .   Go to Hobby Lobby, Michaels, or anywhere that has a variety of flowers and accessories like leaves, twigs, branches, sprigs, whatever – you know, the foofy stuff. Decide what you like, buy it along with some sort of vase or basket – really anything you like that … Read more

Got Work to Do - Bulletin Board upcycle

Got Work To Do, Got Work To Do…

Years ago my DH and I watched a sit com about two writers. I have no idea who they were or what the show was called, but there was one funny scene that we never forgot. The guys (I think they were brothers) were trying to work and had writer’s block. One of the men tapped his head with his notebook and said, “Got work to do, got work to do.” From that moment on whenever we had a long list of stuff to accomplish, we’d say, “Got work to do, got work to do.” I know. Cheesy. But it’s our “inside” mantra…kinda like an inside joke, but not. So, when I wanted to redo our office and put up a bulletin board in front of his desk, I decided to “decorate” it. Not  girly decorating-ish, but MANLY! I rifled through my scrapbook stickers and found some stick on letters … Read more

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From Trash to Treasure – DIY Hurricane Lamp Candle Holder

There isn’t always paint involved, or sanding or even glue in every DIY project. A friend was dumping a bunch of old deco at Goodwill and offered to let me look through her box. Woohoo! A DIY’ers hayday! I’m working on four projects today, this one was a 30 second redo… No paint. No glue. No sanding. Nada. Here is a hurricane I picked out of her box. I thought it had potential. But I had no idea what that was when I took it. It was a very nice piece, but the bottom wasn’t solid or large enough to stand on its own. This morning when I was putting away some of my decor I had sitting in a pile (we’re working on our guest master bedroom), I got the idea to pair this up with a wooden candle holder I paid about a buck and a half for … Read more

My Master Bath Before and After DIY Project

My daughter sent me some pictures of a candle stand she bought at Goodwill and had spray painted with Rust-Oleum Multi-Color Textured Spray, Autumn Brown. When she arrived for Christmas she asked me if I’d done a post on her project. I hadn’t, because she never sent me a picture of the candle stand in her living room, finished. The subject was dropped until she brought it in to me and said, “Merry Christmas.” It was so unique – I L.O.V.E. unique! It was the perfect piece to finish my master bath re-do. Here is the before picture of our master bath. Wait, it gets worse… The former owners of our house took the adventurous avenue and used the master bath as an experimental canvas. Not my style… We called it the Under-the-Sea bathroom. It was a fairly easy DIY project, but the wallpaper WAS a bugger to get off. … Read more

Repurpose old picture frames

DIY Framed Wire Tool Hanger – Re-purpose Old Picture Frames Part 2

This is the second in my How-to Series on Re-purposing Old Picture Frames Here’s my first post with a list of 10 DIY projects to upcycle old picture frames. The plan was to do this last week, but we had a special delivery just after Thanksgiving. We welcomed in a new grandson. All my plans for the rest of the week went out the window! But, I’m back now with a nifty little project for you. It’s easy. It’s cheap. It’s useful. It’s a great decor item. I’m using it as a tool hanger in my craft room. but really, it could be used for just about anything. Use it to hang photos, craft supplies, kitchen tools, office supplies…anything goes. 1. I started with an old frame that I had used to display my kids’ sports pictures. 1. 2. To remove the glossy finish, I sanded the frame with a … Read more

DIY poinsettia flower arrangement | Love My DIY Home

Super Simple DIY Poinsettia Flower Arrangement

I'm almost embarassed to show you this DIY project. Not because I don't like it. On the contrary. I like it A LOT. But…since it was so easy, I'm not sure I can even call it a DIY "project." Last week I showed you how to paint a silver painted decorative vase. Today I'll show you how to arrange silk pointettia flowers in that same vase. Why do people pay $30.00 for a seasonal flower arrangement? Let me encourage you – Do it yourself! This is what I started with – a typical fake poinsettia plant. It cost me "nada." I like "nada." "Nada" makes me happy. Can anyone say, "Gag me?" I'm sure at one time it was considered lovely. OK, I'm not sure. But somebody had to have thought it was something of value. Sorry if you're the one who bought this for church. I got it about … Read more

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