decorating
Picking Up Trash in the Forest and Turning it Into Art
If you’ve ever doubted that kids are a product of their environment, let me share this story. Last week on a sunny spring day, I forced my kids to play outside. I’m a mean mom that way. Thankfully, we live in a neighborhood where I feel okay with our kids riding bikes and going out exploring. On this particular day, the kids took their bikes and rode around the corner to their “ninja camp.” It’s what they call the patch of forest next to a municipal building on a dead end street. They were gone for about an hour and they rode home when they got hungry. In my mind,…
11 Things to Know Before Hiring a Piano Moving and Storage Company
I started playing piano in second grade on a second-hand upright piano bought for me by my grandma. I played that piano for 20 years. Later, with my first big work bonus, I bought myself a baby grand piano. It really is my ‘baby.’ It’s also my ball and chain. I can’t tell you how many of our housing decisions have rested on one key factor: Is there room for the piano? Scratch that. I CAN tell you. It has been ALL of our housing decisions. *sigh* My upright piano lived in five different homes. My baby grand piano has lived in six different homes and two different storage places. Needless…
Use for Old Hubcaps: Magnetic Bulletin Board
Today’s post is not a DIY. It’s more of a PSA. Did you know that old hubcaps (the many decades old ones) were made of stainless steel? It’s corrosion resistant, which made for a great wheel cover – until plastic hubcaps came around in the 1970s. If you find a hubcap that is made of stainless steel then there’s a good chance it is magnetic. If a magnet will stick to the hubcap then voila! You now have a creative use for old hubcaps as a magnetic bulletin board. Are you as excited as I am right now for this discovery? I thought so. There might not be space to…
Gallery Wall with a Car Theme
One project leads to another! At this point in my DIY adventures, that phrase is the leading contender to go on my tombstone. HA! When I gave my son’s bookrack a makeover, I took the opportunity to move the bookrack to a different wall. It just made more sense for how the space was being utilized. That freed up the wall where the bookrack used to reside for some art. I decided to use the space to create a gallery wall with a car theme. It’s perfect for a boy’s bedroom. I believe this bedoom was an attic conversion, so the ceiling angles have a lot of…what’s the word I’m…
Bookrack Makeover for an Older Boy’s Room
Before I get rid of anything in our home, I do not ask myself if it sparks joy. No. I ask myself if I can repurpose, reuse or makeover the item to make it work better in our home. I also ask myself if I have the energy to repurpose, reuse or makeover the item. Sometimes the answer is “no.” Sometimes the answer is “maybe.” Sometimes the answer is “I really shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself!” Then I end up doing something drastic like cutting off belt loops on Handy Husband’s old, ripped-up jeans to make hanging loops for kitchen towels. Remember that project? Still using those towels, by…
Display a Souvenir Pin Collection in a Shadowbox Frame
Did you catch last week’s furniture makeover? It was a fun one! We turned a hutch into a freestanding bookcase for my tween daughter’s room. Now there is plenty of room for her books, sketch pads and ceramic animals. There’s also a spot for her souvenir pin collection. Do you see the collection on the shelf below? You’re dying to learn more about it, aren’t you? I figured. We do a fair amount of traveling and at some point (thank goodness) my daughter outgrew the souvenir stuffed animal. Instead, she recently started collecting souvenir pins. They are small, inexpensive and relatively easy to find at souvenir shops. She also has…
Turn a Hutch Into a Freestanding Bookcase
Who loves a good furniture makeover? *raises both my hands…and feet* You’ve come to the right place because I have a fun makeover to show you today! We were able to turn a hutch into a freestanding bookcase and it’s been a game-changer in my tween daughter’s room. If you’ve been a long-time follower, you might remember that when I bought this dresser with brass details at the Habitat Restore it came with a hutch. I never could figure out the hutch part of the dresser. Not only was it not quite the right size, I couldn’t tell where it had ever attached to the dresser. It was a mystery. I…
Framing Art With Scrap Leather Instead of Using a Mat
Why, yes! I did use leather in another crafty home decor project. Give me some scrap leather and I will come up with a host of ways to use it. And in case you are wondering (you’re not, but let’s pretend), someone DID give me a stack of leather and said, “Maybe you can use this for a project or two.” Challenge accepted! This time I used a piece of leather instead of a picture frame mat for framing a piece of art. Let’s not discuss the fact that I have scrap leather, but I don’t have an appropriately sized picture frame mat. Nor am I willing to buy one,…
How to Mount Antlers on an Acrylic Base
I’m not a hunter. I’ve never hunted. I don’t own anything camouflage. I’ve never worn anything in a hue resembling hunter orange. Although, I did have a pair of fluorescent yellow leg warmers in 4th grade. I do own a set of deer antlers though. My brother gave them to me years ago. I don’t know where they came from. Or how old they are. I have no answers on that front. I just liked the antlers. If you’re an antler purist (is that a thing?) then stop reading now because it will definitely seem blasphemous that I painted the antlers gold at some point. What can I say? I…
Items I Should Have Bought on Facebook Marketplace, but Didn’t
I thought it would be fun to show you my gallery of thrifting regrets today. Nothing says a “fun read” like the word regret. Ha! Do not even get me started on how much I loathe Facebook, but I do find its Marketplace to be quite useful when I’m thrifting for something in particular. It’s where I found my quirky rattan swivel chair. I still am over-the-moon about that chair, by the way. I like to ‘save’ items I’m interested in buying, but not motivated enough to leave my house that day to collect. Sometimes I watch the items to see if the price drops, but often the items are…
