DIY
The Gift of Handmade
I recently said to Handy Husband, “Why did you have to go and make such cool beds for the kids? WHY??” Despite the fact that it was MY idea (and I probably begged) for him to make the beds. “It would be a lot simpler to move or change up the look of our house if I wasn’t sentimentally attached to these huge things!” “STOP BEING AWESOME!” Just kidding about that last part. I love him, but I don’t want him to get a big head. I also have some other things I want him to make, so I kind of do need him to keep being awesome. Then I’ll…
House Number Sign From Wooden Spool
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve shared a Junk Whisperer project. I missed them! I missed The Junk Whisperer more though. And yes, that is shameless flattery. I’ve invaded her home and I need all the brownie points I can get. Me + Children = Lots of noise, mess and groceries. Now, back to the point of this post: a good “why didn’t I think of that” project. When The Junk Whisperer shares her projects with me I usually have nothing more clever to say than, “that is SUCH a good idea!” over and over and OVER. It’s mildly embarrassing. This project started with an old wooden spool, similar to…
Wine Rack Upcycled Into a Display Shelf
A million years ago when Handy Husband and I grew up and started purchasing real furniture, we bought a buffet table for our dining room that included a built-in wine rack. Here it is in our last house. I miss that old house, by the way. Turns out we prefer a mixed drink over wine in this house and the wine we did keep on hand was properly stored in a wine fridge. The wine rack has bugged me, off and on, for YEARS. First, half of this piece of furniture is a waste of space. Second, that thing is a dusting nightmare. Third, it looks dumb without wine. I’ve wanted to take the wine rack…
The Great Guitar Hanging Debacle
I’d like you to think that all of our home projects go off without a hitch. We don’t encounter any unexpected challenges. The husband and I always agree about the ideal method of approaching a project. We always come in under budget. Heck, we probably make money because we find a suitcase of $100 bills hidden in the walls – every time. Furthermore, my husband reads my mind when I have a vision of how I want something to look. It saves so much time with the communication process. Doesn’t this happen in your house too? Hahahahahahahahahaha. Real-life home projects with your real-life significant other are slightly less perfect than that. At least, they…
Jewelry Organizer From an Old Door
When you move, all of your organization systems are magically *poof* gone. Then you find yourself untangling necklaces day after day that you’ve been storing in a sandwich baggie in the bottom of your carry-on luggage. It’s a quick way to go mad. So I decided not to go mad. At least that day anyway. My favorite salvage item from our house in Oregon are these doors. They were in our basement and when we remodeled, I didn’t want to get rid of them. It’s not often that you find doors with cool details that have not had a circle drilled through them for a doorknob. It’s like winning the…
Shovel Head Owl Art
It’s hard to find an appropriate title for “she took a rusty old shovel head and a bunch of random metal scraps and made something cool.” But that’s what happened. As you might have guessed, this is a Junk Whisperer project. Who else do I know that would turn a shovel head into a funky, awesome piece of outdoor art? No one. The Junk Whisperer had the vision for this shovel art project, but she used the mad welding skills of my uncle to make her vision come to life. Interestingly enough, my uncle is quite the talented guy, as are many of my relatives. He made my first car –…
Burl Wood Table
I grew up on a farm. Now, I can’t speak for all farms, but I can speak to my experience. When you have a lot of barns and outbuildings on the family farm, it’s easy to put stuff in these buildings because you might need it someday. That’s not hoarding. That’s, uh, that’s being practical. Waste not, want not. That sort of thing. I can also fix almost anything with baling twine, but that’s a farm story for another day. When the Junk Whisperer (aka my stepmom) came into the picture, she started unearthing these long forgotten treasures while cleaning out the farm’s outbuildings. Thanks to her hard work and ingenuity, I…
Great Idea: Stacked Book Pub Table
Eating out used to be one of my favorite things to do. Then I had kids. The restaurants in the United States I frequent the most are Chipotle and Panera because they feature relatively quick, healthy and inexpensive meals in an environment that is kid-friendly. Emphasis on the kid-friendly. Neither of those restaurants are available in Ireland. I’ve had to put on my big girl panties and try new places since we arrived. GASP! Consider my comfort level stretched. Imagine me walking into a new restaurant and in the midst of trying to figure out if we seat ourselves and how we order food (which isn’t as intuitive as it…
Bowling Ball Lawn Orb
What do you do when your local bowling alley is getting rid of old bowling balls for free? Uh, jump for joy? Not while holding the bowling balls though. I’ve heard bowling alleys often end up with cracked or damaged bowling balls and they’d rather give them away to DIYers than fill up their garbage cans. I imagine the garbage man likes it a lot better too. I’d like to know if this is true in places other than my small hometown. Let me know! One thing you can do with an old bowling ball is make a decorative lawn orb. It’s easy to make one, but it does require a…
