DIY Home Improvements Archives

Spring refresh with new entryway decor

RR spring refresh Entryway decor through door

We refreshed our hardest working room of the house this spring and I love the results. Check out our spring refresh with new entryway decor and a little bit of paint.

Best of CES: Tech in 2020

The Consumer Electronics Show was packed full of new {and improved} technology that will be making its way to retail this year. I’m sharing my favorite finds from on the floor, events, and parties we attended. From Smart Home to tech that you can take with you on the go, there’s a whole lot to be excited about in tech this year.

MAXIMUS Smart Security Light: all-in-one light and camera

The newly released MAXIMUS Smart Security Light is so much more than an outdoor lighting fixture that happens to have a camera. Their Smart Security Light is beautiful in its own right, with 4 different models to choose from that can match just about any house exterior {Coach, Contemporary, Craftsman and Traditional}. The Smart Security Light also has two-way talk so you can engage in live conversation or play a message every time someone is detected. Add in the fact that it’s easy to install and doesn’t require an electrician or damage the exterior of your house, and it’s not hard to see why we love it so.

Protect what matters with the Onelink Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm

This past month has been a lesson in what is most important. It’s been yet another reminder that life is short and so incredibly precious. The new Onelink Smart Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Alarm from First Alert makes peace of mind and protecting what matters easy with voice and message alerts and more.

2 hour entryway transformation with mywoodwall

Transform your space with super easy peel and stick wood paneling from mywoodwall that can make your space amazing in an hour or two. See how we redid our entryway in the span of a naptime, without any special tools or help from a professional.

The smartest home on the block with Hive Home automation

I really, really resisted the whole “smart home” movement. I always thought home automation seemed nice in theory, but I never really saw much of a benefit in my life. So, for years I have held out and ignored all smart home pitches that landed in my inbox, happily flipping light switches on and off … Read more

DIY budget custom fireplace mantle

Back in 2007 we bought our house from a local builder and got to make numerous choices, but the basic house design was fairly set and didn't allow for many changes. This means that our house has very little built-in "character".

The good part about that is that we got to create our own "character" as the years went on, but the bad part is that it sometimes takes a decade to make my visions come to life. Some stuff was easy, like having the builder agree to do wainscotting throughout the main floor or adding a simple pressed tin backsplash instead of learning how to lay tile. But some things seemed easy and instead became a project… like my mantle I had been dreaming of since we first moved in.

Personalize your exterior with 100% maintenance free HedgeScapes

Who knew that a few plants could make such a huge difference in the way you feel about the exterior of your home? I'm realizing just how important a little greenery is, and how much fun it is to have another area to decorate and personalize. One week with this fun little topiary greeting me morning and night and I'm already smitten.

Easy DIY picture frame monogram wreath

I've been looking at the door and thinking I needed a new wreath for a while now, but every time I would see one in stores I would do that thing where I would talk myself out of it, convincing myself that I would make one instead. I finally made it to the craft store last week and was kind of bummed at the wreath form selection. I didn't love the green or white styrofoam mold, the hay-looking wreath is not really my style, and the wire ones weren't right for the wreath I had in mind. So, I ended up leaving the store empty handed {you know, besides the bags of crafts supplies I bought for my 200 other projects I'm perpetually working on}.

Side yard hopscotch with DIY stepping stones

I've been debating for years about what I wanted to do with our skinny side yard. We need to leave it unobstructed because it's the main pathway to our backyard, but I hated that it would turn into a wet and muddy mess every time it rains. Doing stones of some sort that you could walk over, wheel barrow over, and also keep the side yard from getting swampy made a whole lot of sense, but I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. That was until I visited Swansons Nursery in Seattle and started talking to their team about what made sense for a marshy yard. We decided we needed to dig the side yard down, add a weed barrier, and then add sand and fill dirt along with some stepping stones. After that was complete, we could add some ground cover plants that would help with drainage and keep the side yard from turning into a mud pit.Inspiration really struck when I started filling up Swansons` boxes with plants and ground covers and realized that the box I was loading them in was the perfect stepping stone size.More specifically, they were perfect hopscotch size. If we made our own hopscotch stones and laid them in our skinny side yard, we could actually utilize the space better to make it a play space as well as a pathway. With a smaller, urban yard I'm always looking for ways of maximizing space, and making it dual purpose is always a win.