DIY Home Improvements Archives - Page 2 of 4

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.

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.

Alice in Wonderland inspired wall art on photo canvas

We love Alice in Wonderland around here. Like, really, really love it. In honor of the release of the new movie, Alice Through The Looking Glass, we're sharing one of our favorite Alice-inspired pieces.

A few years ago, I went down the rabbit hole of Etsy {no pun intended} looking for Alice art. In my search, I was reminded of one of my favorite lines of the Disney animated Alice In Wonderland film: "Do You Suppose She's A Wildflower?" I got the idea to put the quote on a picture I took of my baby {who clearly is a wildflower}, and print it on a canvas for her. I used basic clip art shapes to designate wildflowers, and used a fun Mad Hatter-style script to play up the theme.

The complete guide to storing and organizing children’s clothing: hand-me-downs, outgrown clothing, and long term storage

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ZiplocSavesSpace #CollectiveBias I love the spread of ages of my children in most instances. I love that the three of them are incredibly close friends, but just enough apart in age so that they each have their own time to shine in their different stages. Really, the only time the age difference bothers me is when I’m packing, storing, and then keeping track of all these different sized clothes, blankets, and seasonal gear. But, as miserable as running my own personal small children’s boutique can be at times, there is nothing sweeter than knowing that all of my children wore a beloved item, or when I realize how many memories are in those tiny clothes they are handing down. Stories of places we’ve been together, people that gave us the clothes who are no longer with us, or simply amazing memories we’ve made while the kids were wearing the items. That makes it all worth it in the end.

Ready to get started organizing all your little ones’ clothing? Great!

For the DIY master: Craftsman Extreme GRIP tools

Do you have a handy man/woman on your list? If so, you will want to head into a Sears store to see their awesome deals on Craftsman tools just in time for holiday gifting.

When picking tools, I’m always thinking of our next DIY projects. We always have a few projects we’d like to complete, and 2016 is shaping up to have a pretty long to-do list, so I thought new tools would make the prospect of house repairs a little bit more exciting.