Move Mountains In Your Home
I woke up today, ready to get to work on the tile. I had the tile saw (borrowed from a friend), the tile, the supplies and my dad lined up to help. The morning was cold, but sunny. So, I started to get everything set up and it started to sleet. Okay. No biggie. We have to use the saw outside, but I'll just set up a canopy tent. By the time I gathered the saw horses and brought the … [Read more...]
I did the plank ceiling A.) because we had some sloppy drywall and a strange textured ceiling, B.) because I was hired to write a tutorial on how to install a planked ceiling and C.) because I love the look. I know a lot of you have questions about the installation, but you'll have to wait for the tutorial to get most of those answered. I will definitely link to it when it's live. I did want … [Read more...]
This post is a little blog buffet of a bit of this and that of my day. Enjoy the randomness... As I've mentioned the past few days, I have a lot of big projects coming up for freelance tutorials. Some of those projects are tied to others. (Remember the "decorating is like dominoes" thing?) For example, two of the tutorials I'm making are on installing a plank ceiling and crown … [Read more...]
I currently have a huge to-do list of tutorials to make for HGTV.com, so I thought while I was in the middle of making all of these tutorials, I would share some tips with you on making a tutorial. A tutorial on making tutorials, if you will. Good tutorials to be exact. 1.) Pick a good project. Try to show how to make something that's totally original, a hack of something really expensive … [Read more...]
I wrote a post a long time ago about the topcoats I used and it's been hanging out in the painting section on my side bar ever since. A reader sent me an e-mail a couple of months ago asking me to update it. I went back and read the post and she was right! I hardly use any of the products anymore. The main reason for that is soft wax. I started using wax and I didn't need to use other … [Read more...]
You can read part one of laying a floating floor HERE. It shows how we stripped the carpet and installed the underlayment. Today, I'm going to talk through how we installed the actual floor. As I said in part one, we're not professionals at this, so this isn't meant to be a comprehensive tutorial, but more of a testimony of our experience. I was a very good blogger and took lots … [Read more...]
In my DIY career, I have installed solid hardwood floors over concrete, solid hardwood over plywood (and about 5 layers of linoleum) and refinished old hardwood floors. This weekend, we added installing an engineered hardwood floating floor to the list. I am not a professional when it comes to laying floors, so this isn't a full-blown tutorial, but more of a post about my experience, so you … [Read more...]
I took the tree down a couple of days ago and it left me staring at my unhemmed curtains that I finished about two years ago. I came to the realization that I am never going to hem these curtains. There is always something more fun to do than pinning, measuring, ironing and sewing straight lines. They don't look bad without a hem, but I have to fluff them a lot to position them right … [Read more...]
I hope no one started a stripping project and then got stuck in the middle of it without part two of my video! :) I finally had the chance to edit it. In this video, I'm using Strypeeze, a biodegradable chemical paint remover, mineral spirits, and a putty knife. All are available from your local True Value Hardware or their online store. Enjoy part two... The top definitely … [Read more...]
I remember the first piece of furniture I purchased at a yard sale to refinish. It was a small 1950's highboy that I scored for $10. I slid it into the backseat of my car and couldn't wait to get it home to test out my DIY skills. I had never refinished a piece of furniture, but I was pretty confident I could figure it out. We lived in a tiny apartment, so I lugged the dresser onto our … [Read more...]
Well, I received another oh-crap-call from Lucketts on Saturday. The Painted Empire dresser sold the day after I brought it in. I guess I wasn't the only one in love with that finish! Here's how I did it... I've heard about using Vaseline (petroleum jelly) as a paint resist for a while, but I never tried it. On this empire dresser, I pictured layers of blue and wanted to have … [Read more...]
I must apologize! I posted a teaser about this sign I made for Cottages & Bungalows and said I would post the tutorial after the issue was off newsstands. Well...that was in August, so I think it's safe to say that those issues have been pulled. So, at long last, here it is... What you’ll need: 12” wide pine board cut to desired length Acrylic craft paint (at least three … [Read more...]
I finished upholstering one of the pink French chairs today. Woohoo! I even put a zipper on the cushion cover, so it's legit. With over twelve years of sewing under my belt, this is the first zipper I have ever done! I don't know why I've been so scared of zippers...ZIPPERS, people. Really?! I was determined to not be spooked by something as humble as a zipper. I dissected the old … [Read more...]
Today is a big day! Not only is it election day here in the US, which affects a lot of people, but it's a big day for me personally. Today is the official release date of my book, Inspired You. The book has actually been available for a couple of weeks, but now it's widely available and the e-book is now available. The enhanced e-book will also be available soon through Apple. The … [Read more...]
This project is simple, but I was so happy with how beautiful and elegant these glittered pine cones turned out that I thought I would share a tutorial on how I made them. I bought these over-sized pine cones from Hobby Lobby, but you can use freebies collected from your yard or an obliging neighbor. Insert a small screw eye into the woody end of the pine cone. I just … [Read more...]
Before I show these chairs, I am letting you know that I am selling them. Yes, they are cane chairs and they are beautifully Frenchy, but I've recently made room for two pairs of French chairs and I just can't make room for a third. Now it's out there and you can hold me to it! (It's tough for me.) This pair of chairs have a beautiful shape, but a finish that wasn't quite right … [Read more...]
When I was a newlywed, I traded my mom my rollerblades for her sewing machine. I wanted to learn to sew and make things for my house. And she wanted to...well...rollerblade. I don't know if she ever took up rollerblading around the neighborhood, but it was a great trade for me. Today, I helped her hem 12 premade drapes for her family room and that trade paid off for her as well. Hemming … [Read more...]
I show in my latest "Boxwood Dresser" how Milk Paint can look when the bonding agent is added and it's not distressed. As you can see, a beautiful finish can be achieved (without using a separate primer coat!) Here's how... More videos to come... … [Read more...]
German Glass Glitter makes almost anything better. Well, except maybe not cheesecake. Yes. I can say with certainty that German Glass Glitter would not improve cheesecake one bit, but it makes a lot of cheap, plastic things look better. Take this crown... It started out as a $2.00 tiara from the birthday party section at Target. I want to use the crown … [Read more...]
This week seems to be all about me being in front of the camera. I'm making video tutorials for my milk paint line, videos for the enhanced e-book version of my book (coming out in November), AND I have a camera crew coming to my house tomorrow to do some filming for a special project. I'm still sporting the curly hair and it's been a little unruly on camera, but I'm going with it! (Actually, … [Read more...]
I'm still working on all of my video tutorials for the Milk Paint website. Actually, this will be an ongoing project as I share new techniques and creative ways to use Milk Paint and the companion products, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Today I'm sharing about Hemp Oil, the top coat sold with my line as an alternative to wax. So, what is Hemp Oil? It's an all natural oil … [Read more...]
I finally got around to editing and uploading my latest milk paint video... I talk through how to get the "chippy" look on pieces and answer some common questions about the process. Enjoy! (If you usually read my posts through e-mail, click over to my blog to watch the video.) If you'd like to see my other videos, head over to my You Tube channel. More to come... Second, … [Read more...]
A few of the kids in our youth group have been firsthand witnesses to the entire journey of my blog. Yes, they used to make fun of me and I'll admit that the notion of writing a blog sounded a little dorky to me, too, until I got sucked in. They tolerated me celebrating over 17 followers, they were excited for me when I had my first magazine feature, they watched my house as it's evolved, they … [Read more...]
I just uploaded my first three video tutorials on working with my Milk Paint! The milk paint won't be widely available until August 2012, but I wanted to start putting the videos out there to answer some questions about Milk Paint and to show what kind of tutorials will be available. Enjoy! Subscribe to my You Tube Channel if you want to see the latest videos when they … [Read more...]
Thanks so much for all of your sweet comments and encouragement in response to my recent big announcement! I really do feel like I have a huge group of friends who have been with me through this journey and you're cheering me on. It's an awesome feeling and it means a lot to me. The next three weeks are going to be insane. I'm getting stocked up for the Lucketts Antique Market, which … [Read more...]
