After some crafting consultation with the family experts I updated the Christmas Advent Lollipop Tree with red numbers. (Click here for the original post with a short tutorial on how to make this tree or here to see how we package the trees.) I simply used a red Decopaint marker and then we added some… Read more
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DIY Scrap Wood Advent Candy Tree
Christmas is coming need I remind you and one can never have too many Christmas decorations, especially when you spy something you don’t already have. Meet my Christmas Lollipop Advent Tree: I saw this too cute advent tree in the Garnet Hill catalog for a mere $68 buckaroos and thought with my new basic woodworking skills… Read more
“H” is for Homemaker
So my favorite blog – http://www.ana-white.com/ – has started a little contest ‘Homemaker of the Week’ and the prize is a $50 gift card to Lowe’s (for more wood of course) and I would love to win so I can build more things for our home but I need as many votes as I can get. Please… Read more
DIY Bench with Storage Baskets
Yes indeed I finished the bench for the back door and I can officially say my newest hobby is woodworking. It really was very easy to construct following Ana White’s plans for the Easy Cube Bench from her blog http://www.ana-white.com/. Here’s my lovely all dressed up with baskets and a cushion: And these are the… Read more
DIY Step Stool
Increasing the functionality of a space is always a good thing so in order to reach the higher upper cabinets in our kitchen I built this simple step stool. My kids had taken to using the new drawer hardware pulls as a step to get things from the upper cabinets and I was not liking… Read more
DIY Mantel Topiaries
Topiaries and tv too! As you can see the tv has finally been installed but it was looking very lonely all by itself above the fireplace so I made some topiaries. Below is how I made the topiaries, of course there are lots of tutorials on how to construct these all over the Internet but… Read more
DIY Counter Stools
The first build I ever did is documented here with these counter height stools. The plans are from Ana White’s simple outdoor collection bar stools modified to counter height. I started with a pile of wood which by the way girl #1 and #2 loved loading it onto the cart at Home Depot. It was… Read more
Kitchen Makeover Almost Finished
Except for the tv above the fireplace, some shelving, counter stools and lots of decor the kitchen is almost finished. Are you ready to see some pictures? First a BEFORE view from the front door: And now that same view AFTER: And the view from the back door (I don’t have a before shot from… Read more
Stair Makeover
Stairs that lead directly to 1985 in our house. Barf. The stairs made it into the kitchen remodel.  Since the wood floors on the entire first floor were being redone we had to include the stairs.  The stairs lead directly to the 2nd floor which hasn’t been updated since about 1985 with the offwhite trim… Read more
End of School Teacher Gifts
It’s official, all the kids are done with school which means all of the end of year teacher gifts have been distributed. I thought I’d share what I made for the teachers this year. Buddy boy is done with nursery school and moving on to Montessori next year. The class picnic is over and as… Read more
DIY Vintage Hardware Cabinet Makeover
This would be my first real furniture makeover – head to toe. After seeing lots of inspiration out there in blogland I decided to tackle this poor, neglected hardware cabinet. She was in need of some serious TLC. We inherited this cabinet with our house and I never thought twice about it until I started… Read more
Ikea Kitchen Cabinets
It’s been 2 1/2 weeks since the cabinet delivery from Ikea and I’ve completed what I can. Of course there are 3 big cabinets that need to be modified by the contractor and the fan cabinet will need a hole cut before assembly plus no doors are on but all is ready for installation! Honestly… Read more