Since I cook almost all my own meals and rarely eat out, spices were going to be important to me when I started traveling full time in my trailer. But how to store them in an accessible way? My preference was to have magnetic spice containers so I purchased the Kamenstein 6-Piece Colored Magnetic Tin Set from Walmart since they had the best price. Before selling the house I washed them, labeled them, and filled them with spices. When I … Read the full article…
I’ve had six good quality resin Adirondack chairs for quite some time. I bought them for my house in Texas that was a soft moss-green with snow-white trim and the original forest green color of the chairs was perfect for the white decks on that house. I also had three forest green tables and one white table. They all held up really well on the west-facing decks that baked in 110 degree Texas summers, but I did freshen up the … Read the full article…
In retrospect I suspect I have been studiously avoiding any use of varnish or polyurethane for fear of failure. I used polyurethane years ago, but don’t recall it being a total fail. Maybe it’s my constant battle with floating yellow lab hair. I’ve used a variety of hand applied rubbed finishes to get around using a more difficult finish. When I made the large ottoman tray I opted for water based polyurethane to avoid mineral spirits clean up. I watched … Read the full article…
I’ve been wanting to change my bedroom for months and have gone through so many iterations of headboard designs that it was getting ridiculous. I wanted it to be coastal. I wanted to be able to build it alone and get the materials home in my Xterra and most importantly I didn’t want it to cost all that much. I really should have name my site the FRUGAL DIY Girl… Plan Once I had arrived at the plan for the bedside … Read the full article…
I’ve done a lot of searching for ideas for a new headboard and side tables and ran across this image on Better Homes and Gardens: Let me count the ways: I loved the pedestal open bedside tables instead of something closed and solid. I loved that the headboard was rustic and wider than the bed so it served as a frame. I really loved the lights mounted on the headboard but that’s a whole other issue to be tackled later. The … Read the full article…
After spending months researching alternatives to a bed frame I stumbled across universal Bede’s at us-mattress.com. With all my research, how had I never seen them before? Here’s their description: Are you tired of metal bed frames limiting the space underneath your bed? I don’t blame you! Here’s a tip – get rid of that metal frame and experience the new generation of mattress support! These bed legs are made from 100% recycled plastic and are available in four different … Read the full article…
I have planned on making a living room table following the same design as bench I made for the entry. You can see the details on the bench here. I think it’s only fair to point out the reason I make “rustic” pieces — it’s because I don’t have the tools or the know-how to produce a finely crafted piece of furniture. Rustic fits me and my style better anyway. In designing it I had to start with the top … Read the full article…
I am a big advocate of good tools for painting since they make a huge difference to how difficult it is, how long it takes, and how it turns out. Buy good tools and take care of them and they will last for years and years. So I thought I’d run down my favorite paint tools and why I think they’re essential. Paint It doesn’t matter how great your painting tools are if you’re applying poor paint. Bad paint isn’t just … Read the full article…
I wanted to post pictures of some of the pvc dog cots that have been made. If you have used the tutorial to make a dog cot I would love to post pictures of your project and pets as well so send me an email. I’ll add more images as I receive them. Kristin in Ontario Kristin ordered a couple slings for her dogs Keely (fox red Labrador mix) and Ranger (brindle boxer-Wheaton terrier mix). The captions are Kristin’s from Instagram. … Read the full article…
I hate the toaster sitting on the counter. I had the hood for the Black and Decker Space Saver toaster in Texas and loved having the toaster oven hanging, but oh my god what a difficult install. The front edge of the hood scratched up the bottom front edge of the wall cabinet and getting the toaster to actually hang from the hood was a nightmare I wouldn’t want to try again. Moot point since they no longer sell the … Read the full article…