As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to love burning candles at home. I now enjoy buying seasonal scents in pretty containers, and I’ve learned to love making my own candles. With industrial-style accents becoming increasingly popular, I made a set of concrete soy candles with beautiful wood wicks using rose, one of my favorite scents.
Drinking wine and crafting are two of my favorite pastimes, and today I'm combining them into one fun, super simple DIY project. I'm sharing an easy no-sew felt wine coaster project that functions as both a coaster and a wine marker so you don't drink someone else's wine by mistake. Win win! Keep reading to check out the full tutorial... it's surprisingly easy!
I'll admit it: I don't really like carving pumpkins. I always have grand plans, but by the time you head to the patch, select just the right one, gorge on popcorn balls, look for the carving tools, spread the newspaper, and begin the epic cleanout process...I'm kinda over it.
BOO! Did I scare you? If not, this might give you a fright: it's almost October, which means it's almost time for Halloween! Now that's truly terrifying. Halloween is one of the most fun holidays to decorate for, and there are so many ways you can celebrate. Whether you prefer creepy crawlies, or more glitz and glam, there's no end to the DIY Halloween decorations you can make to adorn you home - inside and out! Here are a few of our favorites. Prepare to be spooked!
I have a hard time spending a lot of money on wall art. I feel horrible saying that. I got my Bachelor's degree in art, so I - of all people - totally understand the effort and talent that's required to create good art. Honestly, I'm just cheap. While I might occasionally splurge for a print or photo I really love, my home is hardly a museum. I can't afford to fill my walls top to bottom with one-of-a-kind art pieces. So yeah, I might be cheap, but I'm pretty dang thrifty, too! Whether it's sprucing up some existing wall art, or creating my own with found items, I can fill a wall for under $40. The best place to find forgotten and dirt-cheap wall decor is your local second-hand store (think Goodwill, Savers, Salvation Army, etc.). I set out to create a cheap gallery wall using only things I found at the thrift store, and here's how it worked out.
A few weeks ago I took a woodworking class to familiarize myself with some new power tools. The class involved making a simple wood cutting board, much like this one. I was so excited with how mine turned out, and with how quick it was to make! Since it's the holidays and everyone could use a little help coming up with gift ideas, I'm sharing this DIY wood cutting board tutorial with you today. Keep reading to see how to make this thoughtful and special gift!
It's officially fall. Can you believe it? Saying good-bye to the hot sunny days and cocktails on the patio is enough to make anyone a bit bummed. So, why not treat yourself to a bunch of flowers to create some lovely bouquets to brighten the mood, all the while using the same materials! The best part is, you don't have to be a professional florist or even have a lot of experience in flower arranging. It's about exploring and discovering new avenues of creativity step by step, while having fun of course!
It's full-on fall, which means you have an excellent excuse to give your home a mini makeover! Or in this case, your dining room. The trick to styling any space for Autumn is finding that nice balance between modern pieces and combining them with warm and seasonal elements that really translate as homey and cozy. With these simple steps, your dining room will be ready for fall in no time!
It may or may not feel like it yet where you live, but I'm sure you don't need to be told that summer is nearing its last days. After a long, hot season, many of us are ready for cooler weather, colorful leaves, hay mazes, and apple picking. It can be fun to bring some of that fall flair into your home decor, too. So whether you want just a touch of fall decor, or want to kick summer to the curb and go all in with your fall decorations, we have tons of ideas for ways to turn your home into a celebration of autumn.
Is there a "right" option for curtain lengths? That depends on who you ask, and often just asking the question can leave you more confused than you were before. The long and short of it is (no pun intended): it's up to you. But we're here to help as you answer the question, "How long should curtains be?" We'll be taking a critical look at curtain lengths, tall and small. What side are you on?
The widespread appeal of nautical and coastal decor makes a lot of sense when you consider the primal and ancient connection humans have to the sea. Being attracted to the water is hardwired into our very cells. Scientific studies have proven what we already know anecdotally: spending time near, on, or in lakes and oceans make us happier and healthier. It's no wonder that so many of us respond to the colors, clean lines, and natural elements of coastal, beach, and nautical decor. It makes us feel good to be reminded of the sea.
If your initial reaction to the term "coastal decor" is negative, it's probably from witnessing too many cutesy and heavy-handed thematic rooms. We are not advocating buying and displaying any and all items that have a sailboat or seahorse on them. Good decorating never grows out of an overly simplistic theme, and, "Put an anchor on it" is not a valid design philosophy!
When I first set out to build live-edge floating shelves in my kitchen a few years back, I had no idea how to do it. At the time, I had to figure a lot out myself. Luckily for you, the internet now has step-by-step instructions for a variety of different methods for building shelves without visible brackets. Having personally built floating shelves two different ways, I can tell you that it's not difficult once you have some basic woodworking skills. I managed to do it even as a beginner. Here are seven different tutorials that will help you build the floating shelves (or floating corner shelves!) of your dreams.
How high to hang pictures? Should they be at eye level? Does that mean my eye level or the eye level of the average person? What if I have very high ceilings? What about those gallery walls everyone is posting Pinterest pictures of? It's a lot to think about, right? Sometimes it seems as if there are as many answers to this question as there are different kinds of houses. This quick cheat sheet is designed to help you make this decision based on your own interior, and find the perfect height to hang pictures in your home.
It's tempting to think of minimalism as a "must do" trend. There's been so much chatter online, in books, and on podcasts about it lately - it's seemingly on everyone's mind. Minimalism is getting maximum exposure! For those new to the concept, it's also all too easy to peek at any of that material and feel immediately overwhelmed.
Conduct one Pinterest search, and you’ll quickly discover: there is no shortage of cleaning hacks out there. Of course, some of them more reasonable than others. I once read a tip suggesting that instead of dusting my window blinds, I should wash them all at once in the bathtub. Brimming with misplaced cleaning confidence that only a long Pinterest session can inflict, this seemed like a brilliant idea. The inevitable and unfortunate results? A bathtub full of blinds now caked in wet gray grime rather than easy-to-remove dust. As I awkwardly leaned over the side of the tub and swished the blinds around in what had quickly become dirty water - which seemed...counterproductive? The real kicker was the near-back injury as I realized the water-logged blinds were now much too heavy for me to lift out of the tub.
Since then I've learned that – no matter what the internet says – simple cleaning tips are the most effective.
I used to own this cup and saucer set. It was white with a yellow border - I found it at the thrift store. The handle of the cup was comfortable, and the saucer large. I loved it. I loved it in a way that it seemed to make my coffee taste better in the morning. One day, my yellow cup met a fate that many ceramic dishes face. It was dropped, and the cup cracked. The vessel was still usable after its accident, after a bit of gluing. But it never looked the same again. A piece of the ceramic was missing, a chunk gone. I still held onto it, because I loved this cup, and life happens, you know? This is, roughly, the definition of wabi-sabi.
A napkin holder is one of those (usually) mundane dining items that you never think about until you need it. And typically, napkin holders aren't exactly visually exciting. Unless you make one yourself! Today I have a fun, super simple project that will up your napkin game exponentially. Click through to find out how to make this trendy snowy mountain motif napkin holder.
Occasionally you won't notice how dirty something in your house is until it's that dirt is called out. You drop something under your couch and discover a gang of dust bunnies living underneath. You throw open your curtains and find yourself in a front-row seat to a dust dance-off floating right in front of your face. Since it's spring cleaning season, now is as good a time as any to tackle those forgotten areas of your home. And don't feel...
Valentine's Day is right around the corner, which means we have another great excuse to decorate our mantels (as if we even need an excuse!). Today I'm sharing an easy mantel setup using x's and o's... and lots of 'em. Click through to find out how to make the different elements of this fun display.
It's certainly time to decorate our homes with some much needed Christmas cheer! This year, we are focusing on adding more handmade pieces to our Christmas decor to help the holiday feel more personal and inviting! These simple and modern 3-D cork Christmas trees are a sure way to add that festive touch to your tabletops this season!