I was working on a project this week that I needed rope for. But I didn't want to drive all the way to the home improvement store just for one thing. So, being impatient frugal, I raided what little I have left of a fabric stash, and made the rope out of some thrift ... read more
mini projects
A free upgrade for a drab light fixture
When we moved in, the house had a boob light in the hallway. We quickly replaced it with this thing: It was only a few dollars at an architectural salvage store. (It's not old though, they are still selling it at the home improvement store for about$75.) I've ... read more
My rotten day at least led to a finished project
Following a series of unfortunate events, most of my week has been spent in the kitchen instead of the bedroom. The fun started when the dishwasher stopped cleaning the dishes. They wouldn't just come out still dirty, they actually had more gunk on them than they ... read more
Making drinking glasses from old bottles (or not)
We've been wanting new drinking glasses lately, especially since they have been on display with our open shelving. But we weren't excited about anything that was out there for sale. As I was recycling about a dozen glass sparkling water bottles, the thought struck me ... read more
Our non-DIY, DIY large dog bed
Our Roscoe is pretty big. Even though he is a common breed, he is even larger than most Goldens. When it comes to buying things for him, he is considered XXL, which makes things hard to find and expensive. For our first 3 years with him, we struggled to find him a ... read more
Faux leather change holder from a free container
We're making progress on the bathroom, but it's not quite ready to share yet. In the mean time, I've been tackling a few mini projects--those little things around the house that drive me crazy. One of those things is our ugly, multi-purpose door stop. The Hubs I ... read more
Turning napkin holders into wall organizers–again
Back when I had the Etsy shop, I had to store shipping supplies in my little office. To store those boxes and such, I hung 3 of IKEAs ($4!) metal napkin holders on the wall and put the supplies inside them. It worked very well, but since I'm no longer selling physical ... read more
Fabric covered hangers for a cuter closet
A few years ago, I devised a plan to make my IKEA wardrobe feel like a mini dressing room. The first project was gussying up some plain metal hangers. This was a pre-blog project, so I don't have an action shots of the process, but you really don't need any, it's ... read more
How to turn a plug-in light into a ceiling light (and save a lot of money)
A few years ago when we were in our rental house before we did much DIY, I had a paper chandelier from IKEA that was plug-in and I wanted it over the dining room table. The Hubs told me it was easy to convert a plug-in light to a hardwired light. But I knew less than ... read more
