We wanted a built in home office but were on a budget. So IKEA was the solution!

DIY Old Door Desk, Use a Door to Make a Desk, Home Office Tour

Learn how to take a chippy old wooden door and turn it into a beautiful desk for your cottage farmhouse home office.

Vintage Office Desk Makeover

Besides relaxing, a use of our lake house family room is a home office.Every home office needs a desk and I found just what I was looking for, a large vintage office desk, on Facebook Marketplace.

IKEA Table Farmhouse Update

Are you a farmhouse fan? It sure is popular in our area here in Western Canada. One of my great customers needed an office/computer desk and reached out to me. She wanted it minimalistic with clean lines. I had the perfect idea to create one using a simple solid pine table from IKEA. I had done this for another customer who had me create 2 matching for her children.

Porch Privacy - the Easy Way!

Our front porch had no privacy, it faces the neighbours' windows on one side and the street on another. Also, because it was so open, the patio furniture often got wet from rain and faded from the sun. I’d been mulling over the easiest way to address these issues and after eight years I finally tackled it.

How to Upcycle a Thrift Store Lampshade

This post may contain an affiliate link. See my disclosure policy. Today I’m going to show you an amazing DIY upcycled lampshade project that shows you how to upcycle an old lampshade into a repurposed project that will be a unique decor item and conversation piece!

House Canopy

An extra twin mattress would nicely serve as a cozy reading nook but it’s a little blah and boring. Add some height to the space with an easy to build house canopy.

IKEA Hack Organizing a Budget Console for Entry and Home

Using a basic piece of furniture from IKEA, you won't believe how easy it is to create a space for organizing all that clutter that comes in and out of your home!

Subway Tile Backsplash Step-by-Step Tutorial: Part One

A backsplash is one of those elements that can take your kitchen to the next level. It instantly makes a kitchen stand out when it’s done right. Luckily, it doesn’t have to cost you a fortune. It was one of the most affordable projects in our kitchen renovation, yet I think it’s the one thing that makes our kitchen shine the most.I’m here to guide you through a two-part series on how we did this ourselves and saved hundreds.

How To Clean Your Toilet From Top To Bottom

Many of you know I like a clean home and I'm always looking for more information on the best way to do it. I have always cleaned my toilet with vinegar but recently while doing research I found out there was a better germ killer and way to clean that I wanted to share. You can see more of my crazy creations here

Covid Forced Office Place

Store closing sign and covid had inspired this built in in our office. Our family has been living in our home for the last 14 years and never had the need to use our office as intended for or what would show on a listing if you sell our house one day.I saw a sign front of World Market and it said “store closing “ which means you can score a deal. I went in and I found 3 floating shelves and decided to buy it and later to figure out what we will use it for. That’s me,discount,buy it and later we will see what to use it for. My husband hates it but it is what it is.Since covid started many people forced to work from home and also kids to learn virtual. Decided to convert our workout room to office and that’s how it started. Sat down to the sketching board and started brainstorming on what do we want and what we do not want.Anyway, here are some pictures of our projects. Should’ve taken more pictures . This isn’t a weekend project ,neither on the cheap side but I am convinced we saved money and when we will decide to sell our house it will help the sale.Enjoy it and if you have any questions please do not hold back.

The Shou Sugi Ban Desk Build

Do you know what the problem with having friends is? The problem with having friends is that they will never tell you the truth.At this point, I’ve been building stuff and sharing it online for a few years and I keep getting one consistent piece of feedback from all of my friends. It’s that they absolutely love everything I’m doing. And honestly, I just don’t see how that could be the case. So I’ve come to the conclusion that my friends are all lying to me.I’m not mad about it, it’s a perfectly human thing to do. Almost everyone does it to some extent. It’s really hard to give people feedback on something that they are obviously deeply invested in. You have to risk genuinely hurting their feelings. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret, there is ONE way to know if someone really likes your work, and that’s if they ask you to create something that will then be prominently displayed in their home.And that’s exactly what I did in this build. I built a Shou Sugi Ban desk for my friend at his request.

Dry Erase Desk for Homework

With a piece of plexiglass, glue and paint you can convert your child’s desk into a huge, fun dry-erase board for practicing spelling and maths.

How to Refurbish a Heywood Wakefield Desk

Are you looking for a way to refurbish an antique Heywood Wakefield school desk that is badly damaged? Then, you’re going to love this transformation!

Fun Decorative Upcycled Road Map Art

I love to upcycle and reuse old maps, they are very affordable craft paper. There are so many fun things you can do with them. One of the most popular things I've made with them is beautiful roses (see here).This time I've used my old maps to create some beautiful moths for fun faux taxidermy wall art. You can give these as a gift if you use a map of somewhere special.

Repurposed Strainers Planters Fun DIY

This time of year is the greatest … back out in the garden, in the sun, doing yard work, and mowing. I can get some of my best thinking done while I'm on a mower.I love to repurpose and upcycle, so it's also the perfect time to start pulling out my stuff and making new things for my yard and garden.

How To Reupholster Bistro Chairs

Bold Floral Transfer Toy Box

Have you heard Dixie Belle Paint carries a transfer line now? The one that caught my eye first is called Latin floral and I found the perfect project to try it on; a wooden toy box. The bold colors and great design are perfect to add personality to the box.

How to Add Charm With Inexpensive DIY Wall Decor

Our open concept home has many large walls. Today I want to share a how-to for an easy and inexpensive way to DIY wall decor for large walls.

Natural Homemade Plant Spray to Repel Bugs

Repel bugs naturally with this easy to make homemade plant spray. It uses essential oils to keep bugs off of your plants to prevent them from eating the leaves. You can use this on indoor plants or outdoor plants.

THE BEST HEAVY DUTY GARAGE SHELVING

{Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from Rhino Shelf but the opinions and project are mine all mine!} If you follow me on social media you know that we film in our garage pretty often, and you also know that it is a chaotic mess with stuff piled everywhere. So we couldn’t believe our luck when we discovered Rhino Shelf! Their heavy duty garage shelving has not only helped us get organized, it has given us the room we need to create even more great projects! Rhino Shelf has graciously offered a 14% discount for Hometalkers! Use code HOMETALK at checkout by typing HOMETALK into the "Gift Card or Discount Code" line on their website.

Board and Batten Wall

During the pandemic more and more people converted that extra bedroom to a home office. My friend was in the same boat where here extra bedroom was "featured" I bit more often on zoom calls and wanted to update her home office. The great thing about this transformation is that, when she stops using it as a home office It looks just as good as an extra bedroom

Paint Upholstery With Jacquard Fabric Paint

By: Stacy Verdick CaseOn: May 22, 20210 Comment

Doable Farmhouse Outdoor Table

If you are like me and you like to eat outdoor rather than indoor. It doesn’t matter if you are just having your breakfast alone with the songbirds or a big family gathering. It’s always better outside. But, i found my round 4 chairs faux wicker table quite annoying. It’s small and not my style. For that, we thought about something built from scratch. That way we decided on the style, the size, the color and the BUDGET. The one we want is an 8 to 10 chairs capacity depending of the size of chairs. it’s exactly eight feet long, 42 inches wide and 28 inches high.If you have a small knowledge in working with wood this project is for you. Also if you are used to use the following tools the work gonna be much easier for you. You will use the miter saw, the kreg jig and the drill. We really didn’t use any extraordinary technique or tools to build it.I was inspired by the pottery and barns farmhouse table design. It has a beautiful X brass legs and along board as a table top we added a thin frame all around to bring everything together. For the table top boards we bought a specific wood boards that facilitate the assembly. They can go into each other without leaving any gap. I know how frustrating to get those beautiful X legs done and all the required tools and techniques. Here we did a little trick to have it done. Clever husband hhhh.the general cost of this table is 210 dollars. Did I Said 210$? Yes, that Includes wood boards, screws, stain and protection formula. A judge table like this will cost not less then 800$ from any store. So you are saving a lot here.

From Table to Wall – How to Create Easy Tablecloth Wall Art

We have a large wall by our backyard patio for which we need large wall art. And, I mean LARGE! Last week, I gave our front porch swing a mini-makeover. We are loving our new front porch sanctuary and are now turning attention to the back patio. Time to add some “zing!” to the back as we did to the front. (See last week’s porch swing makeover here.)

Easy Outdoor Planter Idea for Sun

Do you want to plant a gorgeous container garden to brighten up an outdoor living space but aren’t sure where to start? Learn how to design this outdoor planter that attracts hummingbirds.I love to design container gardens.In spring, my favorite thing to do is plant outdoor planters for my deck and patio areas to enjoy all season long. They add a lot of color and personality to outdoor living spaces.Container gardens help soften the hard lines and lend to a relaxing atmosphere.I’ve got a great container garden recipe for sun today that you can try.And a little tip to keep those planters light so you can move them around easier.The Elements of Container Garden DesignWhen designing an outdoor planter or any container, keep in mind the thriller, filler, and spiller method of design.What does that mean?It means you want a plant that will add height and drama (the thriller).Plants that will fill in the container (the filler).And plants that will trail over the outside of the container to soften the lines (the spiller).There are lots of ways to achieve the look.Here is one of the outdoor planter recipes that I designed for the season.

Easy To Make - Rustic Wood Disc Wreath For Your Door

Last year, hubby cut down a medium sized tree in our yard. Thankfully, I had him save some branches for possible future projects, so this wood has been drying out for quite awhile now (you want dry wood for this project).We ended up redoing our little front porch and painting our front door, so I wanted a new wreath to go with the new look. That's when we thought to chop up that old wood and make a wreath! Best part about this wreath is that it's a perfect year round decor piece! You can decorate it for each holiday/season!Here's how we made it ....*Price is based off of the cost of the glue since we already had the circular saw, cardboard came from a box that was shipped to me, and wood came from our yard, so those items cost nothing.If you don't have a circular saw, you can use a jigsaw, chainsaw, handsaw, but those tools will either take longer or not give perfect straight cuts. We do recommend any diy'er to invest in a circular saw since it is used for so many different projects

Gardener's Hand Scrub Recipe

How to make a gardener's hand scrub recipe. This is a simple recipe that uses Epsom salt and sugar to scrub away dirt and an oil to nourish the skin.

DIY Kitchen Pedestal Dish

Today I'm creating a sturdy pedestal dish for my kitchen from things I already had around the house. I love it when there is no trip to the store!

DIY Olive Tree

I've been eyeing all the faux olive trees that I've seen online lately. I have also been side eyeing the price tags on said olive trees.

How to Make a Custom Pillow Insert

Maybe you have throw pillows that need rejuvenating? Or you have a special fabric, like a grain sack, that you’d like to make an odd-sized pillow form for. If so, this is the tutorial for you!Today I’m showing you how to make a pillow insert by using an IKEA FJÄDRARinner cushion. But wait; it’s already a throw pillow insert, so what’s the deal?! Well, we’re going to customize the size!Watch the video below or continue on to the written tutorial below:

Repurposed Wood Ladder Into Plant Hanger/decor Piece

This is an off the wall type project; but it's fun and unique! I have had this wood ladder for a while now. Originally, I painted it and added wood planks as shelves, to create a ladder shelf of sorts. Over the years, the ladder has just been sitting in a corner; but an idea came to me! Why not create a fun piece of decor that's different and not your typical "shelf."That's when I decided a hanging basket plant and some old suitcases could really help turn this old ladder into something fun!

Creating a She Shed/Craft Shack - The Interior Revamp

Since buying my home, I have always wanted a workshop/craft space. Nothing extravagant, just somewhere that I can piddle and work on projects in my spare time. Ideally I would have loved to construct a garage, but the cost to construct a garage on our property just wasn’t worth it in the long-run. That being the case, I knew that I was going to have to get creative if I wanted to construct/have a workshop/crafting space. One early Saturday morning while everyone else was still asleep, as I stared out the window watching the birds and sipping on my coffee (sounds relaxing, right?! My favorite kind of mornings!) I suddenly had the idea to turn my 8x8 shed into a me-space”…no a “she-space”….oooh…no no… A “SHED SHED/CRAFT SHACK”!!! I purchased this shed a few months prior to this day from my local community college. I got an absolute deal on this shed and was ecstatic that I would be able to get even more use than I anticipated out of it! My absolute first step was to get rid of some of the shelves and items that I had stored in the shed. This is just the first step in my She Shed conversion, but here is how I did it!

The Secret to Getting Marble Counters on a Budget

Thanks to the makers of the Giani Marble Countertop Kit for partnering with me on this post.

How To Refinish Old Kitchen Cabinets With Valspar Cabinet Paint

We recently gave our 70s kitchen a complete makeover. It needed work on everything: cabinets, floors, walls, molding. I also built an island and made a passthrough/breakfast bar. It was a lot of work, but definitely worth it! We are very happy with the outcome.Today I'm showing step-by-step how I painted the kitchen cabinets. (I'll also be posting on the DIY island and breakfast bar that we added.)I am including the video if you'd rather watch that.

How to Create a Geranium Hanging Basket

Creating a hanging basket filled with zonal geraniums accented with Diamond Frost is easier than you might think! Let me show you how!While I was back in Illinois earlier this month, I made a visit to my favorite Amish greenhouse. I couldn’t resist purchasing a few zonal geraniums & a couple of pots of Proven Winners Diamond Frost! I thought they would be perfect potted up as a hanging basket as a hostess gift for one of my childhood friends.

A Rusty Bed Spring Becomes a Trellis

ProcrastinationBack when my brother was still a bachelor, I helped him get rid of a few things that were cluttering up his basement. One of those things was an old steel bed spring that had been left there by the former owner. Judging by its size, it was probably from a child’s bed.I thought it would make a fun garden trellis if I painted it, so I took it home. I stashed it behind some bushes along our driveway fence – just temporarily, of course, until I had the time to paint it.That was about 10 years ago.Earlier this summer, when Chris rebuilt our driveway fence, he came across the bed spring – still sitting, unpainted, where I’d left it. The steel had rusted over the years, and the rust looked (to me, at least) more interesting than any type of paint.Sometimes it pays to procrastinate.

Market Place Fire Surround Transformed My Dining Room

I found myself scrolling through market place on Facebook when I came across a fire surround for £10 I Messaged the seller and arranged to collect.I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it at first but knew it would come in use.My day off work came around with nothing to do I went into the shed, I found an old wallpaper I had bought and never used aswel as a foam dado rail I found on ebay over a year ago, I brought everything into the dining room. I had wallpaper paste in the cupboard aswel as scissor and a Stanley knife. Within 4 hours I had completely changed the look of the dining room. I'd picked up the grey eggshell paint for another project a few weeks back so had everything I needed. My total spend for this project was £10 even if I had bought everything at once it still would have come in under £50