Fun Family Garden Sign for the Garden

How to Make a Yard Art Heart From Old China and Slate.

Trying different ways to cheer up the mood, bring love, colour and cheer to life as well as the garden is always a passion of mine, so when I saw these lovely natural grey thick flat slate hearts i thought they could do with a bit of something extra to bring them to life!

Repurposed Strainer and Jello Mold Flower

I love making garden flowers out of repurposed things that I find at thrift stores or garage sales.When something looks like a good garden art flower candidate, and is a dollar or less, it comes home with me.

Bicycle Wheel Yard Art

I saw my first bicycle wheel yard art a few years ago but couldn't find a how-to. My husband loves bikes so was onboard for this project and figured it out. It's actually pretty easy and inexpensive.

Barn Quilt

This is the second barn quilt I’ve made for my porch. Barn quilts are a great way to add character to an outdoor space.

Minimalist Table Legs From Flat Bar

Well, as it turns out table legs are expensive!I recently built a table from leftover oak parquet flooring. Having put quite some effort into it, it seemed weird screwing some boring legs to it. That is when I got an idea to try to build minimalist table legs from a flat bar.

How to Paint a Bathroom Cabinet in a Weekend

Thanks to DecoArt for providing products used in my bathroom makeover. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

French Garden Sign

Using the top of a sewing table i created a French Garden Sign.

Easy Way To Make A Seasonal Garden Sign

I made this sign to brighten up the winter garden but the decorations can be changed for the seasons. The challenge was to make use of things I had around the house. To make the words on the sign (an old pine board), I first wrote 'Cardinal Cafe' in pencil. Then I traced each letter with rush twine (it's a paper-like thick string) and cut it out to size. Rush twine is the stuff used to make woven rush chair seating. There are various types of this twine sold at craft and home renovation stores. It works very well because it's strong but easy to bend. Each letter was held in place with upholstry tacks. Cup hooks were added to the bottom of the sign so I can change the decorations throughout the seasons. There are complete instructions on my blog; http://www.empressofdirt.net/garden-sign

Driftwood Timber Garden Sign

A seriously weathered piece of driftwood timber inspired a Garden sign...and then an entire patio vignette

How to Make Cute Garden Signs or Plant Tags From A Junk Wood Pile

We have lots of old trees that are always dropping branches, so we have a ready supply of junk wood to use for garden projects. In this project we made these super cute garden signs.Even if you don't have junk wood laying around or don't own power tools, you can still make these super easy Garden Signs or Plant Tags. Follow along and I will show you how.

Garden Globes

After seeing so many posts on diy garden globes, I just had to try it. I started searching for old bowling balls but all I found were priced too high. Then little by little, it all came together and and I now have six garden globes that I just love. Hope you do too.

DIY Sea Glass Stepping Stone

I live near the sea and one of my hobbies is searching for glass on the beach. Not freshly broken glass but pieces that have been softened by the action of the surf over time.The light shining through them looks beautiful and I figured out a way to capture it in a mosaic. A piece that not only looks beautiful but can be used in the garden -- a Sea Glass Stepping Stone.

Hollow Log Tree Fairy House DIY

Have you ever seen a piece of a fallen tree and thought hmmmm FAIRY HOUSE?! Maybe it's just me but I love the fun and magic of fairies!Our Fairy Forest is growing and as it evolves we've actually tried our hand at making their homes rather then just buying them. Here is our DIY on the most recent one...

Easy Dish Flowers

Inexpensive and easy dish flowers for your garden! You can see more of my crazy creations here

How to Make Repurposed Folding Steamer Garden Flowers

Making fun things for the garden is one of my favourite things to so so I decided to create some repurposed garden flowers using thrifted strainer steamers.

Race Car Garden Art

With 11 terra cotta pots and a handful of terra cotta saucers, I made this cool race car garden art piece! With a little glue and a few finishing touches and you can make your own garden sculpture with terra cotta pots!

11 Pictures of Crazy Cool Uses for Tree Stumps

We don't know what it is about tree stumps that we love so much - maybe the natural texture, the joy of reusing materials, or the fact that they're completely free. Whatever the reason, we LOVE them, and we know you do too, which is why we collected some inspiring and crazy cool pictures of tree stump upcycles that you'd better not miss! 1. Tree Stump Planter

Mason Jar Bird Feeders ~

The perfect storm! A box full of old pot lids a bunch of mason jars & a buy one get one free sale on poultry bases at the local farm store…I may have got just a little carried away making bird feeders :)

DIY Whisk Flowers

A few weeks ago, I was getting ready to donate a box of old cooking utensils when my four year old son saw a wire hand whisk we were about to part with and asked if he could keep it. I said “sure.” A few minutes later, he asked if I could turn it into a butterfly for him. As I started to pull it apart, I realized that this was an impossible task and it looked more like a flower than a butterfly. At this point he was no longer interested in the whisk, but now I was. There were endless possibilities here!

Blooming Door Knob Hose Guards

I’ve been looking for hose guards to add to the garden beds and along the paths around the Potting Shed. All the hose guards I’ve found have been either too pricey or a little too kitschy. I decided to make hose guards with a little help from my hubby and some inspiration from some metal flowers I found while shopping at Hobby Lobby.

How to Create a Symmetric Pattern on the Wall

When I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to decorate the nursery walls with solid colours. I was reading an article explaining newborns and infants' vision and how the contrast affects the eye and improves the brain-eye connection.It took me a while to find the perfect pattern, as I wanted it to be symmetric on the wall and aligned- without the need of too many marks on the wall

DIY Tree Bark Flower Vases

Add a little nature to your décor with Tree Bark Flower Vases. An affordable and easy craft project you can do in under an hour.

DIY Painted And Glazed Side Table

This DIY Painted And Glazed Side Table took a sad thrift store table and turned it into something that is pretty again in a few, short steps. I found this table at my local Salvation Army store. Usually, when I find pieces at this store, they are priced so high that I don’t even get excited about something to catch my eye from a distance. This little guy did catch my eye, but I took my time getting to it, stopping to check out other things along the way.

DIY Easter Inspired Candles + Easter Table Decor

I don't usually decorate for the Easter holiday, but I was feeling an itch to come up with some super affordable and cute Easter decor for my table this year. I decided to use these chippy vintage salvage porch posts I had on hand. I knew they'd make the perfect wood candlesticks, and I could give them a twist with some Easter decor.Easter Candle Stick MaterialsWood SalvageEgg ShellsPaint Moss CandlesStep One - Cut Your Wood Salvage

DIY Produce Bags

In this tutorial, I am showing you how easy it is to make these simple DIY produce bags. You only need 2 very inexpensive items! This post contains some affiliate links which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I love trying to be more sustainable and I love sharing easy ways to do that. Because it’s harder to do when it’s not easy, right? Buying groceries and produce in bulk skips unnecessary plastic. For most of that, I use simple cotton bags that I made from old dish towels. But sometimes, we do need something to hold the lettuce or wet carrots. This is where these DIY produce bags come in! You’ll love that they are very inexpensive and they are easy and quick to make!

See How We Added Warmth With a Diy Wood Shim Accent Wall

Hello! Today I am sharing a quick and easy DIY we did in the Airbnb. I recently added some warmth to our TV niche with wood shims!

How to Dye Egg Shells the Easy (and Cheap) Way.

This simple tutorial shows you how easy it is to dye egg shells using materials found in the kitchen cupboard.Easter is approaching, and I see lots of images of gorgeous dyed pastel eggs both online and in magazines. The good news is there is no need to buy an expensive chemical dye kit to make coloured eggs for Easter. Most homes will have everything you need in the kitchen, and if you don’t, they are readily available at your local food store.

Updating a Plant Stand? Of Course!

Some plant stands have gorgeous detail but they are just boring as far as color goes. Do you have one and want to make that detail pop? Here’s what I did to mine!

How to Make Aroma Stones

How to make DIY aroma stones with essential oils. Use these as a natural passive diffuser in small spaces or as a natural air freshener.

Modern Painted Arch

Got a blank wall and 30 minutes? Paint an arch! This is such a great way to liven up a space or try a new color. AND! If there’s one thing I find myself saying OVER and OVER, it’s, “it’s just paint.” Don’t like it? Paint over it. Simple.

Cement Balloon Planters

Learn to make these cement balloon planters the easy way, and that works! Use a balloon as your mold. Cement (not concrete) is the key.I started this project out feeling really frustrated.Originally I tried to make these round cement balloon planters using concrete like other tutorials show, but it was a complete fiasco.Even though I sifted the concrete to get out the gravel, it just didn’t work. I must have popped 5 or 6 balloons in the process.I also was working outside and accidentally polluted the environment with 4 runaway balloons I was never able to catch- it was really windy that day.Aargh. I watched a million videos and read tutorials of people making these with concrete and I’m feeling like they have to be faked a bit, because it just doesn’t work.–Palm slap to the forehead for the “ah ha” moment!– Cement! That was the key.

Painted Flower Pot Wreath

An inexpensive DIY wreath made with mostly dollar store supplies, this flower pot wreath adds so much French farmhouse cottage charm. I have so many spring DIYs and decor ideas at DIY Beautify, I would love to have you stop by!

Bathroom Vanity Updated

Our master bathroom was in pretty desperate need of updating when we first moved into our house. And in all honesty, it still kind of is. But since we couldn’t do a full remodel at the time, I decided to prioritize and focus on a bathroom vanity update. It is amazing what a difference it made!Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost for you). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Bread Board Tablet Stand

Repairing a Cane Chair Seat

You might be surprised how easy it is to repair the cane chair seat of your bentwood with just some ordinary household tools.We have a whole set of Thonet bentwood chairs that my parents bought in 1978 and 1981 (how do I know? the year is stamped on the chair underneath the seat).These classic cane chairs are perfect in our kitchen. With all this use, we’ve had to periodically repair a seat here and there, even though we have been putting chair cushions on them.First, I would take those Thonet chairs to repair shops. But now that I have repaired a few cane chairs myself, I just want to share with you how easy it actually is.You will not need any special tools or skills for this repair. Hopefully, this tutorial inspires you and gives you the confidence to try to tackle more DIY repair projects in your own home!

Painted Concrete Porch Floor

Remember what my front patio looked like?You don’t?Could that be because I don’t show photos of it very often?Hmmmm…….it’s true. I don’t. Wanna know why?Okay I’ll tell you but it’s just between us…..

Rustic Stool for Kitchen Island

We are still finishing our country cabin and we are in need of stools for our tiny island.

Our DIY Faux Brick Fireplace

When we first moved into our builder-grade home, I remember being so excited to have a fireplace. Every year around Christmas I would think to myself “Ugh, I need a mantel!” Well, other projects always seemed to take priority, and here we are 14 years later – still no mantle and some ugly outdated tiles to go along with it. Well, this is the year – my DIY Fireplace makeover is finally happening!I landed on a farmhouse style fireplace. We had recently added a shiplap wall so I knew I wanted to go with a dark wood mantel that was much wider than the fireplace itself and obviously that tile needed to go! I have been really into the white brick look, so I opted for a “faux brick fireplace” using tile and wide white trim.Like I said, my design was based on a white brick look so I researched options for the fireplace. When we finished our basement, I was able to create a fake brick wall using wall panels, but that wasn’t going to work here. So after searching high and low I was able to find a “faux” brick fireplace tile at Home Depot online. It’s called Capella White Brick tiles that were 2 ⅓ x 10 inches.