DIY Projects & Ideas

Our Homemade Firepit - From All Repurposed Materials

I grew up going to a cabin that had a firepit. It was the heart of the activities. Everyone came together around it and the best memories happened there. So, when my husband and I bought our own cabin (right next to the one I grew up going to), our top priority was building a firepit.

Fence Picket A/C Unit Cover

EDITED TO ADD: Thank you all for your concern of our unit not being able to breath. We have had our a/c man over to check it out and he says it has plenty of room to breath and he approves of the cover. :)
Do you have an ugly air conditioning unit sitting in your yard? Yes? We did too, but now we have an awesome cover up for it! We used some old wooden fence pickets to create a more eye pleasing surround for our ugly old unit. Please come on over to our blog and see how we put it together for very little money!

Backyard Firepit

My friend bought a new home a couple years ago and today she put in her backyard firepit. She wanted a safe way to have family get togethers around the fire. The first step is to be sure your town allows firepits in the city limits and inquire if they require a permit for it. Check with your local fire station and / or city zoning departments.

How to Make an Easy Patio Privacy Screen {Step-by-Step Tutorial}

I've seen several DIY projects for privacy fences, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money or put a ton of effort into this project. Unfortunately, I have a champagne vision with a beer budget, but we were able to complete this project for less than $30 in under two hours. Paul (the hubs), was going to be doing most of the work, and I would be the job foreman. I'm happy to report that we're still married, even after our..."lively" debate about why its unrealistic for me to expect full growth ivy winding it's way through the lattice panels, while we sit in cushy new patio chairs sipping Mojitos listening to the gentle gurgle of a three-tier water feature that he could also build that weekend? Geesh, he's such a killjoy.

How to Make a Concrete Fire Pit

This article will show you how to make a fire pit for under $50

Charcoal Grill Fire Pit

My son’s and his wife have a sweet rental home. They can make small changes and are very creative.We helped them this weekend, July 4 th putting this together for our s’mores tonight.His weber grill that he tried to sell but no one wanted and he decided to turn it into a fire pit.

Wedding Candle Votives

I have a very specific idea in my head of what I want my table centerpieces to look like. I completely blame Pinterest. My florist totally gets my vibe, but didn't have the votives I was searching for. Naturally, I searched the internet and still could not find exactly what I am looking for so I DIY-ed it!

White Christmas Mason Jar Luminaries

Super easy, pretty (and cheap!) mason jar luminaries for Christmas. I used stencils, glass paint, Mod Podge & salt to make these in under an hour. :)

Pom Pom Trim Christmas Tree

A fun and whimsical Christmas Tree made from mini pom pom trim.

Glass Christmas Trees

What you will need for the project:
Styrofoam cones or stack trees.
Craft paint...

Easy Garland Christmas Trees

These cute trees are easy to make with poster board, aluminum foil, garland, and a glue gun.

Simple Snowman DIY Christmas Ornament

What a sweet little cutie! This simple little snowman is perfect for inexpensive gifts, on your tree, and as part of a package wrapping! Step by step tutorial is included!

Easy Iron Cleaning 101 - The Pressing News

When your iron needs a good cleaning, there's no need to buy anything special. Use these two products you most likely already have in your home.

Clean and Lube Your Tower Fan to Keep It Running

Did you know that your tower fan needs regular maintenance to keep them running? Tower fans are upwards of $40 and more and are great for circulating air in the summer. I have 3 fans that run from June through October and boy do they get nasty with pet hair and dust!
I have one tower fan that is over 9 years old! and the one I used for this post is over 6 years old. Truth be told it stops working when the dust and hair gunk up the fan blade motor. It is not hard to take apart these fans and clean and lube them.
UPDATE: I ADDED A YOUTUBE VIDEO ON TAKING OFF THE BACK FOR ANYONE HAVING TROUBLE REMOVING THE BACK AND PUTTING IT BACK ON ...

Garbage Disposal Cleaning Trick

Sharpen, clean, and freshen the garbage disposal at the same time with this nifty little cleaning trick. Mix equal portions of water and vinegar together into an ice cube tray with one piece of lemon rind dropped into each slot. Let the solution freeze overnight.

Drop the ice cubes into the garbage disposal and grind them up completely while the water is running. The vinegar should clean the surface of the disposal while the ice cubes sharpen the blades and the lemon rinds leave a fresh scent.

DIY Automatic Dishwasher Tablets

Combine citric acid, washing soda, baking soda and essential oils to make these simple tablets to make your dishes shine!

Make Your Own Dishwasher Tabs

In an effort to rid my home of as many chemicals as possible, I have been making as many of my own cleaning supplies as possible. I decided to try my hand at making my own dishwasher tabs and absolutely love them!

How to Clean Your Dishwasher

My dishwasher is one of the hardest working things in my house (I basically run it everyday!), but it’s easy to forget that it needs a good cleaning too. When my dishwasher starts to smell, you know it's time to give it a good cleaning. With just two green ingredients you can have an Eco clean dishwasher (without using expensive dishwasher detergent).

We Have Just One New Years Resolution for 2018...

Thank you for a year of inspiring, encouraging, sharing and creating together with us on Hometalk! We can't wait to reminisce about all the amazing things we've done together this year, but before we get carried away...Our New Year's Resolution:

Quickly Remove Heat Stains From Wood!

You’ve seen them before. White splotchy heat stains that cover what used to be perfectly pristine wood furniture, and if you’re reading this, you probably have one or two of these marks in your home right now.

6 Quick Fix-Facelift Ideas for Builder Grade Bathrooms ALL Under $120

I'd like to share some bathroom face-lift projects we tackled a few months ago. EACH can be done in 6-12 hours, some less some more (if paint is involved) but nothing over a day. When I know I can finish a project in a day (or so) I am definitely quicker to start/try it. Our '06 builders grade bathroom was plain old ugly and odd! They put carpet in the vanity area & a one piece "acrylic" counter with single sunken sink (should be two) plus oak dbl cabinets.We would rather go on vacation than fund a full remodel, so a face-lift was all we could do on our modest income. Everything we did was under $120 total...and that was spent mainly on flooring & paint. ( I wasn't planning to post. I had painted the cabinets before I took my BEFORE Photo.)

How to Remove Dried Paint From Clothing

If you are a DIYer, you probably have some clothing with dried paint on them. Here's how to remove it - for real!

Where Are My Keys ? NO MORE! $15 Solution

Ok.. It may be possible that I may be the only one… BUT I don't think so. I hate seeing keys on a counter rolling around with no assigned location. I also don't really like having them “exposed” on a key hanger. (specially since I don't have a “Mudroom” or something like it. I wish I did.) In my case they would just hang there in my middle of one of my entry ways, looking into my OCD soul. Too much? Ok.. well, you may be right, but I really don't like them just hanging there. Doesn’t really fit in the decor.. Sometimes I feel it take aways from the great looking key hanger out there.I ramble just to justify.. My great James Bond idea. HA! “Why don’t just hide them behind a frame.” The key (no pun intended) is finding the right frame. It’s has to be at least 1½ inches in depth. This way the keys will hide behind behind the frame without damaging it or not allowing the frame to close properly. The deeper/thicker the frame the better. It was really pretty easy and I think I may customize a bit more by adding fancier hooks, and maybe replacing the elastic with a small wood plate but I just couldn't wait to share. I hope you guys like it and maybe you can customize it to fit your needs, hopefully I gave you a head start. Check it out ! I had most of the materials which allowed my cost to be minimal.

Earth Day Inspired Mini Crate Garden Planters

Hi there, Hometalk Friends! We have been having gorgeous spring weather here in Texas. Believe me, spring doesn't usually last long here before our early summer temperatures arrive. I'm savoring every minute and also sending warm thoughts to those of you who spring has yet to visit. Earth Day is coming up, so if you're itching to get outside and plant or start some plants indoors until your weather cooperates, today's 15 minute fix is the perfect repurposed project...

7 Amazing Upcycling Ideas

Literally transform trash into treasure with these easy upcycling ideas.

Repurposed Handy Dandy Bird Seed Scooper Duper

Good news: I am no longer a klutz when filling the bird feeders.This is a simple idea but it sure took me a long time to think of it!
1. Cut the bottom off a large plastic pop/soda bottle. Keep the lid on.
2. Use it as a scoop to gather bird seed from the bag....

Quick and Easy Curb Appeal

What can you make with a $2 ladder, $6 worth of flowers, and purses by the pound? A very bright, eye-catching display to brighten the front of my home! This past winter has been so long and so cold, most of my plants froze to death, despite my taking precautions such as wrapping them in lights and putting cuttings in water in the house. I desperately needed some life and color to add to the curb appeal until the native plants grow back.

Repurposed Garden Bike

For the last few years I have been eyeing this old bike the previous owners left behind as garden art. It was a cute bike but she had glued massive fake flowers on both the seat and inside the adorable little wooden flower box.

Quilt Rack Turned Outdoor Planter

This is a quick and easy project that will add a little something different to your backyard.

A collection of all my outdoor sitting areas

I love to change my mind on seating areas and arrangements outdoors. Here's a collection of the changes that have made our yard down right homey and inviting at nearly every little turn.

Old Coffee Table to New Porch Bench

A thrifted coffee table got a shabby chic make over with the use of a drop cloth. Durable and comfortable enough to be enjoyed on cool fall evenings.....

Re-purposed bed to garden/porch bench.

It is not hard to make a bench from an old bed head & foot board. Finding the right one to make it something special is the problem. For instructions on making one go to my blog http://pjhdesignsoneofakind.blogspot.com

Build a BIG Outdoor Storage Bench

Do you need extra outdoor storage?
We were tired of our patio seat cushions getting wet.
So I made this amazing storage bench. Trust me, I'm no carpentry guru. So if I can build this you can too....

EASY $20 Corner Bench

Need Seating for your outdoor space? I sure did. Ok so I am the queen of repurposing and salvaging things. And often I have problems throwing things out.DIY Corner Bench
So one day I’m sitting outside on my deck and I go to place my drink on my side table. It literally fell over at my very touch. Well needless to say, I didn’t expect that. Yes, that table was 10 years old and had been repainted every year for the past 5 summers, but I was sure it had at least another 2 or 3 summers left in it. So this prompted me to inspect my seating. To my surprise almost every seat that I had purchased from the thrift store and refinished (4..ok 5 years ago) had some level of dry rot. Darn, I needed to replace everything. But instead of getting down about it I took it as a sign that I needed to redecorate. So I put my thinking cap on. Problem: I needed seating. My budget:microscopic. But what I did have was a whole bunch of 2x3s that someone so graciously gave me recently because they were downsizing. So one Saturday morning while looking at the empty space where my table once stood I came up with a plan. I’ll build a simple corner bench.

An Outdoor Bench Made From an Old Queen Bed Frame!

How to Age a Terra Cotta Pot With Chalky Finish Paint

It's front porch sitting time...
Time to spruce up those boring terra cotta pots with a little paint and stencils.

Silly Painted Terra Cotta Pots

Today we decided to paint silly terra cotta pots for a few plants that I found on clearance at Walmart. If there is a mess involved my kids are there too, so we had a fun time making these.
Teacher Appreciation Day is this week and I was going to get flowers, candy or something like that but I thought this project would be fun for my son to give to his teachers. It’s always nice when the kids get to help make gifts instead of just buying something.

Caring for Christmas Cactus

Starting in the late fall, the stores begin to blossom with colorful holiday cacti. Although not truly cacti like the plants you'll find growing in the desert, both Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) and the true Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) are popular house plants that begin blooming in November. With the right care, they can live for decades. It's not uncommon to find someone with "grandma's Christmas cactus", a venerable plant passed down through the generations and cherished! Caring for Christmas cactus ensures your plants will have a long, happy life.

Grow Garlic in a Container

We've recently moved into a new home with no backyard. While we are still putting in the landscape, I didn't have a place to plant garlic.
Instead, I chose to plant it in a container and not miss out on fresh garlic next summer.

DIY Brush Stroke Pots

My kitchen window in front of my sink needed a little brightening up. I've seen "brush stroke" type crafts on Pinterest, and I thought it'd be the perfect thing to add to some pots for some more color. They look adorable in my window!

How To Make Decorated Clay Pots for Spring

I’m ready for Spring, so I decided to decorate some clay pots with paint and chalkboard stickers. Fresh herbs in my windowsill makes me happy. See how to make your own http://www.brightboldbeautiful.com/2014/02/11/decorated-clay-pots/ Fever

Quick Mailbox Address With Some Character

I saw this in one of the Hometalk Slideshows and decided it was time. I didn't want decals on my mailbox, but something a bit more personal, and permanent.

Privacy Fencing Mini-makeover

My deck has been neglected since we moved in 4 years ago. And because our dining room window faces into the privacy fencing for the hot tub, I just couldn’t stand the thought of looking at it for another winter! So I decided to do a quick and inexpensive update before the winter hits. I bought a can of paint and ‘shopped’ in our garage for cast off items.

Summertime Porch With A Vintage Flair

I added some vintage items to my front porch last year to give it a fun vibe. I don't normally do anything too stuffy out here.

Quick & Easy Mailbox Makeover

A few weekends ago, I decided I was tired of looking at our sad, pitiful, little mailbox! I went to Lowes & purchased a new mailbox post which fit right over the top of our existing wooden post, making installation easy peasy!! Within 30 minutes our mailbox was completely transformed! I love the little flower box on the back! Our new mailbox is a showstopper & adds so much curb appeal to our home!

How to Build, Paint, and Install a Custom DIY Mailbox

Imagine you saw this weather-beaten, decaying mailbox post, leaning over in one last honorable attempt to collect your mail?If you’re like most people, you’d run to Home Depot, buy yourself one of those handy mailbox kits, and self-install it in one afternoon.That’s what normal people do.Not me.I decided to DIY my own mailbox.

DIY Tutorial: Replacing Your Mailbox Post

Has your mailbox post seen better days? No need to pay someone to install a new one for you. You CAN replace it yourself with this DIY tutorial.

Repurposed / Upcycled Vintage Water Ski Towel & Robe Rack

Is this stretching the imagination enough! Haha. Once I found some vintage glass rods that matched, I knew what I was going to do with one of my vintage water skis immediately! I paired the rods up with some old galvanized water chain boxes and a vintage chrome faucet handle. The boxes could hold a toothbrush, toothpaste, Q-Tips or whatever else strikes you. The faucet handle can hold your robe while you shower!

Trash Bag Storage Dispenser/Container

Repurpose a bleach wipe container into a trash bag storage container. It's affordable, easy, cleans up all of those messy bags, and repurposes a container you might have recycled. You can see more of my crazy creations here

Tire Rim Water Hose Holder

If you're looking for a quick project to brighten up your yard this summer, here's something to consider, especially if your water hose is just coiled up on the ground. I've seen similar ideas so I thought I'd try my hand at it and I love how this upcycle turned out!

Underground EZ Access Hose Storage for Less Than $10

The size of your garden is limited by the length of your hose. Mine was destined to grow from 50' in this area to 125' this summer. Just because that's the length of hose my hubby brought home to replace my older one. But now what to do with something that long?Often the best spot for your hose and reel is NOT at the faucet. I've learned to bury my hose to the spot I want access, then try to curl & hide it as best I can when I'm done using it. Today I thought of an even better idea. Why not make my own simple underground hose storage? Online examples were ridiculously overdone, attractive hose pots were ridiculously expensive. Let's get basic and improvise something that blends into my landscape.

DIY Hose and Sprinkler Winter Storage

The other day my hubby said we need to get a hose reel or something to store the hoses. Normally they are piled on e the floor of our unfinished basement. After looking at prices it was quite discouraging. Later that day I walked by one of the many 5 gallon buckets and it hit me. Hose and sprinkler storage!!

Hiding a Dime Bank in Plain Site

With a little work, you can make everyday food stores look like things no thief would think to steal. Here is one I did recently and a couple from a few years back.

Painted Poppy Chair With SK

Exacting every ounce of creativity from a woeful old chair. Give her new clothes and updated makeup.
Thanks to The Graphics Fairy for featuring this fun little poppy chair:
http://thegraphicsfairy.com/painted-fabric-chair-reader-featured-project/

How to Stencil Drapes

I saved a bunch of $$ by stenciling some Ikea drapes & dressed 3 windows in my bedroom for $75. Can't beat that! Here are my how-to's on the project!

Goodbye Carpet, Hello Stenciled Floor With Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

We removed our dirty stained carpet and painted the existing concrete sub floor with a stencil and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. The overall color is Duck Egg Blue. The stencil color is Old White. The stencil is Skylar's Lace by Royal Design Studio.

DIY Painted and Stenciled Linoleum Floor

We've put so much work into making our kitchen a space we can really enjoy but there was one major eyesore killing the vibe: the ugly linoleum floors. Since we were saving up to replace the floors throughout our home eventually, I wanted to try something fun to make them pretty for the time being. Head over to the blog for a complete tutorial from start to finish.

Creating your own DIY Window Treatments

Learn how to stencil your own window treatments with Cutting Edge Stencils stencil patterns! Read our inspiring blog post:http://blog.cuttingedgestencils.com/using-wall-stencils-to-spruce-up-your-window-treatments.html

Personalize Your Screen Door With a Custom Stencil

We recently updated the back of our home by adding a vintage screen door. We painted it Sherwin Williams 6213 Halcyon Green and spray painted a custom stencil from Maison de Stencil. A totally updated custom look in less than a day. You can read more about it on our blog here: http://bella-tucker.com/2013/06/an-unexpected-place-for-a-stencil/

Terra Cotta Space Heater

Ok, I have to admit, this is pretty thrifty. This space heater is a clean and cheap energy alternative and also a pretty fun looking little piece. If you live in a place where one room tends to get colder than others, or you want to save a little cash money, or are like me and live in a space where you can't control your heat, this is great! This space heater is made from some simple terra cotta pots and hardware and can really heat up a space on the cheap.
We want to help you DIY, so some of the materials in this post are linked to sellers. Just so you know, Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Building a Cobblestone Path With Moss

Hubby and I poured a new cobblestone pathway. Then a slick recipe from Martha Stewart for growing your own moss..

Sediment in a hot water heater.

Recently there has been posts about draining hot water heaters and the pros as well as the cons in doing this. Typical maintenance on a hot water heater is to flush the bottom drain at least once a year. In some towns where they flush their fire hydrants to keep the pipes clear it is suggested to follow their lead a few days after as any sediment that is disturbed ends up on the bottom of your heater.
What happens then is water displacement. The sandy partials that collect on the bottom of the tank displaces the water ever so slightly. This results in hot spots on the bottom of the tank. When this occurs the flames overheat the tank and begin to break down the steel. After many years this breakdown ends up becoming a tiny hole that is filled with this debris, oftentimes preventing the leak.
However if you decide to drain your heater after many years of not doing it, or all of a sudden you start using the heater more then normal, this sediment that has been plugging that tiny hole is flushed out, often resulting in a leak in a few days after. ...

Shaker Bottle Fruit Fly Trap

Use an empty shaker bottle to create a fruit fly trap. Those pesky fruit flies can't resist the homemade bait and can't escape the shaker top.

The Simple Cure for Drafty Windows!

We finished our attic space as my home office, and the window above my desk faces due west. Since I live in Alabama, the summertime heat from this window was becoming unbearable. It was HOT in this room even though we took extra precautions and added foam insulation. We installed anIndow window insert and immediately the temps started dropping. The shade-grade window insert filters out 90% of the UV-light and made SUCH a huge difference in my heat gain up in this attic space. It's like a pair of sunglasses for my window. The standard inserts block out heat and cold drafts. They also make privacy inserts and acoustical window inserts to block noise. I am blown away by how much this shade-grade window insert helps with the temperature at my desk. The average cost of the window insert is $24 per square foot for the standard grade. Check out the before and after of my office space with this window insert...

Funky Colourful Draught Excluder

Do you live in an old draughty house like mine. Then keep the cold air at bay with this fun colourful draught excluder. Think cross stitch is a faff ? This pattern uses supersized half stitches which makes it easy and speedy.

Master Bath Remodel Phase 1

Lived with this nightmare bath for nearly 11 years... FINALLY got it done (DIY)... LOVE IT NOW! I started collecting ideas for this two years ago, could not get hubs on-board. Finally threatened to rip the exhaust fan out and throw it thru the window, it sounded like a truck every morning when he would get in the shower and I was trying to sleep! He actually thanked me for "forcing him" to start the project when we took the old shower doors off, it was so awful... it should not have taken five months to complete but he's not getting any younger so it was a weekend job, and not every weekend... three Phases because I took a LOT of before/after pix!

Custom Bathtub Frame

When we set out to renovate our bathroom, I wanted the biggest bang for my buck. This project is an ideal way to transform a builders grade bathtub into a custom looking built-in tub.

Painting Hardwood Floors to Look Like Moroccan Tile

I've seen painted floors online and thought they were so creative. Why not paint- if you already hate the floor, and want to replace it someday anyway? So that's the story with this floor.

Fix Cracked and Missing Tile Grout

I have been living in my apartment for years now, and there is a huge chunk of missing grout between my kitchen tiles. I've noticed it for years, but I never did anything about it. It's gotten so bad (spreading to several tiles) that I finally had enough and decided to actually fix it! Grout is known for being daunting and hard to deal with, so I was nervous doing this project, but it turned out to be really easy! Once I got the tools together, it only took me a couple of minutes! And now those cracks aren't filling up with crumbs anymore. This project was definitely worthwhile. We want to help you DIY, so some of the materials in this post are linked to sellers. Just so you know, Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Laundry Cabinet

Needed a solution for something - anything - to hold our laundry supplies. They were taking over the shoe bench in our entry hallway/laundry area.

Peel N' Stick Luxury Vinyl Tile Floors

We weren’t initially planning on putting down a new floor, since the existing one was in really great shape, however after we updated the rest of the bathroom, the floor really stuck out like a sore thumb!

DIY Bud Vase Centerpiece

I was inspired by my mother-in-law on this next project. Using a block of wood and some cheap test tubes, I was able to create this fun bud vase centerpiece for my dining room. You can see the full tutorial at http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2012/07/test-tube-bud-vase-centerpiece-diy.html

Repurposed/Upcycled License Plate Clipboards

This is the second round of license plate clipboards I've put together so far. I got a hold of two matching pairs of 1975 license plates that were never used. They still had the parchment paper included that listed and displayed the current (1975) signs and traffic law changes to make the driver aware.

Barn Loft Ladder Chandelier

I had been searching for something unique to hang my pots and pans from in my kitchen. I eventually found an old wooden ladder on craigslist that I thought would be perfect.

How to camouflage an ugly well pipe

Milk can .... sawzall ....Ta Da!

Ladder Herb Garden

I’m sure you have seen many of these ladder gardens on Pinterest among other great ideas for DIY planters and small garden beds. After seeing so much inspiration, I decided to take this old ladder and turn it into a beautiful herb garden to place right by my backdoor.
This ladder belonged to my Grandfather and he gave it to me years ago for another DIY project I had in mind, but instead it sat against the wall in our shed for a few years. We used it a few times but it really wasn’t sturdy and safe to stand on.

umbrella holder in a cement plant container