Down and Dirty DIY Spray Paint Booth

Happy May Day!

And Beltane!

Or as I like to call it Spray Paint Weather!

Whoo hoo! Back flips and the happy dance!

My leg hasn't healed and I'm still in a boot, so the the back flips and happy dance are only happening in my mind right now.

But now that it is over 40 degrees (F) and even with my foot in a boot,  the spray painting will commence!

I like to spray paint outside because of the fumes. The paint dries more quickly too. I can't do that if it is a windy day. Spray painting in the wind is just as successful as spitting into the wind. Guess how I know?

A windy day was just another factor in this hot mess of a painted headboard.

I fixed it by resanding the bumpy, uneven, crackled areas smooth and repainting the headboard inside the garage.

19 Homemade Gift Ideas to Pamper Mom on Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day almost snuck up on me. It is going to be here before you know it.  This year I’m all about the Mother’s Day pampering because I’m gimping around with an anchor on my foot. I’d like some pampering, especially after a physical therapy appointment. I figure all the mom’s out there would like to receive some DIY health and beauty gifts too. It beats a macaroni necklace.

Unless you, dear child reader you made that macaroni necklace for you mother, grandmother, or World’s Most Fabulous Aunt (that’s me.) You have the talent to make macaroni look line fine art and a woman in your life would never dare leave your masterpiece in the car after she wore it out the door on her way to work. Nuh uh. No way.

Let’s start pampering Mom from the tippy top of her head down to her toes!

Retro Metal Chair Redo

When Husband’s grandmother gave us her spare retro card table chair, I bit my lip. We just got married and weren’t in much of a position to say no to free furniture. We needed a fourth chair for our table. although I hoped new acquisitions would move us in a different design direction from Early Early Marriage and Horribly Mismatched Freebies.

Eventually we bought matching chairs for Husband’s heirloom table. I painted and updated the old chairs with some staple gun upholstery. The three freebie doctor’s office chairs from Husband’s bachelor days now hang out on our front porch.

Grandma W’s retro card table chair made its way to the Room Where Old Furniture Goes to Die – the Guest Room/Craft Room. The minute I pulled it up to my material Grandmother’s enamel top kitchen table I knew I need to keep her. The two look like they were made for each other.

The table has two pull out leaves I use if I need more surface space. Cutting fabric on this table is like a dream!

Turquoise and Orange Eco Modern Patio

Despite the weird bit of snow we got yesterday - in April! I'm dreaming of fun outdoor designs for the patio. A recent diet of Yard Crashers marathons and spending an hour and a half  in an MRI machine will do that to ya.

I mean, what else are you going to do, while holding as still as possible for so long in a tube while it scans every single angle of your leg and knee? Some people nap. I decorate my patio.

Turquoise and Orange Eco Modern Outdoor Patio Mood Board

How to Make Duck Tape® Desk Drawer Organizers

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Duck Brand. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am Spring Cleaning my craft room. I need to reorganize the drawers in my sewing desk.  Fortunately, another Spring Cleaning project gave me a bunch of empty boxes and jars - the perfect raw material to celebrate Earth Day with an upcycled organizer project.

I cut the boxes and a drink holder to fit inside the drawer.  My custom organizers work well but they are not so cute. I gave them a fun makeover with Duck Brand® Tape ( find Duck Tape here) that not only looks prettier but makes the boxes sturdier than they would have been on their own. Bonus!

Craft Supply Wall Storage and Room Tour

My craft room is starting to look like a real studio!

I painted the craft room/guest room last summer. Then I lost steam on this room and let DIY fear take over when it came to making  over the current furniture. That fear stalled the project until I got a little help from a friend.

 Pin these craft room storage ideas on your Pinterest boards for later!

How to Make a Milk Carton Easter Bunny Basket

I want to decorate for Easter. I’m running low on ideas that will appeal to our wee holiday visitors.

And I was out of soy milk.

Save this DIY milk carton Bunny Basket to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

$500 Spring Cash Giveaway! *closeed*

This weekend I spent quality time at my home away from home - the home improvement store. I needed supplies to start the projects I planned to do when it was warm to get me through the Cabin Fever Winter of  Our Discontent.

Besides supplies, time, and warm weather to work outside, you do know what else helps when you want to start a project?

MONEY.

And I hope to give it TO YOU.

11 Painted Desk Makeovers

 I’m finally on a roll when it comes to decorating the craft room guest room. The general color scheme is falling into place. The decorating style is gelling into Whimsy Retro Fun.

I don’t know if Whimsy Retro Fun is a real world legitimate design style but it is in LisaLand and that’s what counts.

A friend gave me her childhood student desk when she moved. I took it to use as a sewing table until I was ready to buy a real sewing machine cabinet. One of the surprising of being pint size, is I later realized that the student desk fits me better than a big girl sewing table. Instead of replacing the desk, I put that money towards bigger and better and not sewing machine table things.

Years later the desk doesn’t need replacing but it could use a redo. I poked around for furniture makeover inspiration and found a bunch. Do you want to take a look? Of course you do!

Wraparound Recycled Fence Wall Shelves

I don’t have the floor space in the craft room/guest room to add storage shelves for my mountain of craft, art, and DIY supplies. What is a girl to do?

If you can’t build out build up.

Instead of adding artwork to the wall above my craft and sewing tables, I put that wall to work with a set of shelves that wrap around the walls.

Pin this wall storage idea to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

How to Make a Petal Skirt Craft Apron

Spilling food, paint, and random beverages on myself is my superpower. It has been all of my life. Lucky Me!

I ruined more clothes than I should because only until recently did I clue in that aprons protect clothing from spillage and splotches. Smart > me.

 I made this craft apron longer in the front and sides because that's where most of the paint splotches end up on my clothes.

Homemade Non-Toxic Floor Cleaner

The four seasons in Central Ohio are: Winter, Still Winter, Mud, and Blazing Hot.

We are now in the season of Mud, although you might call it Spring where you live.

Lacey loves this season. The weather is warmer and allows us to give our girl the long and frequent walks she so desperately needs to drain her nervous energy. It also allows her to create intricate muddy paw print art installations on the kitchen floor when we come home.

 Pin this idea to your Pinterest boards for later! Share it with your friends!

 As much as I like to support the arts. I like to support clean kitchen floors more.

14 DIY Fabreze Recipes Made with Natural Ingredients

Sometimes life stinks.

Oh, not in the rotten things are happening to me kind of stink. I mean the literal something is making my sofa/car/room smell rotten kind of stink.

In the past, a few squirts of Fabreze in the right direction took care of the mystery funk. Although more often than not, I replaced the mystery funk with overly sweet fake flower chemical concoction funk because that is exactly what I was using. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience)

A fabric refresher made from a synthetic chemical concoction that may or may not be harmful to my family. The companies that make that stuff don’t have to list their ingredients or say one way or the other so they don’t.

  Pin this list of all natural fabric refresher recipes for later!

What Happens When Any Home Improvement May Over Improve Your Home?

A few years after we bought our condo, the value went up. You know, just like it is supposed to do when you invest your money in buying a home. I'm sure my half bathroom remodel with its granite counter top helped.

Then the economy went south taking property values with it - including ours. The only consolation is that all of our friends who bought homes around the same time are under water too.

Since we are living here and will be for the foreseeable future, I wasn't shy about improving our house with basic cosmetic changes like painting the walls or DIY projects that would benefit us in some way like insulating the garage and insulating the garage door. You have to differentiate a bit if you live in a neighborhood of similar houses, right?

Decoupage Bed Makeover

I’m decorating and making over the Room Where Old Furniture Goes to Die. Some people call it the guest/craft room but not many.

I made over an old bed frame with Mod Page and paint!

The guest bed frame was a freebie from my old boss. It needed a little DIY love. Scratch that. The bed needed A LOT of DIY love. I knew the stain was chipped and scratched but I didn’t realize there were small cracks in the head and foot boards. The side rails were pretty beat up too.

How to Make Bone Meal from Turkey Bones

The soil in my yard is so bad it makes me sing the Condo Blues. The builder sold the lovely topsoil that should be surrounding my house before they built the neighborhood.

The thing is, they didn’t put it back after building our condo. We are stuck with thick clay soil that kills almost everything I try to grow in it.

Cue up the blues. Whoomp. whoomp. Sad trombone.

We added compost and new top soil to the front yard. Our soil can use some bone meal too. Bone meal is an excellent source of phosphorous and helps plants grow a healthy root system.

 This also keeps poultry bones from stinking up the kitchen trash. 

Guest Bed Progress

I took advantage of the tiny break in weather to scurry into the garage and make over the guest bed.
Once I gave it a up close and personal looksee, I realized the bed frame  was a bit more beat up and damaged than I originally thought. But hey, it was a freebie from an old boss, so I’m not complaining.

 

It is difficult to tell from the photo, but this bed is pretty beat up.

After repairing some unexpected cracks and dings with wood filler, it was time to sand the finish off the bed to prep it for painting. This is when my Mouse detail sander earns its kibble because the point allows me to sand the curves, nooks, and crannies I'd have to do by hand if I used an orbital or finish sander to sand the finish off this bed.

Would You Paint a Room With Scented Wall Paint?

If there is one thing blogging has taught me about people, it is that smells and scents are an individual and highly opinionated thing.  It makes sense (har!) Scientists proved smell is the most powerful mnemonic trigger there is.

Trust me I get this. There are smells that I love such as lavender. There are other smells that make me gag. Wall paint is one of them. The scent of conventional paint reminds me of my parents in progress fixer upper house that I swore was such a pit when I first saw it I wasn't going to live there. Of course since I was a kid I had no choice and my parents and grandparents worked their butts off to transform the house into something I was proud to call home.

How to Make an Easy Glass Bead Bracelet

I like to browse the bead and jewelry section of craft stores. I like looking at all of the pretty shiny things but get overwhelmed when I think about combining them. I choke and end up putting the items back on the shelf.

Then I see a beautiful handcrafted piece on Pinterest, think Hey I can make that!, go to the craft store, get overwhelmed trying to combine all of the beads I like but don’t quite go together, choke, and go home.

Rinse. Repeat.

One day as I was yet again, admiring the beads in the craft store, I saw a string of  glass lampwork beads similar to these  I thought would make a cute bracelet. (I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)

 Husband says my bracelet is very moleculey.

Saint Patrick’s Day Shamrock Skirt

Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. I figure I better get some green duds in my new and smaller size or I will run the risk of getting pinched. No Saint Patrick owies allowed!

How to Hang a Floating Shelf

In a small house, you have to be creative when it comes to storage and display space. This goes double for my craft room/guest room. I built a wall of wrap around shelves to go with the new decor and had to use every bit of it to hold my craft and sewing supplies. I don't have room on them to display some of the creations that inspire my DIY madness.

The wall space over doors is often forgotten although you can make it work for you with a simple shelf or by hanging artwork. Making an over the door fence board shelf works well in the guest bathroom, why not hang a floating shelf over the door in the guest bedroom and use it to display my doodads?

This is project sounds harder than it really is, I promise.

12 Gorgeous DIY Greenhouses

My fantasy house would have a gorgeous greenhouse full of lush and lively plants growing year round.
I change the design from Victorian to salvaged windows to secret garden style because I love them all and I don’t need building permits when I’m designing in my day dreams.

Endless winter is making me day dream a bit more about spring, summer, and greenhouses. I collected 12 of my favorite greenhouses to share with you.

Let’s take a little break and dream of spring!

Anthropologie Crock Pot Makeover

January's Eat from the Pantry Month (aka Eat This and Give Me Back Cabinet Space/No Way I'm Driving To the Store in Sub Zero Cold and Snow Month) was a success! I reclaimed some shelf space, rediscovered my tea collection, and fell back in love with the slow cooker by creating new recipes like my Slow Cooker Mexican Beans and Beef recipe (you can read about it on Lazy Budget Chef.)

Aaaaaand the loose handle finally snapped off the lid of the crock pot.

Because we are not allowed to have nice things.

An futile attempt was made to glue the plastic handle to the screw in the lid. FAIL.

Buying a new crock pot was silly because it works fine otherwise. We muddled through by popping the back of a serving spoon under the lid to remove it. It was kludgy but it worked, sorta.

I found the answer to my crockpot problems when Husband kicked me out of the house because a recent cold and Cabin Fever was making a less than pleasant person to be around. He said I needed Me Time to become human again. I ended up at Anthropologie (no big surprise) where I found the fix for my broken crock pot - an Anthropologie cabinet knob.

How to Make Lavender Calming Candles

You know you are a DIYer when,  instead of giving you a candle for your birthday, your mom gives you soy candle wax and forces you to make your own gift from her.

It makes sense. I got into candle making because of my mom. Thanks Mom!

One of my favorites to make are lavender soy candles because the scent of lavender oil can have a calming effect. Who doesn't need a moment calm every now and then? *Raises hand*

In fact, both Lacey's behaviorist and our vet recommended Lacey wear a calming dog collar that contains lavender essential  oil to help with her anxiety. I wasn't so sure it would work until I noticed a difference in her behavior for the worst toward the end of the month when the collar ran out. (you can learn more about the dog calming collar we use here.) (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post for your convenience.)

Pin this post on Pinterest for later! Share this tutorial with your friends!

Sawdust Valentines with Mod Podge Stencils

Sometimes it is hard to find Valentine's Day cards for men. After a day of card shopping, I came home without a card for Husband because most of the cards I found were a wee bit too girly for a guy like him.

I decided to make a masculine Valentine's Day card featuring the manliest craft material I can think of - sawdust!

Wine Cork Horse

Happy Chinese New Year! 2014 is The Year of the Horse.

2014 New Year celebrations will celebrate all things horse.  I can't think of a better way to celebrate than by decorating with DeVine Wine Corks sweet little wine cork horse.  So when I saw this cutie in her Etsy shop, I had to share it with you. Those eyelashes are adorable!

She lists the materials as: Wine corks, pipe cleaners, faux fur, and positive vibes. 

Who doesn't need positive vibes?

I Hate Winter Cabin Fever Indoor Beach Party: Décor

We. Are. Going. Stir. Crazy!

The Winter That Will Not End is giving Husband and I have a serious case of Cabin Fever. We’ve had to cancel a lot of activities due to white out conditions and icy roads.




Even Lacey is feeling it. Poor thing hasn’t had a proper walk in weeks due to the snow and dangerously low temperatures.

Husband decided to spice things up by sharing his cold with me. Now I’m fighting Cabin Fever AND a cold – blah! 


We can’t make a quick trip South to soak up some sun because you guys are getting are getting it too.
Complaining about it won’t make the winter blahs go away either.


I’m fighting Cabin Fever the only way I know how.


I’m making fun of it!


I’m inviting your to a n I’m Tired of Winter Let’s Have a Beach Party party on my blogs Condo Blues and Lazy Budget Chef!

13 Things to Have in Your Car for Winter Snow and Ice Emergencies

Growing up on the Ohio North Coast, stocking a car and being prepared for winter driving is engrained in you from an early age. It is right up there with knowing your name, address, and telephone number. Even little kids know you are supposed to have jumper cables and a blanket in the trunk of your car. You also know you are supposed to hang your head in shame when you don’t.

After I moved from the Cleveland area I thought it was weird this stuff isn't common knowledge. In fact, I still kind do.

I realized why when I saw the weather people completely freak out about the first winter snow and for every snow thereafter. They didn’t offer any of the winter driving tips I grew up expecting to hear on the news. No wonder folks panic around here and forget to how drive in snow every. single. year.

Guys, we did the same thing last year, remember?

Sigh. Guess not.

Last week, I wrote about the basic things you should carry in your car for winter snow emergencies. Most of the items in that post 14 Basic Things to Have in Your Car in Winter Part 1 live in our car full time because they are useful to have for summer too.





Part 2 of my winter snow emergency prep kit goes beyond the basic list (you can review the basic snow emergency car checklist here.) Again, this is not a list supplies to get you through any type of doomsday scenario. This list is to help you in a winter driving or snow emergency and especially if you drive long distances or frequent country roads where it might be awhile before help will reach you. (Been there. Done that. On Christmas Day no less. Not fun.)

13 Things to Carry in Your Car for Snow Emergencies if You Travel Long Distances or Country Roads