Oct 21
As the month of October marches on, as do my attempts at inexpensive DIY Halloween decor. And, what front yard is Halloween ready without spooky and pun-filled tombstones? That’s not a rhetorical question, no front yard is complete without these. Here’s how I made these tombstones for $7.
Oct 15
Living in an older home can present some challenges when it comes to storage. Our master bedroom is fairly narrow, so narrow in fact that a console table wouldn’t fit along this wall. Instead, we installed a shelf to provide the storage we desired while maintaining the ability to walk through the room (also something we desired). Well, the shelf was installed two years ago and since then, it’s sort of acted as a catchall for loose change, receipts and primarily, my jewelry. But, this week I decided to tackle this annoying little corner of my home and made this space more functional and attractive for around $20.
Over the weekend, I started to get excited to decorate for Halloween, but with so many projects going on right now, I’m really trying not to spend much time or money on spookifying (hey, it could be a word) the house. To that end, here’s an easy and inexpensive way to let the neighborhood know you’re ready for trick-or-treaters using sidewalk chalk.
I chose my back steps for this display for two reasons. 1) The steps are under the patio roof so the chalk won’t wash away the next time it rains and 2) due to our parking set up, it’s the way most people enter the house. Read more
Sep 25
As a rule, I try to avoid commercial cleaners, particularly ones that contain fragrances and/or dyes. They make my skin itchy, they aren’t well-regulated by the FDA, and I just don’t really trust them. If I spill something, I typically take care of it right away so there isn’t time for a stain to set. However, this was not case when I unwittingly spilled red wine on one of my favorite lounging-around-the-house cardigans last week. On the bright side, it gave me a chance to test a stain removal method using common household products.
Here’s the method in question:
Sep 23
Not too long ago, some of the least attractive linoleum tile I’ve encountered was very loosely affixed to my bathroom floor. (This statement is even more meaningful if you’ve seen my old kitchen flooring.) As you might expect, I was nearly giddy at the thought of ripping it out and replacing it, even if I was going to replace it with more low cost flooring. After researching all available options, I opted for resilient vinyl flooring because it’s durable, comes in a variety of styles, and is super easy to install. Best of all, it was $58 for the whole bathroom or $1.60/square foot. Here’s how we did it:
So Pretty is as Pretty Does. 
