Tips for a Successful & Budget Friendly DIY Flagstone Patio AND Homemade Stream

Have you ever read, or watched, so many how-to articles or videos, and then tackled a project making your own rules thinking it would turn out ok in the end, only to realize that you should have taken the warnings and tips from others more seriously? I learned the hard way when I tackled our most recent project: our new flagstone patio. If I had taken the tips I learned from those videos and articles seriously, I would have saved myself 3x the effort I ended up having to expend, as well as some tears. Thankfully I followed the tips I learned on how to do a DIY stream, so that project went smoothly. 

Today I will share with you the articles and videos that I found to be incredibly helpful, as well as some tips I learned that can't be skipped, as well as how much we spent on the overall project. 

Maximizing your Bedroom's Decor for a Better Night's Sleep

Lately my posts have centered around affordable wall art to help decorate your home, but today with the help of a contributor, I want to talk about how a few changes in your bedroom's decor can positively impact your sleep each night.

Reminder of how Awesome General Finishes Gel Stain truly is

Hello fellow DIY'ers, I was so excited to be contacted by one of you last night about my one of my post popular posts. Do you remember a couple years ago I shared how we not only removed the popcorn from our ceilings, but we used gel stain to cover the painted wood beams that were in our home?

Well, I was excited to get the following four pictures, and this message from one of you last night...

Functional and Beautiful DIY Wood and Bike Wall

These last few months have been filled with DIY home projects that I am excited to finally start sharing with all of you now that they are finally done. First I am going to share how I transformed a boring, old wall in our home, to an awesomely rustic bike wall on the cheap. This tutorial is also helpful if you have wanted to put up any kind of wood on your wall (shiplap, pallet wood, you name it), because the bikes are a last minute feature that are not necessary.

Fun and Free Website that Allows You to Change your Home's Exterior

Do you try and imagine what your house would look like in a different color? Or switching your siding, or roof, or even windows? Do you like to have creative control, and see your ideas turn into something you can actually see? Maybe you need to replace your home's siding, and want to see the options as they will actually look on your home. Who knew that we could do any of these things FOR FREE on an easy to use website, that is super fun to play around with. Let me tell you more about Dream Designer, a company I came across online the other day, since more people deserve to know they can now have this creative power...

Painting Oak Cabinets (everything you need to know to update your kitchen cabinets the right way AND in 10 days)

I always said I would do it once, and then never again...and now that time has come and gone, and I have lived to tell the tale on how to paint kitchen cabinets. It was a dreaded project that ended up taking me only 2.5 weeks. My project was more burdensome than most of yours would need to be, because most of you don't have kitchen cabinets from the 1970s/1980s, don't mind if you see the grain in your cabinets, and don't need to add trim since your cabinets already have details; however, in the end I am here to share the research I learned from countless articles, which I then applied, as well as from talking to experts, and then applied. I will let you know every product I used, and my thoughts on each, as well as every thing you need, how to do every step, tips to staying organized, and how long each step takes. Plus I will share every cost from the trim, to the paint, to the knobs, pulls, and grain filler. For those of you who hate reading step by step details, just scroll through the pictures and you will get a good idea of how to do your own cabinets, and update your kitchen for less than a few hundred bucks.

How to Get Office Built Ins using Ikea shelves and old cabinets

As I have gotten older I realize that my motto should be, "Where there is a will there is a way." Today I want to prove that if you are motivated enough, have some power tools, and access to YouTube and Pinterest, you too can achieve a feat you did not know was possible. I am going to show you how I turned our ruined office into my favorite room of the house, as well as conquered my biggest project/goal yet...

How Gel Stain Makes Painted Wood Beams Rustic (Again)

Let me start off by saying that I already knew that General Finishes gel stain is one amazing product that transforms furniture quickly, easily, and is a lot of fun to work with. However, I didn't know that it worked over paint, let alone could bring back some rustic glory to the painted beams in our new home. We have learned some tips and tricks in the process that I thought I would share with all of you. Whether you want to stain painted wood beams, or want to try staining over a piece of furniture that is painted, these tips and tricks should help you...

10 Tips for Removing Popcorn Ceilings

Popcorn is normally attributed to happy things such as the movies, or even decorations on a Christmas tree back in the day, but popcorn has come to mean one of the biggest projects I have ever undertaken or ever hope to undertake. Most people don't decide to remove almost 2000 sq ft of popcorn ceilings all at once though like we did, and because of all of that removal I have some tips to share with you for when you tackle this project big or small. Even though the project took dreadfully long, I am SOOOOO glad we did it. It is worth it people, it is worth it.