Demo Day in the Apartment

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Bathroom Demo

We’ve broken ground (literally) in the mother-in-law suite and completed most of the demo work. It was a good five hours of work, but actually a ton of fun! We found some very interesting things behind the walls and floor.

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How to Make a $75 Work Bench

 DIY work bench $75

If you do enough projects around the house, eventually you’ll want to invest in a workbench. It’s not only nice to have a work station, but also helps keep your tools and supplies organized so you’re always ready when a DIY project calls. If you’re caught in an old catch 22 and don’t yet have a workbench on which to build the workbench, never fear – you can probably build this thing on the floor and it shouldn’t take more than a few hours.

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Wood Ceiling Beam Straps

DIY faux wood ceiling beam straps brackets

 

DIY Faux Ceiling Beams Straps

Getting creative with our fake ceiling beams, we wanted to find a way to make them look more like the real deal. So we engineered some metal straps/brackets out of cleats. We’re so happy with the outcome, and even more happy to say the ceiling beams are totally complete. Function meets fashion all the way. To recap, this is the final post out of a three-part tutorial on our faux barn wood ceiling beams. To see how we made and installed the ceiling beams, check out these posts 🙂

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LED Lighting Guide

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As you know, Joe has a bit of an LED obsession. As we’ve worked on various rooms, we’ve tried to replace our lighting as we go, upgrading to LEDs from fluorescents. They definitely save you money in the long run and are the overall more efficient option. Lighting is often overlooked, but it can make a serious difference in the look and feel of a space. So we’re going to shed some light on the subject.

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DIY Reclaimed Wood Signs #2

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DIY Chalk Paint Signs

I wanted to give you a quick update with some more signs I’ve been making. This is my second batch (first round of signs here) and I decided to dry a couple new styles: Freehand on chalk paint and stamping.  After helping my friend Nicole with a wedding sign, I kind of fell in love with chalk paint.

 

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DIY Reclaimed Wood Signs

DIY wood signs

Craft Show Collection

I started making a few signs, not thinking too much about them, for my personal stash. Then not too long ago I noticed a craft show needing vendors, so I thought, “Why not sign up?” Honestly, it was an impulsive move, but I’m kinda obsessed now and I’m super excited to finish putting my collection together. I have until late November to round up the rest of my ideas, but it’s great to have a goal with a deadline to get me in the craft zone. It’ll be the perfect time for holiday gifts. Nothing like a little personal (and now public) accountability to make it happen. Here are just a few of the signs I’ve finished already.

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DIY Concrete Trash Station

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DIY Outdoor Trash Station

Do you have any problem spots in your home routine? Like the trash station outside? Nobody likes taking out the garbage, but here’s a hack that’s made this chore a little less dreadful around here.

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DIY Milk Paint Table

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DIY Refinishing Furniture Using Milk Paint

Have you ever played around with milk paint? I’ve used it a few times before and I’ve got to tell you, I’m officially hooked. It’s so easy to work play with. Here’s an easy DIY project that gives new life to old furniture, like this coffee table.

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White Table DIY Milk Paint

Joe’s coworker Steve dropped off this table for my garage sale and I thought, “Hmmm, this would look great downstairs!” It wouldn’t be the first time I found something to keep from my own yard sale…

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Downsize and Declutter

2106 new year's resolution goal get organized

 

One of Joe’s New Year’s resolutions is to get organized, and I was pleased to hear that! I can definitely help with that one. (His other resolution is get his six pack back – I can probably help with that one too.) Sorry Joe, for outting your two resolutions. Consider it public accountability. You can thank me later. 🙂

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Garage “Mud Room”

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Maxing out Garage Storage

Ideally, we’d love to have an actual mudroom or entryway some day, but for now, we are making do with the space we have. If you know us, you know we I have a lot of shoes. There’s really not a great space in our house for our shoes to live, so we’ve been keeping them in the garage.

Well, we’ve engineered a somewhat functional solution that we hope to keep improving. It’s a big improvement actually. With winter on the way, this will give us a central location for all the snow pants, jackets, hats and everything else. And it’s a step up from keeping them all in bins!

 

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