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We’re celebrating 5 years of The DIY Mommy this month! Have you entered my celebratory giveaway yet worth over $500? Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to share with you some of the most popular tutorials on TheDIYMommy.com over the last five years. Let’s talk about one of my favourite categories – home decor tutorials. Here are the most visited home tutorials from 2009 to today:Continue reading
This has GOT to be one of my most favourite features of our new, DIY home: this gorgeous, custom fireplace that we designed and built. It was a ton of work, but I think it totally sets the stage for our living room and I’m so very proud of it.Continue reading
Paint colour can set the mood for a room. It can give off a relaxed vibe or an energetic vibe. Colours can make a person feel things in an instant.
I’m a big fan of colour. I’ve loved all sorts of crazy colours ever since I was little, and one of my favourite units in graphic design school was when we studied the psychology of colour. Experimenting with colour is incredibly fun for me – I guess you could call me a complete and utter colour geek.
The year is 2006. It’s August and my new husband of 5 months and I are looking for a new home to buy. He’s tired of living in a rental in town and dealing with cranky neighbors. We want to buy something small and inexpensive – and we’re ready to renovate. After almost buying a 1906 foursquare in the heart of Stony Plain, Alberta (sigh – I still moon over that place) and then backing out at the last minute because its foundation issues made us sick to our stomachs, my dear hubby convinced me to visit this strange “home”. It’s a four bay garage on a 3 acre parcel in the countryside near Stony Plain. We made our appointment to see it, and now we’re viewing it for the first time with our bubbly realtor. “It’s a fixer-upper”, she’s told us… and she wasn’t kidding. Upon entry, I am overwhelmed by the rubbery, moldy stench of the place. There are bare, unpainted walls, a black tar-like floor and dust everywhere. There’s a “kitchen” on one side with a hot plate and a sink. The bathroom is dirty, there’s tub is so shallow you couldn’t wash a cat in it, and the DIY plywood vanity is laughable. The home has no basement, and there are two tiny bedrooms. Everything is filled with garbage and junk. I feel sick. I turn to my husband and I see his eyes gleaming with possibility. He turns back to me: “Let’s get it.”
It’s now almost 7 years later and we’re still living here in what I affectionately call “Our Garage House“. The exciting thing? We’re building a brand new two-story heritage style home right behind it and it will be done this year! I wanted to share my new DIY home journey with all of you, but thought I should start at the beginning – with our strange and dear Garage House. If you also live in a small space (or are thinking of moving to one), I thought you may be interested in seeing someone else in your shoes.
Here’s the grand tour (and some little notes on what we’ve done and how we manage to live as a family of four in 880 square feet with no basement):
The Exterior
We replaced almost all of the windows and doors on the house, making them as large as we could to let as much Southern sun in as possible. It really helped make the garage feel less cave-like and it added a bit more charm to the look. I planted a couple of lilac bushes on either side of the door and attempted a garden, but I’m horrific at gardening so that fell flat.
Entry & Office
Look at the before picture when we viewed the home – gross, right? I think one of the best decisions we made was adding a little half wall to the right of the door as you enter, creating a small office nook on the other side. It also allowed us a spot for hanging jackets and purses. I tucked a bench in there too. I didn’t take any photos of my office, but you can simply imagine a desk behind that wall, filled to the ceiling with papers and books.
Kitchen & Dining Area
The kitchen is the first thing you see when you walk in our tiny home. Ew – it was disgusting before. We salvaged my parent’s 20 year old kitchen cabinets, painted them white (they were yellowy, early 90’s oak) and used Ikea laminate and butcher block counters to cover them. We splurged on stainless steel appliances, but I love them very much. The island is probably one of my favourite parts of the house – I use it for everything (food prep, fabric cutting, photo backgrounds, bill paying, eating…).
I didn’t take a before photo of our dining area, but it’s to the right of the kitchen:
There used to be one small solid door outside in that corner, but we replaced it with glass double french doors (another good decision) to let even more light in. Honestly, we never use this table to eat – it’s where I have my sewing machines and this is the only time that it’s ever been clear of craft things. We eat on the island or the living room coffee table.
Living Room
The living room is directly to the right of the entry, and it’s completely open to the dining room and kitchen (which I’m very thankful for – otherwise this place would be suffocating)! We added a wood stove, and the massive front window made an amazing difference to the space (I scored it at Home Depot one day; it was someone’s return that I was able to buy at 50% off). The TV hutch is an IKEA as-is piece that we store a whole lot of things in (like toys, craft supplies, movies and electronics). The TV is hubby’s baby.
The flooring in our Garage House is 0.88/sq. ft. laminate we bought at Rona. We used a nice, thick underlay over that yucky tar floor that was here originally and the smell is completely gone! The flooring has held up surprisingly well for its cost, and we’re definitely going to choose laminate again for our new home for its cost and wear.
Bathroom
The one bathroom this house has is large (thankfully) and it’s directly in front of the main entrance. It was DIS-GUS-TING originally, so we gutted it completely and installed a huge tub/shower combo, a large IKEA vanity, and some fresh paint and wainscoting. Unfortunately the bathroom is the only place we can fit our washer and dryer, but they stack and tuck nicely behind the door as you come in. I just have to be as organized as I can with the laundry so that it doesn’t take over the bathroom (which is hard for me)!
Kid’s Bedroom
There are only two rooms in our wee house, so the smaller one (to the left of the entrance, just past our office nook) is the kid’s bedroom. When it was just Little C, we easily fit a crib, dresser, bench and toys, but now that Baby A is here we’ve had to rearrange it again. Little C sleeps in an IKEA bunk bed that I put a curtain on, and we jam all of her toys and extra clothes underneath. We can JUST fit Baby A’s crib beside it and a dresser on the other side, but it is TIGHT. Luckily (kind of?), Baby A still sleeps in our room in a crib beside our bed for now… that’s an entirely different story (hurray for light sleepers)!
Master Bedroom
Our master bedroom is beside the kid’s room. Most people consider their master bedrooms a retreat, but we simply can’t as a family living “small”. Not only is it our bedroom, but it’s the piano room, the baby change table room, the electrical panel room, and it houses our biggest storage closet. We removed the wall between this room and the kid’s room completely, and then used a row of ceiling-high IKEA kitchen cabinets as a divider. We needed all the storage we could get! We fill these units with our clothes, our seasonal things, and other household items we need at arm’s reach (the rest of our storage is my hubby’s shop in the back corner of the acreage – the shop is also where I keep the stock for my baby clothing business). I’ve tried to “pretty up” this room with some DIY pillows and a duvet – small spaces need to be light and bright!
The following are my tips for living in a small space and making the most of it. I want to be honest with you – it’s hard. I often find myself comparing my home to my friends’ bigger ones. I’m getting better at it (and now that our new house is coming that makes it easier), but it is a struggle. I have to tell myself that we have saved a lot of money on utility bills and on “stuff” to fill the house with. It’s also helped me remember that “things” hold no real value in life – it’s people (and you get to hang out with your family a lot in a small space)!
Finally… be content with your little home. It’s small and it’s OK. And… when you do clean it, it’s so fast! When I’m having a bad day, I go outside with the girls and enjoy the fresh prairie air – there’s wide open spaces out there! And small homes make cozy families, right?
If you’re a small home dweller, I’d love to hear how you manage. Please let me know in the comments below!
This post is part of my “Our DIY House” series where I’ll share with you my most exciting DIY ever – building a country house from the foundation up with my talented hubby! We’re crazy, we’re creative, we’re on a limited budget and we’re planning on having it finished in the Spring of 2013.
DIY drink coasters have been popping up all over Pinterest and the web lately and I think they’re great! What a fun way to incorporate your decor scheme into your table/coffee settings.
I picked up some inexpensive coasters at a dollar store and used up some scraps of extra fabric I had in my stash to make a few coasters to match my living room’s colour scheme. These lovely, simple coasters in yellow chevron and a turquoise graphic print turned out great and they were so easy to make. My 4 year old helped me with most of it!
Supplies:
Directions:
Using the coasters as a pattern, cut out square pieces of fabric (with sharp scissors or a rotary cutter). If the fabric is see-through, cut out some more squares out of white paper or white fabric.
Apply a thin layer of decoupage onto your coaster’s top (this is an fun project for children)!
My white & yellow chevron fabric was a little see-through and my original coasters were dark, so I had to apply a piece of white paper first. My daughter did this part, and then she even did the next step – applying another thin layer of Mod Podge over the paper (let it dry before moving on to the next step).
Apply a square of fabric in the same manner, smoothing it out well. Let it dry completely.
Apply a thin layer of decoupage over the fabric. Let it dry, and then apply one final coat.
The Mod Podge will appear milky before it dries, but will dry to a smooth, clear finish.
After the coasters are completely dry, trim off any uneven edges of the fabric square if necessary.
All done! Enjoy a Chai Tea Latte on your new coasters (or gift them to a friend for their housewarming)!
by Christina Dennis
I admit it: I have a fabric obsession. I love pattern and texture, and fabric is simply the ultimate combo of both! I love custom sewn drapes as window coverings because they’re such a large and beautiful showcase of fabric. I think they can change a room’s look completely! I’ve been crushing on Richloom Cornwall Garden
for the longest time, and I’ve finally bit the bullet and bought several yards to make some summer drapes for my living room. I use a relatively simple and quick method to make lined drapes, and I’ll share with you my process. I find the hardest part about drapes DIY is handling the large amounts of fabric, but the actual sewing is straight and minimal and the results are gratifying!
Materials:
))To calculate the amount of fabric you need for the “main fabric”, measure from where you want the top of your drape to be on your window (closer to the ceiling is better) to where you want the hem to fall (skimming the floor or pooling a little). Add 7″ to that length to account for the top seam and bottom hem. Decide how full you want your drapes to be – they should be 1.5 to 2 times the width of your window (the more width, the fuller). For my drapes, I decide to skimp a little on fabric and made them cover the width of my (huge) living room window only when they’re pulled completely taught (so, they’re the same width as the window). Most decor fabric is at least 50″ wide, so keep this in mind. For my almost 9′ window, I made three panels with 56″ wide fabric.
Use almost the same calculation above for the “lining fabric”, but only add 2″” to the length so that the lining will fall above the main fabric. I find it easiest to buy a lining that is the same width as my fabric; you’ll see why below!
First, you’ll need to cut your length of fabric to the correct height for each panel (assuming your making at least two), and then you need to trim your drapery lining fabric so that it is 2″ narrower than your main fabric. This is so that your main fabric will turn around the edge of the drape slightly for a nice finish. I use a rotary cutter and a straight edge for this. Next, press the bottom of the main fabric up 3″ from right side to wrong side, then another 3″ to form a substantial lower hem (the heavy hem helps the drapes hang nicely). Sew about 1/4″ from the edge. For pressing and working with my drapery panels, I used a big open spot on my clean floor and a towel – pretty high-tech, right? I’ve also used my king sized bed in the past to work on, and that works well too!
Hem the lining fabric by folding over only 1/2″, then another 1/2″. Sew 1/4″ from the edge. Lay the main fabric piece on a large surface, right side up. Lay the lining fabric on top of it, right side down and matching the top raw edges of both pieces.
Now, you’ll need to pin the side of the lining to the sides of the main fabric (like crazy!). Remember that the lining is slightly narrower, so don’t worry if there’s a bit of a “bubble” in between the fabrics when you pin. Sew up each side of the drape panel using a 1/2″ seam.
Now, you’ll be sewing the tops together. Pull the main fabric out from each side so that it wraps around about 1/2″ to the back, pin in place, and sew a 1/2″ seam.
Turn the drape right-side out and press it (remembering that the drape fabric needs to fold over to the back at an even width). I pressed my entire drapery panel at this point to give it a professional finish.
The little unfinished bit of fabric at the bottom hem of the main drape fabric can be finished a few different ways. Since I have a serger and that finishes the seam, I simply mitered the bottom corner a bit and folded it over and sewed (as shown above). You could also just fold it over twice like this (they even added a weight to their hem!).
Attach drapery rings to the top of the curtain, spaced evenly, and hang! That’s it! Enjoy your lovely designer drapes.
Christina Dennis is the creator and designer behind Golly Gee Baby, a collection of unique and colourful baby clothing and accessories that are ethically manufactured.
By Christina Dennis
I’m not a very good housekeeper and when it comes to organizing bits of paper and mail around the home, I’m terrible at it! I’m slowly trying to put together a little corner in my house to collect random things like mail, pens, phones etc. I installed a small corner shelf in a spot by my back door and then made this easy bulletin board that doubles as a mail holder to hang above it. It’s a simple project that requires no sewing and very few supplies!
Supplies:
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Directions:
Cut the top 2″ off of an ice cream bucket. This will help keep the pocket on your mail holder nice and stiff and you’re repurposing something!
Lay the plastic strip across your bulletin board’s width and determine where you’ll need to cut it to make the top of the pocket. I cut mine so that there was approximately a 2″ rise in the center (from the board to the plastic strip). Also make sure the ends of the strip curve over the sides of the bulletin board and are flush with the back. Cut the strip.
Lay your bulletin board right-side-down on your fabric, and cut your fabric to size. Make sure you have enough fabric on all sides to pull over the side and back edge of the board (leaving extra fabric is always better than cutting it too small)!
Using a glue gun, pull the fabric taut around the front of the board to the back and glue it down on the back edge. To glue the corners down, fold them as pictured above, and then fold them again along the second angle before continuing on.
The covered bulletin board will look like this, above – how cute! You could use it as-is, but adding this little pocket takes this board to the next level…
Cut a piece of fabric that is as long as your plastic piece + enough to wrap around the sides of your bulletin board and as high as you want the pocket to be (I made mine about half the height of the board) + enough to wrap around the bottom of your bulletin board + 2 1/2″ to wrap around the plastic strip. Glue about 1/2″ of the fabric, with the right side of it down, to one edge of the strip. When the glue is dry, fold the fabric down so that the right side is showing (as pictured above). Leave an equal amount of fabric on each side of the strip; this is what you’ll use to fold over and glue to your board later.
Turn the fabric over the strip and pull it up over it. Glue it down on the other edge.
Glue the pocket onto the bulletin board by gluing the edges around the board as you did with the original fabric piece. Make sure to pull the plastic strip and fabric taut so that the pocket will be smooth.
You’re all done! Now you have a functional catch-all board that matches your decor!
Christina Dennis is the creator and designer behind Golly Gee Baby, a collection of unique and colourful baby clothing and accessories that are ethically manufactured.
by Christina Dennis
I’m working on giving my master bedroom a little makeover this spring. I love the look of decorative cushions in fun colours, and they do wonders for changing the look of a room! These pillow covers were based off of a pillow cover I had purchased with a buttoned opening on the back. I loved the buttons so much that I decided that the buttons should be on the front side!
This tutorial is really simple. I found the hardest parts were ensuring the measurements were correct and sewing the button holes (I avoid any type of closure sewing – buttons, zippers, all of them). But once you make one, you’ll want to make a half dozen for your home! They are a quick little project to brighten up your living room, your baby’s room, or your bedroom.
Materials:
I purchased my fabric for this project from fabric.com:
Directions:
Measure your pillow form from end to end. For my master bedroom project so far, I purchased and measured one 20″ pillow form and two 17″ pillow forms.
One side of the pillow is plain, so cut one square of fabric that is ONE INCH larger than your pillow form measurement (to allow for 1/2″ seam allowances). If you want to center a pattern from your fabric on the pillow, keep this in mind when cutting (above, I centered a yellow flower on the back piece).
Multiply your pillow width by 0.66 (2/3). Add 6″ to this measurement (for a seam allowance and fold + an extra 3″ to go beneath the large piece for the button placket). This is the width your large front piece, which is approximately 2/3 of the pillow width (the length is the same as your back piece/pillow form length). The button holes will go on the hemmed edge of this piece. Measure twice and cut once, keeping in mind fabric pattern placement!
Multiply your pillow width by 0.33 (1/3). Add 3″ to this measurement (for a seam allowance and fold) . This is the width your small front piece, which is approximately 1/3 of the pillow width (the length is the same as your back piece/pillow form length). The buttons will be sewn on the hemmed edge of this piece. Measure twice and cut once!
Now you will be sewing the large hems on the front pieces for the button placket. On each front piece, using the side that is the regular pillow form width, turn the raw edge over 1/2″ and press. Then, turn again 2 1/2″. Press. Sew along this hem, approximately 1/8″ from the fold.
Lay the larger piece over top of the small piece with the hems facing eachother. The large piece should then overlap the smaller piece by 2 1/2″, covering the lower piece’s hem. Pin at the ends to secure, then stay-stitch the ends 1/4″ from the raw edges.
Now, lay this front piece over the previously cut back piece, right sides together. The nice thing about this project is that if you measured the front pieces incorrectly, you can trim either side at this point to match the front piece! Pin around the perimeter, then sew the pieces together using a 1/2″ seam allowance. Trim the corners at an angle (this gives a nice crisp corner when turned right-side-out).
Turn the pillow right-side-out through the opening. Poke the corners out. Next, find the center of the top button placket using a measuring tape. Mark the center with a pin near the hem sewing line. Using another pin, mark your button’s width directly below that (example: if your button measures 3/4″ inch, put a pin 3/4″ below the first pin) to mark where your button hole begins and ends.
I unfortunately have a manual button holer on my machine, so I have to use this marking process. If you have an automatic button holer – bonus! Follow the directions on your machine to make the button holes.
Then, use the same pin-marking technique to place one button hole centered between this middle button hole and the edge of the pillow. Repeat for the other side.
Hand-stitch the buttons on the lower placket by measuring in the same manner and marking with pins. Center them vertically on the lower piece’s hem.
And, voila! You are finished. Press the pillow cover if you wish, and place the pillow form inside. Button it up & make a few more. So pretty!
Christina Dennis is the creator and designer behind Golly Gee Baby, a collection of unique and colourful baby clothing and accessories that are ethically manufactured.
I'm Christina - a DIYer and decorator living on the Alberta prairies in a home we built ourselves. My goal is to inspire you to create a cozy home and life you love!
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