Photo: Bruno Bornsztein It’s advent calendar time! As I write this post, the Midwest is being walloped by a snow storm. Nothing inspires holiday decorating like many inches of snow, and to stave off decking all the halls, I created a little diy advent calendar village for our children. Read on for the full tutorial. … Read more
Board and batten adds a geometric, layered look to both interior and exterior walls. This siding and paneling style uses thin strips of wood — or battens — placed over the seams of wide boards. You can mimic the look of board and batten on an accent wall without installing wide wood boards. Here’s how: … Read more
The ingeniously simple speed square is the most practical and useful hand tool for any carpenter or do-it-yourself. Also called a rafter square, this multi-purpose triangular carpenters’ tool packs so many features into such a small tool that at first glance it might be confusing how to use it. So, we’ve broken down its five … Read more
As a gardener and urban farmer you come to appreciate and treasure compost, or as I affectionately call it, “Black Gold”. Composting itself is actually pretty easy and there are several methods and solutions. Whether you own a full-on farm, or live in a tiny apartment, there is no reason you can’t or shouldn’t be composting. … Read more
We’ve rounded up one hundred IKEA hacks that prove you can have champagne tastes on a beer budget. Each of these hacks illustrates the power of transformation – basic warehouse pieces are cleverly altered in beautiful ways that make them feel custom. This round up has me feeling like Aladdin on a magic carpet ride – so come … Read more
Day beds are versatile pieces of furniture that don’t have to be confined to a bedroom. Place a twin-sized one in a den for both comfy lounge seating and a spare bed for guests. Here’s how to build one yourself. Why is it called a day bed? Because it can be made in a day! … Read more
Jade & Fern We’ve reached the weekend of BBQs and graduation parties! It’s kind of like the official kick-off to summer. Celebrate with some simple and custom wood coasters! Cut from wooden blocks and painted black and white, these coasters are simple enough and match any party color scheme. Head over to Jade … Read more
Photo: Faith Towers As a borderline obsessive flower lover, I’m always on the hunt for new vases and centerpiece ideas. So when I ran across a beautiful rectangular glass container on Amazon, I knew I had to have it (and make something out of it, of course). Click through to check out the resulting trough-style vase … Read more
A stop block makes cutting multiple pieces of wood on a miter saw faster and easy. A stop block is a simple reusable jig used in woodworking to mark an edge so multiple pieces of wood can be cut quickly and uniformly. It can get tiresome to stop and measure each piece before you cut … Read more
A stop block makes cutting multiple pieces of wood on a miter saw faster and easy. A stop block is a simple reusable jig used in woodworking to mark an edge so multiple pieces of wood can be cut quickly and uniformly. It can get tiresome to stop and measure each piece before you cut … Read more