DIY Cooking at Home

Warning Signs You Might Be a DIY Addict : You start thinking "I could make this" before even looking at the price tag, only to realize once you have finished that you spent more on supplies than if you had just bought the thing. You have experienced one or both of these conditions: a tingling, numb feeling in your index finger from spray painting and an absence of fingerprints because you've burnt your fingertips so many times on the dumb glue gun. Your personal hygeine has taken a back seat. Your dining room table resembles the clearance rack at Michael's. Rather than clear it off, you just eat somewhere else. You've seriously considered outsourcing the house cleaning so you'll have more time for your "projects." Your last dream starred John and Sherry and something about chevron. You know who John and Sherry are. Your Christmas wish list contains items like a mitre saw and quarts of Annie Sloan chalk paint. You want a better camera--not for takin...

One of my favorite days of the year is right around the corner! Say "thanks" to mom, grandma, or aunt with one of these gift ideas: Customized birthday sign by Between Everything on Etsy --$24 Mama bird and babies lanyard necklace by Menuet Designs on Etsy --$36.50 Vintage spoon garden markers by Glory Babies A to Z on Etsy --$22 Floral measuring cups by Red Envelope --$29.95 Wildflower seed bombs by Uncommon Goods --$14 for set of 2 And if you feel like making something...Martha always has an idea up her sleeve: Pantry soaps Nostalgic picture For more Handpicked by HMM ideas for Mother's Day, click here !

This week's COW is this awesome ombre-effect lampshade brought to you by Creatively Living . I love when you can achieve a very of-the-moment look with just a few supplies. Investment pieces, like furniture, are good to keep neutral, but you can go hog-wild with accessories like Katie did by purchasing a second-hand lamp, seeing its beauty, and thinking out of the box with a basic lampshade. Love it! And of course, I'm a big fan of the colors she chose. And if you can allow me to rave a bit more...I adore the modern lamp beside the traditional painting. Ok, I'm done.

I recently satisfied my need for a little retail therapy by going to Trader Joe's...is that weird? I absolutely love that place! And so do the kids because they have shopping carts sized just for them. My only problem with it is, there isn't one close by. (Sidenote: did you know that Aldi owns Trader Joe's? Since I LOVE Aldi, too, I couldn't help but be even more impressed now. However, besides the money I save by shoppping at Aldi, it's hard to feel satisfied after a trip there...I'm too hell-bent on getting what we need to feed ourselves, whereas at Trader Joe's, I meander and pick up stuff just because it looks good.) Anyhoo, here's a shot of what I bought. Bohemian Lager, which my husband really liked A bottle of 2-Buck Chuck, which I really liked 3 bunches of daffodils (they also had flowering branches like forsythia and cherry blossoms!) A sleeve of cinnamon chip scones A jar of Cookie Butter, described on the label as "a deliciously unus...

I love this song lyric...just a great reminder that life isn't perfect, but it's beautiful.

Hello! It's a blustery, chilly spring day here in northeast Ohio. The girls are napping now (the Good Lord knows my limitations and blessed me with two good sleepers), so I thought I'd take the time to explain how I tufted the lid of an old trunk we put in our entryway . Oh, and by the way, I was a bit MIA last week because my mom was here for another visit during which all we did (well, SHE did) was work. We wallpapered the half-bath off the entry and there isn't a word for how much I love it. Working on getting some chair rail hung in there, so I'll show you the big ta-da! next week probably. Anyway, here's the ubiquitous before and after shot. Sans cushiony seat... And WITH cushiony seat... Here's what I did: DIY Tufted Trunk Lid Materials Measuring tape Pencil Fabric of your choice Foam in desired thickness Cotton batting Iron Covered button kits Scissors Upholstery needle Upholstery thread or fishing line Thimble Staple gun Drill and 3/8" or 1/4...

You know how I love to repurpose! Here's a great idea from Mod Podge Rocks for turning a coffee mug holder circa 1987 into a chic jewelry holder using little more than paint, paper and decoupage medium. Couldn't we all use a little more organization on our dresser tops?