avatar by on August 24, 2011   •   34 Comments DIY Your Home

DIY : Finishing What We Start

Written by DIY contributor Katie Clemons of Making This Home.

I’m a serious do-it-yourselfer. If we need a new blanket for the bed, I’ll start sewing a quilt. If we need bread for sandwiches, I might start making a loaf of bread. Now my husband and I need a place to live, so we’re remodeling an old airplane hangar all by ourselves.

It’s so easy to get excited about DIY projects! (Perhaps this is why I’m the DIY Contributor here at the awesome Simple Mom, huh?) It’s cheaper! It’s creative! It’s so much more fun!

But so many of our DIY projects are not getting done.

DIY is in my blood. Unfortunately, finishing my projects isn’t. You too? Do you have half-done knitting projects? Half-painted trim? A half-weeded garden?

Artist and songwriter Piero Milani said, “Why should I buy expensive art when I can make my own.”

Half-finished projects often end up being a huge waste of our time, money, and emotional happiness. It can be really hard to break the cycle. (But trust me – it’s so worth it when you do.)

So here’s what I propose for finishing the DIYs we start.
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avatar by on June 10, 2011   •   103 Comments DIY Your Home

What to Do with Old Cards and Letters

Written by DIY contributor Katie Clemons of Making This Home.

There is something incredible about the power of handwritten cards and letters.  We love getting them; most of us love sending them. But then what?

My philosophy is this: get rid of all those cards and letters that don’t add to your happiness. Keep the things that matter; repurpose everything else.

Today, I thought I’d share seven tips for what I like to do with all the cards and letters I receive.

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avatar by on March 30, 2011   •   27 Comments DIY Your Home

4 Easy DIY Decorating Projects

Written by home contributor Emily Walker of Remodeling This Life.

When I have had spaces to fill in my home, I’ve often felt uninspired by the overpriced trinkets and generic art that stores and catalogs have to offer. It can also be overwhelming to consider taking on DIY decorating projects because so many of them are complicated, take lots of materials, and require skills or time that I just don’t have. Perhaps you’ve felt the same way.

Here are some quick and easy decorating projects that can be done when you are short on time, money, or materials.

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avatar by on March 9, 2011   •   53 Comments DIY Your Home

Creating a Handmade Home

Written by DIY contributor Katie Clemons of Making This Home.

When we were young, our families often ate our food off of china. That’s what we called our very best dishes. Today, most of us are eating food on Made in China plates with Made in China forks.

This transformation in our culture makes everything cheap and abundant. It also means we’re spending more time trying to figure out how to simplify and declutter on a constant basis, more than anyone in history.

The best way we’ve started simplifying at our house is to just flip an item over and see where it was made. We start wondering:

1.What’s this item’s story?

Each dollar we spend is a vote YES to that company and the way they’re doing business.
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avatar by on December 10, 2010   •   48 Comments DIY Your Home

Plan Your Peaceful Christmas: Celebrate with Handmade Decor

I love decorating our home for the holidays. Unfortunately, this year, most of our decor is in boxes 6,000 miles away. When our family made a month-long trip back to the States for a conference, we didn’t know that health issues would keep us here longer, then ultimately relocate us back to our home country.

That’s a whole other story I can share sometime.

All our uprooting meant we could only afford for Kyle to make a trip back from one week in March, to collect as many of our items as we could cram in his allotted luggage space (plus a few more boxes). This meant that non-essentials, like Christmas decor, had to wait.

We hope to retrieve the rest of our belongings when our finances allow, so in the meantime, this means our holiday decor this year is mostly handmade. I refuse to buy more stuff when we have plenty in storage.

This is fine by me, because I honestly love the look of homemade decor. Plus, it’s been a fun way to bond with my kiddos, as we create and craft together.

I thought it would be fun to show you a few of our projects around the house.  Here are some simple ways we’ve decorated around our home, handmade-style.

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