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We built this portable, folding pallet wall for a booth in which to promote Steph's book at a professional conference. There was never any question we would DIY all the elements of the booth!

Steph had this idea for a pallet wall and other elements, and I just went along with what she wanted. Actually, I really never had a clear idea of the end result, but just completed the tasks as she gave them to me.

It wasn't until everything was done and put together that I saw the "vision!" Read on to see how we made it and then check out some of the applications it could have in your own home.

text by Vicki     Sign up here to join our weekly email newsletter! ​

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

It's finally cooling off here in Florida making it less miserable to work outside. My patio is long overdue for cleaning and for a little makeover.

Just keeping it real--that IS the actual condition of my back patio--it's not a place anyone would want to spend time. But, fall means we can actually sit outside, so let the cleaning begin!

Steph's backyard is basically nothing but pea gravel and pavers, with absolutely no grass. It was this way when she moved in. Because it is so shady back there, grass is really not an option. What does grow back there are weeds and lots of them!

It's been a particularly healthy growing season for weeds this summer. It would be impossible to pull all of them so we started to look for a chemical way to kill them.

We wanted to steer clear of treatments such as Round-Up, due to the potential danger to Mac, Steph's dog, should she eat one of the poisoned weeds. We investigated natural methods and came across a method using vinegar. 

Caution: To be clear, we do not know if this method is safe for animals. We do know from research that using the vinegar and salt formula will leave the dirt on which it is used sterile. That is, nothing is going to grow there in the future. So, for example, you wouldn't use it to clear out weeds in a garden and then go back and plant vegetables and expect them to grow. 

text by Vicki     Sign up here to join our weekly email newsletter! ​

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

Several years ago, I found a small collection of vintage magazines including copies of Woman's Day at a yard sale. I eagerly read through them marveling at the advertisements, the article topics, extensive pull-out recipe sections, and the crafts! Oh, the crafts!

The issue that really caught my attention was Woman's Day, November 1964. (Let's see...I was 11 at the time of publishing, in the 6th grade, it had been a year since president Kennedy was killed, and I was in 4-H where I was learning to sew and cook.)

​In that issue was an article on 100 Christmas gifts to make--everything from scarves to woodworking. Every one of the 100 things were similar in that they offered scant instructions. In the sixties, I guess they assumed you already knew all the things! 

The mid-century bird sculpture was the one thing that I knew I wanted to make, but without the proper tools, this had to wait! 

​text by Vicki     Sign up here to join our weekly email newsletter! ​

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

Despite all the work our first PVC project entailed, we were determined to repeat the process on an indoor piece. We incorporated many of the suggestions given through the comments from our viewers. Spoiler: this process was so much easier! 

As always, watching the video will give you a complete look at the entire process. It's less than 10 minutes to view.