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Steph had a hodgepodge of lighting in her garage, all with different color temperatures and there was not enough of it. It was time for an upgrade!
We purchased linkable lighting fixtures and installed them to remedy the lighting situation. They plug in so no wiring was needed.
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There is nothing cuter than a dog in a bandana! With two greyhounds, we have a lot of bandanas. With so many, we needed to find a compact, easy way to store them.
Steph came up with a great idea for a bandana stand not to be confused with a banana stand! Take a look at how it all came together.
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I've found I like the challenge of creating different alternative Christmas trees and this year is no exception. I started the challenge by looking for suitable materials that I already had on hand.
I found a bunch of mini wood crates that I had gotten at a conference that would prove to be the perfect starting point along with some leftover wood dowels (from last year's tree) and a well aged tree branch!
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What's better than one greyhound? Two! Tosh is the second "dog daughter" to join the Mother Daughter Projects team so a new raised feeding stand was needed. Follow along as we share our DIY version.
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Here's another edition of "Top 5 DIY Tools!" This time they are from The Home Depot. Take a look at some of the tools we consider to be essential. Let us know your favorites in the comments.
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This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
We recently completed four product videos for the Home Depot. What that means is when you are looking at, for example, the Glacier Bay 1.28 GPF toilet, you'll find our product video giving you more information about it.
In addition to the toilet, we also did product videos for a caulk gun, glass cutter, and HLVP spray gun. We were determined to connect all four of these random products into one cohesive mini bathroom makeover. Here's how we did it! Here are seven DIY alternatives to the traditional Christmas tree. All can be made with easy to find materials--some with recycled elements, others with standard lumber. Bonus, most are designed for easy and space saving storage when the holidays are over.
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We had some very thoughtful and helpful comments posted our video about the resin shed assembly. We though a couple of the comments had merit so we decided to implement them.
Here's what we did to improve the shed based on viewer comments. text by Vicki Sign up here to join our weekly email newsletter! The very first piece of vintage furniture that I purchased right out of college was a desk with chair. My first job was in a small north Florida town where I sublet an apartment for two months. My unit was tacked onto the back of a home and featured the smallest bathtub ever. Bonus, it had no shower so I had to connect a handheld sprayer to the tub faucet for a very rough facsimile of an actual shower. Bonus, it also had mice! That gives you a good idea why I was only there two months.
Anyway, the garage apartment was occupied by a lady that moved while I lived in the third apartment. She sold all her furniture and I was given the opportunity to pick from the leftovers. The second apartment tenant made sure he had first dibs on everything. Evidently, he was an antiques collections so he got "all the good" stuff! Not sure what he got, but I was very happy with the desk and a couple of end tables that I purchased. I used that desk for years until the chair fell apart when I then stored them both in the garage. At one point I did try to refinish it but didn't follow through. The Builder's Challenge gave me the push I needed to finally repair and refinish the pieces one and for all!
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One of the most frequent asked questions about the enclosed fan we installed in Steph's office (and in my sewing room) is "How do you clean the blades?"
Since Steph doesn't really clean, she's more of a tidier, cleaning the blades hasn't seem to be a priority for her! But since the question was asked, she set about to show you how it is done. text by Vicki Sign up here to join our weekly email newsletter! It doesn't happen very often, but we sometimes have to revisit a project. This time, we had to tweak the PVC pipe gate due to damage it sustained.
With few exceptions, there are very few unannounced visitors to Steph's backyard, but recently there have been a few neighbors back there. It was nothing bad, they had come into the yard to look for their cat. Unfortunately, the gate was broken in the process. You see, the gate opens inward, but the neighbors pulled it out causing damage. The damage was extensive enough that we had to take it down to make repairs.
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We are always on the lookout for new and innovated DIY products to try. Steph spotted this new product by DAP and thought it looked promising. She convinced me we needed to give it a try in a head to head product challenge. DAP Eclipse Wall Repair Patch verses standard spackling.
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While once again using a plastic scraper we got from Amazon in yet another project, we got to thinking we needed to share our other favorite Amazon "must have" tools. We put together a list of five tools we find ourselves using time after time on projects--that are all under $20! There's a bonus tool that comes in at $27 that we've had since Sears was in the business of selling tools!
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It's been a year since we first used the 30% vinegar/salt/dishwashing soap solution, but the weeds were back. Are they new weeds or ones that were not killed the first time around? We don't really know, but we do know, that in a couple of areas the weed growth has been effectively stunted since the first application.
That first post has been extremely popular and has generated so many comments and questions. In this video/post, we answer some of those questions. Here's part 2 of using this method.
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Wearing masks when we go out have become a "normal" way of life for all of us. Almost every car you see, now has a mask hung over the rear view mirror or scattered across the car dash! We are no exception! Our daily masks hang out in labeled brown paper bags in the front window. But, inside the house, there has been no organization of all the daily essentials needed for a trip outside the house in this season of COVID-19.
But lack of organization is a thing of the past as we've put together a simple family "grab and go" mask station using Wall Control metal pegboard. This is a simple DIY to create a mask organization and storage system that functions as a mask drop zone for the entire family. The pegboard assembles quickly and because it's pegboard, it is extremely flexible to customize for your family needs.
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Fall and Halloween decorating is in full swing. We're all ready for a little change of season and a little fall decor both inside and outside of our homes. In partnership with the Home Depot, we created a DIY pumpkin topiary for fall that can be swapped out for a spooky Halloween tree complete with DIY ornaments!
Head to the Home Depot to see the full video on how to build the topiary. In this post, we'll go into more detail on how to deck out your Halloween tree.
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This table has a history. It was custom crafted by a local maker many years ago who seemed to have a good reputation regarding his craftsmanship. Unfortunately, it was clear when the table was delivered, his "craftsmanship" left much to be desired. The tabletop was a beauty, but the legs and the way they were attached, left the table feeling wobbly and difficult to move.
Steph lived with it for a while, but finally got fed up. That's when we added metal sawhorse legs. Although that solution looked really good, those legs also proved to be a problem as well. Finally, we had a "duh" moment and came up with this solution!
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Steph received an heirloom pearl necklace from her grandmother and wanted to find a way to display it when not wearing it.
She did a little internet research and found a couple of ideas that she adapted into a DIY design that would work. The surprise material used in this project is a glass vase! She found one the size she needed, took off the feet and inverted to use as the display case--so smart! Follow along as Steph puts together this simple, but perfect display case.
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Yeah, that title expresses truth about Steph's floor. Yes, she's spot cleaned because she is not a total cavewoman, but mopping the entire floor has never been on her to-do list! The greyhound living at Steph's house pushed the need for daily cleaning because shed and drool happens!
Hoover sent us four different ONEPWR cleaning tools recently. We used three in a previous video, but felt the ONEPWR floor cleaner warranted its own closer look video. The floor cleaner, we felt, would be the perfect tool to help Steph manage the care and cleaning of her floors. Take a look at this cordless cleaning machine.
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This post is sponsored by Hoover. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
Steph and I were introduced to the Hoover ONEPWR system at a conference in the summer of 2019. The bandana wearing puppies in the booth drew us in, but it was the ONEPWR system that kept us intrigued.
After yet another frustrating experience with my corded, heavy vac, I said enough is enough and purchased a ONEPWR stick vac last fall. I kicked that old vac literally to the curb and haven't looked back! When Hoover asked us to showcase some of their newest pet products, we said 'yes' without any hesitation. My experience with the stick vac has been positive and I was sure we'd find the same ease of use and quality with these products. Follow along as we share our experience with these tools and how Hoover has helped us to "simplify pet life" which is sorely needed as Steph is the pet parent of Mac, the greyhound, who does shed---a lot!
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Steph has always loved snow cones and decided 2020 was the year she needed to treat herself to a professional snow cone machine. She got it and has been making lots and lots of snow cone treats!
Not knowing what flavors she wanted, she started with two, but the collection has grown as others have requested their favorites. Mine is cherry, which ironically is Steph's least favorite! Anyway, after her collection of flavors grew so big, I suggested that it would be fun to create a tray in order to present a "flight" of snow cone flavors to guests. So, that's what we did. Watch the video or read about how we made it.
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During the porch refresh, we decided we needed some kind of decor for the large siding clad wall. After much discussion on the pros and cons of hanging it from the vinyl siding or ceiling, we decided a free standing unit to display succulents would be best. Along the way, we ended up adding to the unit which solved a vexing, ongoing problem on the porch. Happy accident!
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In this time of COVID-19, we have been making good use of the porch at Steph's house. We eat most of our meals out there. Prior to making this C-table, we brought out an indoor table to use in the space. The weather was not kind to that piece of furniture so it was time to make something more suitable.
Nothing is more suitable to the outdoors than pressure treated wood! That's what we used to make our table. It is VERY IMPORTANT to note that working with pressure treated wood can release harmful chemicals. We used all the PPE to keep ourselves safe while we worked. |