Tag Archives: craft

Home Week in Review: Oct. 29 – Nov. 4

This week, Mary Ann finished up her great series on common mistakes people make when attempting do-it-yourself home improvement projects, giving us the final two installments number 6 and last but not least 7 Common DIY Mistakes (7). These are recommended reading for anyone with an interest in DIY projects. There are also several other do it yourself and home improvement articles, as well as articles on nearly any other home and garden topic you can think of Home Blog, including holidays and holiday decorating (different writers have contributed over the years, so don’t forget to check out some of … Continue reading →

7 Common DIY Mistakes (7)

This is it! We at the end of our series on the seven most common mistakes that people make when doing projects around their home by themselves. It has been a long road, and we have covered so much. If you have missed any of these articles, just take a look at the links below this one. You’ll find everything there that you need to catch up on the discussion. And we can come full circle talking about a common mistake that can really be overcome within any of the other mistakes. What I mean is, that avoiding this mistake … Continue reading →

7 Common DIY Mistakes (6)

Ooh, we are getting close to the end of our series of the 7 most common do it yourself (DIY) mistakes that people usually make. The sixth one is one that I continue to remind myself about. Over the years, not falling for this mistake has saved us some money. This next common DIY mistake is one that you might not usually think about. It is missing out on guarantees. Many times we take on DIY projects to save some money. Even if we have the skills and experience, we can’t guarantee our own work for free, so sometimes hiring … Continue reading →

7 Common DIY Mistakes (5)

What common do it yourself (DIY) mistake can really get you into trouble? You could be hit with fines, lose weeks or months of time, or even lose your home sale if you have your house on the market. Don’t let it happen to you. The fifth most common DIY mistake has to do with permits. I am always surprised at home many homeowners don’t realize that they need to apply for and have permits granted for many renovation and remodeling projects. Overlooking permits can ruin your project and set you up for some expensive challenges. Permit requirements will vary … Continue reading →

Home Week in Review: October 15 – 21

Halloween (or Harvest) is right around the corner. After that, we’ll be moving full steam ahead into the major holidays. So start with Some Simple Halloween Decorating Ideas and learn how to Protect Your Home from Pumpkins as we near the end of October. Then check out Early Bird Thanksgiving Tips. We will have more on Thanksgiving over the next few weeks. Some of the other ways you can begin ready for holidays, is getting your home in good shape. Whether it is just going to be your immediate family or you’re planning to have huge get-togethers, it feels good … Continue reading →

7 Common DIY Mistakes (3)

Doing it yourself instead of hiring a professional just might cost you money in the long run. This is especially true if you plan on selling your home in the future. We have been talking about the most common do it yourself mistakes and how to avoid them. We are now up the the third mistake, and it could be one of the most costly ones. What is it? Read below. The mistake we are going to talk about today is equating the dollar amount you spend with the value of the remodel or repair. You can spend thousands of … Continue reading →

7 Common DIY Mistakes (2)

Do you have a project that you can do yourself? Before you tackle that repair or remodeling job, you might want to read this series of articles. We’ll explore the seven most common DIY mistakes and tell you how to avoid them. Last time, we spoke about the danger of overestimating your skills. This time, we will cover underestimating the value of your time. Sure you may have the knowledge and experience to tackle your project, but did you factor in your time? There are a few ways where time can get you into trouble. The first is underestimating the … Continue reading →

Single Parents are Do-it-Yourself Experts

I know that title sounds a little snooty and I don’t mean to imply that somehow single parents are “better” than anyone else in any way—but I did want to say something encouraging, positive, and I believe—pretty accurate. When I think of all the single parents I know, most of them are pretty thrifty and creative and quite versed in the ways of the do-it-yourselfer… I think that there is truth to the old saying that necessity is the mother of invention—there’s nothing like a limited budget, limited time, and a healthy helping of need to inspire a person to … Continue reading →

7 Common DIY Mistakes (1)

Doing it yourself (DIY) can be fun and profitable. But there are some times when a DIY project can go seriously wrong, costing you time and money. We’ll go through the seven most common DIY mistakes that most people make. This way, you can be sure to avoid making these mistakes yourself. Let’s start with the first mistake. One of the most common DIY mistakes, in fact, I am putting this down as number 1, is overestimating your skills for the project. I see this time and time again. People with little or no experience think they can do a … Continue reading →

Interview: The Chocolate Lab

I had the opportunity to (virtually) sit down with Amanda, owner of a cute little shop called The Chocolate Lab. Her pet products have appeared on the HGTV website and in Puppies USA Magazine — so I figured they were worth a look. Aimee: So how did you get started? What inspired you? Amanda: We bought our first house in November of 2005, and the first thing I did was find myself the perfect little puppy to join our family. I started doing some research regarding dog food, and I was horrified at the lack of care that went into … Continue reading →