Tag Archives: diy

Cinco de Mayo Fun

Who cares if Cinco de Mayo isn’t an American holiday? Look at it as another way to have fun with your friends and family. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the occasion, you might be interested to know that Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. Many people mistaken the holiday as such, but actually, Cinco de Mayo originates from the day that the Mexican army defeated French forces in The Battle of Puebla. The first Cinco de Mayo celebration took place in the United States in 1967 when a group of California State University students realized … Continue reading →

Money Saving Decor Projects

Sure it would be nice to have a showroom of a home, complete with the finest accessories and decor, but hey, that just isn’t reality, or is it? I’ve come across some cool projects that we can do ourselves. For a hour or less and a little pocket change, we can wind up with stunning pieces to accessorize our homes. For some reason, I wanted to focus on home craft projects that involve glass. I think this is because my recycling bin always seems to be overflowing with glass jars and bottles. Why not turn all of that glass into … Continue reading →

Building a Paludarium

If you want to combine land and water habitats in your tank — create a paludarium — the best bet for a beginner may be a paludarium kit. However, after poking around various shopping and search sites, it seems like it might be difficult to find one! Terrarium kits are far easier to find. Educational suppliers like Carolina do offer “river tank” ecosystems for classrooms that can support aquatic and land animals and plants. Don’t be put off by the lack of kits available at the moment — you can still make your own paludarium! The first think you need … Continue reading →

Guide to Interior Doors for Your Home 2

How to choose interior doors should be given a lot more thought than it is in most people’s homes. Interior door choices can solve all sorts of problems from a noisy laundry room to a bathroom that is too small. In my previous post, I started talking about some of the different choices in interior doors and listing the pros and cons of each. Now, I’ll continue with the rest of the types. If you missed that earlier blog post, click here: Guide to Interior Doors for Your Home. Pocket Pocket doors are related to sliding doors in that they … Continue reading →

Guide to Interior Doors for Your Home

Interior doors can update your home and give it a new makeover, or solve a stubborn closet or laundry room problem. But not all interior doors are the same. Different designs and even different materials have different purposes. Here is a guide to tell you what you need to know about interior doors for your home. Let’s first take a look at the style of doors. The different types of interior doors include hinged, sliding, pocket, bi-fold and folding doors. Hinged or Hung A hinged interior is the classic door that most of us think about when we think of … Continue reading →

Clever Ideas Around the Home & Yard

Sometimes you have a problem around your home that can be fixed with just a little bit of ingenuity. How many times have we lived with an issue or paid for an expensive solution while wishing for something better? Well, most families are pretty smart and creative about coming up with great ideas. For example, in a previous blog I posted about How I heard that you could use your solar pathway lights for indoor lighting in the case of losing power. There is a magazine that we get called Living The Country Life. (livingthecountrylife.com). It is a magazine devoted … Continue reading →

Putting in A New Front Walk

This weekend we took on the project of repairing our front walk. It was made up of 18-inch square flagstone that acted as stepping stones from the long driveway to the front porch of the house. It traveled straight for most of the walk and then turned in to the left to the house. We had a few issues with the walk. The first was the fact that the stepping stones had shifted out of place, and some of them even started to rise and tip in places. This was a hazard, and more than one person in our family … Continue reading →

A Guide to Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans can keep you cool in winter and warm in summer. They can work alone or in conjunction with your regular cooling and heating systems, depending on the temperature and your needs. But choosing a ceiling fan isn’t just a matter of picking a style that you like and then installing it. There are some different things to consider. Keep reading to find out what you should know before you choose a ceiling fan. Installation for most ceiling fans is pretty easy, so you probably can do it yourself. The fans should come with their own installation hardware. When … Continue reading →

When Remodeling, Consider the Neighbors

If you are planning a remodeling project, it is important to consider the neighbors. No, not because they might complain but because their home might be affecting the value of your own. Taking a look at all of the factors for your home, including your neighbors will help you make the right decisions about remodeling projects and get the most value from your investment. First, if you are planning an addition, take a look at the square footage of the houses that belong to your neighbors. You want to keep the size of your house in line with the others. … Continue reading →

Home Projects in the Heat

Warm weather doesn’t mean that you have to put an end to home improvement projects, but the heat can certainly affect anything you are doing yourself, from quality to safety. Here are some guidelines to working in the summer. While it may not be the most pleasant job in the heat, summer is the perfect time for resealing a driveway. In the Fall or spring you might have to contend with pollen or leaf debris, and the winter is too cold for this project. Painting can be iffy in the summer. Hight humidity will increase the time that your paint … Continue reading →