Whenever I purchase new curtain panels for a room, I always buy one or two of the panels in a longer length so I have extra fabric . This extra fabric is used to make valances and pillow covers. Last week I made a both with the extra fabric from our bedroom curtains. Even if you're not skilled at sewing curtains, these are some of the easiest valances you can make.
1. Curtain Panel
Our bedroom curtains rods are mounted for a standard 84-inch curtain panel. I realize now that ...
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How to Create the Charcoal Gray Wood Finish Using Paint
You may have seen the charcoal gray wood finish when searching for furniture on Wayfair, Amazon, or any of the furniture stores. These pieces have the grain of real wood and look like they've been stained with a dark gray stain. Well, today I'm going to show you how to re-create that look on any piece of furniture using paint and glaze.
Let's say you have a table or a dresser that you would like to refinish in a modern gray but the thought of sanding it all down in order to stain it is ...
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Our Home Project List & the Sticker Shock!
In the last post I showed you our home project list and let you know that I was going to start pricing out and prioritizing the projects. If you missed that one, you can see it HERE. As I explained, we haven't needed to do any major home repairs until now and they're all starting to pile up. The problem is that since I haven't needed to shop for items or services in a very long time, I'm having severe sticker shock. Keep reading to see what I mean...
STEP 2: Make the Spreadsheet ...
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It’s Time For a Plan – Creating a Home Project List & Pricing it All Out
Do you know the sayings... "a carpenter's house always needs work" or "an architect's house is always leaking"? Sometimes it gets to be that way in our house. We're so busy doing work for others that we put off work in our own home. Well, it's time to stop putting off projects and make a plan for some major repairs.
My husband and I built our house 19 years ago. Other than paint and basic upkeep, we've done very few major repairs or renovations to the house since then. The problem is ...
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Favorite Finds on Amazon
Welcome back! Has anyone else been watching movies and doing some online shopping waiting for these winter months to pass? Well, join the club. Here are a few of my favorite finds on Amazon this month. A laptop bag, my favorite black work pants, a blender we use every day, and more.
Has anyone else felt overwhelmed by the political news? I know I have; and yet, I've been completely captivated by the process - listening to every bit of news (from all sides) that I can take in and ...
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Refinishing a Butcher Block Table & Set of Chairs
Back in early November before the weather here in New England turned too cold to paint and stain, a client (and now friend) ask me to refinish her butcher block table and set of chairs. I've refinished a few of these tables and chairs and while they are time-consuming, removing the clear-coat finish from the tabletop is pretty predictable.
Butcher block tables appear to have a very heavy clear-coat on the surface. And the finish is very durable. But in comparison to antique ...
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2020 Year in Review: The Paint and Finishes I Used Most
Year-end is the perfect time to review the projects you’ve completed throughout the year. Doing so, you're able to see trends in your projects and determine which ones you'd like to do more of and the future direction of where you could go. So here's my 2020 Year in Review, the paints and finishes I used used most, and the direction I think 2021 will take me.
Looking back at the past year allows me to see which paint and stain techniques I’ve used most, the types of furniture pieces ...
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The Best Pot Roast You Will Ever Eat
My husband makes the BEST pot roast I have ever had and today I'm going to share this super simple recipe with you. It's a one-pot meal that you place in the over and cook low and slow for 5 hours. The result is a super soft beef with flavorful carrots, potatoes, and onions. It's absolutely mouth-watering and gluten-free!
Ingredients
The amounts in this recipe are for a family of 5 adults like ours. We usually use about 4-1/2 lbs of beef. This can consist of one ...
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