After finding and holding onto this vintage medicine cabinet for a few years, I was pretty happy to get a sweet place for it in the lower level guest bathroom. It was in need of some restoration help though. Although I'm not an expert, I'm not afraid to tackle a project like this and figure it out as I go along. (shopping links for products I used in this project are at the end of this post) This charming vintage medicine cabinet has some sort of small, thin tiles covering the face of it, creating a lovely design. I actually can't tell what they're ... Keep Reading...
6 Furniture Projects to Inspire You
Revisiting some older posts here at Simple Decorating Tips, I thought it'd be fun to share 6 past furniture projects for inspiration. Even though I decided to only select from older projects, I am still tickled with the results! I am including tips with direct links for the products I used in order to help you be able to transform your own projects. First product and maybe the most important: For almost every painting project I work on now, I use bonding primer. It works on just about any surface and unlike most primers out there, this special bonding ... Keep Reading...
Backyard Boat Pond
This is a super fun post I've been keeping in my back pocket since I got the backyard boat pond completed last fall! Don't you just love the sound of water? I sure do! The calm soothing sound of a water fountain is so pleasant in the summer. At every one of the past 3 houses we've had, I've created a different type of water feature. I wanted a water feature in our backyard at our new house, but did not want the commitment, or cost of a built-in pond. I got a little creative and made a DIY backyard boat pond after seeing a similar one on Facebook a while ... Keep Reading...
Meringue Cookies
I'm really stepping out of the ordinary today... Today's post is for these yummy gluten-free meringue cookies. This is my very first time to post a recipe here on the blog. Funny thing is I do cook a lot. In fact, I love to cook, decorate, garden and do all the things involved with keeping a house. Though I like to cook, I don't bake treats very often. Going on 2 years now, I've been gluten free and figuring out the baking aspect of gluten free baking has been fun for the rare times I do bake. These gluten-free meringue cookies, are actually totally ... Keep Reading...
How to Sew a Pleated Valance
If you've been following along, you know that I've been working on getting the design studio ready. (I'm currently only able to offer e-decorating, but hope to be able to offer other types of decorating consulting very soon.) The window in this studio space needed a little pizzazz without a lot of fuss. In this post I'm going to show you how to sew a pleated valance like I did for the studio window. The fabric and style selection: The window had a roman shade that I ordered from HERE. That took care of the function, but didn't add too much ... Keep Reading...
7 Simple Hangers
These 7 simple hangers are fairly common, (except one that is pretty unique). I use most of them so frequently that I thought about calling this post '7 Hangers You Can't Live Without'.... then I decided that was a wee bit sensationalized. (Maybe?) I truly love to share simple tips and techniques with you for the sole purpose of offering encouragement. I want you to be able to DIY without being afraid. To understand things like simple picture hangers, may actually help build your confidence to hang a picture, plate or artwork yourself! Last week I ... Keep Reading...
Tips on Installing Faux Beams
Faking it! This is a post on faking it! If you boil it down, there is a pretty big part of decorating that is about 'faking it', right?! Trying to create a look and feel with the decorations. Where does the 'creating' end and the 'faking' start? Maybe that's too abstract of thinking... Maybe that's just me, just how my decorator mind works... Maybe, (and this is a very solid option) I've been in my house during the quarantine too long... LOL In my attempt to transform our 1970's house into a colonial revival cottage style, I decided it needed beams. ... Keep Reading...
5 Ways Hardware Made a Difference
Ever been at a point of a project when you seem to have hit a dead end, or at least a really big pothole? You had the vision but are struggling how to connect the pieces? Boy, I sure have, more times than I can count. Usually it goes something like this: I have a vision for the finished project. I even have most of the 'ingredients' for the project. The big ole pothole is figuring out how to connect those ingredients to make the vision come to life. I have found many times that some sort of hardware is the key ingredient. Finding just the right type of ... Keep Reading...
Simple Stool Re-Do
Are you getting projects and extra cleaning done during this virus quarantine time at home? I work from home, so not a ton has changed for me in that regard. I'm pretty sure I will always have more projects, chores and things I want to get accomplished in a day than I have time or energy for! The thing that has been super hard for me is not being able to see my grandkids. Yep, that is for sure the very hardest part of this 'Safer at Home' quarantine. I miss my people!! Last week I veered away from my normal DIY post style to share a very personal post. If ... Keep Reading...
Endeavor
This post is going to be a bit out of the ordinary DIY posts I write. Just as the world around us is changing ever so rapidly, so is my post for this week. How are you doing in the midst of this pandemic? Everything is changing day by day, hour by hour. Six months ago, who could have imagined the changes we're experiencing now? Back in the 60's and 70's, I grew up by a tiny town named 'Endeavor'. Endeavor was a bucolic little town on the banks of the Fox River. 'Mayberry' through and through! My grandmother, the best cook on the face of the ... Keep Reading...
