I try to get my hands on every material I can think of, and sadly, that means I can never make a quick trip to the hardware store. Even when I plan to rush in and grab a packet of bolts or a can of paint, I always leave three hours later with those things,…
There are so many great things happening in the embroidery world these days. Gone are the old-fashioned needlepoint projects of yesteryear, replaced with a new crop of fantastic modern stitchery that ranges from quick, trendy patterns available for purchase on sites like Etsy to some amazing fine art pieces by a new generation of textile…
For the first time in several years, I’ve been spending more time at my desk. And although I love the change of pace, the change of space needed a few upgrades. My desk sits against a wall in an open living room, so I built a room divider to create a cozy little nook for…
I’m trying to get a little better at tending to plants, and have subsequently been looking for new garden pots. I had my eye on an incredible ceramic blocked planter at Anthropologie, but neglected to act quickly enough and it sold out. The pot was studded with chunky ceramic bricks, and I was drawn to…
This project stems from a conversation I had with Grace and Amy on my last visit; they had seen an image of a rolling pin held in place with two simple straps, and thought it could adapt nicely to become a wall scroll for organizing ideas. I managed to score three long branches from a…
Math was never my strongest subject, but lately I’ve felt a strong desire to play around with geometry. Inspired by the awesome tape artwork of artist Alex Menocal, I wanted to focus my geometric experiments on my walls but actually make a piece that is three-dimensional. 3D structures can be tricky to mount on walls,…
Today’s second project is another submission, and it provides a very nice contrast to our first project: Nick’s wood knife rack is rough and rugged, while this versatile flower pin DIY from Portland, Oregon-based florist Anna Mara is soft, pretty and feminine. I love the idea of taking a big, fresh bloom and using it as…
I love projects that make use of old materials, especially when they take just a few easy steps to complete. This quick and easy reclaimed-wood knife rack from Nick Ward-Bopp is something you could probably finish in a couple hours, and as he points out below, it’s a great way to make use of empty…
My knitting skills are pretty basic, but I’ve been wanting to expand them, especially for home projects. After a failed attempt at a blanket last winter, I hung up my needles and haven’t really returned to knitting since. This simple knit pillow tutorial is just the kind of project to pull me back, even in the…
When we moved into our current rental, it had a hideous ceiling fan and light hanging in just about the oddest place you could put it. Needless to say, it was the first thing to go. This left us with the dilemma of not having a light source in our dining and living room. I…
This project is perhaps the simplest I’ve ever done, but I don’t consider that a downside in the least. I’ve been letting my phone go “commando” lately—no case, that is :) I appreciate the minimalism, but I don’t like letting it just rest on the table, where I can easily bump it or accidentally pile…
I’ve been slowly moving into my new studio over the past couple weeks. Piles of stuff are, I’m sad to say, everywhere. It’s been an enjoying the chaos, however, because the sight of certain materials thrown together on the floor has inspired a few recent projects. Such is the case with today’s two DIY…
Whenever I have a vision for changing something, I become very impatient to see it completed. This amazing dining room transformation from Ava Roth reminds me how wonderful it can be to tackle slow, epic projects, working bit by bit when you have a spare moment and watching your work grow from one little section…
Spontaneous piles seem to form around my house. Mail is probably the most often piled culprit. Why worry about opening mail and filing it when you can stack it up for a week? If you feel the same but are looking for a way to appease the neat freaks in your life, why not make…
I’ve been totally into the geometric triangle trend we’re seeing now in the graphic design world, especially because this motif reminds me of a patchwork quilt. So I couldn’t resist jumping on the triangle trend and stitching up some triangle patchwork wall art for my (very bare) living room walls, and I thought I’d share…
After creating many projects for the site, I’ve noticed a DIY spectrum emerging. Some projects can be instructed down to the last inch, every material sized and sourced. Others are much looser, with a large element of chance and personal touch involved, and entirely dependent on what you can find and how the materials mold…
Around this time last year, Grace, Amy and I went to check out the “McMasterpieces” show curated by Sight Unseen as part of NY Design Week. We loved these pieces by Alissia Melka-Teichroew; they not only inspired one of our projects for last year’s summer newspaper, but they’ve been haunting me ever since. I love the…
Tights, furniture, hair — ombre fades are everywhere! I hope the trend continues; I think everything could benefit from a little ombre experimentation. I love the three-tone fade on this ombre dining chair tutorial from Jesse Dresbach of Nine Red Design. Jesse has a knack for brining modern techniques to found pieces of furniture — you may…
I can’t even tell you how excited I am for spring. I know this hasn’t been a bad winter, but honestly, it isn’t the cold that bothers me. It’s the lack of sunlight. And now that sunset is officially at 7:25 pm, I’m feeling a lot happier. Of course, my happiness might also be due…
Though I don’t have a green thumb, I am always looking to enliven a room by incorporating plants. One challenge that comes with this attempt is finding vessels to hold my plants; there are only so many ways to paint or recover a terracotta pot. Nearly every time I go to the flea market or…
