in an attempt at minimalism, i decided to sell off my poorly treated, disorganized collection of cds, receiving a mere fraction of what i paid originally. apparently, nobody needs a scratched copy of depeche mode’s violator with a cracked jewel case and SO many memories and feelings attached to it…okay i’ll keep that one! but…
we have an abundance of useless sconces in our apartment. they are a pain in the neck to turn on and they provide illumination for about six inches of a small hallway leading to our back door, but the kicker: they’re ugly. in fact, if i hadn’t been walking through my local salvage yard and…
i’ve always wanted to live in a loft, not only for their airy spacious qualities, but also because i love industrial style furniture, and hard as i try, i cannot seem to make it work in my 1920′s apartment (blast those crooked lines and over abundant molding!). i love tae’s cup holder coffee table because…
sometimes all we need to make a room seem completely new is a quick change: moving pillows from one room to the next, switching up wall art, or perhaps adding a small display to a bare wall. this easy log shelf project seems like the perfect addition to a room if you’re looking for a…
i am a very sad person this week…i used to have access to what i thought was an inexhaustible supply of old stair balusters. i love having them around because they work beautifully for all sorts of projects, and whenever i ran out i knew i could walk into this one salvage shop and sift…
i am always on the lookout for good gift ideas, and i think i can add these adorable love logs to the list. they look super easy to create and have great versatility: with a simple hole in the back it is easy to hang on a wall, or you can prop one on a…
i was really inspired by the faceted designs grace noticed at ICFF, so for this week’s diy project i decided to spiff up my cheapo alarm clock with a faceted wood cover. i have become very attached to the sound my basic alarm clock makes, but the plastic body of the clock is not the…
we have a big tree in our back yard that has become somewhat problematic. it grows at a very perilous 45 degree angle; i think it’s because its roots were dislodged by the placement of the neighboring fence and paved ground. anyway, our landlord has ordered a landscaper to come in and occasionally hack off…
when we decided to move our bedroom to a different room in the house, we no longer had the space for our old bedside tables. i decided to use an old chair because it was narrow enough and it looked pretty good. unfortunately, i lost two important things in the switch: a place for private…
i’ve been on a mission to bring more green things into my home – growing more plants and visiting my local flower shop more often! even though it’s been a trend for a while, i still can’t get enough of science-y stuff (beakers, test tubes, etc.) in the home. so for this simple project, i…
this is the second installment of jewelry storage projects, and this version is for people who love to show off their sparklies. i was very inspired by the lovely bust statue in this article from an old copy of the sadly discontinued blueprint magazine, but i wanted to create something a little more compact and…
grace mentioned to me that jewelry storage is a hot topic for a lot of readers, so i set to work brainstorming some possibilities! i realized that there are basically two camps: people who like their jewelry on display (neatly of course), and people who like to hide it away (also neatly). so i am…
here’s a last minute idea for your gifts- wrapping them or making them! these log slices take mere minutes to complete if you have a saw and drill handy. you could also ask your local lumberyard to cut them for you if you don’t have a saw, because it’s just a few quick slices. you…
i purchased these miniature birdhouses from the craft store about six months ago, because they were so adorable and i knew i would eventually come up with a use for them. voila! a miniature wooden village for my mantel during the holiday season. i already had some lights lying around, so i went and purchased…
i’ve always loved seeing pictures of students using leather book straps; they are so charming and orderly. but to be honest, it is not the best way to carry heavy books around town is it? but to carry something that doesn’t move, like a table…perfect! i went to a local recycling center to pick up…
louis chair illustration by julia rothman print available at julia’s website! I love French style! And French style usually means you’ll find a Louis chair somewhere in the mix! But it wasn’t until I really studied the heyday of French style – the 18th century – that I began to get a handle on what…
i’m pretty obsessed with wax seals. i think they may any letter seem more special- especially if in miniature form. so when i heard from kimberly and her husband from ragehaus about their wax seal project i was over the moon. this designing duo recently screen printed 5 new prints, each wrapped in parchment paper…
designer claire terry from madame fancy pants sent in this full diy idea. the other day her mom decided to reclaim the bookcase she’d let claire borrow, so quick replacement shelving was claire’s goal. she happened to have a few wooden pallets around her house (“people always asked ‘why do you have pallets lying around’…
have you ever been sitting outside sipping a cold drink, and wished you had some fresh mint in your beverage? or basil on your sliced tomatoes? well this table can solve all your needs! but in all seriousness, i can’t think of anything more relaxing and summery than fresh herbs. we’ve been needing a little…
this fun diy project comes from berlin-based d*s reader (and molecular biologist!) morgane rouault. when she’s not busy with her job in research science, morgane like to draw, work with pottery and sew all sorts of craft projects. so i was thrilled to hear from her about this fun DIY project she recently finished- a…
