I have big kitchen plans. I want to put in tile flooring, stain the cabinets darker (or paint them if I can get the hubby to jump on board), replace the counter top, put in a tile backsplash, and install a new sink. Sometimes things in life aren’t the right time, and right now it is not the right time to invest that much time and money into my kitchen. To tide myself over, I implemented a mini makeover that cost $4.00, an hour of my time, and required only scissors and shelf liner.
Adventures in DIY
Being a combination of crafty and cheap, DIY projects are just our thing. Projects range from hardware hacking to furniture making.
Modifying WordPress Theme Backgrounds
I dabble in website creation, so keep that in mind when you read this post. I am only a dabbler. I am not an expert. I also like shortcuts because once upon a time I spent way too much time on website design. Here is my advice. If you are creating a blog you want to customize, find a WordPress theme that has customizable options built in. In this case, I am talking about themes where you can upload an image and the theme will automatically tile (repeat) that image to create a background. Need a background image? I have some trellis pattern options for you!
Faux Canvasing Flat Artwork
My mother painted two beautiful flat pieces of artwork for my home. My mom is awesome. And I wanted the artwork to standout in my home. Because it deserves that (and so does mom!). They currently were in two black frames. Too plain and too flat! My solution to make these paintings pop? Lance crackers! No, seriously. Keep reading to see how I used cardboard cracker boxes to create a faux canvas. Well, two actually…
Bringing the Poolside Inside – Our New Office Rug
As we shared earlier, we went ahead and made the plunge on a new rug for our office from overstock. This 8 foot by 11 foot rug set us back $185, but it has already proved resilient against our “vomity” cat. This is likely because this rug is meant to be poolside (outdoor), so it is super durable as an indoor rug.
Here is a before shot of our office.
And here is an office shot from another angle. Yes my husband sits on a pillow. (Maybe I need to surprise him with a new chair!)
You can see how the current green rug is just too small for the space. Now for the big reveal.
Ta da! And here it is again from another angle.
It is rug love! It fits in the space beautifully and the pattern provides a nice modern touch.
Seeing this “after” picture puts me in a cleaning and organizing mood. Got to go! Tell us what you think of the new rug!
Catching the Transit of Venus
So what is a transit anyway? A transit is when an object like an interior planet (one closer to the sun than the Earth) crosses in front of the sun that is visible to the Earth. This is one of the ways we can spot planets around other stars too. If we can watch the star long enough, we might see a dip in the star’s intensity, which might mean a planet got between us and that star. In fact, by looking at the different wavelengths of light we receive during one of these dips of intensity, we can determine the components of the atmosphere of that planet! Science is amazing right!?
Anyway, back to the phenomena at hand; the transit of Venus…