Category Archives: Uncategorized

When You Don’t Have Cabinet Doors… DIY Rope and Dowel Curtain Brackets with No Sew Cabinet Skirt

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When you can’t clean the grime, then sometimes it’s better to throw it out…



Which is what I had to do with the old cabinet doors from our neglected guest house kitchenette. (Where even oil based primer refused to stick to them) 

So here we are now, concrete countertops done, and no cabinet doors…



We literally didn’t want to spend a cent on this project (especially after a recent splurge on accent pillows😉) Luckily we already had extra curtain panels from our oar curtain rods so a “no-sew vanity skirt” seemed to be a good idea (plus it would be free). With that in mind I rooted around the house for some kind of bracket or dowel to hang a vanity skirt. Dowels I found…Brackets I did not, but I found rope…

With a little creativity and lots of hot glue, I set to work on making looped brackets out of rope. 



I used the dowel as a guide and glued the loops of rope together. 



Then cut the ends off. I created the four loops and then drilled them in place with screws. The dowels slipped in snugly.



Next came the no sew vanity skirt. Disclaimer: I DO NOT SEW. You will see very few projects on LHBD that require a sewing machine. I literally have broken every sewing machine I’ve ever touched. (Also I think the person who invented Stitch Witchery tape was a genius. I always keep a roll in the house)

Basically I measured out the cabinet space, then using a straight edge, cut the curtains to size. 



I made sure to use existing corners that were already sewn. Then folded the cut sides over and adhered them with Stitch Witchery and an iron on steam.



Basically the curtains slipped right on the dowels and we have no sew “cabinet skirts”.

Beachy, easy and above all free! Can’t wait to show you all the before & after pics of our guest house next week. Happy Sunday everyone! 

Spring Has Sprung! (Unless you Live in California, then it  was Back in January)

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We were hoping to share our latest foray into concrete countertops…



…But it just wasn’t meant to be. 

I should know by now that no DIY project goes according to plan.(Especially when you tell all your readers ahead of time-then its a sure thing your project will run over schedule) So instead of showing you our new concrete counters in the guest house, we’ll distract you with pictures of pretty flowers…





Yes we’ve been in full bloom out here in California since January. Lovely weather but unfortunately we all are expecting a long hot summer. (No really the east coast should start selling us snow, we’re in a water crisis over here) 

In the meantime we’ve  taken the opportunity to add a few new flowers and finish another unfinished project that has sat around since last spring. Like these hanging baskets…



Which have been hanging around without any plants, and just collecting leaves all through the winter. (Project procrastination” it’s a real sickness people)

Last year we were so busy landscaping our drought tolerant, “dog proof” backyard, I’d forgotten about the baskets in the sideyard.  

One thing we’ve learned with our dogs is that they are magnets to new plants and fresh soil. (Especially soil mixed with manure – they go nuts for the smell) Therefore we’ve learned to plant “up”. Whether that be with tall pots or hanging baskets, the technique keeps curious wet noses out of our plants. Also when you do plant “up” it means you can add not so “pet friendly” plants to your garden. Like jasmin, lilies and begonias, which may be poisonous to dogs. 



Although the jasmin was not planted in a basket (the papyrus died so we had an extra tall pot sitting vacant) We instead wrapped it with green chicken wire to keep the dogs out. Also the sideyard is shaded  and sheltered enough for the lillies and begonias withstand the summer heat. To conserve water/moisture we’ll probably add mulch to all the pots and baskets. 

We still have more updates for the sideyard and cleaning  up but it feels good to cross another unfinished project off the list.



This area is still one our favorite places to sit in the shade. Now you’ll know where I’m drinking my coffee this morning and beating  the spring heat. Happy Sunday everyone! 

Lights, Water Heater, Arbor…Action!

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We stumbled unintentionally onto another “blog series”…Its called finishing projects…



(This second lamp sat in a box for two years and we finally installed it this weekend)

Every home dweller can relate to the unending list of projects or house maintenance. We often ignore certain issues and take the road of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Only when something is glaringly ugly and/or integral breaks do we call the handyman or pull out the hammer. 

I am soooo guilty of project procrastination. Literally I kept a Big Lots arbor for 6 years and only until this week put it together…Yeah it’s that bad…



So why the sudden change and working on projects that have sat around? (some apparently for years) Well we have a deadline of sorts. In only a month we need to decorate a few rooms, do some major spring cleaning, and finish the unfinished…And there is no better motivation to knock out pesky house projects than giving yourself a deadline right? (Just as long as you’re not giving yourself an ulcer too😉) 

I wish we had an amazing project or fabulous “after” reveal but to be honest, this week has been spent schlepping boxes of stuff to goodwill. The guest room/office is in complete chaos as we’re trying to reconfigure it for more usable space. Also we can finally walk through the guest house without tripping on camping gear or college textbooks (oh yeah we said goodbye to three boxes of our undergrad books! Happy Day!😊)

Unfortunately our only “after” reveal was replacing this rusted out 70s style outdoor light with a brand new “beachy” style one from homed depot. 





As well we’ve finally replaced our second water heater (in the guest house) Another boring maintenance project but necessary. In two years since we’ve bought our home we’ve replaced two water heaters. I’m hoping now that I will not have to budget for new ones within the next 10 years. (Grrr…money that could’ve been spent on new flooring)



Yet having running hot water for guests is probably a good thing. We’re also setting up for (hopefully) another concrete countertop project. This time we’re tackling a mini bar, and bathroom. I’m crossing fingers that we’ll be done by next Sunday. Especially since countdown is now 30 days away! Yikes gotta get back to work! 

Unlike us, we hope you have an amazing weekend full of fun times. Don’t be like us kids, just say no to project procrastination. Or you end up digging holes and shoveling mulch on your Sunday. #TakeBackYourWeekends people! Happy Sunday everyone!

Finishing the Unfinished…(IKEA Hack Pax Side Murphy Dog Bed)

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On our blog we don’t try to hide the mess, the mayham or the unfinished…



(We just pretend it was meant to look that way) 😉

Last year we hacked a clearance Ikea Pax wardrobe to create a simple Side Murphy bed. Super easy and fun project! (Even though we use this for our dogs, the bed could work for us two legged folks as well) 



You can click here to read the original How-to, however we’ve made some minor changes recently (like actually finish this project) …



What an improvement! Subtle, but changes the look completely. (It’s like  having braces on your teeth to now a perfectly white, straight smile)

  To be honest, it was out of necessity that we changed it from an awkward, not-quite-bar, into a faux Midcentury sideboard/buffet. The necessity turned out to be Super Bowl 2015, and we needed a very tall snack station. Mainly to prevent super-sized puppies from sticking their noses in bean dip when no one was looking. (Sutter is the height of a small Great Dane so standard tables are no obstacle for him) Heres what we did:



Moving the wood front piece was pretty simple, we just unscrewed the piano hinge connected to the Pax. Placed the board at the edge of the bottom piece (towards the front) and screwed it back in place.



The second change required more thought but still pretty easy. First we went shopping for matching board and had it cut to size at Home Depot. 



Then if you have ever hacked IKEA furniture I’m sure you have extra dowels hanging around the house (if not they are normally available to buy at Home Depot). 



We drilled holes in the board the size of the dowels and then lined up the board at the end of the pax. 



Once satisfied with the placement we glued the pieces in place with gorilla wood glue. The weight of the boards kept the side piece in place but we had to get “creative” when gluing the small front piece…



The one safety tip we highly recommend is to add a “safety chain” to the inside of the pax wardrobe and drill it to the front piece. In case the latch slips or you have little ones you don’t want the front piece to fall on a toe, etc. (Unfortunately we can’t recommend a specific kind because it’s based on the weight and how you customize the front piece of you Murphy bed) These types of door safety chain kits should be available at your local hardware store. 



Overall the  dogs are happy, and we’re happy with the final outcome to this project. 





For someone with limited space, it is absolutely fantastic to hide away a bed. As a pet parent, it’s even better to hide dog beds, toys, etc for two massive pups! Hope our Ikea hack helps your doggy dilemma! Happy Sunday everyone! 

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Psst…We’re hanging out at the Remodelaholic link party this month…Check out all the budget friendly ideas!

 <a href=”http://www.remodelaholic.com&#8221; target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”><img class=”nopin pib-hover-img” border=”0″ alt=”I party with Remodelaholic” src=”http://www.remodelaholic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/remodelaholic_party.jpg”/></a&gt;

Midcentury Built-in…To Demo or Not Demo…That was the Question

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“Oh no these gotta go.” I said looking at the wall of orange cabinetry.

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This was two years ago standing in our eat in kitchen. I had dreams of punching through this same wall and creating an open concept floor plan. Then one year passed…Two years and the built-in is still there.

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The burgundy brick of our eat in kitchen has been painted to a muted gray. The mustard yellow walls are gone, but the orangey built-in still remains. As we slowly started to neutralize the kitchen colors the midcentury aged patina of the paneled wood started to grow on me. (If you follow us on Pinterest you’ll notice my weakness for 1950s architecture and design.) Yet apparently I’m not the only one sipping the kool aid: Sunset magazine, Dwell, Domaine, and even House Beautiful seem to love mid century style and this shade of amber wood:

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Is midcentury design everyone’s style? No! Vintage farmhouse and industrial elements are still all over pinterest and the blogosphere. Yet with Nate Berkus working his magic at Target, and other big name companies copying Classic midcentury textures, colors and designs, I think we’ll be seeing a resurgence soon enough. If not at least everyone should have a faux Eames chair! (That design will never die, they’re just so comfy!)

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Yet it wasn’t until we unearthed the original blue prints of our house that I realized there was something special about these cabinets…

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Holy smokes! This built-in was meant to house a 1948 sound system. (We still have the original speakers in our attic today!) Yet the wiring has long ago been cut and vintage electronics gone.

I started to rethink my initial plan of a complete tear down. I researched that Midcentury design and original features can add value to an older home. Also admittedly I’m a huge nerd when it comes to retro audio systems and classic records. (just check out our “Vintage Sound” board on Pinterest and you’ll see my geeky adoration for tube receivers, and all things vinyl)

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A bonus to restoring the built-ins versus demoing, I will have a place to display my small collection of vintage audio, rather than take up space in our guest room.

Therefore we’ve decided to forgo demo in favor of restoration. We need to keep a few elements of our early midcentury home original. It may not be all the rage in interior design right now but sometimes design is about what’s in your heart and what makes you happy.

Therefore over the next couple Sundays we’ll be focused on this little orange corner becoming the heart of the home. To lighten it, style it and above all give it back some purpose. This will be my little sanctuary after a long days work. Where I can kick off my heels, cook dinner and dance with a glass of wine to Sinatra. Do you have an ugly duckling in your home waiting to become a swan?

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Happy Sunday everyone!

So What is the Plan for 2015?…

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Do you remember the office/guest room’s before pics…

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Now here is the “After”…

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Say what?!
No I did not accidentally flip flop the pictures. We really are starting out 2015 with a clean slate. We’re finally “cleaning house” of our college dorm and single days decor. The broken Big Lots and outdated Ikea furniture are going bye bye!

Don’t get us wrong, we are loyal to the big yellow and blue Swedish design, as well as killer prices. However after 11 years, it’s time to swap out some key furniture pieces and reconfigure wall decor. Rather than focus on filling a space based on what we’ve just had around or hand me downs, we are going to be on the hunt for quality, personalized and keepsake furniture.

We also need to do some major organization overhaul. (I think I counted 12 bankers boxes of files in our office closet that are waiting to be scanned then shredded)

Meanwhile the dogs are back to mischief and tearing up their sheets and bed when we’re at work. (Apparently they were feeling our burn-out and long work hours too) Thus we need to keep them in mind when choosing new decor, as well as balancing business, work and the all important dog walks.

Therefore the whole family is focused on balance, following the plan and “dog proofing” the house in 2015.

The diy plan is very simple:
1. Redesign our guest/office
2. Finish the unfinished projects (the kitchen, eat in dining room, living room, backyard and master bedroom)
3. Get a start on the guest house/apartment (right now it’s just glorified storage space)

We do have a few surprises up our sleeves, this year. (But scared to jinx them by posting too soon)
Maybe along the way we’ll manage some honest to goodness “after” pics, but we’re not going to rush into design choices. Nor do we want to suffer from diy burn-out again. In the meantime follow us on Pinterest for some style sneak peeks and our design inspiration. Like these dual office and guest rooms…

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We are excited for 2015, finding balance, some big changes and even clean slates. Happy Sunday everyone!

Slow and Steady = BORING!…And lots of planning…

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Me: “Honey, I have a great idea, we could…”
Hubby: “Ummm, no”
Me: “But it won’t cost more than $200…”
Hubby: “Love let’s stick to the plan.”
Me: “Yes but I…”
Hubby: “No.”
Me: “What about…”
Hubby: “No.”
Me: “But if we do the project that means we’d buy that nail gun and air compressor”
Hubby: “No we have a plan and budget…Nice try with the bribery though.”
Me: “Yeah I thought so too.”😉

Now here we are, second Sunday into 2015, and I’m twiddling my very twitchy and bored hands. However that’s the “plan”…[long drawn out suffering sigh]

We’ve taken inventory of all the projects, figured out a timeline and categorized each of the projects by estimated cost.

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However we have taken into account a few sorely neglected and unfinished projects (that we hope no ones noticed.)

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So here’s the strategy, we’re going slow, and tackling some of the less glamorous projects first. Most can be done in under $20 bucks. However we do have a few “oh wow”, and “Pinterest-worthy” projects coming up. (We’re even sticking to the budget.) 😉
Have you ever had to hold back on an amazing project? Whether the reason be budget, timeframe or because of a patient spouse with more sense than you? (I’ve learned sometimes in a relationship there should be one person as the “analyst” and one person the creative “mad” genius) Unfortunately the hubby is not getting a new nail gun for reigning in the DIY, but that’s his loss…Happy Sunday everyone!

Dealing with DIY Burn-Out…And Learning to be Kind to Ourselves

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We didn’t disappear in some dramatic fashion! Nor did we even have a good excuse…Instead “DIY and blogging burn-out” insidiously crept up on us without warning. One day gun-ho and ready to take on the next big project…Then days, weeks, months dragged out, and we did not lift a finger.

Looking back on 2014, I was able to identify four key reasons why we lost our diy mojo:
1. Energy
2. Finances
3. Long term plan
4. Purpose

Interestingly aren’t these the four reasons experts attribute to why businesses, goals and even relationships fail?

Not surprisingly we were impacted by all four reasons, and thus the blog suffered from our severe burn-out.

Originally as I wrote this post I was very unkind to myself. (Beating myself up both with words and pictures of our unfinished projects.)

Yet as the words of self-deprecating humor and undisguised sarcasm flowed forth, there was a moment of clarity…

Robert Collier’s famous quote came to mind…

“Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out”

Instead of taking the approach of “slow and steady wins the race”, we took off like jack rabbits only to finish half-way. We lost steam, didn’t want to spend the money, and even considered selling the house.

In the midst of self doubt, burn-out and feeling like a failure, I had forgotten the purpose of this blog in the first place:

A little corner of the Internet meant for weekly diy mistakes, inspiration, silliness, humor and “four legged” kids.

The blog was supposed to be the sum of our small, diy, efforts with the hope of inspiring others…For two years hadn’t we accomplished this?

After several sleepless nights of Internet research. We’ve discovered a greater “purpose” and plan for the blog.

The benefit of a plan will prevent lapses in Sunday posts and DIY burn-out. As time passes and I grow into a stronger and braver writer, I hope to have the courage to share with our loyal readers and friends, what our purpose is, and how we found our way back.

In the coming Sunday’s you’ll see a major change in both writing style and DIY. We’ll be tackling projects in bite size pieces, be kinder and forgiving to ourselves, and laugh more at our mistakes. We are grateful to those of you who stuck by us these past months, and we love you for it!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Did you miss us? Where are we today…

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Summer is nearly over! Hopefully you’re all out doing something amazing this Labor Day weekend! We’ve spent the last couple Sundays trying to squeeze in as little diy labor and as much summer fun with the pups as possible. (Sorry folks we’ll be back to tackling fall house projects soon enough) Today we’re hiding out over at Studiogblog.com a website all about beautifully designed gardens and fabulous backyard inspiration.

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We were thrilled when they asked to feature our (nearly) dog proof backyard makeover! The website is just gorgeous, filled with gardening inspiration, and is an absolutely addicting website. Send LHBD some love, leave a comment or like us on FB, while you’re checking out studiogblog.com In the meantime the pups and us wish you all a safe and wonderful Labor Day weekend! Happy Sunday everyone!

Happy Dogs, Vintage Trailers and Chicken Soup

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What do they all have in common?

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Give up yet? We did not lift a diy finger at all this weekend. Instead we spent time with the pups, laying on couches, and eating chicken soup while we tried to get over our summer colds. I also spent way too much time on Pinterest. (The best way to mindlessly waste a Sunday afternoon when sick) Our few ventures out of the house this weekend were to pick up a craigslist shell for the truck…

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( Wait did she just say truck?! Aren’t they little car people?) Yes, finally after 6 long years, we pulled the trigger and bought a used truck. You’d think after a couple fixer homes and monstrous dogs, a truck would’ve been very practical.

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Now both us and especially the pups are in love. The world of camping and adventures has been opened up to us. Including the dream of owning and restoring a vintage trailer.

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I’ve been blog stalking Kristiana of Silvertrailer.com ever since she’s been featured in Sac Magazine 4 years ago. Her air streams are just gorgeous!

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However renovating these beauties are a bit pricey, and towing them even more so. Considering we’re tent campers by experience, I’ve turned my interest towards the idea of renovating a tent trailer. Compact, light weight, and inexpensive (used), renovating a tent trailer seems like a great baby step towards an actual airstream someday. Especially when there are so many cute ideas floating about on Pinterest…

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(Via Pinterest)

If you follow us on Pinterest you’ll see our outdoor adventure board filling up with all these wonderful sources of inspiration. The idea of renovating another little home “on wheels” is such motivation to save our pennies, and break out the tool box…I think once I’m over this cold the DIY sickness will strike again…Happy Sunday everyone!