Home DIY Projects To Keep You Busy

If you have more time on your hands at the moment, which is most likely due to this ongoing pandemic then you are probably spending more time at home than ever before. It might be worthwhile then to do all the necessary DIY jobs that you always need to get round to doing but never have time to complete. It might also add some value to your property keeping everything up to date. Now is the perfect opportunity to keep yourself busy when you are not working from home. 

Freshen Up the Walls

Now is the ideal time to redecorate any rooms in your home that need a freshen up with a new coat of paint. You might either be repainting in the same color or you can opt for something different to create a new look. 

Get The Toolbox Out 

GThere might be several small DIY jobs to do around the home that involve getting your toolbox out to tweak a few things. Fixing a wonky shelf, fasten a loose handle on the kitchen cabinet, restaple the fabric material on a chair, or oil any squeaky hinges. 

Get Professionals For Specialist Jobs

Things like electrical work which will involve changing light fixtures are certainly something that will involve the expertise of a professional. It will certainly be worth checking to ensure all the wiring is up to date too. Also, it is ideal to make sure that your heater is in top condition particularly before the cold winter months arrive. The last thing you want is to have problems when it turns very cold. This will certainly be useful if you need to sell your house fast as you can highlight how essential electrical and plumbing work is all up to date and in line with current regulations. 

Quick Bathroom Fixes

After a while, the sealant around the edge of your bath or basin can start to wear down and blacken over time when the water gathers underneath it. So when you know you are not going to use the shower for most of the day, it is a quick and easy job to apply a new coating of sealant around the grooves to prevent any more water from getting in and keep it looking fresh. 

Garden Time

If you are doing DIY jobs around the interior of your home then you might as well do the exteriors too. You could get rid of any pesky weeds that pop up on the lawn, plant some flowers and then create a small patch to grow some seasonal fruit and vegetable plants. 

You could also ensure the condition of the grass is in good condition by reseeding any bald or dry patches and watering it well. Any fences might be looking a little tired from the winter weather so you could paint these to freshen them up and fix any boards that are out of place. 

Master Bedroom Makeover: Architectural Detail (and Budget!)

That awkward moment you realize you never posted the 3rd part of a 3-part post...

Well, here it is. The last time I'll make you listen to me blather on about our master bedroom makeover. (Part I - How to Brighten a Room, Part II - Making a Small Room More Functional).

Part III: ARCHITECTURAL DETAIL

Wall Panels

Our 1970s home is plain and boxy--it lacks architectural detail. So, my #1 plan of attack for our master bedroom was to

Cute (and Cheap!) DIY Valentine's Day Decorations

This post has been moved to my new blog MoneyFitMoms.comx

See DIY Valentine's Date Decorations post here.

Plus, here are the BEST Stay at Home Date Ideas.

By the way, check out this post if you're looking for how to save money fast.

Functional Bedroom Touches (On a Budget): Master Bedroom Makeover (Part 2/3)

Congratulations to Betty J for winning our giveaway! Look for your Amazon gift card in your email sometime in the next week!

For Part 2 of my Master Bedroom Makeover, I wanted to highlight a few things we did to save space and make our room a little more functional (Part 1 was about how we made it brighter).

Pin this post for later--> http://www.pinterest.com/pin/195765915026226299/

(1) Sconces

My husband and I like to read before bed, but hated how bulky lamps took up so much room on our bedside table. We decided sconces were the perfect solution. The layout of our bedroom only allows for one place to put the bed, so we weren't nervous about permanently wiring them into the walls. We just made sure to space the sconces far enough apart to allow for a king-sized headboard in case we ever upgrade.

I chose these sconces from Restoration Hardware (I know, I'm a little RH-obsessed), waited for a sale (I'm always on a budget), and then bought them. They are just as beautiful in person as they were in the catalog. I opted for the linen shade (for its classical element) and the polished nickel (for its modern touch).

DIY Christmas Ornament Ball Wreath Tutorial - Cheap and Easy

 

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http://bit.ly/173wvUI
Although I was a little concerned about what kind of internet browsers would be brought to this page by labeling this tutorial "Cheap and easy," there is no other way to describe this project. A lot of Christmas Glass Ball Ornament Wreath tutorials are a little spotty on the details, so I thought I'd throw another one out there for people like me who need very specific shopping lists and instructions (basically, "Crafting for Dummies").

Note: The number and size of ornament balls depends on the look you're going for. These instructions are for a wreath like mine pictured below.

Brighten Up a Room in Three Easy (and Cheap!) Steps: Master Bedroom Makeover (Part 1/3)

Note: This blog post has been moved here (Money Fit Moms - my new blog)

How to Cheaply Decorate a Kid's Room When You're Renting

I'll be honest- it is pretty hard for me to get motivated about decorating because we are (A) renting and (B) still in a phase of life where we seem to be moving every two years. Consequently, I tend to decorate in cheap ways that leave us with few holes in the wall to fill when we move out. (If you really want to decorate, like Lisa, check out this post.)

Enter Operation: Make Child's Room Less Prison-Like. 

1. I picked up some of those large decorative papers from Paper Source and cut them into the first letter of whatever they were depicting (i.e., "S" is for superhero, which I later realized also had aliens and monsters on it- if C gets nightmares, I guess I have only myself to blame).

Lettering like this is ideal for nursery rooms too. Financially preparing for kids can be difficult, but not if you budget and use ideas like this.

2. I grabbed some rolls of plain black and navy wrapping paper and traced and cut out a duplicate of the letter for a shadow effect. 

3. I printed the text in thick black letters for  "is for <insert word here>" on card stock and cut out the letters. I did this for each of my five big letters. Yes, this is the one time in my life I've coveted one of these bad boys. 

4. I bought some colored paper and printed out the alphabet and numbers one through ten using the outline style in word art. I also flipped them so they were backwards so the outline would be on the reverse side after cutting.

I used regular paper on the "is for guitars" because I was lazy. Not a good idea-- note the curling. Stick with cardstock or at least construction paper.

I finished off with some numbers around the faux "Mondrian" I made with painters tape. I did have to make a couple holes to hang that one...

5. I made billions of those little "tape doughnuts" out of masking tape and painters tape and hung everything up. Depending on the tape you use, the paint on the walls, and how long you leave them up there, you may need to be prepared to clean off some residue when you take them down. 

6. I wanted to put a rug on the floor, but wasn't interested in spending hundreds of dollars. Enter the IKEA play mat solution. I bought four of these cheap, fun mats and duct taped them together on the back side. For under $60 that gives you a large floor covering and play area in one. C has tried pulling them apart one or two times, but has mostly left them alone. We bought one first, and noticed when we went back to get the next three they had switched from round corners to square corners, which makes this work even better (no gap in the middle where they come together).

Also, please note that C is holding a financial calculator.

There you have it. A fun, cheap decorating solution for a kid's room in a rental.

Tell us -- How do you decorate when you're in a temporary living situation?

DIY Fabric Headboard with Nailhead Detailed Arms

This post has been moved to my new blog, MoneyFitMoms.com. Find it here:

How to DIY Fabric Headboard with Tufted Buttons — Save Money!

 

More DIY Projects

• You can have these FREE Printable Adult Coloring Pages
• I also have Flower Mandala Coloring Pages
• Check out these Body Paint Ideas and more Stay-At-Home Date Ideas

Or check out these Financial Articles

• By the way, check out this post if you're looking for how to save money fast.
• How Cash Planning can help you INVEST MORE! 📈

DIY Home Makeover: Living Room

I made a special blog post when we redid the bathroom so I thought it only fair the living room get the same attention. I've been putting this off because there's a lot more I want to do, but I feel like decorating is always a work in progress, so think of this as more of a snapshot in time than a finished product.

This is what our living room looked like when we bought our house.  In one word: fusty.

DIY Home Makeover: Bathroom

Our old 1970s home was in need of a lot of TLC when we bought it three years ago. Wish we had the time and money to redo everything, but we're slowly making it around to each room. Can't believe it's already been 2.5 years since we redid our bathroom. Thought I'd post the writeup of the transformation.
Such a huge project for such a small room, but we're not talking putting in a new vanity and mirror. The floor had water damage down to the subfloor and it only had a tub (no shower), so we ripped out *everything* and started from scratch. No professionals whatsoever. Just my husband Bryan, my father-in-law, and me. It was unbelievable. When we started, I barely knew how to use a screwdriver. Now Bryan and I know how to demo, install a new construction window, stucco, remove a bathtub, plumbing (sewer and copper), repair a subfloor, install a new bathtub, install new drywall, texture, tile, wire a light fixture, install a toilet, vanity, etc.

This story is best told through pictures. I'd do just the before and after, but you really can't appreciate the after unless you at least glance at what it looked like in between.

Before.