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DIY Budget Walkway with Screening
Are you considering making a walkway on a budget? For many years now, I have wanted a walkway from my guest apartment #2 to their driveway. I had the path to #1 repaired last year. It was concrete…and very expensive. All of the quotes I got to add a little curved walkway from #2 were beyond my budget at this time. Making one by hand and using driveway screening was suggested as a much cheaper option. Marking with inverted paint. Width of path made with shovel. Starting to make walkway… To mark where the new path would go I used a string. (It was easier to make the curve.) Then I used inverted…
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Chest Freezer Organization With IKEA Bins
Chest freezers are notorious for swallowing food (pardon the pun), never to be seen again…Or until they are way past their expiry dates and transformed into an unrecognizable crystalline substance. How can you organize it so you can easily get what you want and save money by not wasting food? See how I organized mine with IKEA bins. Why would you want containers in your chest freezer? The obvious answer is to keep things from becoming a jumbled mess. Other benefits are: Ease of finding and retrieving the food you want. (Especially if the bottom containers have handles so you don’t have to lean over too far.) Helps keep food from getting spoiled…
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DIY Chalk Painting Furniture Tips
Have you ever tried chalk painting furniture? It can be a time saving method…or not. The main benefit of using it is that sanding and priming the item isn’t required. I have used it for several pieces of furniture and recently transformed an old dresser that was given to me. My new old dresser… I loved the mid-century modern look of this old dresser that was very popular in the fifties and sixties. It had a previous repair with a piece of plywood on the bottom and one corner had a broken piece. Beginning Tips for Chalk Painting… What supplies do you need? Obviously you need the paint. I used Rustoleum Chalk paint …
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Car Organization – Assessing Your Needs
Whatever your circumstances, your car organization needs to reflect your lifestyle needs. For many people their car is an extension of their homes. As life goes, things change, so you need to continually reassess what you need. Meisha, a little Maltese terrier & chitzo recently came to live with me. Poo bags and hand sanitizer in center console for easy access. Does your family hike? Are you needing to take tools to work? Ever have to work on a laptop in the car? Are your kids in sports? Assessing your car organization needs…What is your lifestlye? Are you single or do you have a family? Do you work outside the home, have your…
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Beautiful Back Deck Makeover – Part Two – Before & After Decor
Do you like to spend time on your back deck? I hate to admit it, but I spent very little time on my back deck because…well… it wasn’t very inviting. It’s been a long time coming, but the time for my back deck makeover is finally here. I was inspired by my next door neighbors when they rebuilt their deck and got a pool the year before last. If you have a lot of money (and/or time), you may be able to get things done fairly quickly. Unfortunately, there have been other home improvement priorities, so my back deck had to wait. Summer 2016 A few years ago I purchased an outdoor area…
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Budget Front Porch Summer Refresh
Are you looking forward to enjoying your front porch this summer? With my porch looking a little tired and my budget being minimal, I needed a plan. This year I decided I would actually like to use the space for more than just for a pass-through to my front door. Front porch this spring. North side front porch before. South side front porch before. Front Porch Plan…Repairs, Paint, and Decor… There was a rotten floor board that needed replacing, and the entire floor needed to be stained to make it last a few more years. Also, a fresh coat of paint on the posts, railing and pergola would spruce it up. I have…
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Back Deck Makeover – Part One – Repair & Resurrection
Over the years my back deck started looking very sad with peeling paint. With the cost of lumber and building these days, ripping down the deck and doing a total rebuild were out of the question. So I decided to do it in stages, like I did with my kitchen. The deck floorboards were a priority. Next would be the privacy wall and finally modifying the railings. Did I mention I also wanted to have the exterior of my house painted? (Fortunately I had my hubby and sons to help.) New door with screen window & rotten channel siding replaced. Starting point… The previous year the old screen door and back door were…
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Exterior House Painting – What You Need to Know
Last year the exterior of my house underwent a transformation with a lot of paint. The year before, I had a few estimates to get it painted but unfortunately ran out of time before it could get done. So, I decided to tackle it myself (with the help of my son). Are you wanting to transform your house exterior? Read on for tips on paint selection to do-it-yourself or hire a professional painter. Front house – before Back house – before Before painting rental house. Do you want to hire a professional? You may not be up to the task of doing the exterior painting yourself. You may not have the time, tools,…
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Interior Car Detailing – 7 Easy Steps
This spring I will be doing interior car detailing for some family members. I started with my daughter-in-law’s car which is a Ford Flex. It ended up being a lot more work than a regular car because of the extra row of seats and numerous little cubbies. If you are interested in making your vehicle (almost) like new, do a little interior car detailing and have a fresh start for the warmer season. Prep for interior car detailing… Ideally, this will get done on a hot day (unless you can do it in a heated garage). Gather needed supplies and equipment. (I recommend having a garbage bag handy.) A shop vacuum or handheld…
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Life Changing Items for New Home Owners
As a new home owner you may wonder what items you will need to care for it. Over the years I have acquired new tools, equipment and gadgets that made caring for my homes so much easier and indeed, life changing. Where do you live and what type of home do you have (freehold, townhome, condominium, etc.)? The answers to these questions will dictate your need for some of the following items. I have included links for the items I actually have if they are still available, or a similar item if not. Exterior Items for new home owners… Snowblower If you live in the north, you may need a snowblower. I resisted…
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What Do You Do With Sentimental Inherited Items?
Are you struggling to decide what to do with a deceased loved ones’ sentimental inherited items? At least once a year I try to go through everything I have in storage and give the spaces a deep clean. Are you like me and find things you forgot you had? Sometimes you may find sentimental things that you haven’t been able to part with, but have no use for in your current life. It may be especially hard to part with things that belonged to a loved one who has passed. Or are you in a position where you have to go through a loved ones’ possessions and decide what to do with them?…
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Printed Photos – Organizing Your Memories
If you are like me, you may have thousands of photos stored in various places and formats, so organizing them is a challenge. Digital photos on your phone, your cloud saver, your computer and your external hard drive or USB flash drives. Depending on your season in life, you may also have some on CDs, DVDs, or even VHS tapes. Have you inherited anyone else’s photos? My mother had a lot of pictures on slides and of course, dozens of photo albums with printed photos. I also have some in photo boxes and cases. Photos tell the story of our lives and help us and future generations to remember those important people and…
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Budget-Friendly Linen Closet Organization
Is your linen closet in need of a re-organization on a budget? New items come in and get shoved wherever you can fit them? Old items get forgotten and take up space? Is a mess starting to takeover? My linen closet wasn’t too bad, but I knew there were some things I needed to let go of. I also wanted to reset it for the new year to make it easier to find what I needed for my bed and breakfast business. (And also to determine what I would need to replace.) My linen closet before the big clean out – not too bad. Assess your needs… How many sheets and towels do…
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Organize Your Home to Minimize Cleaning Time
Did you know that having an organized home can minimize your cleaning time? Anyone who knows me, knows that I like a tidy home, but like many people, I don’t like cleaning! I know there are some rare people that actually do. There is also the satisfaction of a job well done at the end, even if you don’t. Laundry & sewing room declutter sorting pile. #1 Tip to organize your home to minimize cleaning time… If you hate cleaning, like I do, having less stuff is the key to minimizing your cleaning time. The more stuff you have to move around, store, or take care of, the longer it will take to…
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My Vacation Cruise Package – Beware of Extra Costs
Have you bought a vacation cruise package? Back in 2019, I received a phone call about a Caribbean cruise package deal. It was for a discounted price and also included a few days stay in a couple of hotel resorts in Florida and the Bahamas. (Of course, they also required me to listen to a timeshare presentation.) Thanks to the pandemic, I wasn’t able to go, but they did extend the deadline a few times. Finally, this last summer when I called about it again (since we still had restrictions & a passport backlog in Canada) I was told that they would not extend it again. So, in mid-December…I went. This is what…
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10 Things to do to Reset & Have a Great New Year!
The new year is symbolic of a new start and a great time to reset several areas of your life. Here are ten things you need to do to reset for a fabulous new year. Reflect on last year with gratitude… What did you accomplish in the last year? Even if you had a particularly hard year and barely made it through – you did. Did you learn anything? How were your relationships with others? What are your finances like? Make Goals and Plans for New Year A goal is a dream with a deadline, and a plan has all the steps to get there. Make a vision board to help clarify those…
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Make a Vision Board – Clarify Your Goals & Dreams for the New Year
Do you have a vision for how you would like this year to go for you? Whether you make New Year’s Resolutions or sit down and write out your goals for the year, having a clear vision of what you want can help. I love this time of year. It is a time of new beginnings, a chance to reset and start over. If things didn’t go quite the way you wanted them to last year or you have got stuck in a rut, it’s time to start up that dream machine and get excited about the possibilities. The idea of making a vision board isn’t a new one, but I thought I…
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The Benefits of Travelling with a Friend
Travelling alone can be fun but travelling with a friend also has it’s benefits. On my cruise vacation to the Bahamas and Florida, I went with my long-time friend, Deb. We refer to ourselves as “Thelma and Louise” on our adventures, although we have never robbed or killed anyone, or driven off a cliff. This was our fifth adventure together. It is important to go with someone you get along with. Louise and Thelma #1 Travel Friend Benefits with Packing… The main benefit with packing when travelling with a friend is that you can share some items. Also, if you forget something your friend may have one you can borrow. You don’t have…
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Packing in a Knapsack for a Ten Day Trip
For my vacation to Florida & the Bahamas, I packed in a knapsack for a ten-day trip. On my last trip, to British Columbia, I packed with a small carry-on suitcase and knapsack. Although that worked out well, I thought I would challenge myself to go more minimal. It is a lot easier to get around on buses and trains without lugging a suitcase. My “newish” Tracker knapsack… I bought a new Tracker knapsack, from Bentley, in 2020 for a trip I intended to take. We all know what happened then, fortunately, before I bought the plane tickets. Tracker and Lovevook Knapsacks Comparing my two newest knapsacks… On my last trip I took…
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Decorate Your Christmas Tree – Top Ten Designer Tips
For years I have struggled to decorate my Christmas tree to look beautiful and Pinterest worthy. I know it doesn’t really matter in the big scheme of things. There is beauty in all attempts to honor and celebrate this special time of year and I look back fondly on my childhood trees with bright coloured lights and sparkly garlands. I know some of my Facebook friends have a special knack for making their trees look professionally decorated. While doing my research, I have found some tips I thought might be helpful. Gigantic real tree in early nineties. Tip #1 Choose a tree in an appropriate size for the space… One year, many years…
