Building Life Together One DIY at a Time
Where we tell you how it’s done.
When gifting things, we all make priorities. We don't cop to it, but it happens. That cousin that's the weird mouth breather that always gets you something so you have to give them something too? Yup, they're bottom tier. Well these tiers are not about prioritizing what sort of gifting you'll do. They ARE the… Continue reading The Tiers of Gifting ~ Or, a DIY Tiered Platter
While on one of her near-daily trips to Target, Beth sent me this: Oh boy. Here goes. So this project seemed to require a thicker block of wood than anything I had laying around. A fortuitous trip to the ReStore allowed me to pick up a ~4 foot long piece of hardwood of some sort. … Continue reading A Little Woodworking JOY
When I gave the quick tutorial on an old Girl Scouts craft I used to do, I had only made the treat, but hadn't addressed them. In the holiday rush, I had nearly forgot to tag them and leave them in our neighbor's mailboxes! To make the tags, I actually used the handy printable tags… Continue reading Rudolph Candy Cane Treats – Finished!
Hermey the Elf won't approve of these treats! You know who I'm talking about. The elf that Rudolph befriends because he'd rather be a Dentist than a toy maker. Really, is it so bad to want to clean teeth instead of make trains? Though, if it was because he didn't want to play with Legos… Continue reading Rudolph Candy Cane Treats
In Honor of the Dare to DIY Challenge levied by Decor and the Dog with Maybe Matilda, NewlyWoodwards, and Two Twenty One, I spent the weekend finally getting on a few projects that are a bit more holiday appropriate. Including getting my DIY Gifting on, along with this project - The Wine Cork Trivet. While… Continue reading I Hope They’ll Covet This Wine Cork Trivet
You know those moments. You're walking along minding your own business when BAAM you're hit with inspiration. Well while on a recent trip to the Pittsburgh Habitat ReStore I found this ugly old lamp. (At left in the 'before' part of the Pinterest worthy pic) We've all read in blogland about boob lights, right? Well… Continue reading From Ugly Lamp to Pretty Cloche
Ever home has them. Wall zits. Or, like normal people call them, outlets, vents, radiators, light switches. These necessary things in our homes that are not always well placed, or pretty. The apartment is also a victim of these wall crimes. See for yourself. In trying to create a little drop zone using the antique… Continue reading Dressing Up the Intercom
Yankee Candles. They sure are potent aren't they? I don't typically burn them for long because of this detail, and therefore take a while to burn through them. I had one such candle sitting on my dresser and one night, tossed my phone up there and SMASH! My heart stopped for a moment when I… Continue reading Store Bought Candle Re-imaged
Bill and I spent the weekend in Philly for a wedding before trying to outrun hurricane Sandy for the last 72 hours. (First we left South Jersey/Philly for Pittsburgh, then I drove through the hurricane snow in western PA down to DC last night...) Everyone we know is thankfully safe and sound with remarkably… Continue reading Baby Got Back — Tab Curtains
I enjoy sewing. I really do. Don't let my threatening words and angry glares at my sewing machine fool you. What I dislike are roll hems. And frankly, hemming in general. I get it, fraying is bad and it creates nicer edges, but when you're putting something together, it can sometimes feel like a step… Continue reading How I Met Your Mother’s Pillow ~ A Flange Pillow Tutorial
We have a tiny kitchen. The stove crammed next to the sink, about a wing's worth of space to the fridge and then you're out the door into our dining nook. It's a 1.5 butt kitchen and space is a premium. We've previously embraced the open shelf look with a quick Ikea look, and though… Continue reading That’s a Spicy Rack! ~ A Kitchen Spices Storage Solution
OhModgeGod! Yes, I'm making it happen, and no Mean Girl will stop me. I saw this post on CraftyScrappyHappy where she upcycled a Bath and Body Works candle by screen printing a pretty lace pattern on it. They came out beautiful and they inspired me to try my own version, only I don't have the… Continue reading Spooky Mod Podge Candles
The layout of our bedroom is a bit too narrow for a nightstand on either side. We had a black shelf that Beth scored on clearance for $3 at Target that was already in place. It was mounted on a black painted 2x1 that was screwed into studs on the wall (because, surprise, the hanger… Continue reading Check it out, it’s got Cup Holders! – A Tight corner Nightstand Fix
If there was one thing lacking in Bill's collection of functional furniture, it was a sense of cohesion. Just take a look at his apartment when I met him in DC - at least his bed was on a frame off the floor. We've solved the nightstand dilemma with a fancy Ikea Hack, but the… Continue reading If the Door is a knockin’ ~ A DIY Headboard
So, Ikea. We love them. Basically when we need a cheap date night out in Pittsburgh, it involves dollar ice cream cones and Swedish meatballs. Window shopping or under-$20 spending is usually the name of the game when we're there. We also use Ikea Hackers as a great inspiration and, as most in the DIY… Continue reading Our RASTafari Adventure – Or, Our first DIY Project
B & B Build A Life 