open cabinets {with $32 wood slat backs}

By Karah | February 4, 2013 - 7:08 am | #househunt2012, before and after, carpentry, diy, home improvement projects, kitchen, nearly free, reinvent something old, rental houses

38 Comments

Back in December, when I was on my little DIY trip to get some work done on rental properties we have in MD, it was freezing! Well, it actually wasn’t freezing outside but it was down right frigid in the house. (You can see more of my lovely cold weather DIY outfit here.) That’s where I’ll start to explain that I really did think I had taken some better pictures. I guess the foggy mess I saw on the camera wasn’t just my breath … but a not-totally-focused or properly exposed picture as well. Sorry about that! But that doesn’t put a damper on my excitement of the transformation I was able to make in this worn little kitchen in about a week. We started with the counter transformation, then we updated the cabinets … and left most of the cabinet doors off, and then updated the hardware on the cabinets we kept AND then we backed the newly open cabinets to give it a wood slat look on a $32 budget. Let’s remember what the cabinets looked like before …

old wood {new desk}

By Karah | September 14, 2012 - 7:08 am | blog room, carpentry, file cabinet, free, furniture, home decor, intentional imperfection, old wood, repurpose, scrap wood, tutorial, upcycle

31 Comments

old door {upcycle} how to make a wood coffee table tutorial

By Karah | August 24, 2012 - 7:08 am | before and after, canon 60D, carpentry, coffee table, couches, diy, door decor, furniture, home decor, imperfection, inexpensive alternative, intentional imperfection, living room, most popular, nearly free, old wood, repurpose, sanding wood, scrap wood, scraping wood, tutorial, Uncategorized, upcycle, wood salvage

58 Comments

Happy Friday!! How was your week? I feel like I came back to the island from our trip to the US ‘swinging’, so to speak. Just ready to get things in order and become more productive and efficient in everything. And get focused on my personal priorities … which definitely includes learning the ins and outs of our new camera!! So I can take better pictures of our current favorite project, our new coffee table that I made from an old door I pulled out of a dumpster.

restoring {old wood} scrape, strip and sand

By Karah | August 17, 2012 - 7:08 am | carpentry, coffee table, diy, dumpster diving, free, home decor, home improvement projects, imperfection, living room, message center, nature, old wood, paint, quick tip, restoring old wood, sanding wood, scrap wood, scraping wood, unfinished projects, wood salvage

27 Comments

I have just finished my second old door project around here, and after my DIY day by the pool with my girlfriends I’ve started looking more constructively at how I work with old wood. It was fun to be with my friends, and showing them new things, and realizing that what seems second nature to me might be new to others. So, here are some of my thoughts as I work with old wood. Some are technical, some are personal preference, some are physical and some are mental tips. Hopefully you find some, little bit of it useful.

month in minutes {july 2012}

By Karah | August 3, 2012 - 7:08 am | autumn decor, bachelorette, beach, carpentry, color, curacao, dumpster diving, floating shelf, fourth of july, free, home decor, hometalk, house tour, inspiration, it's a cinch, link party, living room, mantel, MISSION: POSSIBLE, month in minutes, nearly free, our curacao space, paint, scrap wood, taco seasoning, unfinished projects

8 Comments

Check this out … the monthly review in the first week of the following month. #surprisedmyselfwithmyefficiency July has always been a favorite month of mine … and it proved to be the same on the blog. I started the month begging asking for help as I started to undertake a living room redo. So far, as part of the Blogging without Borders series we have made a floating shelf and started work on DIYing a coffee table. I am reeeally hoping to have that for you at the next update. If this review is old news to you, head over to see what the other gals are up to. We had a bunch of fun with decor on this new floating shelf. Well, I know I did, I hope you did, too. :) From the initial attempt, an early fall mantel and the most recent where we finally brought ‘the girls‘ back and added a pop of color with a spray painted leaf wreath. How to Build a Floating Shelf Tutorial is here! I enjoyed putting together a round-up of 105 ideas for your 4th of July celebration. What a great resource! I was a day late so feel free to pin it for next year. :) And I also made another piece of pallet word art that I adore. It has been the perfect, sun shiny addition to our rooftop pallet bed area. July was also great fun for me as part of the Hometalk Ambassador team. I shared my tips for posting your projects on Hometalk here. And also had a blast with my girlfriends at our DIY pool party with Hometalk ‘swag’ here. Thank you so much Hometalk, and Miriam, for the wonderful opportunity. :) It gave me chance to help my friend Carol learn how to use … continue reading →

the great outdoors {diy door trough}

By Karah | May 15, 2012 - 7:08 am | bobvila, carpentry, crafty, door decor, free, home decor, MISSION: POSSIBLE, pallet projects, scrap wood, the great outdoors, trough, tutorial, upcycle

32 Comments

Do you ever have those ideas that just spring you into action? I was trying to organize my week. My eyes landed on my little spring wreath and I thought “I need to update the door decor”. Then I thought “I need a great outdoors idea”. And it just came to me. I thought it was going to be so easy I took a photo of my watch so I could track the time.