Building a tiny house/sleep shed for the backyard of our cooperative
This year I decided I wanted to build my own tiny house after being inspired by many other examples such as Tumbleweed. It’s 150 square feet, uses passive solar heating, has an earthen floor and a green roof, and I built it (almost) entirely by myself as an addition to my cooperative home.
How to make temporary art
One thing really makes a place look lived-in, and that’s hanging art on the wall. It takes a commitment to put a nail into plaster to hang a picture, and seeing art you’ve committed to hanging immediately makes you feel in control of your space.
While you’re waiting for art you love to come along, you can liven up a room with your own art — or your family’s! Round up the necessities, and I’ll meet you in the driveway for a seriously easy step-by-step guide to making art for your home you’ll be proud of.
How to make bank with yard sales
My husband and I are getting ready to move into a smaller space with our son — right now we’re renting a house, but are going back to an apartment soon. This is all part of a bigger plan to downsize our living space and therefore our possessions, and it’s one that we’re really excited about.
This was our first garage sale, and we were NOT prepared for the singular anxiety and crazy-making that comes hosting a yard sale. Luckily, we pulled it off, and here’s how.
Level up: How to spraypaint well
You have to practice spray painting. This came as a surprise to me, my sophomore year of college, my first year of art school, when I was trying to spray paint my Piet Mondrian-inspired birdhouse for Intro to 3D Design on the sidewalk outside my dorm during a very cold March. I guess I thought spray paint was magic — that it automated the process of painting — but I found out that wasn’t true, and that I didn’t know how to use spray paint at all.
Many projects later, I am a master spraypainter. I paint coatracks and shoes and art work and bones, and I really think this is one of the most valuable DIY skills I have. Being able to finish up a spray paint job with no drips or ripples can make the difference between a ruined project and one I LOVE. Having a good grasp of this skill means anything in my house can be ANY EFFING COLOR I WANT.
Let me teach you the right way to use a can of spray paint.
Nerding out: how we wired our house for ethernet
Setting up a wired LAN in your house is somewhat unusual, because most people do just fine with a wireless connection. But it does offer some distinct advantages over an exclusively wireless network, like faster speeds, lower latency, and better reliability. If you’re a hardcore enough nerd, this might be your next home project.
6 ways to use strings of twinkle lights all year long
Hands up: how many Homies have a cadre of Christmas lights boxed up somewhere? Sounds like you have some project ideas to brainstorm this weekend — especially if you’re living in a dorm. These projects SCREAM “battling bland.”
How to paint a polka dot washer and dryer that will hold up over time
The laundry room has been a sticking point as we put together out house. It was such a cramped, cluttered nightmare that no one would want to see. U to the G-L-Y. BUT NOW, thanks to a polka dot stencil and some turquoise paint, my much-prettier washer and dryer are leading the way in laundry beautification.
A photo guide on reupholstering metal-framed chairs
I redid our uggo old taupe dining room chairs, and found it surprisingly easy. It only took a few materials, and using new padding, a staple gun, and jersey knit fabric, I have totally like-new chairs!