Chalk paint can be a magical tool to help you refinish a piece of furniture that has seen better days. Unfamiliar with chalk paint? It provides a hard finish that will cover a lot of imperfections and simply make them disappear. Many brands are available online, in a home improvement center paint department or even in your favorite craft store. While there are lots of good choices, they can be quite expensive. The simple solution to that is to make your own. Today, I will share three different chalk paint recipes I have tried and let you know which is my favorite and why.

Are you a “set it and forget it” person when it comes to furniture arrangement? If the answer is yes and you don’t THINK you have options, politely, you’re wrong. If you’re inexperienced or lack confidence, this blog is just what you need. Rearranging furniture is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to make a room feel new. It’s a core concept of redesign and one of my great pleasures in life. I’ve got six quick tips to help give your home a fresh look for the total cost of zero dollars. You don’t find bargains like that often, so stick around and let’s get our arrangement mojo in high gear!

It won’t always be like this, but lately I’ve been on a thrift store streak. I scored a sweet little bench with a cushioned top and front drawer for storage for less than 10 bucks! As is my habit, a few Saturdays ago, I checked my local Goodwill to see if they had anything I couldn’t live without. Apparently, my survival depended on a cheap bench. It wasn’t much to look at, but I could see its potential and the price was too tempting to resist. While I gave in to impulse, my motivation was about sharing with you. Okay, a little about replacing the bench I’d grown tired of in my primary bedroom, but also the sharing thing. Read on to follow the steps I took to create a cute piece for a killer price.

Do you have a room in your home that you walk by all the time and think to yourself, “If only I could use this room for blank.” No judging on what your “blank” may be – that’s up to you. Or, maybe you have a related challenge: you have a specific blank you want to pursue and no “blanking” space to do it in. I’m beginning to appreciate the multiple uses of the word “blank” through this blog, which is highly fitting since the topic we’ll explore today is making your home more valuable through multi-purpose rooms.

Before I go down the rabbit hole of what colors aren’t as popular as they once were, let me share that you should always make choices based on what you love, the look you want, and the activities you will be doing in that room. I have a great post to help you choose the perfect color palette by asking yourself five simple questions. If you haven’t read that, you can find it here. In my opinion, the only reason to choose colors for others and not yourself is if you’re painting to put your house up for sale or have a rental property to rent. In those cases, you would want to choose colors with wide appeal.

Disclaimer complete. Now, just for fun, let’s take a little look-see at what the paint manufacturers are noting as colors that the masses once made popular but now…not so much.

Are you finding your outdoor living space to be too darn hot to enjoy? If so, you’re not alone. As summer heats up, we tend to avoid being outside because miserable and sweaty is no way to be. It’s a shame because being outside not only increases our indoor living space but it’s also so good for us to breathe fresh air, get vitamins from the sun and enjoy everything the great outdoors has to offer. So, if you’ve been limited to grillin’ and gettin’, this blog can help.

I’m starting to refinish a furniture piece I got a couple of weeks ago for just five bucks! It’s a hutch, and did I mention I got it for five bucks? Obviously, it’s used, but it has great potential. Flaws? Yup, plenty. Imperfections? You bet. Does that make it less desirable? I believe the opposite is true and here’s why…

Some people are all in when it comes to buying new versus used furniture. They can’t imagine why anyone would take the time to “save” a piece just to save a few bucks. If you’re on Team New, I respect that. However, in this blog I’ll make a pitch for refinishing—even if you’ve never refinished a piece before. I view refinished pieces like the rescue dogs of interior design. True, they may take more effort, and you may have to look past some initial flaws, but they have the potential to bring great fulfillment and joy to your life.

Summer is officially here! Results may vary, depending on your location. Here in Southern California it finally feels like summer has arrived. We are lovin’ those epic rays! And warmer weather means more outdoor time, so read on to learn five tips to help you make your outdoor space even more enjoyable. No rocket science here, just a few simple ideas you may not have considered lately to make your outdoors become the “great” outdoors.

Whether you’re seeking a specific item for a planned project, or hoping the perfect item finds you and slyly whispers an idea for a new project into your mind, thrifting is the answer. While not all thrifting trips may be productive, each presents the promise of grand adventure. People who fish know sometimes the best days on the lake end with a nearly empty bucket. No big catches, but maybe a great story: You should have seen the one that got away! So you keep returning to the water for the experience, and because you know if you’re patient, when you least expect it, a “big one” will leap out and practically land in your boat. On my most recent thrifting outing I had barely dropped my line in the water when I reeled in two of my very best catches.

If you know me or have read my blogs for any significant time, you know that I proudly consider myself to be a paint fanatic. I preach the gospel of paint. So what’s the best and most affordable way to completely change the feel of a room? Say it with me, brothers and sisters……PAINT! And if I were running for president on the paint platform of the paint-ocratic party –someone should really do that – you can be assured that “I approve of this message.”

As a longtime paint proponent, I’ve logged many hours, and square feet, of vertical space enhancement. I’m happy to share some of my favorite tips and tricks to help you step up your paint game.

Color is a love-hate thing. I know this from many years of helping people with their home’s interior. Although people love how color enhances their home and their life, many hate choosing colors due to fear. What if I pick the wrong color? What if the color in the store doesn’t look good in my home? What if the color looks weird next to other colors in the room? The fears are many, and the struggle is real. So, if you want more color in your home and life, but you struggle—even a bit—with selection, then read on. Let me share an unforgettable tool. A simple mnemonic device to make choosing colors much easier.