The Beautiful, Functional Garden Shed of My Dreams

Like most people during the pandemic, I desperately wanted to carve out a quiet space for myself. After a long day of slinging snacks and sandwiches between my children’s virtual school lessons, I needed, even if briefly, somewhere to go. The rub was t…

Like most people during the pandemic, I desperately wanted to carve out a quiet space for myself. After a long day of slinging snacks and sandwiches between my children’s virtual school lessons, I needed, even if briefly, somewhere to go. The rub was that our two-bedroom bungalow was already maxed out with my husband working from a small office off our primary bedroom and two children taking Zoom calls from desks spread between the dining room and kitchen.

Then, a dilapidated metal shed jammed in the corner of our backyard suddenly inspired hope.

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Is Painter’s Tape Really Necessary?

I repaint the walls in my apartment so frequently that people often make the mistake of thinking I like to paint. Let me clarify: I do not like to paint. I find it to be among the more tedious home improvement tasks because it requires tons of prep, s…

I repaint the walls in my apartment so frequently that people often make the mistake of thinking I like to paint. Let me clarify: I do not like to paint. I find it to be among the more tedious home improvement tasks because it requires tons of prep, specific tools, and for the furniture to be in a state of disarray until it's done. What I truly like is easily changing up the vibe in my home, and painting, while annoying, is still one of the easiest (and cost-efficient!) ways to do that.

Everyone has their painting preferences, though, and lots of people will swear up and down that you need to tape off every last bit of your home while others say that tape is a complete waste of time.

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You Don’t Need to Be an Artist to Paint a Mural in Your Home

Picture this: you’ve just moved into a new home and there are nothing but white walls as far as the eye can see. While all-white interiors are still having a moment, if you’re someone whose aesthetic leans towards color and texture, you’ll likely be it…

Picture this: you’ve just moved into a new home and there are nothing but white walls as far as the eye can see. While all-white interiors are still having a moment, if you’re someone whose aesthetic leans towards color and texture, you’ll likely be itching to layer some of that in—and quick. Enter: the DIY mural.

Whether it’s a living room that could use some personality, a nursery in need of warmth, or a run-down backyard fence that’s calling for an update, murals do the trick every time. You can certainly hire a professional muralist to come in and beautify your space, like Racheal Jackson of Banyan Bridges—or, as she recommends, you could easily take it on yourself.

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12 Experts on Their Biggest First-Home Mistakes

Let’s face it: Even those who we’ve now come to consider as design pros have made their share of home-related mistakes in the past—we’re all only human, after all! Nobody gets everything right when it comes to home ownership, and especially the first t…

Let’s face it: Even those who we’ve now come to consider as design pros have made their share of home-related mistakes in the past—we’re all only human, after all! Nobody gets everything right when it comes to home ownership, and especially the first time around.

Here, 12 successful home influencers reveal the biggest mistakes they made in their first houses, chiming in on everything from hasty furniture orders to poor paint color judgment and much more.

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Those Handmade Whisk Brooms You Love? You Can DIY Them.

Can You Dig It is a new monthly series by Kristin Guy in which a real-life garden DIY is tackled with real style. Whether you’ve got an expansive outdoor plot or just a few houseplants, Kristin will inspire you to grow even more with easy-to-tackle pro…

Can You Dig It is a new monthly series by Kristin Guy in which a real-life garden DIY is tackled with real style. Whether you’ve got an expansive outdoor plot or just a few houseplants, Kristin will inspire you to grow even more with easy-to-tackle projects and horticultural know-how.


Confession time: I love brooms. Specifically, tiny handmade brooms. In fact, if you peeped into my greenhouse, you’d find not one, but four handcrafted brooms hanging on my workbench. There's something special about the care and detail spent on an object most find utilitarian. I like to think of it as an extension of my horticultural work—a beautiful object that plays an important part of my routine, and turns an ordinary act (in this case, cleaning) into an extraordinary celebration of completion.

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The Only Tools You’ll Need for DIY Upholstering

Over my years of working in upholstery and furniture design, I have pulled together a finely-honed set of tools that I need to ensure the best results. When approaching DIY upholstery, remember that you don’t need to acquire every tool in the shed all …

Over my years of working in upholstery and furniture design, I have pulled together a finely-honed set of tools that I need to ensure the best results. When approaching DIY upholstery, remember that you don’t need to acquire every tool in the shed all at one time—or even use all of them. While the tools you will need will greatly depend on the level of difficulty of the project or the technique needed for the particular item that you’re working on, my best advice is to acquire what’s useful to you and build your repertoire as you go along.

You don’t need expensive equipment to achieve a clean and well-done finish, either. There are so many industrial supplies and equipment that I have chosen not to acquire because they are cumbersome, expensive, and take up quite a large amount of space. Also of note: when it comes to specialized DIY tools, you can also often rent them for your projects.

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How Much Mulch Is Too Much Mulch?

Pass through any residential street in the suburbs and you’ll probably notice trees with mulch piled up high around their bases. In gardening lingo, this is called a “mulch volcano,” something not only unnecessary—and a waste of mulch—but also harmful …

Pass through any residential street in the suburbs and you'll probably notice trees with mulch piled up high around their bases. In gardening lingo, this is called a “mulch volcano,” something not only unnecessary—and a waste of mulch—but also harmful to the tree.

Mulching, when done properly, is one of the most important gardening tasks, especially in the spring. Roger Swain, the legendary host of the PBS television show The Victory Garden, wrote, “If I did nothing more, I would mulch.” Similar to watering, fertilizing, and applying other products—organic or not—to your plants, more is usually not better; you need to strike the balance between being generous and overdoing it.

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11 Totally DIY-able Headboard Ideas

You know by now that a good headboard works wonders in making a room feel more put together and, well…more adult. But let’s face it, not all headboards are created equal. These days, we’re majorly digging those that pack a punch and really add personal…

You know by now that a good headboard works wonders in making a room feel more put together and, well…more adult. But let's face it, not all headboards are created equal. These days, we’re majorly digging those that pack a punch and really add personality to a sleep space. And the good news is that we’ve found some incredible DIY-friendly options that you’ll want to (and should!) replicate in your own home. Whether your style leans boho and minimalist or bright and bold, we’ve got you covered—read on and pick a favorite.

1. Rustic Moment

Who needs a traditional headboard when you can hang beautiful wood panels behind your bed for some artful flair! This setup is a particularly excellent choice for those who love the rustic aesthetic and are drawn to warm wooden accents.

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6 Removable Wallpaper Mistakes I’ll Never Make Again

My powder room was begging for an accent wall. I spent hours looking for the perfect removable wallpaper online and landed upon a utterly charming pattern: little owls perched on branches. When the day came to hang the wallpaper, I carefully measured; …

My powder room was begging for an accent wall. I spent hours looking for the perfect removable wallpaper online and landed upon a utterly charming pattern: little owls perched on branches. When the day came to hang the wallpaper, I carefully measured; lined up the patterning; and used one of those wallpaper smoothing tools to get all the bubbles out. It turned out lovely and I went to bed thinking about how beautiful the bathroom looked.

The next morning, I sleepily came downstairs to make breakfast, and realized in horror that the wallpaper had not just fallen right off, it was sticking to itself. Later that day, I managed to repeat the entire process and hung it once again, only to have it fall off hours later. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong.

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How to Remove That Old, Ratty Carpet All by Yourself

Old, ratty carpet tends to get noticed no matter what you do to hide it. You can layer on a new area rug, paint the walls a bright new shade, or install intriguing pendant lighting overhead, but carpet that’s seen better days will somehow always direct…

Old, ratty carpet tends to get noticed no matter what you do to hide it. You can layer on a new area rug, paint the walls a bright new shade, or install intriguing pendant lighting overhead, but carpet that’s seen better days will somehow always direct the spotlight toward its stains and tatters. Perhaps it’s because you know it needs to be changed that nothing works. After a while of trying to conceal it (and failing), this question will likely have crossed your mind: Is it possible to remove carpet on your own?

“While we usually recommend hiring a pro to remove your carpet, you can do it yourself if you have the time, tools, and talent to do it right,” Bailey Carson, Home Care Expert at Angi.

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