My niece Melissa, aka Knotty Momma Woodworking, has apparently caught the upcycle bug (not unlike her aunt and uncle!!). One day while scanning the online market on her phone, she found a listing for the upper portion of old hutch for only $30! Continue reading
An oak swivel chair has always been on my wishlist. I admired the solid construction of vintage chairs because they don’t build ’em like they used to! Every time we go to an antique market, I’d always point them out to Hubs. He knew I wanted one, so I was pleasantly surprised when Hubs showed up one day with one in-hand! Continue reading
When we built the mancave and craft studio in the basement, double door access was a must have so we could easily move my industrial equipment into the space. We used a sliding door kit elsewhere in the house and were so happy with the result that it was a no-brainer to install a similar system in our basement. This time, we chose to do pocket doors since we were dealing with new construction. Continue reading
Pond maintenance is par for the course if you want to enjoy an urban oasis. Are ponds high maintenance? Yup; but there’s a secret to keeping algae at bay if you continue to read. That will help keep maintenance during the season to a minimum.
Opening up the pond for the season is a dirty job. But somebody has to do it – and thankfully, it’s not me! I’m happy to take my place behind the camera to help show you how it’s done 🙂 Continue reading
If you’re anything like us, you try to complete your inside renos during the winter months so you can enjoy the great outdoors once the good weather arrives. We just finished an accessible bathroom renovation for my Mom, so in this tutorial we’re showing you how to turn an unwanted bathroom light fixture into a planter for the garden. Continue reading
When you’re home & garden DIY’ers that repurpose and upcycle as much as we do – whether it’s a reno or craft project – it only makes sense that we would endeavour to do the same when it comes to our tools! A DIY quilling tool is an easy upcycle that’s within reach! Continue reading
I’ve been spending some long overdue quality time with Hubs this holiday season, so this post comes a day late for our 2018 round up. Looking back on our projects of 2018 has made me realize how much I’ve turned into my mother’s daughter. It’s a strange thing to think all your life that you’re nothing like your mother then suddenly come to the realization that you have more in common than you ever thought. Continue reading
A few years ago, we replaced all our kitchen appliances with Energy Star appliances and are reaping the benefits of energy savings. However, we still have a set of washing machines that my grandmother purchased for me over 20 years ago when I was still single. Given the sentimental value, and the fact that they’re still going strong, I don’t have the heart to replace them. Unfortunately that makes sustainable savings in the laundry room a challenge. They are energy guzzlers; my 1990s electric clothes dryer, for instance, use at least 17 percent more energy than those produced today. Continue reading
If you’re looking for a last minute, but fun and easy, ornament to do with the kids, look no further than this paper holiday ornament from Instructables. I used their blank template and our Birdz of a Feather logo to create this polyhedral paper craft ornament. You need nothing more than a printer, some paper, a piece of string or ribbon and craft glue to make your own.
As you saw in Part I of Waste Not Want Not, in trying to live a more a sustainable lifestyle, it’s important to us to reduce food waste. In Part II, we’re taking it another step further. Along with reducing food waste, we’re reducing water and excess packaging waste to reduce our environmental impact.
In this first part of a 2-part series, we’re showing you how we’re getting meal planning and inventory tracking organized in order to save money. Have you noticed how the price of food is skyrocketing? Now, more than ever, it’s important to reduce our food waste to keep our food budget in check. Afterall, if you’re saving money by reducing food waste, you can ride out price increases!
By the way, there’s a free printable meal planner further ahead to help you with your own food waste management goals!
Stock up on chicken soup with a pressure cooker!
On today’s Sustainable Sunday, we’re cooking up batches of chicken stock to keep on hand as the cold weather settles in (we usually freeze it). Nothing could be better than a steaming bowl of hot chicken soup to keep warm on a winter’s day!
Stock up on Chicken Soup with a Pressure Cooker!
With Christmas fast approaching, this dog gift basket is perfect for gift giving! When the goodies are gone, use it as dog toy organizer. It’s a cool project for the furry friends in your life and their human counterparts!
Homemade pesto is the payoff after we set up an indoor herb garden! My personal favourite herb is basil and we use it in a lot of dishes, so we’re going to show you how to make pesto from basil you grow at home. It doesn’t get fresher than that!
Basil is not only great as a pesto, but in a bocconcini, tomato and basil salad. As you’ll see later, we also love to use it to simply top a burger. Continue reading
An indoor herb garden makes so much sense! We love herbs but they are typically sold in such large bunches that they end up spoiling before we can finish them. Under those circumstances a living herb garden is the perfect solution! But let’s face it. Canada really only has two seasons: winter and the month of July. The perfect solution for us was to start growing our own herbs indoors! Growing our own will not only curtail our current food waste, but provide a ready source of nutrient rich, flavour-packed herbs year-round! Continue reading
Welcome to the sustainable living series we’re calling Sustainable Sunday! Planning the upcoming renovation for my Mom’s accessible shower has proven to be a time consuming process and my time for DIYs has crawled to a standstill. Over the course of the next few Sundays, we’re going to be filling in those gaps. Continue reading
Growing up, I always admired the Hudson’s Bay point blanket that adorned my Great Aunt’s bed – with it’s iconic stripes! When I saw this knock-off at my local Value Village, I grabbed it knowing that point blanket stripes would inspire this project. Continue reading
When we found this vintage Singer sewing table at a local thrift shop (missing the treadle and band wheel), I couldn’t resist the challenge to repair the veneer and breathe new life into it! I had two very distinct visions for it – so we’ve upcycled it twice! We’ll have one reveal for you today and another – more unique one – next time. Continue reading