I have been coming across a bunch of good DIY projects online lately, and I thought that I would share some of the recent ones I have found. The most impressive of them all is this Ikea hack by the folks at Moddi. It uses some off the shelf pieces as well as some Ikea goodies, and the result is a great looking murphy bed for under $200. You can buy the plans from Moddi for $8, and with a little elbow grease have your very own affordable modern murphy bed.
Plans available at Moddi for $8.


If your not feeling quite that ambitious, you could always tackle a smaller job, like this DIY stuffed animal. This little kit comes with two hand screened pieces of canvas. All you have to do is follow the instructions, cut them out, sew them up and stuff them. It would be a nice and easy little project, and you have to admit that Claus is one of the cutest racoons you’ve ever seen.
Available at Egg Press for $26


If you don’t have a kid to make a stuffed animal for, or just aren’t into that thing, you could always treat your laptop to it’s own little felt cozy. Grace over at Design Sponge has posted a great little how to on making your very own laptop cozy. This one is even easier because there is absolutely no sewing involved. The end result is a very nice looking protective sleeve for your laptop.
Full instructions at Design Sponge

I happen to think that cardboard is one of the best materials for kids toys. Whether it is just a big old cardboard box and a lot of imagination, or you get a little more creative and build your own modern cardboard playhouse. If you have ever had the hankering to build something more elaborate, but were looking for a little direction, here is your chance. Fortytworoads Etsy shop has plans for building your very own cardboard kitchen. This fairly full featured little guy can be easily made out of a couple of cardboard boxes and some other spare goodies you have laying around your house. The end result is really quite impressive.

Plans available from Fortytworoads Etsy shop for $7.

I came across this post at Materialicious yesterday and it reminded me of when we were doing our Hardie Board rainscreen, We had originally bought a chop saw with a hardie blade to do all of our cuts, but it turned out to be a lot more dusty and less accurate than a good pair of power shears like the ones in the picture. Apparently Fine Homebuilding did an entire article on fiber cement tools, and the best way to work with this great affordable material. Unfortunately I don’t have a subscription, so I can’t access the whole article.
Are there any other Fine Homebuilding subscribers out there? Is it worth it?

Via Materialicious

I have been meaning to update my blogroll for a long time, but somehow it seems I can never find time. Here is a great one for anyone who lives in, or loves Utah. Your Heart Out is “a blog dedicated to shopping, dining, decorating, entertaining and traveling—generally living your heart out in Salt Lake City.” I have been following it for a while now, and they do a great job featuring all sorts of great things to do in Salt Lake. They even scour Craigslist for all the great deals out there so you don’t have to.

Check out all the goodies at Your Heart Out.

Finding a good trash can isn’t always easy. We have a nice stainless steel Simple Human one with a flip top lid. Overall we are pretty pleased with it, the only thing is that when you put a trash bag in it you can see it hanging out a little bit below the lid. These Tubelor Trashcans from Molla Space take care of that. You place your bag in the inner trash can and then it gets all covered up by the outer tube. Available in six different colors, they are sure to have something to match your decor. At only 12″ high, I wish that they made a bigger size…
Available from Molla Space for $41.

Overstock usually has some pretty good stuff at great prices. You may not find the coolest modern pieces, but you can usually find some good clean designs if you look hard enough. Here are a couple I found today:

I really just like this adjustable drawing table because it reminds me of my dads old drafting table. I remember for a while he was spending all his nights sitting in front of it cramming for his architectural exams. This one may not be a full on drafting table, but it does have a nice maple top and a simple design. Plus did I mention it is only $109?
Available for $109 at Overstock.com

I admit that I am not really a huge fan of acrylic side tables, or acrylic anything for that matter. These however are a great deal, if your into that sort of thing. For $140 you get three nesting acrylic side tables. According to Overstock “The contemporary, versatile design of this set of three Acrylic Nesting Coffee Tables is sure to impress in your home or office. ” Impressed? I am by the price.
Available from Overstock for $140

This couch is kinda like the acrylic side tables in my mind. I’m not hugely impressed by the design, but it is clean looking, and very affordable. The Kennedy sofa has none of the extra tufts and swooping lines that can ruin a couches look. It does have microsuede which is incredibly easy to clean up after. Best of all it’s only $499. Really for that price it’s a whole lot of couch.
Available from overstock for $499

Last but not least is this student desk. I like the soft green mint color, and the well balanced proportions. They were even able to slip a couple of drawers in there which makes it not only good looking, but functional as well. The high gloss finish should make cleaning easy. Don’t think that just because it’s called the student desk it needs to be covered with textbooks. This would look perfectly at home in any living room. Once again one of the best things is the price, $149.
Available from Overstock for $149.

I often come across nice looking products online only to be shocked by the price. While the $45 that they are asking for this candle holder isn’t outrageous, I can’t ever imagine myself spending that kind of money on it. Looking at it though, I can see that this same idea would lend itself very well to a DIY approach. All it would take is a scrap of wood from Home Depot, or even an old cutting board from a thrift store, a hole saw, and some dark stain. Not only could you save some money, but it could be a fun project too.
For those looking to go the easy route, you can buy it at Hip and Zen for $45.

This may be old news to some, but it looks like Dwell Studio is releasing a complete line of bedding, kitchen accessories and baby goods at Target soon. While I was excited about all of these different lines, I was most impressed with the pricing on the baby stuff. I’m not sure if the crib shown is Dwell or not, but Apartment Therapy lists pricing for the Soho Crib ($290), Olivia Crib Set ($80), and Olivia Blanket ($15). That gives you that whole set up for well under $400 including the crib! That seems like a great value for any new parent looking for a crib. The should be available on Target online by the 28th, but some people are reporting that their local target already has some items. More pics of the other lines after the jump.
Check out AT and sister sites for the full scoop:
Baby Collection
Bedding
Kitchen and Tabletop

Read more

I am always on the lookout for a good affordable and well designed wall clock. It’s hard to find a nice simple one for a good price, but this one from Well Dressed Home seemed to fit the bill. I liked the subtle contrast between the metal frame and the soft wood background. The clock is currently on sale for $24. I was pretty excited about it until I started reading the details. It looks like it is actually a faux cherry background and a hard plastic frame. So the question is, just because it’s fake, would you still want it? For me I think I may have to pass.
Available from well dressed home for $24

If you haven’t heard of the Black Apple yet, you are missing out. These wonderful prints created by the talented Emily Martin are quickly becoming one of my favorite Etsy finds. With well over 6,000 sales on Etsy, the Black Apple is not exactly new. But even if you have know about the Black Apple for a long time, you can still find new things there as Emily is always updating the inventory. Besides original prints, you can sometimes find dolls and other soft goods, photographs, pins etc. To top it all off, the prices are very reasonable. The 6.5″ x 7.5″ prints shown above go for $13.

Available from the Black Apple Etsy shop.

Check out Emily’s Blog too.