Tutorials | Making This Home

How to : Furnish Your House with Old Furniture

July 28th, 2011

All of the guest writers that have dropped by to say hi on Making This Home these last few months have just AMAZED me. This next guest maintains that awwwe factor with a million awesome tips. Jane from The Borrowed Abode is here to talk about used furniture.

I’ll be honest; two months ago, I had no idea how much furniture cost in the US. I started fearing that Martin and I would be using cardboard file boxes for tables. Then I saw Jane’s living room…. Jane’s $750 living room. I just had to know…

How to Host a Decluttering/Swapping Party

June 15th, 2011

I’m tickled to introduce (perhaps even reintroduce) Lisa – aka Satsumabug. You might know her from flipping through pages of her {She} journal over at Gadanke. What you may not know is that this girl has a serious knack for hosting parties, decluttering, and getting some craved stuff all at the same time.

How to Alter Knits and Sweaters

May 18th, 2011

Thank you all for the incredible feedback on Monday’s post, Keeping a Focus When You Blog. My heart is full!

This month marks TWO YEARS since Martin and I stopped buying new clothes. Wowzers. I don’t think we would have survived without my sewing machine. There has been a lot of hole patching, sock darning, and repurposing. (In case you’ve missed it, you can catch the whole crazy journey here.)

Fabric Flower Tutorial

April 13th, 2011

I added to my wardrobe again.

This project is actually a no-sew one that I whipped up before Martin was even awake on Saturday morning. It’s super easy.

Yep – they’re just some simple fabric flowers on my jackets. Summer evenings get chilly around here (and did I mention we’re still getting snow? ha!). I figure it’s a good investment… although I’m not quite sold on the gray flower/green jacket combo.

Loving What’s In the Closet (and a Sewing Surprise!)

March 30th, 2011

One of the books I’m currently reading (and loving) is Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. I highly recommend it! I stopped in my tracks when I read this:

What if everything hanging in your closet were something you loved — something that made you look beautiful or made you feel wonderful when you put it on? Think of how good you would feel every day.

Roasting Chestnuts

January 24th, 2011

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at… Oh right. Christmas has come and gone. Cut the Christmas music. But don’t feel like you have to cut the roasting chestnuts, too. Ever since marrying into a European family, I’ve had a major crush on roasting chestnuts.

They’re still in stores around here in the USA. Street venders are still selling them at winter markets around Berlin. So what the heck. We brought some home. After all, Jack Frost is totally nipping our noses. We’re just going to skip the whole “open fire” thing and go with roasting in the the oven.