I’ve admitted this much to Paolo: I’ve been pinning like a hooker. That is, fifty times daily with little discretion. Bedroom could use a little attention. Couch could look a lot less sandy-beigey-greeney. Staging and five-star polish? I’m trying to care. We’ll need cushions. Have never used a sewing machine before, but how hard can it be? [...]
Two smart people doing stupid things? Surely not. And yet, for far too long, we had no interior door handles. Questions of fire safety spring to mind… we do know better. As such, here’s a retrospective public service – passing along a non-alcoholic portion of our nightly routine. Whether moving and unpacking, rearranging or renovating, almost all [...]
![Reviewed: Dare to Repair, Replace & Renovate [Book]](http://www.meetmyuglybaby.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/dare-to-repair-replace-book-review-thumb.jpg)
Granted, I’ve learned my few DIY skills (skim coating, grouting vinyl tile) from YouTube & Skype. From a book, though? Dare to Repair, Replace & Renovate (2009) promises to teach how to install a tile backsplash and plenty more. Ok. If you can help me figure out that quandary, you’re on the A-List. Organized by categories (plumbing windows, [...]
![In my sink? My neighbours' toothpaste [guest post]](http://www.meetmyuglybaby.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/1-150x150.jpg)
So far in our ugly guest post series we’ve been to Racist Granny’s House to see Canada’s most astonishing boob light (thanks to Jan), and we’ve fought cockroaches and fallen through the floor with Jessica. We even went to Minnesota in December – to check out Sally’s ugly great room. Today’s incredible tale of ugly [...]
Mr. Chin wasn’t impressed. Our kitchen walls needed some interest. “They are dead and boring,” he told us – losing something in the translation. Open shelves had been the original plan when we ripped off the upper cabinets and sent them downstairs, and then that got stalled. Never came to a decision about style or [...]
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Growing up, I lived for a period on Wisteria Lane. Not five Desperate Housewives, but fifty. Beamer-driving, tennis-braceleted soccer moms lined the street. It was picture-perfect, but my DIY family didn’t fit the mould. Whereas neighbours’ lawns had crews of 5 performing slick routines in under 10 minutes – my parents preferred child labour. Some [...]
More obscene than Usher’s tour bus, more imposing than a freight train. You don’t expect to wake up and see a double decker bus on your balcony. How did it get there? Well, we kinda sorta built it. Going crazy with pre-spring fever, I was hatching all sorts of ideas for potting benches and green [...]
I have a handful of irrational hatreds: 1) plywood valances, 2) Tom Cruise, 3) scrambled eggs with other food mixed in, 4) soffits taking unnecessary space. We called it ‘that thing’ for the longest time, before some mysterious Google combination took me to a Flickr page that called ‘the thing’ ‘a soffit’. Huh. Soffit: The visible [...]
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas … a kitchen! Toys in every store Joys in every drawer… It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas … a kitchen! Toys in every store Noise in every chore … But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be… the poly that won’t be…by our own front door. 8 [...]
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Suits on? Ties tied? It’s business time. Any idiot can paint a bedroom – but even small kitchens renovations require a degree more finesse. They’re tricky, costly beasts and – done well – add the most value. No pressure. A small kitchen renovation on a budget? What gets a YES and what gets a NO [...]
