The Dining Room

When we bought our home,

 there were two living areas, 

one was the formal living room, 

and the other was called the family room.

That said, there was only a dining area, a very small breakfast nook area...

and a really small enclosed kitchen.

Having an interior design background,

I decided that we needed to change up the floor plan a bit. 

So the plan of action was to remove the kitchen wall, expanding the kitchen to the

Dry Creek Bed Landscape

This project was a way to control the flow of rainwater across our front landscape. 

Here my 4 easy steps to follow when installing a dry creek bed.

Dig a Trench

I started out by clearing the grass and digging the shape of the creek bed. You can use spray paint to mark out the shape of your creek bed, making it look as natural as possible. 

We already had a couple of  large boulders that surfaced when we had our water line replaced years ago, 

so I used them as a focal point.

Set Large Boulders

Most of you won't have boulders already in place, so find rocks and boulders of different sizes. 

For a more natural look, instead of lining the sides of the creek bed with rocks, try to create clusters of different size boulders along the river's edge for a more natural look.

Install Plastic or Weed Fabric

I used doubled clear plastic sheet overlapping it for complete coverage, and roof shingles at the base of our home foundation.

The shingles were placed partially against the foundation wall, to create a semi curve and help the water run off into the creek bed.

At this point I also planted a mix of tall grass and mulch.

Cardboard is an inexpensive (and free) material to use instead of weed fabric.

Make sure you wet the cardboard well before topping with mulch.

Fill with River Rocks

I used a mix of small rocks that I found for free and 3 bags of river rocks I bought years ago for a different project that never happened. 

p.s. call rocks landscaping businesses. 

They sell the nice natural stones for landscaping, but some of them will have a free pile of rocks that they can't use.

That's where I got all the landscaping rocks around our house.

Stay Frugal,

Daniela

13 more days to receive 15% off 

on your entire order from my

Etsy Shop (here) ,

when you use HOLIDAYS2016 at checkout.

Code expires on December 1st.

Most items and gift combos sell for $5-$20

Evolution of the Garage

Slowly but surely.

The idea started with turning our garage into living space + laundry room.

(our washer and dryer were already down there).

It has been a year since we started this process...

yes, we are taking our sweet time.

Right now we have a mess, but the concrete walls have finally drywall on it.

We had already done electrical and connected heat and air to this room.

The next couple of weeks will be finishing the walls, with second mudding, priming and paiting...

and floors???

Then the fun part of actually putting the room together.

When I say the next couple of weeks...

it does not really mean exactly that. 

It will probably take me longer...

much longer.

Remember when I said we are taking our sweet time?

don't worry. This has since been covered with plastic until further notice :)

But this is the mess in that room right now, 

so I am going to do my best to get this room in presentable conditions ASAP.

Here is the slow process in fast motion.

First of all I applied 2 coats

Cleaning a Wooden Deck (naturally and easily)

Do you have a wooden deck that is covered with green gunk?

Algae, mold, will grow on decks that are in the shade.

Our deck has been in need of some cleaning...

but I am happy to report that our deck is looking like new again.

I spent just a little over $1 to clean the entire deck.

I am not a fan of chemical cleaners, 

not inside nor outside the home.

So my quest for cleaning the deck came down to 

How to clean a pallet

I love pallets.

When I get "new" ones, I usually leave them outside to naturally age the wood.

I am in the process of making shelves for our laundry room,

so I went outside to cut down the pallet I choose for my project.

Every time, before using pallet wood,

I like to clean them up really good.

Fall and the Garage to Rec Room makeover

Definitely fall is in the air.

Cool breeze, shorter days and chilly mornings/evenings.

I honestly have only decorated a few things around the house...

I am mainly a Christmas decorator. 

Lol

I also have been working on our garage project. 

But Summer has ended and I am not done.

I knew I wouldn't.

But we made progress. 

The old (exposed) insulation was taken down, and I am pretty sure we will leave the

Carriage Style Doors

I have not been updating about our garage rec room conversion,

but we are making progress.

Electrical has been taking care of, the walls are getting the waterproof treatment, and the carriage style doors have been installed.

Originally I wanted to build the doors myself,

I had my plans done.

But life with little children (and life in general),

can get very busy.

So my husband and I decide to have our friend John building the doors for us.

He can build anything.

I told him what I wanted, the material to use 

(remember, I had my plans done with materials cost and everything),

and he made these

Garage to Rec Room

After much deliberation,  

my husband and I have decided to turn our garage into a rec room.

Lots of different reasons.

I know there are different opinions on 

"garage or not garage".

I get it.

Although the garage door openings will not be closed up with a wall.

I am planning on replacing the overhead doors,

with true carriage style doors,

aka that swing out.

That will give us the option of converting the garage back if we ever want to.

I know those carriage style doors are neither cheap nor frugal,

but I am planning on building it.

So it's all good.

Can't wait to start. 

To check out some of my inspiration pictures, here is the link to my

pinterest garage board

source

So here how our 500sq feet looks like right

Pergola Carport

It has been a few weeks since we added a pergola carport to our backyard.

We decided on having someone building this.

At this time I am not able to tackle another big outdoor project.

(although I just added and plowed a 15x10 veggie garden area, in addition to our current 16x8 garden area)

The reason behind this addition is the possibility of converting our garage into a rec room.

Maybe even close off the laundry area, 

which is already located in the garage.

I am budgeting the upgrades and researching the best solution for us.

This garage transformation would be a DIY project, and it would take some time from start to finish.

Back to the carport.

We wanted a carport that didn't look like a carport.

Make sense, right?

I like the

How to change a shower head

Good morning blogland!

I know I have been "gone" for few weeks, but life has been busy. 

Good but busy.

With homeschool and marathon training in full force, life is not slowing down anytime soon.

Today I am going to show you how to change your shower head.

There are many women out there that are very handy, but some of you might find this helpful.

This is what you will need:

Backsplash extended

Over a year ago I added a backsplash to my kitchen.

A few days ago I was cleaning up the garage, and found

the rest of the material used back then.

I have seen backsplashes going the entire height of the ceiling, and I thought it would nice a little extra detail to add this to the back of the open kitchen shelf...

Make your house, your home

When people want to remodel part of their home, 

the question most of us ask first (or should) is: 

what can we afford?

I think it's harder for some to have a vision for their space, but truly, it all starts with a vision.

If you are not a visionary, then you probably know one. 

Ask them.

When my husband and I bought our first (and current) home, he could not fully see the potential. 

I, on the other hand, was planning a remodeling as soon as we bid on it. 

Started to rip off the carpet as soon as we signed and were

Storage Area Reveal...Then and Now

On December 10, 2013, we started our sunroom addition.

This is what looked like then.

It has now been a year, and this is how it

The Shed Project

I am getting really excited about finishing up the shed under our sunroom.

My plan is to have it finished in the next week. 

I can't believe that almost a year ago (December 10, 2013)

we started the actual sunroon project.

The picture shows one of the "walls" that are already finished.

I am working on the door frames...

Free material for adding curb appeal

Most of the things in this world are not free...

or are they?

Yes, if you are not picky on what you want,

most times you can get free material and add curb appeal.

Today I am going to show you two things that you can get for free,

pretty much anywhere you live.

We just landscaped our entire yard for FREE.

I am talking about 

Let the shed project begin

Truthfully, I am always busy doing something...

but when my husband is out of town for work (which is not very often),

I start tackling those projects that have been on the list for months.

Maybe because my brain and body is already exhausted,

so I think... "might as well..."

This week has been one of those weeks.

I headed to Lowe's to get my supplies,

with the children in tow

(yes we got many "looks" as I piled wood, screws...)

and started the 

Fire pit area

It's about time I finished this fire pit area,

built right next to the diy floating deck I built a few months ago.

I have used pavers we bought at Lowes 7-8 years ago, 

when we I made a pathway to get from the driveway to the sidewalk that takes us to the front of our house.

The walkway had become partially overgrown and just needed to be redone...

which I will show you soon what I ended up doing there.

So, back tot he fire pit area.

I dug up all the pavers to the backyard, and used free rocks found on craigslist.

I decided to work on the fire pit area with material I already had.

Here is what I did.

First of all, 

Chain Link Fence Project

Do you have a chain link fence that could use a face lift?

Do you need to add privacy to your yard?

This project is cheaper than replacing the entire fence and only require basic skills.

About 6-7 years ago, I had to do something about our chain link fence. 

At 4ft tall, one of our dogs would clear it and get out all the time.

We weighted our options, but nothing was fitting in our budget. 

Replacing was not an option, either wood or vinyl was too expensive.

But I found this 

3 Outdoor Projects

If you haven't seen much of my post lately...well, that's because I am not able to blog much.

And if I haven't been around visiting your blog, is that my brain usually shuts down pretty much right after the children go to bed.

You see, life with three young children is VERY busy, 

and with school back in session, our family life is even more busy.

(Welcome to Homeschool Life)

That said,

I have been able to work on few outdoor projects this Summer.

Or should I say "started" to work?

Here are the 3 projects that I have started, but not quite finished.

Staining the deck(s)

this picture was taken after the first coat only 

Most of the upper deck is done.

Few spots  that I cannot reach unless I climb on a ladder,

which I don't feel safe in doing it by myself.

Lower floating deck...I have not started to stain/paint yet.

It seems that on the weekends it's either raining or 100° sunny.

Next is the firepit area.

Easy paneling update

If you live in a house that was built before 1980ish,

chances are that you have wood paneling in one or more rooms in your house.

I know some of you may cringe at the sight of paneling, 

but I believe that what is an eyesore for some, 

can be updated for very little money and time.

You have probably have heard of painted paneling,

but here are some tips, ideas and projects to turn paneling into something beautiful.

Let's start with our main bathroom.

Project here

This paneling was the "old" kind, 

somewhat glossy.

BEFORE

I washed it with water (you won't believe how dusty walls can get...paneling or drywall alike).

Then I used a