Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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A Kitchen Makeover With Maple Cabinets and Quartz Countertops

When Jennifer sent us her almost unrecognizable kitchen before and after pictures we had to share the goods. Here’s her letter: I‘m so excited about my kitchen transformation that I had to send it your way since so much of it was inspired by YHL! Two of my favorite features in my new space (under cabinet spice shelf and sliding barn door) were inspired by this transformation that you guys featured on your blog a few months back. You can see my entire transformation with before/after pics here and the day by day process here. I’m so glad we were able to take the room from a neon green mess (yes, I painted it that

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Eco Friendly Crib Options

Ok, here it is. The much anticipated crib post. First we have to talk about how giddy we are to have a mini-me mattress going on. Let me explain. Remember back when John and I talked about saving our pennies for an organic mattress (after sleeping on a sketchy old hand me down for far to long) back in June of last year? Yeah, we actually had a “mattress fund” going until we could take that baby home. And pretty much ever since the day that we sprung for our own Organic Serenity Natural Dunlop Latex Mattress By Savvy Rest we dreamed of someday getting a mini version for our offspring in the form of

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Making A Homemade Calendar (Free Printable Included)

It’s (already!) the beginning of February so it’s about time we actually got our act together and replaced our still-pitifully-displaying-December calendar in the kitchen. And this year John actually wanted to DIY one. Isn’t he industrious? His big calendar concept: to pick out a bunch of our favorite “inside joke” quotes and slap them on top of a long skinny white numbered page so we’d get a little private chuckle every time we checked out the date or penciled in an appointment. Cute huh? He actually said it was going to be a secret V-day present for me but since February 14th is a few weeks off (and we both felt like bigtime slackers every

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And Amazing Porch With Limed Brick And A Glass Front Door

When Krystol sent over her unbelievable before & after exterior photos we just had to share the gorgeousness. Here’s her letter: I love your blog and I thought you might like our recent porch renovation. We’re trying to take our rancher to a french country cottage. First we the removed the porch railings and moved the posts a bit further apart. One of the posts was right in front of the door (not too welcoming!). Then we sheathed the existing posts in rough cut oak and added a second set of posts for a little extra oomph at the front door. We also added arches (carved from a single curved tree trunk section- go hubby!)

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Shopping For A Nursury Rug & Curtain Fabric

You all remember where we left off when it comes to the big nursery makeover, right? We painted the walls a nice pear color and added a splash of light aqua to the ceiling: Well… then it was time to go shopping. And not just any kind of shopping. Seriously determined we-have-a-goal-and-we’ll-make-fifty-stops-if-we-have-to shopping. And that goal was a lofty one. We set out on a Saturday morning with the hope of hunting down five distinct items for the recently painted nursery by that very evening: Some sort of light fixture, either a big fun patterned pendant lamp or some sort of playful and sweet chandelier A plush 5 x 8′ 100% wool rug (without any

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He Said, She Said: Our DIY Column Is Back

If this magazine cover looks familiar, then you’ve probably already noticed that the second appearance of our “He Said, She Said” column in Do It Yourself Magazine is out on newsstands. Seeing it again was no less exciting than the first time we tackled decorating disputes from both sides of the gender line, especially since we got to cover even more reader questions (hooray for two-page spreads!). Plus we got the help of a professional illustrator to bring one of our floor plan suggestions to life. It felt like what we imagine providing descriptions to a police sketch artist must be like – though much less “make his eyes more sinister” and more “let’s make the coffee

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How To DIY A $100 Backsplash With Stainless Steel Stick-On Wall Tile

When Amy sent over her $100 backsplash makeover we were so inspired and just had to share. Here’s her letter: I whipped this out in about five hours and am very excited about the results! I bought nine packages of these light, thin stainless wall tiles. The tiles include double-stick foam squares for hanging, so there is no messy tile work. Some reviewers recommended Liquid Nails, but I was worried about making corrections if thing didn’t line up properly. I can go back if there is a problem, but they feel very secure! You can cut these tiles with a pair of scissors and even bend the tiles! I snipped a cut on each side

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A Nursery With Pear Green Walls & A Light Blue Ceiling

Pretty much from day one (even before we learned that the bean was actually a beanette) I was dreaming of painting the nursery walls a fun pear green while taking the ceiling from bland ol’ white to a light aqua color. But somehow saying “green walls with a blue ceiling” conjures up all sorts of scary Trading Spaces episodes so even my dear hubby wasn’t getting my “vision” until we broke out the paint swatches and I was able to explicitly show him what I meant. There’s a tip for you ladies: many people (especially guys who don’t speak “interior decorating”) are visual creatures. So saying something like “I want to paint the side tables

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Where To Keep The Sponge & Dishcloth At The Kitchen Sink?

Q: I love your blog and often check in twice a day. Thank you for your great work! But I have one question: what do you do at the kitchen sink with the few things you regularly use for washing-up/cleaning the dishes and the table (like a sponge, a dish cloth, a brush, dishwashing detergent, maybe gloves)? Are there good solutions out there that look clean, well-organized and perhaps even cool? What would you suggest to anyone who hates having too much stuff lying/standing around in the kitchen? Thank you and greetings from Europe. -Monica A: Good question! In a nut shell, we keep a dish cloth folded up next to the sink or draped

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A Beautiful Light Blue & Red Nursery

When Brieanne sent over her amazing nursery before and after pics we couldn’t wait to share the major transformation. Here’s her letter: Last year my sister asked me (her younger sister with the architecture degree) to help her with her nursery for my future (and now completely adorable) niece Claire. Because my sister and brother-in-law could possibly have more than one child in their current space, they wanted a decently gender neutral nursery. Beginning with some bedding by Skip Hop my sister loved, we started a “mood board.” The criteria: gender neutral, simple, non-cluttered and CHEAP. Jen (my sister) wanted something fresh and relaxing for herself, knowing the nursery would be mostly for her enjoyment.

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