Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: DIY Home Dec

Coooooolllllddd...the thermometer has barely cracked 20 in the past four days. And that's only when the sun is shining! The chickens hardly seem to notice, though they spend more time in the coop. And Charley has developed a deep and lasting affection for any heat source; he'll position himself just close enough for the warmth to radiate onto his belly. Silly dog. 
     We'll probably have a nice visit by the fire tonight, popcorn and a movie at hand. I originally bought a collection of Jean-Claude Van Damme for the Brick's Valentine's Day; after all, what says romance more than Jean-Claude kicking the snot out of someone? But it's been a rough, cold and trudging-through week for both of us. Time to rest a bit. 

Timecop - one of my favorites. Sudden Death is good, too.

     
    This week's batch of Stuff features home dec ideas that you can do yourself.

 One of the best encouraging flash mob moments -- at an unemployment office. (Wonderful song, beautifully done -- courtesy of carne cruda.)

Transferring typography to furniture, walls and other large spaces. From Karen at The Graphics Fairy.

A child lost, because her dresser wasn't secured to the wall. Thank you for sharing this heartbreaking store, Love, Light, Laughter and Chocolate. If you look at the dresser...well, I never would have thought this needed stabilizing. Obviously, it did.

Ten old wives' tales about pregnancy, thanks to Stacy Makes Cents.

Nine movie villains who were right all along. 

Top ten craft tutorials for 2012, according to Design Improvised. Check out the crepe paper flowers; these are just lovely.

     

Why most people fail their New Year's resolutions -- and what to do about it. Money Beagle's got some good practical advice here. (You might find yours truly's post, Resolving Your Future in 2013," on Midlife Finance, helpful too.)

Lessons learned from a grandpa. (Thanks so much for sharing him with us, Daily Money Shot.)

And something learned from my grandma. Well, from her silverware. (This is a post from one of my other website stints, on Penny Thots.)

Oh, the goodies you can get for 50 cents or less at a garage sale. This fond lookback is from (you guessed it) Queen of 50 Cents.

Large-scale tree paintings on your walls: all it takes is time, a good graphic (which you copy!) and painter's tape. And look at the variety in this post...although my favorite is definitely this one. 

One of the prettiest DIY wood countertops I've seen in a long time. And look at the cost! From Cleverly Inspired, whose projects are eminently doable...and gorgeous.

One of Robert Kiyosaki's businesses went bankrupt. Don't recognize the name? How about Rich Dad, Poor Dad... apparently Kiyosaki's business wasn't paying the royalties it had promised its sponsor. And when pressed for the money, they just filed bankruptcy, instead. Classy.

Brickworks' website troubles are (hopefully) at a standstill. My IT guy put the site on "maintenance mode" for now, until we can switch to a new host. You should get a GOOGLE warning when you try to go there, warning that it's got issues. Don't go there, please (http://www.cindybrick.com) -- just e-mail me personally instead (cindyjbrick@gmail.com), until we can get this worked out.
    And the "we're still here" sale is still going strong. A great time to pick up my books at an excellent price.


Have a good week - stay warm.