from blogs and not wanting to buy something I can replicate if I can :)

I think growing up in a household where we didn't waste and tried to re purpose things. Experimenting on my own (and knowing my limits) and having my limited budget. All these things get me into lengthy diy moods.

My parents slowly renovated their 1903 Craftsman foursquare home by hand, one room at a time, throughout all of our childhoods, and required us to pitch in as we got taller and more capable of painting in straight lines. When your "summer projects" involve sanding, priming, and repainting things, you almost can't help learning *some*thing.

Google :)

I get that look all the time. What can I say, housekeeping is my hobby.

Working making theatrical sets taught me that if someone else can build it, I probably can too.

I had limited friends as a child and spent lots of time painting velvet, making macramé plant hangers and crotching granny squares. That has naturally evolved in DIY.

Also I am super cheap and always looking for a cheap way to make something for my house. I also spend an inordinate amount of time on Apartmenttherapy and other websites.

Growing up my mom was the crafty one. Sewing, jewelry making, etc. She always let me do whatever craft projects I wanted (and she paid for it). And my dad was the handy one. I always loved helping with furniture assembly and using tools. I believe the combination of my parents have been the solid base of my designing/crafting/hobbying.

My dad can fix anything in the world and my mom can sew or paint anything in the world. Also, both of my parents grew up without much money, so they both got it from their parents. My parents actually built their first house (like, the 2 of them did everything).

I guess that and my desire to have things that I can't afford....I need to find some way to get those expensive things. I love it.

My dad. He is from Central America and due to the country he grew up in and making do with limited resources etc he is incredible handy and DIY from cars, to computers to house repairing/building.

He was able to pass his ingenuity to my sis and I (mostly thru coercion as kids) but boy I'm glad for it now as an adult. Coupled with this confidence installed in me and the many DIY tutorials on the web its been fun making a-go at various house projects etc.

Two guilty parties: Dad enclosed the carport in the 70's and I was his little helper and years of watching "This Old House" when PBS was the only game in town.

I've learned mostly from my mother and my limited budget force my DIY mind to start working... I now learn from mostly google and blogs.

Sometimes the internet gives you just enough information to get you into trouble (overconfident but lacking the full complement of skills to complete things, esp big, complicated projects).

For the larger projects, I'm a big fan of my local library. We completely gutted and renovated our bathroom, and learned everything we needed to do it, from setting tile to hanging & finishing drywall, from library books.

My parents built our house, I spent the first two years of my life living in the basement while we worked on finishing the upstairs. So my dad did all of the framing, plumbing, electrical etc while I watched and I saw my mom doing all of the trim staining/varnishing, painting walls and cooking for us on a hot plate. So if I haven't done it, I;ve either seen it done or know that it is possible to DIY.

That is half the battle, knowing that you don't need to hire someone to do most of the stuff around the house. As my dad says, "If you can read and follow directions, you can do just about anything." His corollary: "Most people aren't too good at following directions, though."

my grandfather was a custom cabinet builder by profession and as a hobby made furniture from whatever scrap would he could salvage... he was "green" way before it became "cool." he also built two houses with the help of his two boys and that's how my dad learned everything he knows. i grew up watching my dad and mom do *everything* around the house. they taught me the value of doing things the right way so that it lasts. i admire them all.

Have always felt most fortunate to have grown up in a neighborhood full of relatives who built their own houses (and did the plumbing and electrical work), gardened, and encouraged the kids to get involved. My grandmother let us spend hours poring through her fabric chest full of scraps and buttons, and we had a great- gramp who wove rugs and blankets. We learned all sorts of skills, and I firmly believe we learned to think creatively because of the do-it-yourselfers in the family.

I live in British Columbia, Canada (the Kootaneys to be precise) in a small village. There are no furniture stores and few capable tradespersons in the area. My partner and I have taken a log home which was in horrid disrepair when we arrived and turned it into our dream home. It has taken us 15 years. Our learning sources have been the library - they have DIY videos seldom taken out by patrons, the internet, friends suggestions and trial and error - otherwise known as the school of hard knocks. I would encourage painting areas lighter shades (white) to reflect light, using drop cloths for curtains (100% cotton and very lovely if put up properly - they can also be sewn together if you have a wide area to cover,) getting a basic (nothing fancy) sewing machine (try the second hand store) and learning to sew if you don't already have that skill. Lots of tools are not necessary however a good electrical sander and a wheelbarrow to mix cement in (if you are inclined to use cement as a building medium) are good investments. Ask hardware store staff for their suggestions. You would be surprised to learn that many carpenters take a few hours of clerking at hardware stores during slow seasons; particularly in smaller towns. Read labels and directions on the inserts of the materials that you purchase. There are web sites listed on many material inserts that you can contact for help as well. If you don't know where to begin if you have purchased a DIY home, also referred to as a fixer upper, always start with where water could come in. This includes doors, windows and roof...then proceed onward to the rest. I should add "measure twice and cut once."

My father and This Old House (as a child of the 80s without cable and before all the various DIY channels) taught me that none of this stuff is rocket science. Figure out how it's done, and Just Do It.

But I also know my limits: I've decided I'm never going to touch my heating or cooling systems (except routine maintenance). And plumbing: no need to tackle anything more complicated than hooking up a new faucet to existing water and sewer connections.

It's fun!

My mom! She's one of those people who just always figures out how to make things work and she passed that along.

Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and growing up on a farm. Grad school helped, needing to do things on the cheap. Now, some blogs (not all, by any stretch) and books.

Upholstery! From my mom, I learned that was one thing to avoid, after she reupholstered a living room chair on her own (young military wife needing to save money but still have the place look nice for whenever officer wives visited). When done, she couldn't find the screwdriver she'd used, and me (at 4yrs old) was too young to be truly guilty, I guess.

Fast-forward about 12 years, and she finally got the chair reupholstered, this time professionally... and they returned the screwdriver that she'd trapped inside the chair. Six moves over 12 years... and now that screwdriver's in my tool-chest.

What I learned that's non-textile, I learned from my dad, who learned from his dad. We're now on three generations of People Unable To Live In A House Without Tearing Down At Least One Wall.