Michelle Chin

I knew from the moment I bought my home that I’d want top down/bottom up window treatments. I don’t want folks being able to look in my windows, nor do I want to necessarily look at my neighbor’s roof. So, the task was to find shades that fit. For most of the windows, I made do with mounting them on the outside of the windows (partially to accommodate the cats wanting to sit on the sills).

Cook-outs on warm summer evenings need to be lit by something so you’re not left sitting in the dark. How about making some very inexpensive metal lanterns out of recycled tin cans? They’re easy to make and require minimal materials (unless you want to get extra fancy).If you’ve ever used a pumpkin carving kit for Halloween, you already have the skills to create a tin can luminary.

The rogue houseguest who inspired 10 Tips for Being a Good Houseguest had more of a lasting effect than I could have ever imagined. It seems one of my cats wasn’t exactly stoked by her presence and as soon as she left kitty decided to, ahem, “cover” every last bit of her scent in the guestroom. I had no idea what he was up to until it was too late.I’ll start out by saying, I don’t exactly love the carpet.

As I view the images following Japan’s 9.0 earthquake, each more heartbreaking than the last, the sober realization that many folks are cut off from food, water, medicine and adequate shelter is becoming greater by the hour. As someone who lives in California, I’ve grown up with the reality of earthquakes and the fear of “the big one.” But, the simple fact is, many of us aren’t prepared properly, if at all.

When asked to co-host a his and hers baby shower in a downtown Los Angeles loft for some dear friends, I knew I wanted the decor to be fun, made of recycled materials and not pink. I started with pom poms. Usually they’re made of tissue paper, but having a pile of newspaper on the porch, I needed to put it to good use.MaterialsNewspaper (8 sheets per pom pom)Floral wireString, raffia or monofilament to hang the pom poms with ToolsVery strong scissors 1. Lay out 8 sheets of newspaper.2.

The ubiquitous pine tree air freshener. Call it what you will: kitsch, cute, ghastly. One thing it isn’t is natural. So, if you like the look of the staid and true conifer (or want to get creative and make your own design), have we got the tutorial for you.Kristina Hoglund at ReadyMade has put together this clever DIY for making your own organic air freshener that will put all those service station pine trees to shame.

I’ve always admired vintage makeup compacts, but found it rather sad that refills weren’t available and chalked these fancy little accessories up as a lost cause. Sure you could possibly use one as a fancy pill case or just use the built-in mirror, but it’s just not the same. Then, randomly, my friend forwards this “how to” my way!Vixen Vintage worked out the details on how to turn loose powder into a perfectly pressed cake, ready for a night on the town.

As we make our way through the 20/20 Cure, some of us may find our kitchens in need of some organizational attention. (If you’re following the Kitchen Cure, then you know this!) Ever realize that you have 4 different containers of cinnamon or cream of tartar lurking in the back of a cabinet?

image:a23c229c6810ae0bf83bad0b6bc541b29034871a w:540 s:"fit" class_name:"mt-image-center" show_pin_button:"true" show_image_credits:"true" Once we’re out of college, patching holes in drywall involves more than a little toothpaste. Large areas of repair might seem overwhelming and easily subbed out to a contractor or handyman, but it really is a relatively easy endeavor. In my case, I wanted to take out the dinky vintage medicine cabinet in the apartment above my garage.