I love these glitter-encrusted Christmas ornaments. I plan to leave them up past the holidays. It’s nice to have a little sparkle around. Here, I mixed my mom’s antique oval mirror with a couple of large mirrors I found on Craigslist. For the small rectangle one, I cut a 12- x 12-inch mirror tile (found at Lowe’s) to fit an 8- x 10-inch thrift-store frame.

I picked up these drawers on Freecycle. They were salvaged from the kitchen of a 1940s house that was demolished. My original plan was to put the drawers on wheels and use them as under-bed storage. Turns out, no two drawers are the same height, which would look janky. So I tried stacking them vertically instead (anchoring them to the wall, of course). You could also hang these drawers as individual shadowboxes. Click here for the tutorial »

I got this idea from the plastic adhesive window coverings Sarah Gaffney used in Sunset’s Menlo Park Idea House. It took me hours and hours to do—and I don’t like it. That is, I don’t like how Plan A turned out—mostly because I apparently got a defective roll of clear Con-Tact paper (see the streaks?). Plus, doesn’t it look like someone took a steamy shower inside of there?

It was obviously time for Plan B. Thanks to a can of frosted glass finish, it looks much better now. Click here for the tutorial »

Kelly and Sarah, two former Sunset coworkers, planned to use this shabby bookshelf in Sunset’s Menlo Park Idea House last summer. After removing the doors, which were in a dire state of disrepair, they painted it. Paint: Benjamin Moore Aura Steam (AF-15) and Caliente (AF-290). Then they decided to kick it to the curb. Knowing I rescue dilapidated furniture, Kelly offered it to me.

It sat in my living room while I hunted for keyhole covers (notice the keys were stuck in rough holes cut in the wood). Finally, I found the perfect keyhole covers (called escutcheons) with finger pulls on eBay. After three days of scraping, gluing, sanding, painting, and reassembling, the doors are hung at last.

Last year, I asked for suggestions on ways to display my postcard collection. Everyone had great ideas. But this postcard “tapestry” idea came to me, and I had to try it. It would also work well for photos or Christmas cards. You can easily rotate in new ones whenever you like. I’m planning to make an advent calendar using the same concept. Click here for the tutorial »

This week’s post is a quick one because I’ve been spending my free time campaigning. I’m so relieved this election is over! Anyway…I just had to share this: If you need to make a last-minute mend of a fallen hem or a temporary patch of a tear, reach for your first-aid kit. 3M Micropore first-aid tape works remarkably well in wardrobe mending emergencies. It even held through multiple washings on this skirt. Love the stuff.

I’ve been dying to try drilling pumpkins for two years, and I finally did it. It’s fun, but after drilling three pumpkins, my hand got tired from holding the drill. But it was worth it. Those daisies are sitting in a jar full of water inside the pumpkin. How, then, did I light the pumpkin, you ask? Glow sticks. Lots of them. Click here for last year’s pumpkin carving ideas. BTW: These would also make a great holiday centerpiece. Click here for the tutorial »

Got a balcony or porch railing and some jam jars? This is a cheap and easy way to shed some light for trick-or-treaters, or just create a mood for nighttime porch sitting. Best of all, you don’t have to worry about the wind (or little feet) knocking them over. Click here for the tutorial »

This one was my friend Kristi’s idea. While window shopping one day last spring, we saw a glass cake stand in a jewelry store window. She said, “You could make one of those.” I spent the next couple weeks scouring thrift stores for plates, candlesticks, vases—anything I could find to make a cake stand. As you can see, I couldn’t stop with just one. But I did stop at just one cupcake—I swear. Click here for the tutorial »

Instead of chucking these old mismatched frames, I painted them all the same color, attached magnets, and gave them a whole new life. If only I could give this 1980s fridge a new life—in the junkyard. Click here for the tutorial »