It’s 2013, ladies and gentlemen! And though we might be having a hard time with our New Year’s resolutions already, it was no trouble picking our favorite posts published this past week. Running the gamut from make-your-own organizing solutions to energy-saving improvements that will help you shrink utility bills, this week’s top content promises that it will be a busy year here at BobVila.com.
1. 12 Ways to Put your Home on an Energy Diet—TODAY!
Photo: waterpurifier.org
Unplug those phone chargers and turn off the lights—it’s time to take the energy conservation pledge.
2. Making a Case for Picture Rails
Photo: Fougeron Architecture
They say everything comes back into style again eventually, including this lesser-known type of wall molding that’s both decorative and functional at once.
3. Tour the New IKEA House
Photo: Ideabox
Sure we all love shopping for those ultra modern furnishings at IKEA, but a house too?
4. 5 Thrifty DIY Organization Ideas
Photo: casasugar.com
When organization is this cute, you’ll find yourself smiling while tidying.
5. How To: Store Christmas Ornaments
Photo: Our Lake Life
It might be hard to admit the holiday season is over, but the final step in dealing with loss is acceptance. Go ahead, pack up those decorations.
For more top content this week, consider:
9 Pro Tips for Laying Ceramic Tile
10 Things to Do… With Cross-Cut Trees
Bob Vila’s 5 Must-Do Projects for January
5 Thrifty DIY Organization Ideas
When crummy weather hits, I get the itch to organize. There’s nothing worse than being cooped up in the house, let alone a cluttered house! I never seem to have the time or budget to go out and search for the perfect organizing products. So I generally make do with what I can find around the house, or what I can procure cheaply and easily. Here are five of my favorite thrifty DIY organization ideas:
1. OLD-SCHOOL GLASS JAR ORGANIZATION
Photo: casasugar.com
Screwing the tops of glass jars to the underside of a shelf or to a pegboard is an old-school way of organizing lots of little things like screws, nails, buttons, paperclips, rubber bands, etc. Whether you’ve got a tool shop, a craft room, or an office, this simple DIY project could corral all that clutter.
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How To: Store Holiday Lights, Decorations, and Accessories
Photo: diapersandheels.com
I’m one of those who believes you can never have too many holiday decorations. A tree dripping with ornaments? Love it. You want a yard full of inflatables? Go for it. A house covered in lights that sync to your own radio station? I’ll definitely stop curbside to take it all in.
What about the other ten and a half months, when all that holiday-related stuff needs storage? Big box stores will be happy to sell you bins and other containers. But with a little planning and ingenuity, you can create your own DIY solutions that will work just as well.
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Bob Vila Radio: Holiday Decoration Storage
Once the holidays are over, how do you fit all those decorations back in the garage and make them easier to unpack next year?
Photo: houzz.com
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5 DIY Spice Racks and Kitchen Organizing Solutions
They didn’t offer shop class in my high school, so I came to my love of power tools and sawdust well after I graduated college. (My dad owned a drill from the 1970s and six random bits.) But, if I had, I’d like to think I would have made myself a spice rack—that classic first woodworking project. Especially now, because I need one. Badly! Sure, my spices and dried herbs are all in matching jars and labeled properly, but they always seem to be jockeying for position inside my cabinets. And, I can never see them at a glance to know what I have or how fresh they are.
So, this month, I’m going to build one for myself and take inspiration from all the great DIY ideas that homeowners have come up with and shared around the ‘net. Here are five of my favorites:
Photo: Instructables.com
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Top 5 Posts of the Week: Mayan Apocalypse Edition!
A thousand years ago, the Mayans supposedly predicted the world would end today, 12/21/12. And so we’ve tried to make the best of what could be our last week here, giving attention to everything from an updated country kitchen to a gingerbread house larger than some big-city apartments. Since all signs point towards the world living to see another day, we figure it may be safe to linger a little while longer on some of our favorite recent posts.
1. 10 Alternative Wreaths to Make You Forget About Evergreens
Photo: creativedecorations.com
Have you had enough of pine needles and evergreens? Then you’ll love these alternative wreaths!
2. Old Country Farmhouse Gets City-Slick Kitchen
Photo: Monchak A+D Design LLC
Everybody loves a good remodel, especially when a country farmhouse gets an unexpectedly modern kitchen!
3. Icicles: Charming or Chancy
Photo: torange.us
If I had to guess… I’d say chancy. Just a hunch.
4. 10 Architectural and Appetizing Gingerbread Houses
Photo: obamafoodorama.blogspot.com
The yummiest government building we’ve ever seen… that is, until we saw the Gingerbread Buckingham Palace.
5. Decorating Solutions for Tiny Living Rooms
Photo: Building Blox
Your room is only as small as you think it is. Get the best tips on opening up a minuscule space!
For more top content this week, consider:
Hanging Mistletoe
3 Books for Love of Home
DIY Roman Shades
