The Red Chair Blog

I just uploaded my first video --with sound--on IGTV! In this short video , I share details about how I put together these 4 fun, easy winter-themed container vignettes using items that I alr...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2020/12/video-four-winter-themed-container.html

A DIFFERENT KIND OF HOME IMPROVEMENT SHOW Given that I work in the field of home improvement, one might expect that I watch lots of home improvement shows, but the truth is that I primaril...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2019/02/marie-kondos-netflix-series-thoughts-on.html

Here are three easy, green, kid-friendly Christmas crafts that I've made with my daughter over the years.  All three utilize repurposed / recycled / upcycled materials. #1: CHRISTMAS TREES M...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2018/12/3-easy-christmas-crafts-to-make-with.html

Chilly December days at home are the perfect time to try your hand at some simple Christmas DIY projects.  Here are three projects that I have made over the years.  All were made from material...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2018/12/3-easy-upcycled-christmas-diy-projects.html

There is a mindset that I adopt when I do interior redesign work.  It's more a directive than a mindset, really: I assume that I already have what I need.  I could write a lot about this m...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2017/09/easy-diy-farmhouse-centerpiece.html

Feng shui is the ancient Chinese art and science of arranging one's environment to be in harmony with nature's energy.  Whether you are single or in a relationship,Valentine's Day is a great...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/feng-shui-tips-for-love-and-romance.html

I recently saw these fun, red bicycle napkin rings on clearance at Steinmart , and I couldn't resist snapping a photo with my phone to share.  Priced at $1.95 each--with additional coupons avail...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/bicycle-napkin-rings-at-steinmart.html

In January of 2010, I wrote a post in which I shared my small space laundry solution: hanging two hanging laundry bags on double hooks   one above the other on the back of a bathroom doo...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/diy-small-space-laundry-system-revisited.html

To continue my series on handmade kids' toys, here's one of my favorite DIY toy projects.  Cloth beach balls are simple to sew, and they make adorable baby gifts.  For preschoolers, they're...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/sweet-and-simple-cloth-beach-balls.html

We're snowed in here in North Carolina, so I thought that this would be a great time to continue my series about handmade toys that I have made for my daughter over the years.  If you're sn...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/painted-pistachio-shell-cars-free.html

After taking down my Christmas wreath this year, I realized that I didn't have a "January-Appropriate" wreath for my front door, so I decided to make one.  I relied on a principle that I ap...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/make-quick-and-easy-january-wreath.html

In honor of summer vacation, I decided to write a series sharing some homemade toys that I have made for and with my daughter over the years.  It's funny: she has plenty of store bought toys, ...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/diy-play-cakes-from-your-recycle-bin.html

While running errands, I popped into the Habitat for Humanity Restore  in Cary, NC.  It's a great source for affordable plantation shutters, and it was also the source of the hollow core door t...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/habitat-for-humanity-restore-find-cane.html

Tonight, on the eve of the 4th of July, I thought that it would be fun to come up with some easy, creative, "outside-of-the-box" ideas to share with you to help you decorate for the 4th of July...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/creative-4th-of-july-decorating-ideas.html

Look what I found for under $5!  Technically, this pretty "Le Jardin" garden vegetable chart is sold as "wrapping paper", but seriously, who--besides maybe Darth Vader--would condemn this pr...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/french-vegetable-chart.html

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where it's 70 degrees most days, so spring in North Carolina fools me every year.  In NC, after winter loosens its icy grip, spring arrives, Disney-sty...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-cheap-and-cheerful-bistro-setfrom.html

In the fall of 2009, I wrote a post about Spoonflower , a wonderful online fabric source offering visitors the chance to design their own fabrics and purchase unique fabrics designed by other us...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/free-swatch-day-at-spoonflower.html

Paint chips can be sneaky little guys, but you can outsmart them!  As a decorator, I've learned a few paint color selection tips along the way.  Here is the first in a series of paint color mi...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-to-outsmart-paint-chip-lesson-one.html

Happy Easter!  Though the title of this post sounds like the name of a campy horror flick, it is actually a confession that a portion of this post is a re-post from last Easter.  Well, let's j...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-return-of-faux-chocolate-bunnies.html

My daughter and I love to make handmade Valentines.  For the first half of February, we keep a Valentine-making "station" set up on our table stocked with a tantalizing array of art supplies--...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/5-minute-decorating-layering-with-glass.html

If you love kids, nature, and gardens, then you will love this wonderful free publication developed by the National Wildlife Federation and the (NC-based) Natural Learning Initiative.  Nature ...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/nature-play-at-home.html

   In my post last year about Almost Free Gardening , I mentioned how easy it is to save marigold seeds to plant in the spring.  Looking back at that post, I realized that more detailed in...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/how-to-save-marigold-seeds.html

My preschool-aged daughter and I have recently started experimenting with foam tray printing.  Have you tried it?  If you haven't tried this fun, easy, and inexpensive art form, I urge you...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/styrofoam-tray-printing.html

Back in 2009, I posted a tutorial about how to create a set of DIY meal planning magnets using the magnets that arrive in your home cloaked in junk mail or affixed to the back of a phone book ...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/diy-ransom-note-magnets.html

In my last post , I shared how I transformed a closet into an office space.  Today I'll explain how I created the tandem craft space that you see above using a $5 hollow core door from Habitat...

http://theredchairblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/create-closet-craft-space-from-hollow.html