My goal in life (other than getting rid my constantly ingrown toenail) is to have the perfect coffee table. You know the one. It’s the big square, stylish yet comfortable looking one in all the magazines, loaded with a few casually, yet perfectly placed random objects set beside a stack of art books that make me look like I’m both cultured and smart with a sense of irony. I’m sure you’ve seen it. At the moment my coffee table has a silver bowl and a glass vase. Ehh. It’s so-so. I’ll probably change it tonight in my desperate attempt to fall in love with it. That’s what I do. Move things, change things, screw around with them until I fall in love with them. I do it with furniture arrangements, table settings, bookcases and closets. I do it with stuff I buy and stuff I make. Read on to learn how to make it, move it or repurpose it.
I know it seems ridiculous, but I figured while I was doing all these renovations I might as well put in an ensuite. We only have one toilet in the house and with that one being ripped out for the renovations, installing a quick ensuite seemed almost mandatory. It [...]
In case you haven’t heard, my backyard is featured in this month’s issue of Style at Home Magazine. The May Decorating Indoors & Out issue. The magazine is still on newstands so you can run out and buy one. If that isn’t an option, once the magazine is off the shelves you’ll be able to [...]
I remember the days when a big project involved something that would start on Friday and be done by Sunday. Ah … those were the days. When you work in an office setting (yes television hosting is oftentimes an office setting) you pretty much have to restrict your DIY accomplishments to things that take no [...]
Last spring I got an email from an Art of Doing Stuff reader who lives in my general area. She said she had spotted a vintage suitcase out for garbage pickup while she was out for her morning walk. She lugged it home, emailed me and asked if I’d like it. Um [...]
A couple of weekends ago the fella, my mother Betty and I all traipsed off to the local Cat Show. It’s become a tradition to go every year. We have other exciting traditions throughout the year like Store the Snowblower Day and Comb Your Arm Hair Day. So now that we’ve established we’re pretty much [...]
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Easter. It’s the ugly holiday. At least it used to be. In recent years Easter and spring decorating in general has gone through a bit of a transformation. Sure you’ll still see the odd straw stuffed buck toothed rabbit wearing overalls but for the most part [...]
Reduce, reuse, recycle. I do those things. Sometimes. When I feel like it. More often than not, I do do those things, but I’m a human person living in modern times so sometimes I don’t. I’m a firm believer in doing what you can when you can. Use your recycling bins, but if you’re close to [...]
I have a chair. I found it on the side of the road. Yes. We’re sliding down that slippery, cigarette butt filled slope again. I have a burlap coffee sack. Or two. I got them for free from a local shop. So I have a chair and a sack. Which is a good thing. Because [...]
This is how my mantle has looked for the past … I don’t know … 2 months or so. Using most of the same things, but cleaning it up a bit and changing their positions, it’s a whole new look. It’s more symmetrical, more balanced. More traditional. Which changes the entire feeling [...]
Back by popular demand is the PDF of the Art of Doing Stuff bookmark. It never really occurred to me when I posted about this little thing last week that you would take it upon yourselves to print them out. I figured I’d have them made up and hand them out at events or give [...]
The title of this post is lie number one of a litany of lies to be found on the Internet. You are NOT going to learn how to rewire a vintage phone. You are not. I know this from experience. But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself as I am want to do when [...]
I mentioned a while ago that I was going to be speaking at the Niagara Falls Seedy Saturday on February 9th. I hate public speaking so you should come out and see me at my most uncomfortable. That’s only partially true. I used to hate it when I was in television (more so than I [...]
