I never would have imagined selling off most of my belongings. I am a lover of stuff. I tend to hoard things. Sleeping on the floor of my parents house for two years was a big shock. If you missed the post about why this happened, you can read all about it here.
Starting over from scratch turned into this amazing opportunity to start a new project/experiment Serial DIY…. a week by week video series on my Youtube channel documenting the process of finding and repurposing everything that I need to furnish the entire house, without purchasing anything new.
Now I love Target, Ikea, Anthrpologie and the dollar store but I really wanted to challenge myself, stick to a tight budget , and stay away from chain stores for the duration of this project. Most importantly I want to share how it’s totally possible to use what already exists to create a beautiful home.
Last week I was having some doubts, after 5 months, the borrowed air mattress now has a leak. I have to wake up in the middle of the night to add more air, after sleeping on the floor for 2 years and now this situation, sometimes I day dream about a big fluffy bed, & editing videos all snuggled up in my PJ’s.
A few days ago I woke up itching like crazy, there were about 50 flea bites all over my stomach and dozens more on my feet and ankles. I think the previous tenant had a cat,who had fleas… The fleas, dormant all winter suddenly came to life along with Spring. Ugh, I was being eaten alive and I don’t own a pet.
I went to Target to get some borax, it’s supposed to be an alternative to flea bombs, while I was there I walked past the cutest bohemian style cereal bowls on clearance…
At that moment I was tempted to grab the bowls, then go get a new mattress and scrap the project.
I was cranky and feeling overwhelmed.
I came home dumped the borax all over the ugly ugly carpeting and made some homemade potato fries dipped in about three table spoons of garlic paste. Fleas don’t like the taste of people who eat garlic… thats what the internet says anyway.
While eating dinner I watched a documentary called Just eat it, this film told a story of a Seattle couple who set out to eat only second hand food for a year. Mostly sourcing their meals from dumpsters, it was shocking to see how much produce is wasted. In the US, 40{5e62096f11cd115efe5b7844d56c8a16bfa9fa0d3c0285231e5ea9c5a6d2e2c2} of what is being grown is not eaten. Instead of feeding the hungry, we are dumping tons of packaged food into our landfills, wasting money, time, and precious resources.
I’m certainly guilty of waste, over consumption and buyers remorse.
Half the time I forget my reusable bags when I go to the grocery store.
I’m not ready to dumpster dive for food but this got me thinking more about the impact that could be made just buy using more of what already is and less of what is mass produced.
My excitement to stick to the challenge, was renewed!
Still the questions still linger…
How long is this going to take?
How do I find a used mattress without the risk of bed bugs?
What about purchasing paint, light sockets, nails and fabric, is this cheating?
I don’t know but, I’m totally committed to this DIY experiment.
As for the cool ghost chair at IKEA… it will turn up on Craigslist sooner or later.
If you see a used one for sale,please send me the link.
If your new, here’s a recap of what I have brought into the house so far…
A $20 thrift store sofa painted with DIY Paint!
a $30 dresser up cycled into a kitchen island…
and two vintage globes turned into lighting for my kitchen…
Today I’m filming the next video, A revamp of the fridge I found on Craigslist….
For this project , I had to call a friend for help, stay tuned!
*Before I end this post, I want to ask you for some help, I entered a contest to guest DIY on the Hallmark Home and Family Channel. I’m supposed to ask my viewers to vote for my entry video. So many of you have voted and left me comments that just blow me away! If you have not voted I really need your support, (voting is free) there are a lot of talented DIY’ers and it’s a very close race.
Please click here, and like my entry if you want to help me out!
If you have already voted and can rustle up a friend, child or partner to vote that would be most appreciated too!
The photo above was taken by my friend Claire Brocato, I love how it shows that DIY paint adheres to metal. Click here to find DIY paint in your area.
Hope to see you in next weeks episode!
Sincerely,
Debi