Home & Decor
With a focus on <a href="https://blog.xbydesign.biz/what-is-green-design/">Green Design</a>, I help my clients reuse and up-cycle what they love and recycle the rest. I love to share <a href="https://blog.xbydesign.biz/diy-console-table/">many of the projects</a> I take on for others & in my own home, as well as share resources for <a href="https://blog.xbydesign.biz/create-a-beautiful-sustainable-living-room/">sustainably sourced home decor</a>.
10 Simple & Affordable Sustainable Kitchen Essentials
Do you ever think “I’d go green if it weren’t so expensive”? If you are a home cook, you may even think the only way to be sustainable in the kitchen is through your food choices. Think again, my friend! The tools you choose to use in your kitchen can be a quick & easy way to transition to the green life. Here are 10 simple & affordable Sustainable Kitchen Essentials to get you started. 1. Wood Cutting Board What makes it sustainable? It will last a very long time. It’s made from wood so it’s recyclable. Depending on the type of wood it’s made from, it can be extremely…
Recovering From Hurricane Harvey
Houston is the biggest small town in the world. For as big as we are, we know no strangers. In the past week, Hurricane Harvey dumped a ton of water on Texas – trillions of gallons. While most of our city (and many surrounding areas including our neighbors to the south & east) is underwater, many of our friends, family & neighbors who were flooded out of their homes are headed home to assess the damage & begin the arduous process of rebuilding. This process can provide closure & make victims feel better knowing what they are facing. And no doubt it feels better to take action than to sit, be still,…
How To Plan Your Living Room Layout
Everyone I know wants to walk into their homes at the end of the day and feel a sense relief, take in the air & say “ahhh it’s SO good to be home, love every corner they see, feel safe & comfy cozy. I know I do too! Other than our bedrooms & offices (whether we work from home, on the go, or in corporate spaces), we spend the most time in our living rooms. Watching TV, reading, gaming, relaxing, entertaining and even working & sleeping. Daily Time Spent per Room by nckyola Since we spend so many waking hours in the living room, we should love it…
Backyard Makeover Update: The Patio Extension
Hey y’all! It’s been a while since I’ve updated you on what’s been going on around the 4th house. Since I got the green light to kick off the boot & start walking again, I have been busy trying get things back to “normal” around here. Remember my excitement at participating in the One Room Challenge again this spring? I was happy to find a way to join in even though I had a broken foot & was under strict guidelines about what I could physically do. I chose to work on our backyard since it required more planning from me & all the heavy duty work had to be…
DIY Customized Grill Tool Holder
When we decided to makeover our backyard, there were several projects that I knew I wanted to do. This is not one of those projects. Along the way we had so many delays and so many “a-ha” moments that led to completely fun & practical projects like this grill tool holder. I have to say that this was absolutely NOT my original idea. We looked at so many grill tool holders at high & low price points and even considered trying to clean up & modify the 1 that comes attached to the actual grill (which turned out to be too much trouble, especially since we planned to build a…
One Room Challenge Week 6 ~ Backyard Makeover Still In Progress
Well y’all it’s week 6 of the One Room Challenge and all over the web, lifestyle & design bloggers have completed 1 room in their homes! It has been fun & a true challenge for many of us. Pop over to Calling it Home & check out some of the amazing transformations. We did not make the 6 weeks, but I hinted in week 4 that our’s might end up being an 8-10 week challenge. There are several reasons but mainly my broken foot & patiently waiting for HOA approval for the patio extension – they have taken over 3 weeks for a fairly simple improvement. Rather than talk about what…
One Room Challenge Week 5 ~ DIY Outdoor Projects
When we decided to makeover our backyard in week 1 of the One Room Challenge, the plans included several DIY outdoor projects. Here’s a recap of a what we wanted to accomplish: Create a garden with seating Build a mobile bar table Outdoor projector screen Build a mobile enclosure for the fire pit (not started) Bonus: Grill tool holder (not in original plan) Reclaimed DIY Bench There were 2 existing benches from the previous deck. We wanted to use 1 in the garden and 1 on the patio but it turns out that 1 was not salvageable as a bench. So those 2 benches became 1 bench, 1 small backless…
One Room Challenge ~ Week 4 ~ Outdoor Decorations
Just 2 more weeks left in this Spring’s One Room Challenge! It’s crunch time. Until now, I have been focused mainly on building garden beds & creating outdoor rooms. So focused that I haven’t had a chance to share my vision for decorating the new patio. In week 1 I shared the plan for the extension, but I haven’t even given you a hint of any outdoor decorations for the space. Well since I can’t physically go shopping on my own (broken foot with a big clunky boot), I’ll share some of the items I’ve been eyeing online. It’s no surprise that the star of the patio is from World Market…
DIY Abstract Art & The Truth About Printables
This has been small project week for me. Even though we are working on the backyard for the One Room Challenge, the weather has been a huge factor. So I shifted gears & decided to work on some unfinished art projects. Since moving a year & a half ago, we have been slowly (and randomly) decorating our home. Most of the major things are taken care of – until I decide I don’t like where a door/light switch/cabinet/anything else is located – and with the exception of the kid’s media room, all the major furniture pieces are accounted for. It’s all the little things that are all the difference in making…
One Room Challenge ~ Week 3~ Creating Outdoor Rooms
Our yard is not huge – it’s about 24′ x 75′ not including the existing patio. It’s still plenty of space for creating outdoor rooms & still have play space. It almost looks like there is not much going on this week. There’s only a few physical changes, but there is plenty going on behind the scenes. Planning & Progress – Creating Outdoor Rooms Room #1 – The Garden The garden will be the first outdoor room. I want it to be a destination, similar to when you walk into a home & make your way to the living room or kitchen, then you discover other “rooms” along the way. We want…
