Fairy Garden Park
Both of my daughters really like making fairy gardens in a little dirt strip between our patio and a chain-link fence. They can spend hours building houses, designing gardens, and creating fun details...
View ArticleRetaining Wall on a Slope
We built a retaining wall on the slope behind our house to give us more usable space, and it opened up our backyard and gave us a lot more room. Half of our backyard is a steep slope. Dividing the...
View ArticleHow to Reinforce an Old Park Bench
Today, I’m excited to share a project from my good friend, Marci. She and her husband rescued a very cool looking old park bench and made it useable. The bench has some beautiful wrought iron on the...
View ArticleA Fun Way to Repurpose Window Wells
Happy Halloween! Today, I’m excited to share a very creative upcycling project: repurposing window wells into fun, little playhouses. When Pam leveled her backyard and added access to the backyard from...
View ArticleHow to Protect Exposed Wood from Water Damage
Exposed wood + water is a bad thing, so when I noticed the wood post holding up our patio going into the wet ground, I knew something had to be done. I’ll show you how I protected our exposed wood from...
View ArticleHome Improvement Resolutions
Home improvements are so much more fun than improving myself, so this year all of my New Year’s resolutions are goals for my home. These are the major projects that will take some planning, budgeting,...
View ArticleA Small Retaining Wall
A small retaining wall can prevent erosion and can add to the design of your backyard landscape. Are you starting to plan your yard improvement projects for this spring? We are! Every time I look out...
View ArticleHow to Make a Terrarium: for Kids
Making a terrarium is a fun project for kids. It’s fun, creative, messy, and it teaches about taking care of something living. Once you’ve gathered the necessary supplies, kids will have fun putting it...
View ArticleHow to Take a Soil Test
We are putting in a new lawn soon and other plant in our backyard. To prepare, we need to get the soil ready, but how do we know what our soil needs? We take a soil test. What does a soil test actually...
View ArticleHow to Install Irrigation Valves: Part 1 of the Sprinkler System
Installing a sprinkler system for a lawn and other landscaping requires connecting to a water supply, adding a backflow prevention device, and installing valves to control turning on the sprinklers....
View ArticleHow to Install a Sprinkler System: Part 2
Installing a sprinkler system is definitely a DIY project. This is how we put in ours. Connecting to the house’s water supply was difficult. Installing the backflow prevention and the sprinkler valves...
View ArticleHow to Choose and Lay Sod
The final part of putting in our lawn is installing the sod. Most of the work now is preparing for the ground for the sod. If you haven’t already, take a look at the post on installing the sprinkler...
View ArticleFairy Garden Park
Both of my daughters really like making fairy gardens in a little dirt strip between our patio and a chain-link fence. They can spend hours building houses, designing gardens, and creating fun details...
View ArticleRetaining Wall on a Slope
We built a retaining wall on the slope behind our house to give us more usable space, and it opened up our backyard and gave us a lot more room. Half of our backyard is a steep slope. Dividing the...
View ArticleBuild a Beautiful Garden Box
With just a few fence boards, we built a beautiful 2-foot tall, wood garden box for just under $20. We have the perfect spot for a vegetable garden. It’s sunny, but protected. It’s conveniently near...
View ArticleA Drip System is an Easy Way to Save Time and Water
A drip system is the most convenient and efficient way to water plants and care for a garden. A drip system is also very easy to install. I love drip systems because I am a very inconsistent gardener....
View ArticleThe Irrigation Timer
An irrigation timer is a must-have for my garden so I can set it and forget about watering the plants myself. The timer gives them just the right amount of water, just when they need it. I was going to...
View ArticleDIY Rain Barrel
A rain barrel is wonderful for saving rainwater to water plants later. It’s also an easy DIY home project. All of the rain we’ve gotten this year has been wonderful. The plants and landscaping around...
View ArticleBuilding a Sandbox and The U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge
Inspired by the upcoming U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge, we built a kids’ sandbox in our backyard. Read about the Sand Sculpting event and how to build your own sandbox, plus enter to win 4 free...
View ArticlePete’s Dragon and Fairy Garden Fun
We’ve created lots of fun fairy houses and accessories for our backyard fairy garden, including a campsite with a teepee, campfire, and even a cave to explore based on a scene from Pete’s Dragon. Since...
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