Author Archives: Lisa

About Lisa

Pinning the wilderness of my imagination, one Pin at a time. I love hiking, camping, watching my boys fish, and taking long walks with my yellow labs, Taylor and Mandi. I enjoy cooking when the mood hits, and not only have I published novels, but I'm the master of redesigning just about anything. I’m the DIY author who has made Idaho her home for 27 years, and I can't wait to spend another 27 years here.

Project of the day – Ana White’s Fancy X Desk

“We have a problem,” said my youngest, Cody. “Everyone has a desk except for me.” And he was right.

Watch for this remodel project,
staining laminate cabinets.

You see, I have a lovely home office that I custom made with left over cabinets from a former client’s showroom. They were downsizing, and I needed an office with built-in’s to get the most space and the most workstations possible. At the time, having three work spaces were perfect. I had a spot, the hubby had a spot, and I had a craft area because the boys never wanted to use the third desk space. Win, win all the way around for me…until someone moved back home and decided to attend college while living at home. We won’t name names here, oldest son, but when he moved back in I lost my crafting space. This also meant that if Cody wanted a desk, there was no space to be found…at least in the office.

So Cody and I began a search this summer to find plans to make his own desk for his bedroom. Now, there were certain things that he was requesting, first that it wouldn’t be too deep, he didn’t want to have to crawl over his desk to get into bed. Second it had to be a little modern, none of this peeling paint or my beat up trash finds. And third, it had to be long enough to house not only his computer, but his gaming TV as well. Nothing I couldn’t handle, right?

Our first plan of action was to search Pinterest together where we found desk plans from Ana White. Second plan of action was to figure out when since I was all consumed with my Wanna Be Remodel. Well, I finally found time and finished up Cody’s Fancy X Desk. I gave it a sleek coat of black paint and called it perfect!

I could go into how it was done, but why reinvent the wheel when Ana White already gives you the step by step plans here. So click away and feel inspired. Not only do I pin the pins on Pinterest, but I make them as well and sometimes they turn out just right.

What’s up next you ask? This little beauty is also in Cody’s room, used to house his TV and gaming counsel. I think it’s in need of a remake, don’t you?

Wanna Be Remodel – Weeks 5, 6 & 7

Yeah, I know I’m a little behind on the Wanna Be Remodel updates. Probably because I’ve been working my butt off trying to complete it, which I have, and now I’m trying to finish up the items from the inspection report so we can close on it the middle of October.Oh, that’s right, I forgot to pass on that we hadn’t even listed the house yet, and it’s already sold! Seriously, and it wasn’t to a friend, or someone who truly knew what we were doing. It was a neighbor, who quite literally found out we were just days away from listing it, said his brother, a real estate agent, had clients that had been searching for years for a home with horse property. They came, they toured, and they bought. It was that simple, and that quick, and a full price offer at that, but the fun doesn’t end there. Nope, after the inspection was complete, we found out there was mold in the attic and a few minor plumbing problems. I swear this is the house that won’t let me leave–ever. Continue reading →

The Wanna Be Remodel – Weeks 3 & 4

Time is passing, I know this because the calendar tells me so, and the fact that I seem to be feeling just about every ache possible during this Wanna Be Remodel. Weeks one and two were filled with demolition/clean up, and believe me there was a lot of it going on. Weeks three and four yielded progress, slow but steady progress in revamping this 40+ year old house. I have to say that if I were to compare the last remodel in the spring (Kingswood) to this remodel (Highlander), this current home was built with a higher standard. It’s made things a bit easier, no huge surprises so far like ripping up a bathroom floor at Kingswood to find that the toilet was held up with nothing more than just the piping. And yes I can compare the two because I had to replace flooring in the bathroom at this current house (Highlander) and it was a breeze!

Okay, enough chit chat about the woes of remodel older homes, let’s get down to the pics so you can see the progress being made.

The family room:

Laminate flooring ($0.99 square ft) for the family room, hall and kitchen dining room: $700.

Laundry room:

Tile for the laundry room: $0.00. Found unused tile in the garage. I did have to buy backer board, mortar and grout, so about $20.

Main bath:

Tile 13×13 ($0.59 a square ft), backer board, mortar, grout, new vanity combo kit, faucet: $200.

Back yard/stables:

Renting of Bobcat, trash removal: $300.

I’m trying to go as cheap as I can, finding bargains on Craigslist and shopping sales at Lowes/Home Depot along with reusing what materials I have around. Can’t wait to show you the finished product at the end…I just can’t wait for it to end!! 

The Wanna Be Remodel, Week Two

Oh my, so much has already happened in little over a week, so much that it doesn’t look like much. You see, there’s always this point in the remodel where time has passed, and work has taken place, but yet it still doesn’t look like much except a mess. And that’s where we’re at, still cleaning up and fixing the mess. Continue reading →

The Wanna Be Remodel

I know, it’s a funny title, but honestly it’s fitting. It’s a long time in the making, long time mostly because I’d rather have taken a lighter, bulldozer, or anything to this dump house, than remodel it. You see though, it wasn’t always this way. No, this house had potential, I suppose it still does, but it’s just buried beneath a butt load of crap. Continue reading →

26 years and counting…

There are some people that come into your life that change it so much you’re never the same. They bring with them sunshine, and yet hold the umbrella in the rain, laughter, and then hug you through the pain.

They hold your hand when life’s roller coaster takes you for a ride, and steady your feet when it finally arrives at the station. They smile and wipe the tears, giving a tender kiss that’ll you’ll always hold dear.

Thank you Glenn for 26 years of your life, sharing, loving, and laughing all along the way. I’m the lucky one…