In the realm of DIY home projects, having the right tools at your disposal can make all the difference between a frustrating endeavor and a rewarding accomplishment. As someone passionate about crafting and constructing within the confines of your own space, you understand the importance of having reliable equipment. In this guide, we'll explore the five must-have DIY tools that every enthusiast should have in their arsenal. (Remember with any home projects and with any of these tools, safety is always first and foremost including safety googles and using all equipment per manufacturer instructions!)

I just love Easter and all the energy it brings!  Springtime is upon us, and with it comes the vibrant celebration of Easter—a time of renewal, rebirth, and joyful gatherings. As the flowers bloom and the sun shines brighter, there's an undeniable sense of excitement in the air. It's the perfect moment to infuse your days with Easter fun that embraces the spirit of the season. Whether you're hosting an egg hunt, crafting colorful decorations, or simply enjoying quality time with loved ones, there are endless opportunities to make this Easter a memorable one. Read on for Easter fun inspiration....

The Sugar Shack is just about wrapping up for the season!  It is a very short season and requires precise watch of the weather, sugar content in the sap and care of the maple tree. The process begins in late winter or early spring when the days are warm and the nights are still cold, typically in late February or March in North America's maple-producing regions.

Thankfully, it's that time of year to start thinking of your summer gardens.  This year, I am starting my wave petunias from seed which means I need to plan approximately 12 weeks in advance of ground ready.  I do have the advantage of planting and keeping them in a greenhouse until the weather is mild enough to plant in beds.  I love wave petunias because they grow like weeds and require little attention to look fabulous all season. I do cut them back regularly and at times when they get a bit unruly, a full haircut.  The wave petunia loves to be pruned and will continue to branch out with blossom pruned back regularly and fertilized once a week.

We've been busy at the wood shop creating custom "barn" or sliding doors for two separate rooms in the house.  Being that each door opening was a unique size, the process enabled us to custom size the doors to our needs. 

The home office is taking shape!  I'm super excited to start picking out colors for the walls, ceiling (hmmm...maybe a dark painted ceiling), and floor tile.  Are you nosey like me?  Read on to see the progres... 

Have you ever found yourself knee-deep in a sea of half-used paint cans, desperately searching for that elusive shade that you could swear you saved, fear not! To save my sanity, I spent some time going through my "Homey" supply closet and in particular organizing the cans of paint, putting the left over paint in an airtight storage container and ensuring all remaining paint was cross referenced to its barcode for easy reordering at my local paint store.  Note the pic on the right in the before, below...do your paint lids also look like this?  

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away (okay, it was a corner of my unfinished basement), I embarked on a quest of epic proportions - a home office! Armed with nothing but determination, a questionable sense of style, and a credit card with a decent limit, I set out to transform my basement corner into a workspace that I am dreaming will be magnificent. In the depths of my home, lay a forgotten corner of potential greatness – my basement. The dusty, cobweb-laden space had been the realm of discarded sports equipment, long-lost board games and pictures that needed to be in photo albums. Do you have such a corner? But, armed with a vision and a determination to escape the chaos of everyday life, I set out on a noble quest to transform this neglected nook into a home office fit for a remote-working champion.

So, I lost my mind!  As you are aware if you are reading this, a bathroom reno is no small chunk of change $$$$.  I had put hours of work, planning and waited with anticipation for the shower and shower pan to come together as perfect as it was imagined in my mind.  And, no exaggeration- the shower pan was redone twice (ok, maybe thrice but who's counting?!!) to get it perfectly level for the tile install. My shower was finally done and as you will see in picture number one, the BLACK grout was a hazy whitish-grey.  I was sick! I envisioned crisp, black grout lines. This wasn't the look I wanted.  Why?!  Why was my grout so discolored?  I scoured the internet and the most accurate information that I could find was that my hard water completely messed me up.  I quickly came to the conclusion from my research that the grout mixing process can be affected by hard water.  The hard water can cause the trace elements and minerals to develop a patchy, crusted and/or hazy finish.  This was not acceptable to me and I knew if I didn't find a solution, I would obsess over this shower pan for years to come....

Another exciting project coming out of the shop. DIY Cupola for the top of a new structure. I do have to give credit to my brother in law for this one. He custom made the base with individual window panes with lights inserted for a beautiful night-time glow. Copper top handmade to complete the project. (Base and copper top are not attached yet in this pic.) Follow for more DIY ideas!

The Black & White bathroom project was the start of my biggest reno project to date.  The start as there is much more to come!

In my "old age", I seem to have grown a passion for home related  DIY projects including outside decorating and landscaping to renovating my 25+ year old house.  Actually, a beautiful home that was never truly finished that after all these years,  I am either working to complete the home for the first time or its time for a facelift already!