YEAR OF DOING IT YOURSELF
DIY Mommy inspires creative home improvements
Getting cabin fever? Want to turn your home into a COVID castle to try to get away from it all?
Sure! But just how do you do that?
Well, Edmonton-area blogger Christina Dennis, a.k.a. the DIY Mommy, might have some of those answers.
“Many people's lifestyles have changed dramatically this past year and they're looking for ideas for everything from baking bread to creating a home office,” said Dennis, whose passion is to share budget-friendly do-it-yourself home decor ideas to make your house feel cosy and beautiful. “With that in mind, I've been sharing blog posts and videos with tutorials and inspiration on how to do those things on a budget.”
Dennis has even taken on bigger projects — including a cottage renovation where everything was taken down to the studs — that were in part pandemic-driven.
“The lake house rental has also been a dream of mine for the past few years, and when we saw the opportunity we jumped at it,” said Dennis about the venture she and her husband are working on. “If we can make it a vacation rental, this could potentially provide many local families with a place to retreat to during the pandemic.”
It was just under a year ago when she was putting together presentation ideas for the 2020 Edmonton Home + Garden Show, when life as we all knew it ground to a halt and the show was cancelled.
“Now, I'm finding it hard to believe that we've been dealing with this new way of life for over a year,” said Dennis. “I wouldn't have ever seen that coming!”
She's finding that people want simple solutions to make their home function better, and they want budget-friendly DIY and decor ideas that are easy to source during these COVID times.
Organization ideas have been really popular this year, added Dennis, noting people are tired of the clutter in their homes and they truly want to simplify things.
“One of my favourites was converting a rarely used small back closet in our home into an extra pantry,” said Dennis. “Many of us have been trying to keep a couple weeks' worth of food and supplies on hand, and doing something like this is a very practical DIY for many families.”
That closet was a catch-all zone before for construction junk like baseboard scraps, paint and more.
Now, it's a magazine-like space for all your grocery pantry stock-ups.
“I've also been enjoying sharing how you can take items you might already have at home and refreshing them into something new,” she said.
She took an old vase, created her own plaster paint, added some texture, and created a finished product you'd probably pay a lot more for on a store shelf.
There's also a number of tips for Ikea fans, including using their Stall shoe cabinet in an entry hall and one entry on the 10 best Ikea organization products under $10.
“I've been focusing a lot on creating content for my community that helps them create a cosy, safe and creatively fulfilling life at home,” said Dennis. “With so many of us staying home this past year, people were looking for fun ideas to make the best of it, and my Youtube and blog did better than ever!”