Thrifty Decor Chick | Thrifty DIY, Decor and Organizing

A Quick Fix for Keeping Picture Frames STRAIGHT on the Wall

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 21:33:00 +0000

Try this simple trick to prevent crooked frames and artwork!

If you're constantly adjusting and fixing crooked frames on your walls, this little fix is for you. :)

My latest home project has involved hanging a LOT of picture frames. I started this DIY project years ago when I created a long gallery wall down the stair wall to our basement:

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I used these "float" frames for that wall. The pictures are placed between to pieces of glass and the wall color becomes the background, instead of a traditional photo mat.

We loved the look so much, I wanted to continue it on the opposite wall. Over the years I've picked up a few of the frames in various sizes when they go on sale. I finally started hanging them (that turned into a bigger project I'll share next week!).

I've shared a few picture hanging "hacks" over the years. One of my favorites is the painter's tape hanging trick to give you the perfect measurement between holes:

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My Secret Ingredient for the BEST {Box!} Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 23:51:00 +0000

This secret ingredient takes box brownie mix to the next level!

I have a quick and AMAZING brownie recipe for you! A good friend of mine shared this easy addition with me a few years back and it makes for an even more delicious brownie.

Now I like a good brownie...it's just not always my pick for a dessert. If you offer me one, duh, I'm going to take it. But it's not one I'd pick to make on a whim.

Until now. :)

I must introduce you to the most amazing brownie...EVER. There is a special, secret ingredient that will rock your world. I asked my friend for the recipe, thinking it was some super special family tradition passed down through the generations -- and had to laugh when she told me she made them with a box mix.

First of all, I didn't even KNOW about dark chocolate brownies. Um, hello. I didn't like dark chocolate till a few years ago and now it's my favorite.

There's actually two secret ingredients but one didn't surprise me as much as the other...can you guess?:

The cinnamon wasn't a big shock, I mean, have you had chili with cinnamon? Next level stuff.

But the kicker (literally) was the chili powder. Man oh man...these are DELISH. Hands down the best brownie I've ever tasted.

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Easily Upgrade Cheap Frames With This Peel and Stick Molding

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 01:09:00 +0000

Easily upgrade plain, cheap frames with this peel and stick molding.

This product is SO fun and now my mind is swimming with ideas and different ways I can use it around the house!

If you've been around for a while, you may remember when I wallpapered the tiny hallway off of our kitchen:

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At the time I hung four large Ribba frames from Ikea -- they measure 13x17 and I painted the mat they came with a dark navy.

Recently I was looking at the frames and how bland they were. I wanted them to stand out more and thought about changing them out to these gold bamboo frames I found online:

I just didn't want to spend the money on them. :) Four would have been close to $120 and they weren't even as big as our current frames. So I started thinking...and remembered a product I already had that could create more detail on my existing Ribba frames.

A few months ago, I ordered this "peel and stick" beaded trim out of sheer interest. I wanted to check out the quality and was curious to see how they looked in person:

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How to Easily Refluff a Pouf or Ottoman in Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 18:46:00 +0000

How to refill a smashed ottoman or pouf at home.

It's easier than you think to add volume back to a pouf that has been smashed over time!

We LOVE these fabric ottomans I purchased for our living room years ago:

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These neutral poufs look great and at around 17 inches tall, they fit perfectly under our large DIY coffee table:

I like that we can pull them out as foot rests or extra seating, but they are stored out of the way. You can see with time, those poufs start to shrink a bit. Like anything that's filled with foam, they start to lose their fullness after a lot of use. The foam gets crushed, so a full ottoman or pouf will start to shrink.

Our ottomans have a nice cover with a zipper at the bottom. There's an insert with the foam inside that I had to open up:

A seam ripper is super helpful for this part! It makes quick work of opening this up.

I've used a couple of filler options over the years -- this bead bag refill is tiny foam beans that go a long way. I had plenty left for future refills:

I've also used this shredded foam to refluff ottomans, and ended up preferring that option.

We used a cup to scoop the little beads into the insert...slowly. This stuff will go all over if you're not careful. 😜

Once I had them as full as possible, I hand sewed the inserts closed. That's it!

Just look at the difference!

Find our gorgeous family room rug here!

SO much better! These decorative poufs are usually not cheap -- refluffing will give them a much longer life.

It took me about an hour to fill them back up. Now they look like they did when we got them!:

This fix works on any ottoman, cushion or pouf filled with foam pellets. And of course, bean bags!

I've found that our ottomans need a fluff every three years or so, and then they look brand new again.

Do you have a sad, flat ottoman that needs refilled?

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How To Add Custom DIY Details to a Builder Basic Kitchen Island

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 03:45:00 +0000

Adding custom detail to the sides of a boring kitchen island.

I've been working my way through my way through our home, making pretty and functional updates to makeovers I completed years ago.

It's been fun to add more character, detail and color to these spaces -- I removed a shiplap wall and painted our mud/laundry room in January, then added some gorgeous wallpaper and more custom additions to our pantry in February, and this month I've been working on our kitchen.

I've shared my DIY kitchen drawer organizers -- these have been SO WONDERFUL. Last week I showed you how I "painted" our gray backsplash grout as well.

A few weeks ago I finished a big DIY project in the kitchen...this has become one of my favorite transformations in a long time. Now that all the little details are done, I can finally share it with you!

Let's take a look back at our kitchen island when we moved in years ago:

The size is wonderful, and I absolutely love our wood butcher block countertops. Otherwise, the island was a fairly basic one with appliances on one side and cabinetry where the stools are.

I wanted to give the island more substance, so my first big project was to extend the width of each side, so they went all the way to the edge of the countertop. I built them in a way that still allowed plenty of room to open the base cabinets in front of the counter stools:

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How to Update Basic Cabinets With DIY Furniture Feet

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

How to add decorative furniture feet to cabinet toe kicks with this DIY hack!

I've made so many small updates to our kitchen over the years, and this simple DIY detail is one of my favorites!

I gathered a list of all of my smaller kitchen projects that pack a big punch here!

I love the look of furniture feet on bathroom and kitchen base cabinets -- they add a custom touch and make them look so much more expensive.

Years ago I came up with this hack to make them for much less, but never implemented it. When I added trim to our end cabinet panels, I knew it would be a perfect time try it out! I was left with a straight edge on the sides of the cabinets that made this even easier to implement.

You can also add these decorative "feet" where your cabinets meet a wall or another cabinet.

Instead of buying expensive pre-made feet for the cabinets, or jigsawing them out of wood (the jigsaw is my least favorite tool...I avoid it at costs 😂), I made some easy changes to these wood corbels:

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You can find them at most big box hardware stores and sets of two of the small, medium and large sizes online.

I've used both the medium (7x7 inches) and the large (ten inches) for my DIY cabinet feet projects.

Before you do anything, I recommend removing the metal hanging brackets that come installed on the corbels:

I say this because you'll be cutting these with a saw, and you definitely don't want to hit that metal bracket with your saw blade.

The first time I did this little hack, I only made one cut on the corbel at the height of our kitchen cabinets. More specifically, the height of the toe kick.

I measured from the floor to the bottom of the cabinet frame (or toe kick) to figure out the height of my "feet."

I marked that measurement on the bottom of the corbel and cut it down with a miter saw. Then I gave them a few coats of the cabinet paint color with light sandings in between:

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Ten Easy DIY Projects With Beautiful Wallpaper Scraps

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Ten fun ways to use leftover wallpaper scraps!

I hate wasting anything...especially something as beautiful as wallpaper. Thankfully there are so many fun home decor ideas that will use up your scraps.

Wallpaper remnants (at least the peel and stick versions) are thick enough to stand up to some wear and tear and are easy to work with.

When you hang wallpaper with a "repeat "(which most have), you'll have a lot of excess leftover when you're done with your project.

The repeat is the distance between where the repeated design matches up on each roll of wallpaper.

Because the repeat on the wallpaper I used in our powder room was 24 inches, I had numerous scrap pieces that were around two feet long:

I always keep that excess just in case I need to patch up a spot sometime, but also because it's just too pretty to throw away!

I walked around our house with this floral paper in my hands, looking for a spot that would make sense. It has all of the colors we use in our home, so it wasn't long before I found a spot in our dining room.

I've always loved painting or treating the backs of our bookcases for a pretty accent.

Paint is the easiest choice of course! But I've also used fabric, wallpaper and even wrapping paper in the past.

I installed the wallpaper before I built the shelves on our basement built ins and my office bookcases, but there's an easy way to add it after the fact as well.

The key is mounting it to something -- that way you don't have to try to awkwardly reach back and get the wallpaper just right in those tight spaces.

I use leftover cardboard or foam core boards as my "mount" -- delivery boxes are perfect for this!:

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You'll want a straight edge like a level or ruler, a measuring tape and a sharp craft X-Acto knife or utility knife to cut with.

I measured the wall on back of each shelf and then transferred that onto the cardboard or foam board, then used the knife to cut:

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How To Easily “Paint” Your Dark Tile Grout for a Brand New Look

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 22:49:00 +0000

Changing your tile grout color is so much easier than you'd think!

Did you know changing the grout color in your kitchen or bathroom only takes a few minutes and around $20?

This product makes such easy and quick work of refreshing grout, and is a small change that completely changes the look of your tile!

When we picked the design details for this house nearly ten years ago, I was still in a farmhouse-style phase. Not super farmhouse, but farmhouse-ish. 😂

I chose a gray grout for our white subway backsplash in the kitchen, to give it a bit of dimension and contrast:

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Over the years, I've pulled away from that style and have wanted a more traditional look. Classic white subway tile with light grout isn't trendy, it's been around for decades (if not centuries!).

A reader mentioned on that blog post (about "outdated" trends I don't agree with) that there is a grout refresher product I should check out.

That was last summer, and I finally looked into that product a few weeks ago. I'm so glad I did!

This grout product would also be perfect for refreshing dirty, dingy floor grout.

I grabbed my bottle of this Mapei grout refresh at our local hardware store:

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How to Easily Make DIY Custom Kitchen Drawer Dividers

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 02:44:00 +0000

How to make DIY custom drawer dividers for the ultimate organization!

This is one of my favorite organization projects in a long time! Once I got started on this easy DIY, I couldn't wait to get started on the next drawer.

This isn't a difficult project at all, and the only "real" tool you'll need for this project is a miter saw. You can use a miter box and handheld saw, it will just take longer. There are a lot of cuts needed for these custom dividers!

This is a fantastic way to make custom drawer dividers that work perfectly for you and your family's needs!

For this project, you'll want to use thin wood -- it's inexpensive, easy to cut and doesn't take up much space in the drawers.

I like the three inch size (actually 2.75 inches), because they are the exact depth of our kitchen drawers:

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I've found these particular boards at both Home Depot and Menards (pictured above) -- I can't find any in the quarter inch thickness at Lowe's.

The Home Depot version comes in three feet sections for about $2.50 and the Menards option is four feet for $3. My drawers took two to three boards of either length.

Both options are made of Poplar -- the Menard's wood comes wrapped in plastic and in general is slightly better and more consistent quality:

I found an online Amazon option that would work great as well -- this balsa wood is very easy to cut and is great for crafty projects.

Make sure to check the height of your drawers before deciding on your boards.

At first, I tried reusing the four inch wood boards from the old frame around our mud room chalkboard, but I found it was just a bit too high -- I kept hitting it when reaching for utensils.

(I saved that trim for some taller dresser drawers I'd like to try this same DIY on!)

Because these DIY dividers are in our kitchen cabinets, I figured it would be worthwhile to treat them with a non-toxic, food safe cutting board oil:

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Three Easy Tricks That Make Fake Plants Look Real

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 19:14:00 +0000

No green thumb? These quick tips will make your fake plants look real!

A great faux plant or tree can be a great addition to your home! Don't let the old dusty versions from your childhood deter you -- artificial plants have come a long way over the years and look more realistic than ever!

Our home is full of live plants and I really enjoy the life they bring to our home. But sometimes a fake tree or plant is a great alternative -- you don't have to worry about placement and if they'll thrive without direct sunlight.

I love our real plants, but they do NOT like to be moved around!

Plus, they're easier to work with if you have young kids, pets (I always search online before bringing a new plant home) or allergies. No fuss!

Faux decorative trees can get expensive, so before before buying make sure to read reviews (if purchasing online), or inspect the plant close up.

A high-quality artificial plant will have:

silk-like leaves that move easily and look more realistic than plastic
trunk(s) that are thicker and/or have details like knots and bark
realistic colors -- faded colors and discolored stems instead of deep green leaves and lifelike branches are a dead giveaway

Did you know you can DIY a decorative fake tree yourself? I shared how I made my own olive tree here -- it's much easier than you'd think!:

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We have a spot in our living room that needed some life, but I wasn't sure a real tree would do well in that spot. Plus, the price of a real tree the size I needed was more than I wanted to spend.

I had two gift cards burning a hole in my pocket when I found this realistic faux maple tree at Target:

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Beautiful DIY Pantry Updates That Add Tons of Charm

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 19:36:00 +0000

DIY character-filled updates in our walk in butler's pantry!

I made some gorgeous updates to our pantry recently and had to share the final result with you all!

So far this year, I've been motivated and inspired to make some DIY and decor changes to a few of our spaces I've already worked on over the years.

I'm opposite of most -- I get my energy and motivation in the colder months. Summer and heat depresses me, so I'm taking advantage of the winter and spring. :)

The DIY projects have been swimming in my head! Over the past few weeks, I've been working on our pantry that I completely renovated a few years ago:

Before, we had plain shelving around this room. Four years ago I tore those down and installed tall pantry cabinets and drawers in their place.

It's a much prettier space, but also so much more functional now that it's more of a butler's pantry set up. We often use the countertop as a secondary spot for dishes and food when we're entertaining.

Plus, all of our dry food storage and small appliances are organized beautifully in the pull out drawers. I absolutely love this tiny room!

In January, I tackled updates in our mud and laundry room combo. One of my projects was taking down shiplap I had previously installed on one wall.

I removed all of the nails from a few of the boards and repurposed them for the pantry. When I worked on this space years ago, I never continued the vertical paneling on the walls onto this wall by the doorway:

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I'm not sure why I didn't do this at the time? It felt unfinished, so I took down that DIY paper roll and installed some of the boards from the laundry room there:

At first that was my only project planned, but then my wheels started turning...

I wanted to add some color to the room, but didn't want to repaint everything. I have to work around the light gray cabinets, so I was on the lookout for a beautiful wallpaper to install above the paneled walls.

I spent weeks looking online and even ordered a few samples, but nothing felt right. I had my heart set on something in a botanical print with birds. Not sure why the birds, I just had it in my brain. :)

Then one day on a trip to Lowe's, I saw this dark botanical wallpaper -- the colors were perfect and BIRDS:

This is the Emerson peel and stick wallpaper from Chris Loves Julia -- the reviews were absolutely terrible online.

Most of the reviews had pictures of this wallpaper literally falling off of the walls, so I was hesitant. I hung one panel and left it up for a few days before continuing.

It stayed up just fine, but overall this was my least favorite wallpaper I've ever installed (and I've installed a lot of them). It's not very sticky at all and the quality is not great...but I do LOVE the design and moody colors.

I will keep you updated if there are any issues!

After installing the wallpaper, I felt like the trim needed a little more detail. I grabbed small, square pieces of trim from the hardware store and installed them along the top:

That little detail completed it nicely!

After the wallpaper and wall trim, it was time to address the backsplash wall behind the countertop. I recently shared the messy process of removing that peel and stick tile.

Because the wallpaper is the star in this room and I didn't want anything competing against it, I went with vertical tongue and groove boards instead of tile:

At the last second (yesterday!) I added four wood corbels under the shelves for a little added character:

These come with hanging hardware already attached, but I've rarely use it. Since these aren't actually holding the weight of the shelves, I used these self-tapping screws that countersink into the wood nicely:

That way I could fill in the hole and paint over, but can still access them if needed later. I made sure to caulk along the seams and then touched everything up with one more coat of paint.

After all of the big projects were finished up, I was able to rehang the framed recipes I had in the room previously.

I wanted to tone down the bright white of the mat in each frame, so I gave the mats a couple quick coats of the main wall color throughout our home, Agreeable Gray:

It's a lovely neutral that ties in nicely with the creamy/gold colors in the wallpaper.

I also added one more set of DIY cabinet feet under the cabinets -- I make these with small wood corbels you can find at most hardware stores:

I went back and forth on whether or not to install the same vertical trim on the main wall on the left when you walk in, but ultimately decided on all wallpaper:

Not only because I loved the impact of a full wall of the pretty wallpaper, but because I made a mistake years ago when I installed all of these cabinets:

You should allow for some spacing between the wall and the cabinets and I completely spaced that at the time.

That spacer (even a one inch board at each wall is sufficient) allows doors to open fully as well as plenty of room for drawers to open and shut.

Thankfully we haven't had any issues as far as functionality, but if I had installed the paneling on that wall, it would have been tight when we opened the cabinets to the left.

Plus, it would have been awkward and busy to have the panels continue over the countertop to the backsplash.

Overall I love the full wall of wallpaper so I'm glad I went with that option!

I'll take you on a quick tour of the rest of this small space!

Before, I had a few knobs hanging at the end of the room:

Instead, I hung some leftover wood pegs from another project along the long wall to the right:

Do you see Colby peeking out? We don't have anything stored in that bottom shelf and the cats LOVE hiding in there. :)

Those pegs have screws attached, so they are super easy to install!

I LOVE the framed family recipes in our pantry, so I purchased two more of the gold square frames and spread them out over three of the walls instead of two:

The new brass cup pulls on the cabinets function beautifully and are so much more substantial than what we had before:

The final detail was to paint all of the outlet and light switch covers. For the switch covers, I painted them with the trim paint:

Since the outlets get a lot more wear and tear, I love these paintable outlet covers that are installed right over the top of the outlet -- no wiring needed!

I sprayed a couple coats of protective glossy spray paint over all of the covers before reinstalling.

I love this view now!:

It's soft and moody, but also clean and bright! The little touches added so much detail and character to this small space.

Now I'm onto some beautiful and functional kitchen updates! I'll be sharing those very soon. :)

See more of our home and shop items in each room here.

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Ten Creative DIY Ways To Hide the Cat Litter

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Ten DIY ways to hide the cat litter, but easily accessible for kitties.

If you're cat owners like us, you know the pain of finding the perfect spot for the cat litter! You want it to be easily accessible for the kitties, but no one needs to smell when they "go." :)

Plus, we wanted our boxes to be out of the way where we wouldn't have to deal with the bits of litter that inevitably end up on the floor.

I rounded up a few fun ideas for hiding the litter while still making kitty feel comfortable. These are all DIY ideas, but I'll share some store bought products that look great at the end of the post too.

Years ago, I made our mud/laundry room closet even more functional by installing a cat door and storing two of our litter boxes inside:

This is a large closet and with the addition of the shelves I installed at the end of the closet, we still have tons of storage space:

Our vacuum and some other items are on the right side as well.

This has worked out SO well for us and the cats seem to love it! It's been so easy to keep the mud room clean now too. Cat litter seems to track everywhere but most of it stays in the closet.

I know not everyone has a cleaning closet they can use for the litter, so I gathered some other ideas as well. Most of these DIY cat litter solutions hardly take up any space and look GREAT! (Click the link under each photo to get to the tutorial.)

Danae used a pretty IKEA cabinet to hide the litter and all of the accessories: Read the full post

My Favorite Small, Handy DIY Tools I Can't Live Without!

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 01:06:00 +0000

My Ten Favorite Inexpensive and Handy DIY Tools

I've had blast working on a bunch of DIY projects over the past couple of months! As I've worked, I've noticed how I tend to reach for the same small tools over and over.

Because I find these so helpful, I gathered a list of my top ten handheld tools that I couldn't DIY without!

Not only are these super handy to have around, but I'm pretty sure all of them are $20 and under. Some of them I've purchased in multiples because I love them so much.

These are my go-to's for cutting and installing molding, building and painting. and even simple jobs like hanging artwork around the house.

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I may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links.

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1. Handheld trim cutter

I've talked about this one before, but it's worth another mention! These handheld miter shears make it quick work of cutting both wood and crafty projects:

They made quick work of cutting wine corks for our wine cork dart board wall.

Because you don't have to run to and from a miter saw, this makes for much quicker and easier cutting for DIY projects.

The blade easily snaps into different angles and is perfect for cutting small wood trim, shoe molding, plastic and also "foam" polystyrene trim like the cove molding I used on my office walls:

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How to Remove STICKY Peel & Stick Tile {& My Replacement!}

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 03:12:00 +0000

How to remove peel and stick tile. (And how I beautifully covered the wall damage.)

I've determined this is the year of taking many of my previous room makeovers to the next level. 😁 I started with the updates to our mud/laundry room last month, and now I'm focused on our walk-in pantry.

Years ago I took down the open shelving in this small space and replaced it with tall pantry cabinets and and a base cabinet with plenty of storage space in the drawers:

It functions more like a "butler's" pantry now -- we often keep extra food containers and dishes in here when we entertain. It's great to have the countertop to use our small appliances too.

At the time, I decided on a faux marble peel and stick tile for the wall behind the shelves. It had a more modern look than I typically go for, but was quite pretty when it was installed.

This peel and stick tile option is more realistic than many I've seen -- the texture feels and looks authentic. That was the problem though -- it was just SO rough to the touch. And if anything rubbed against it, little particles of the tile would come off.

NOT ideal near food!

I think this tile would be really lovely around an electric fireplace!

This tile came in sections that you fit together as you install it:

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Because of this shape, the installation was actually not bad! If you had a bigger or wider space, it would be even easier.

The adhesive on these suckers was thick and VERY sticky. There are a lot of peel and stick options that aren't as heavy duty as ours -- many I've seen are more of a thin plastic that can be removed relatively easily.

There were a few sections of this tile that didn't lay completely flat, but it was minor. A few weeks ago, I took advantage of one of those areas and started pulling to see how easily it would come off of the drywall.

Spoiler alert: it did not come off easily. :)

The moral of this story -- make sure you REALLY LOVE the peel and stick tile you're installing!

Finally I decided to go for it -- I grabbed a scraper with a thin, flat edge and started tapping it under the tile:

If I did this again, I'd use this option that has a bit of a curve to it and a handle with a hammer end for easy tapping.

This involved a lot of hammering to scooch the scraper under the tile, and then rocking it up so the tile would come away from the wall.

The end result was a disaster, but not quite as bad as I thought it would be! I figured big chunks of drywall would come off with the sticky tile, but it was only the top paper layer:

The black splotches were the residual adhesive from the tiles. When I was done with each section, I used the scraper tool across those parts to get as much excess off as possible.

I initially planned to use a heat gun to remove this product, but I have no doubt there would still be some residual adhesive on the wall.

My original plan was to replace this faux tile with this cute starburst ceramic tile I found at Lowe's:

But then I started making some other changes to the room (that I will share very soon!), and realized the tile I was planning to use was going to be way too busy. Plus, that leftover adhesive wouldn't have been a good base for tile -- it wouldn't have laid flat against the wall.

This ended up saving me a ton of money! These are so pretty, but expensive for such a small tile.

Instead, I decided on a tongue and groove look for the backsplash. The pieces fit against each other on the wall:

Because these are nice and thick, I knew they would hide any inconsistencies on the damaged drywall.

Also, I installed a similar planked look around the other side of the room when I first made over this space:

So it tied in beautifully!

This is the same product I installed vertically in our bedroom:

I LOVE the look! I had some leftover from that project, so I only had to purchase six boards for this little wall.

Tip: The primed versions of these boards are much cheaper than the painted option!

Usually I wait until after install to paint most of my wood projects, but with these notches I find it much easier to paint beforehand:

I started the install at the middle of the wall and worked from there. My wall was almost the perfect width to fit nine vertical boards, but I was going to have a little too much extra space on each side

So instead of butting these right up to each other, I figured out the perfect spacing (using some scrap wood and a line of brad nails) so they fit perfectly across:

Using my makeshift spacer, I nailed in each board at the bottom first. Then I moved the spacer up to the top and secured it with my nail gun, making sure each piece was level as I went:

That light up level is SO helpful! It turns green when you hit level either vertically or horizontally. It makes project like this one go so much quicker because you just have glance at it as you work. Game changer!

After install, I filled the nail holes, caulked along the edges and gave everything one final coat of paint:

Look at those matching lines top to bottom! 😍 It looks like they were installed behind the built in shelves, but I had to do each portion separately. (Starting from the middle and keeping the spacing consistent was key.)

As I mentioned earlier, this "backsplash" change spurred on a few more DIY updates, like these gorgeous brass cup pulls:

They are such great quality, and are so much more substantial than what we had before.

I haven't finished up the decor in here, but this is how it's looking for now:

I'll be sharing the full reveal of this little makeover shortly! Just a couple more little projects to finish up.

We love how this planked backsplash turned out! It's a classic, timeless look and calms the room a bit. Have you used this tongue and groove product in your home?

See more of our home and shop items in each room here.

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Making the Most of Storage Space Under the Sink

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000

An affordable and easy way to install pull out storage containers under the sink!

This is a great way to utilize ALL of the storage space under your kitchen sink or bathroom cabinets. It makes the most of the vertical space in that awkward spot as well.

I'm so excited about this easy alternative to more expensive rolling cabinet drawers. I've shared the DIY pull out shelving version I used in our new and improved pantry.

If you have some do-it-yourself skills that is a great option that you can customize to the exact size and depth that you need. But if you'd rather not DIY, I found a really affordable ready made version that may work for your needs!

I started making these myself because most of the store bought options are usually more money than I'd like to spend. But a reader shared this option with me and I had to try it out. It's the Hallbar pull out frame from Ikea:

There are two bonuses to this product -- one, it's affordable. About the same price as the drawer slides that I use for my DIY versions. But the best part is it comes (pretty much) ready to go. You pull it out of the box and the slides are already attached and ready to be installed.

It's marketed as a roll out tray for recycling bins, but I knew I could find other uses for it.

I almost used this Ikea option inside the tall pantry cabinets:

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Easy Home Decor and DIY Tweaks for a Fresh New Look

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 04:54:00 +0000

How simple home decor tweaks can make a big difference in our homes!

Even tiny updates make a difference, especially in the new year when simpler decor is a welcome change.

My favorite days are those when we have NO plans and I can putter around the house, organizing and making small tweaks around our house.

We don't always have to spend a ton of money to satisfy the need for change -- rearranging furniture and decor is always an option for sure.

I'm sharing a few home tweaks I've made over the past few weeks, including moving some things around, switching out an accent color and also removing decor.

They're all small updates, but they made our spaces feel fresh and new!

The first tweak was in our dining room -- when I built the built in bookcases by the window seat, I hung a couple of sconces on either side of the bookcases:

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Problem is, you could barely see them. A few weeks ago I stood there staring at this spot and thinking they would look great in between the windows instead.

Since the sconces aren't actually connected to electricity, it's easy to move them around. These rechargeable light bulbs make it so we can hang them anywhere.

I had forgotten how close these were to the windows, so I had to use my handy dandy curved screwdriver attachment to get the screws out:

That thick trim in between the windows was the perfect spot -- we can actually see them now!

The remote that comes with the bulbs allows you to dim or set them on a timer:

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How to Move a Microwave to a Kitchen Island

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 16:29:00 +0000

How I moved our microwave from over the stove to our kitchen island.

Over the years, I've probably made at least ten makeovers on the islands we've had in our two kitchens. I'm currently working on a beautiful update to our current one that I can't wait to show you!

While working on this project, I've been thinking back to all of these DIY island makeovers. Moving our microwave to the island in our last house was a HUGE game changer in that room.

Moving the microwave from over the stovetop to the island freed up space for a gorgeous vent hood and allowed me to completely transform this kitchen!

A quick refresher first -- this is how our island in that kitchen started (well, after a couple of updates over the years):

Years later, I tackled a whole kitchen makeover, and one of the projects I addressed was increasing the size of our island and making it way more functional.

When I extended the island, I created a spot for wine storage, as well as this open space at the end:

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There are two ways you can add a spot for a microwave in an island -- the first is to reconfigure the drawer or cabinet storage already installed and keep your current countertop.

Or do like I did and extend the length to create a spot for one -- but you'll need to install a longer countertop to fit.

And of course you'll need a power source, so before I finished this project I had an outlet run to inside this end cabinet.

To add the shelf for the microwave, I started with supports. They were just scrap 1x2 boards that I secured to the inside with screws.

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DIY Laundry/Mud Room Refresh {Adding Classic Character}

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 04:53:00 +0000

Mud and laundry room refresh! Removing an old DIY project and adding in more character.

Our laundry and mud room combo got a huge makeover a few years ago -- I moved upper cabinets, installed built in base cabinetry, built a shelf around the washer and dryer and painted/wallpapered the walls.

It's such a pretty space, and we love it! There was one wall that was bugging me, and that was the shiplap wall I had installed shortly after moving in:

After the big makeover, the lines on that wall just felt off to me and were too busy with all of the changes. With each month it bugged me more and more...so I planned to remove the shiplap.

The plan turned into a bunch of additional DIY projects. Par for the course with me!

I started by pulling the shiplap down, repairing the wall (that was way more work than I thought it would be) and then started painting the walls.

While I was at it, I added Craftsman trim to the top and bottom of the window in this room:

I also decided it was a great time to replace all of the baseboards. I'm working my way through the house to beef up the trim:

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How to Make an EASY No Sew Bench Seat Cushion

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 13:18:00 +0000

How to make your own NO SEW bench seat cushion.

You don't have to know how to use a sewing machine to make a beautiful cushion for a bench seat!

Custom foam bench cushions and covers are not cheap -- this tutorial shows you how to make one in less than an hour for way less.

Whether for your mud room, the dining table or a window seat, it's really not hard to make your own. And you can customize in any color or fabric you want!

This quick project was an update in our laundry/mud room combo. It's been awhile since I've made a cushion for a bench, but it came right back to me.

Years ago I shared how to make a similar DIY bench cushion -- be sure to check that post out for another example of this project.

I found a couple upholstery fabrics I absolutely LOVED at Joann Fabrics years ago (RIP Joanns!):

I'm working with the lower fabric for this DIY cushion (the stripes look black in the photo above, but they are a lighter blue/gray).

For this project you'll need a bottom piece of some kind to staple the fabric into.

I found the plywood I needed in my trusty scrap pile and cut it to the dimension of our mud bench top:

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Give Old Decor New Life With Mod Podge and Paper Napkins

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 03:14:00 +0000

How to give old decor new life with Mod Podge and decorative napkins!

Did you know you can use pretty paper napkins to give decor whole new look?

I'm going old school on my latest craft project! I haven't used this technique in at least a decade, but when I saw these pretty paper napkins in HomeGoods a few months ago, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them:

The napkin design is called Strawberry Thief by William Morris, and I loved the muted blues and rust colors.

I knew it would be beautiful decoupaged onto a vase that I've had for years:

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The shape and size were great, it just needed a little something! I figured this busy pattern would be beautiful on this vase.

To decoupage with a paper napkin, I always separate the layers and remove the thin backing first:

For this process you'll want to use Mod Podge -- I had one with a matte finish on hand, but a glossy Mod Podge sealant would have saved me one step.

The final finish just your personal preference!:

This process is very simple, you'll just need to use a light hand as you work.

I made sure to clean the surface of the vase well, and when it was dry I started by spreading the Mod Podge on with a paint brush:

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How To Remove a Shiplap Wall {And Repair the Damage!}

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:13:00 +0000

Removing a shiplap wall (and repairing ALL of the damage).

Cleaning up the drywall after removing this simple wall treatment took SO much longer than I thought! Thankfully it was worth all of the work in the end.

I have a knack for thinking two thoughts (that come back to bite me) when I start a DIY project. The first is "This isn't going to take long," and the second..."This one is going to be easy."

Usually I'm very wrong -- you'd think I would learn. I have learned not to say "This is going really well." 😂

Those first two thoughts were in my head more than a week ago when I started removing the shiplap from our laundry/mud room accent wall:

The horizontal lines were too busy in this room and I knew they needed to go.

I figured there would be some damage to the wall when I got it all down, but it was way worse than I thought.

Removing the actual trim was easy. First, I scored along any caulk with a razor blade -- along the walls or any trim:

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If you don't do this, it may pull up paint on adjoining surfaces as you pull the trim away.

To make sure I didn't damage the wall more, I was careful when removing each piece of shiplap. I used my flat painter's tool and tapped it behind the trim, then gently rocked it against the wall to pull it away:

Thankfully I used thin luan sheets cut down for my shiplap, so they were easy to remove.

Most of the nails came out with the luan, but there were plenty still stuck in the studs -- it was easier to hammer them back in, then use a nail set to put the nail back into the drywall:

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How to Add DIY Craftsman Trim Around a Window

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:25:00 +0000

Two ways to add beautiful Craftsman molding around a window.

Adding molding to windows is such a great way to a TON of character to your home! In addition to beefy baseboards and door trim, chunky trim around windows adds a charming touch. I just love it.

In our first home, we had no window trim at all, so I added this Craftsman-style molding around most of our windows in that house. I'm sharing that tutorial here, and a simpler version as well.

First up, the simpler version that works if you already have casing around your windows, but want to beef it up a bit.

Before we start, here's a helpful diagram of this type of casing around a window:

You can see here how simple it is really...and if you're starting with existing trim it's even easier!

Tutorial #1: Adding to existing window trim.

I've been working on some updates in our mud/laundry room, and I figured I'd beef up the window trim in this room while I was at it:

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This is a before before pic of the room, but it's the best I have of this window.

The beauty of this version of the tutorial is I only had to focus on the top and bottom of the window -- no need to remove the casing on the sides.

To remove the apron, make sure to score the caulk around the trim first -- then tap a flat painter's tool or a crow bar under the trim to start pulling it away from the wall:

You'll probably have some long nails still intact -- you can pull those out, or just do as I do and hammer them into the drywall:

Make sure they are fully pounded into the drywall and not popping up at all. You'll want to remove any residual caulk leftover as well.

I use a simple 1x4 primed piece of wood for the new apron:

That's it!

The topper of the window trim is made up of three pieces of trim -- thin lattice molding, a 1x2 and a 1x4:

Over the years I've also used a trim piece called "stop" for the bottom portion. Both work great, the lattice is just a bit cheaper.

I like to build and paint this portion off the wall -- it's just easier than of up on a ladder.

Since my window measures 35 inches across (with the vertical trim on each side), I cut the 1x4 at the same width (35 inches) and the other two at 35.5 inches so they are longer by a quarter inch on both sides.

This gives the window more dimension and interest, instead of all of the trim lining up perfectly. (You'll see this in photos below.)

A nail gun is very helpful for this project! Nail the 1x2 onto the top and the thin lattice to the bottom:

Once all of the pieces are secured, you can fill holes, caulk and paint before installing on the window.

I use a semi-gloss finish for all of my door and window trim paint.

Before installing the new topper, I had to remove the existing trim at the top of the window. To do this, I used a level to mark a straight line where I wanted to cut.

Then I used my oscillating tool to cut through the window trim while it was still on the wall:

Make sure to score the caulk around this portion before removing (just like the bottom apron):

When that part is removed from the wall, you can place the new topper right on top of the existing side casing around the window.

After everything is installed, I like to do a fresh bead of caulk around the window and where the new trim is installed. It will give you a more professional and finished look!

I find it easier to mark where I want the caulk with painter's tape -- this gives me a super clean line on the wall when I pull the tape away:

A reader sent me these awesome caulk applicator tools. They make caulking SO much easier, I love them!

They are called Turbo Caulk and save your fingers big time. And when you're done, they make a great "cap" for the caulk in between projects.

Here's how this simpler window trim looks when complete:

You can create this same DIY Craftsman trim over doors/walk throughs as well:

If you're starting from scratch and have no trim around your window at all, you'll want to use this next tutorial!

Tutorial #2: Adding Craftsman trim to windows with only drywall.

This method will give you the true, classic Craftsman window casing, since you're starting from scratch.

At our first house, I wasn't able to create this look because our window sills weren’t wide enough. Instead, I installed some very skinny trim around the window that would match up with the sill:

To do the trim I wanted to do I’d have to take the whole sill (or stool, as it’s technically called) off and that intimidated me. But then I saw Cristina’s tutorial -- I ended up following her instructions and they worked perfectly!

First up, I removed the apron underneath the sill:

We had a frigid winter one year and the window was iced up and when it melted into the wall. That area below the apron was a big bubble of water. 😖

If you don't score all the areas (with a razor) that are caulked, when you pull the trim off it will pull the paint/drywall away:

Just like the earlier tutorial, take a crow bar and start pulling up the wood.

The only issue I had was the ends of the sill started digging into the drywall as I pulled up:

When I worked on one end at a time (instead of trying to pull the whole thing up at once) it helped a bunch. I just focused on one side and got that up and clear of the drywall, then got the whole thing out.

Here’s what it looks like underneath:

After all that I took the skinny trim off the sides of the windows:

I kept that all for future projects. (I used it on all of the wainscoting in this room.)

Also, our window sills are deeper so I had to use 1x8 wood instead of the standard 1x5. I followed Cristina’s instructions and used the old sill as my guide to cut the new one.

The only thing you need to keep in mind is your trim that will be on the sides of the windows – mine was 3 1/2 inches and I wanted the stool to stick out a bit from that, so I traced the original onto the new wood, but gave myself four inches:

Here’s how it looks installed on the window:

I followed my traced lines with a jigsaw to cut it out. Don’t worry if the lines aren’t perfect!:

They will be mostly covered with the new casing on each side of the window.

The parts that aren’t covered are easily fixed with caulk. (My BFF.):

I took my sander to the edges of the new sill because this pine has really sharp edges. I do this on all of the door trim I’ve installed too:

I just knock it down a little so it doesn't have such a hard corner, but it's not necessary.

After replacing the sill at the bottom, I installed the side casings and then I built up the top portion and installed it just as I did in the first tutorial.

Remember the 1x2 and stop on top and the new sill/stool on the bottom will be a bit wider than the other pieces.

Here's how this Craftsman molding treatment comes together on a window:

I couldn't BELIEVE how much better the room looks with the beefier trim around the windows:

Here’s a closer look at how chair rail, wainscoting and window trim work together:

I labeled the wood I used so you can pin this for later:

This simple trim work around your windows will take any room to the next level! It makes such a huge difference on windows and doors.

If you have any questions about either tutorial, please let me know in the comments!

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My Big DIY To-Do List for 2026 {Adding Character!}

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Sat, 24 Jan 2026 04:07:00 +0000

My DIY plans and projects for this year (big and small)!

After the busyness of the holidays, I like to spend a few weeks decluttering and clearing out the house. (Check out my recent post with some helpful decluttering tips!)

Then I move on to dreaming up a plan of attack for the DIY projects I want to accomplish throughout the year. I have a big list this year!

Some of them I've been dreaming of for a long time, some I just decided on recently. I'll be undoing a few previous projects and adding some warmth and detail to others.

Most of these aren't massive room makeovers -- just tweaks that will make each room more calm and cohesive.

Here's my list of DIY projects I'd like to complete in the next 11(ish) months.

Laundry room:

Our laundry and mud room got a big makeover a few years ago, and I still love walking into this room every day.

It functions SO much better for us now, and is just so beautiful. That floral wallpaper is the first thing we see when we walk in.

There are a few more updates I'd like to make, and one DIY I'd like to undo.

I can't remember when I added this shiplap to the window wall but I know it was before the makeover:

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I still love this look (when done right, I think it's one of the design "trends" I think is here to stay), but overall I wanted to calm that wall down a bit.

It's always felt out of place to me, especially with the softer design in the wallpaper. The horizontal lines make it feel busy.

I have a long list of updates for this room, but the biggest is removing the shiplap. (I plan on reusing it in another room later.) I've already started this project, and it is turning out to be waaaay more work than I imagined. I'll be sure to update you on that!

Because I'm tackling that wall, I decided I might as well finish up the other to-dos as well, like replacing the baseboards with something beefier and more substantial.

So far this part of the project has been the most difficult. I discovered years ago that our home builder used MDF on most of the trim in the house, which is not ideal (especially in a room that could have moisture or water issues).

This week I found out that they also installed the base before the floor tiles in this room, which makes removing the baseboards the MOST FUN EVER:

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Two-Toned Hemnes Glass Cabinet Makeover for Bathroom

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 19:37:00 +0000

Two-toned Hemnes cabinet makeover with glass doors. {Beautiful bathroom storage!}

Over the years I haven't made a ton of updates to our main bathroom -- just a few changes like new mirrors and a DIY ledge next to our soaking tub.

I shared a tour of this bathroom shortly after we moved. This room is super spacious, but there's not much storage. We have a very skinny closet and the two vanities, but because of our plumbing they don't offer much storage.

For a while I had this bamboo shelving by the shower for our towels and bath needs:

As much as I love that bamboo piece (you can see how I made it into a bar cart here), it never felt substantial enough for that spot.

I always knew I wanted something with more storage here. I looked online for nearly a year for a secondhand cabinet I could transform. It had to have drawers and some shelves, and preferably some glass doors as well. I looked at Craigslist and the marketplace on social media and never found anything I liked.

Enter IKEA...one day I was walking through and found exactly what I wanted. Well, near exact. It checked all of the boxes except for one -- the color. I wanted a true black. But I knew I could easily fix that (I was planning to paint a wood piece anyway).

The HEMNES glass door cabinet was a perfect fit (not too deep for this spot) and offered all the storage I wanted! I had an idea in mind for the final finish, so I went with the wood version of this cabinet:

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Best Methods to Easily Restore Brass Decor {and Make It Shine}

noreply@blogger.com (Thrifty Decor Chick) — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 16:46:00 +0000

Testing the easiest ways to remove tarnish from vintage brass decor.

I always keep an eye out for solid brass items when I'm shopping second-hand or antique shops. My brass finds are some of my absolute favorite home decor pieces!

Brass will patina over time from a bright tone to a darker color that sometimes takes on green or reddish hue. When you find pieces second hand, they are often so dark and dull that the've lost all of their beautiful original finish.

I didn't used to mind the look of this oxidation...it made it feel more vintage to me in a way. But now, more often than not, the tarnish creates a dirty looking patina that I'm not particularly fond of:

I discovered how incredible antique brass can look after removing the tarnish...and I was hooked! This really shows off the brighter, pure brass in more of its original state.

I used to use a polish to remove tarnish -- it did a decent job and I was able to get to some of the beautiful original finish with it.

And then I discovered a product that blows even that out of the water! Before I shared that with you, I wanted to test some tarnish removal methods I've heard about over the years.

Before you start to clean any tarnished brass, check to make sure it's solid and not just brass plated. Use a magnet to check -- it will not stick to solid brass, but will attach to plated brass. If you rub or polish too much the plated brass will wear off over time.

Testing DIY tarnish removal methods

There are quite a few ways to remove dark tarnish and clean brass decor -- I tested the three easiest using household items we had on hand. I figured they would all be too good to be true.

Spoiler: They WERE. :)

TEST a spot on your item before moving ahead with these methods (or any product)!

I tried the following brass cleaning methods:

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