Table of contents for Spring 2018 in Do It Yourself

COLOR SUDDENLY MADE PERFECT SENSE THE DAY I MET ROY G. BIV. With this helpful acronym to remember a rainbow’s seven hues, my 8-year-old art projects were both vibrant and smartly designed, my color choices flowing seamlessly from warm to cool tones A similar spirit inspires our “We Love Color” issue of Do It Yourself. We packed these pages with practical tips for bringing more color into your life. Boost your confidence with decorating accents that require just a few tubes of crafts paint (“Color Your World,” page 64). Try the hottest color trends—including Pantone Color of the Year 2018, Ultra Violet, (“The Royal Treatment,” page 92) and brights (“What to Do with Pops of Neon,” page 20)— with high-impact, low-commitment projects. And learn how color schemes work in real…

DIP SUPPLIES: Magic Marble paint DIFFICULTY: Easy TIME: 1 hour USE ON: Small decorative accessories you can dip (candlesticks, trays) PAINT SUPPLIES: Shaving cream, fabric paint DIFFICULTY: Easy TIME: 1 hour USE ON: Fabric, paper SPRAY SUPPLIES: Spray paint DIFFICULTY: Easy TIME: 2 hours USE ON: Fabric, paper ROLL SUPPLIES: Oven-bake clay, clay glaze sealer DIFFICULTY: Medium TIME: 1 hour USE ON: Knobs, pulls, mini sculptures SPRAY SUPPLIES: Montana Marble Effect Spray DIFFICULTY: Super easy TIME: 2 hours (paint dry time) USE ON: Canvas, paper, wood, ceramics PAINT SUPPLIES: Paint DIFFICULTY: Medium TIME: 1-2 days (for adequate dry time) depending on project size USE ON: Walls…

1 Use three colors in every room: First choose your main hue, then pick two coordinating accents. 2 Pick colors next to each other on the color wheel. Why do yellow and orange look good together? Well, they share a lot of the same pigments, and they sit adjacent on the color wheel. 3 Choose colors across from each other on the color wheel. Red and green at the holidays never seems weird to you, right? That’s because red and green live directly across from each other on the color wheel. Opposites like this are complementary and perfect color partners. 4 Select three equally spaced colors on the color wheel, known as a triad. This creates a bold color combo—think green, orange, purple. 5 Work with three shades of the…

ULTRA DYE These colors pack a punch! Vibrantly dye wood or natural fibers with any of these 14 mixable hues. Just brush on and wipe off until you reach desired intensity. $3; plaidonline.com PURECOLOR You don’t have to compromise beauty for safety with these rich stains. The eco-friendly water-base colors mean less toxin exposure and easy cleanup. Choose from 24 blendable shades. $25 per quart; purecolorinc.com MILK PAINT + WAX Custom contrast and color is just a quick mix away. Add one of 56 hues of milk paint pigment powder to clear wax for a myriad of tint options. From $10; realmilkpaint.com UNICORN SPIT There’s not much this versatile paint can’t do. It’s dye, stain, paint, glaze, and colorwash, all in one little bottle. Use on wood, glass, metal, fabric,…

WALL ART Miniature cacti are living works of art. Treat them as such by hanging them on the wall alongside your other treasures, this photo. Cacti need to be watered only every few weeks and do well as long as bright light is available. This custom wall planter is simple to build and stain (see how-to on page 41), and it comes off the wall easily to water plants. MAKE IT CACTUS WALL PLANTER MATERIALS • Wood (cuts, below left) • Circular saw • Wood glue • Clamps • Sander and sandpaper • Drill, 3½-inch hole saw • Aluminum turn buttons • D-ring hangers • Stain (We used Minwax Antique Black.) Step 1 Cut all pieces following the cut list. Glue one long edge of both 17 7/16-inch pieces of…

THE TWO MAIN THINGS WE WERE LOOKING FOR DURING OUR FIRST-HOME HUNT? GOOD FLOW AND CHARACTER. We finally found both with this 1930s Tudor in Des Moines. And while it needed a lot of love, my husband, Nick Renkoski, a creative director, and I were willing to work for it. As an art adviser, I help people find the perfect piece of art for their style, space, and budget. This home quickly became a laboratory for my work, where I can test wonderful ways to display artwork before I suggest the idea to clients. I always tell clients the No. 1 rule to buying art is to buy what you love. It’s that simple. We’ve tried to use that same rule throughout our home. If we don’t love each piece…

IN A SMALL HOUSE WITH A YOUNG FAMILY, THINGS CAN CHANGE QUICKLY. WHEN THE HOME BELONGS TO INTERIOR DESIGNER KRISTIN JACKSON, THEY CAN ALSO CHANGE DRAMATICALLY. When Do It Yourself featured Kristin’s Atlanta-area home in the Spring 2014 issue, the 1,000-squarefoot residence was home to Kristin, husband Rob, and their daughter Chloe, then 2. Today, the two-bedroom home has three bedrooms (without adding any square footage), and the family numbers four (with the addition of Rob’s teenage son, Todd). Eschewing the formal dining room to create a third bedroom is just one of the savvy design changes Kristin, who blogs at Hunted Interior, has made in the past four years. The kitchen has undergone a major remodel. Without moving walls or the sink, a new layout offers more than triple…

COOL FIX Brighten an interior door with a frosted plexiglass window, opposite. Tape a ¼ -inch border around the plexiglass. Spray stencil with stencil adhesive, and center on the plexiglass. Spray a light coat of Krylon glass-frosting finish. Let dry; repeat three to four times. (While the finish goes on shiny, it dries to a frosted look.) After the finish is dry, remove the stencil and repeat as needed. Remove tape, and install plexiglass in door opening. MAKE IT PLEXIGLASS WINDOW MATERIALS • 36×80-inch interior hollow-core door • Drill • Jigsaw • Two pieces 1×4 lumber • Wood glue • Pin nailer • Nails • Router or table saw • 24×30-inch piece of ¼-inch plexiglass Step 1 Measure and mark 6 inches in from the top of the door and…

1. GET INSPIRED Study a few of your favorite things to pinpoint the color that speaks to you. Do you swoon over your garden’s bearded iris or pansies? Or is it fresh plums or eggplant at the farmers market that make your heart skip a beat? Look in your closet or around the house for a color you can’t live without. 2. ESTABLISH HOME BASE Choose one dominant jewel tone (in this living room, it’s a rich, regal purple) and look for your chosen jewel’s undertone (ours is blue rather than red). Then search for complementary hues with the same cool blue or warm red undertone. 3. PICK YOUR PARTNERS Our deep amethyst appears in a solid-hue fabric, but also in the floral print pillows. We pulled all our coordinating…

MAKE IT FLOATING BATH VANITY From page 10. MATERIALS • 8-foot × 25-inch walnut butcher block (We found ours at Lumber Liquidators.) • Table saw • Miter saw • Wood glue • Clamps • Sandpaper • Screws • Drill • Hole saw, 1¾×1½ inches • Steel wall bracket (We got ours from Lowe’s and spray-painted it black.) • Stud finder Step 1 Using a table saw, cut top to width needed (ours is 48 inches). Rip countertop to bathroom vanity depth, 22 inches. Step 2 To create the thick edge look, use the leftover 3-inch piece ripped from the depth as the apron to the front of the countertop. Use the miter saw or table saw to cut down to the length (ours was 48 inches). Then cut a miter…

INSIDE THE LINES Grout can get dingy quickly. Learn how to paint grout for a simple and costsaving fix. BHG.com/PaintGrout SO-FRESH FURNITURE All about the thrift shops? Then this is for you! Give an outdated piece a new life with our secrets to success for painting upholstery. BHG.com/PaintUpholstery OFF THE WALL How hard can painting a wall be, right? Take out all the guesswork with our tried-and-true tips. BHG.com/PaintWalls TRIMMED UP Freshen your trim, baseboards, and moldings with our step-by-step trim painting guide. BHG.com/PaintTrim START AT THE BEGINNING—GET HELP PICKING YOUR COLOR PALETTE AT BHG.COM/PALETTE…

HANDY GIRL IS THE FIRST TO ADMIT IT: That orange hue I thought would look perfect in my first home office? It was, shall we say, an attention-getter (and not the good kind). I’ve had to toss more paintbrushes than I care to admit because I didn’t know the best way to take good care of them. Luckily for you, my misfires with color and paint can be mistakes you never have to make. Here are a few hacks every handy girl should have in her toolbox of home knowledge. What If I Spill? Spills happen, but quick thinking can help you mitigate the damage. For starters, never let the spill dry. If you get water-base (latex) paint on carpet, blot with a damp paper towel until you remove all…

VOC Volatile organic compounds. These chemicals, used as solvents to disperse and dissolve paint ingredients, release gases that can irritate eyes and lungs and contaminate indoor air. In general, there are more VOCs in oil-base paints than in water-base paints. LOW VOC A paint that meets minimum Environmental Protection Agency requirements of no more than 250 grams per liter of VOCs (latex paint) and 380 grams per liter of VOCs (oil paint). Independent agency Green Seal has its own rating program, defining low-VOC paint as less than 50 grams per liter for interior flat. NO VOC Paint with zero VOCs. BIOCIDES Preservatives that improve paint shelf life but can contaminate the air. Check the levels to discern more eco-friendly paint. FUNGICIDES Additives in paint that inhibit mildew growth but contaminate…

STICK TO IT Achieve a picture-perfect arrangement without a hammer and nails. Tear or cut 1- to 2-inch pieces of neon washi tape and stick a collection of photos, cards, or artwork to your wall, this photo. You can measure and mark the center and top before you start, or just eyeball it like we did for a casual, imperfect look. Black-and-white or neutral artwork makes your choice of tape color the star of the display. ROPE IT OFF Metal-frame tables are prime candidates for embellishments. Rather than commit to a fluorescent paint color on the metal base, instead wrap it with brightly colored mason line, above. Tie the line to a section of metal and start wrapping it around the table base, keeping the line taut and encircling metal…

INCH PLANT This old favorite is still popular because of its variegation and easy maintenance. Just give it bright light and even moisture. CHINESE EVERGREEN A slow-growing plant that can take low lighting conditions, its best feature is variegated foliage with intricate patterns. PEPEROMIA Actually prefers low moisture, so it’s a fine candidate for most indoor settings. Avoid wetting velvety foliage when watering. CYLINDER SNAKE PLANT Also called African spear, this easy-growing snake plant adds a new twist with its cylindrical leaves and fan shape. It likes bright, filtered light. IVY A common groundcover vine outdoors, some cultivars are favored as trailing houseplants. There are many varieties, some with variegated foliage, and all are easily trimmed to size. CROTON These bold tropical plants add energy to any room with colorful…

CHECK IT OUT Classic plaid can elevate the look of any room. To create this buffalo-check pattern, left, you’ll need three coordinating paint colors. Choose the darkest first, then have the paint dealer mix it at 25 percent for the medium tone. For the lightest shade, mix one part of the medium color with one part white paint. Starting with white walls, use a metal ruler, a level, and a pencil to mark vertical and horizontal lines 4 inches apart. Use a 2-inch angled brush to paint alternating horizontal lines the lightest color; let dry. Paint alternating vertical lines in the medium paint color; let dry. For super crisp lines, use painters tape to outline the stripes before painting. Finally, tape off squares where the vertical and horizontal painted lines…

GOLDEN RINGS Create a gold print, below, by first printing tree ring artwork with a laser printer. Heat iron to cotton setting. Place your artwork face-up, layer on a sheet of heat-transfer gold foil and a piece of parchment paper. Iron, moving continuously until foil adheres. Lift parchment paper and foil to reveal finished artwork. STAMPED UP To make your own abstract stump art, left, choose a wood slice or stump— look for pieces that haven’t been sanded— and then lightly torch the top to remove new growth and make the rings more prominent for a distinct print. Spray the top of wood slice with paint. Lay paper on top of the slice and run over it lightly with a brayer to get paint to adhere. Act fast before the…

PIPE DREAMS Usually used for plumbing water lines, rigid copper tubing makes striking legs for a living area ottoman. Get complete how-to to craft one of your own on page 107. KEYS TO THE LOOK OFF-THE-RACK HARDWARE STORE MATERIALS LIKE PLYWOOD AND COPPER PIPE ANCHOR THE WALL TREATMENT AND FURNITURE, WHILE SPRAY PAINT AND FABRIC DYE ELEVATE ACCESSORIES TO NOBLE STATUS. “MAINTAIN THE COPPER TABLE LEGS BY USING CITRUS-BASED CLEANERS TO BOTH CLEAN AND REMOVE OXIDATION AGENTS—YOU CAN USE A SOLUTION AS SIMPLE AS LEMON AND SALT.”—KYLE SEXTON, COPPER DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION EFFICIENT ENTRY When your front door opens directly into your living area, carve out an entry with slim furnishings that function as a drop zone just inside the door, this photo. Here, a DIY demilune table and a mirror…

CUSTOM FIT This bed was designed for a queen-size mattress; a standard king-size mattress will fit but reveal less platform around the edges. Before you begin, decide what type of lumber and finish you prefer. This version uses stained maple veneer on all the exposed poplar surfaces, but you can save time and money by omitting the veneer and painting the poplar. NO-FEAR VENEER WANT TO TACKLE THE FINISH WE APPLIED ON THIS PLATFORM BED? GET THE HOW-TO, PAGE 105. MAKE IT PLATFORM BED MATERIALS • 1×8×96 poplar, 7 boards • 1×4×96 poplar, 9 boards • ¾×49×97 Trupan Ultralight or MDF, 8 sheets • 48×96 maple veneer, 3 sheets • #8 × 2-inch flathead wood screws • ¼×2½-inch hex bolts, 9 • ¼-inch hex nuts, 9 • ¼-inch washers, 18…

TRY IT: MARBLING PAGES 8–15 Pages 8–10 Butcher block for countertop Builder Walnut Butcher Block—Lumber Liquidators; 800/427-3900; lumberliquidators.com. Wall paint Isle of Pines SW6461, trim paint Black Magic SW6991—The Sherwin- Williams Co.; 800/474-3794; sherwinwilliams.com [P]. Faucet Gold Waterfall bathroom sink faucet—Amazon; amazon.com, search: Wovier. Mirror Acacia Wood 40-inch, white ceramic cup from the Canvas collection—CB2; 800/606-6252; cb2.com. Pendant lighting Bristow 12-inch Oil Rubbed Bronze Vintage Single Clear Glass Globe Pendant by Allen + Roth—Lowe’s; lowes.com. Yellow towel in basket Yarn-Dyed Ruana in yellow—Anthropologie; 800/309-2500; anthropologie.com. Red-and-white towel in basket and washcloth at sink similar items available, rug—World Market; 877/967- 5362; worldmarket.com. Large flat gold tray, green toothbrush cup—IKEA; ikea-usa.com. Smaller gold tray used in marbling project Large Gold Trim Pillar Candle Plate—World Market; 877/967-5362; worldmarket.com. Large wicker laundry basket—HomeGoods; 800/614-4663;…

YOU’RE SO VEIN Currently trending: accent walls. This stunning marble-look wall treatment, right, is perfect in a tiny bath and easier to achieve than you might think. To get the look, prep your room for painting: Tape off trim and lay down a drop cloth. Remove any fuzz from a Woolie (a faux-finish paint tool; thewoolie.com) with tape or a lint roller, then wash the Woolie and blot dry. Using a large paintbrush, apply three large diagonal strips of different color paint (we used dark green, light green, and black) to your wall. Prime the Woolie by applying all three paints directly to it with a paintbrush, then tap it in the same diagonal direction as the paint to blend (A). Continue across the entire wall. Allow paint to dry.…

DEAR READERS, My basement work space is a memorial to paint decisions gone wrong. But you can be different. You can eliminate waste and heartache by avoiding the blunders I’ve made. Here are my top fails. SKIPPING PREP. Wiping down the walls—it doesn’t really matter, right? Oh my, was I wrong! Walls get dusty and dirty. A tack rag and a wipe-down are your paint-prepping BFFs. SKIPPING PRIMER. Remember the orange paint I thought I loved? I was convinced that two coats would cover up the previous hue: a bright green. Instead, after all my work was done, I had slightly ill-looking walls that reminded me of a pumpkin a week after Halloween. Primer matters, especially when covering a rich hue. NOT WORRYING ABOUT THE MESS. I’m a pretty tidy…

PAINT A SMALL BATHROOM. One gallon equals about 400 square feet of coverage. To calculate the square feet of wall space, measure total wall length and multiply that by ceiling height. Then subtract the square feet of areas you won’t paint, such as windows and doors. TRANSFORM A PIECE OF FURNITURE. Prep the piece before painting. Rough up the surface with sandpaper and clean with a tack rag. Then go for it! COVER A CEILING. Save your arms by buying an extendable roller (and wear safety glasses to protect your eyes, too). UPDATE A MANTEL, WINDOW TRIM, OR DOOR. Don’t forget to start at the top of whatever you’re working on and move down. CREATE A WALL OR FLOOR DECK PATTERN. If painting outside, be sure to use paint rated…

Whether your thumbs are green or brown, these seed-starting pods make gardening a cinch. Water expands the pods to make them ready for shock-free sowing, growing, and transplanting. Seed Starting Soil Pods, $6 for a pack of 25; seedsnow.com 1. Let your wine do the talking. Choose one of the fun designs for any occasion, peel, and stick. The sticker attaches to itself, so the wine label is unharmed. Cellarwraps Wine Label, about $4; cellarwraps.com.au 2. This adorable critter wants to cradle your keys. The kit includes everything you need to stitch your own smiley sloth key ring. Sloth key ring kit, $8; themakearcade.etsy.com 3. Give yourself a hand. Super strong magnets keep nails, needles, and tools within reach. From the garage to the crafts room, this clever accessory will…

1. MOISTURE TESTER With small pots, a finger will do. But to measure soil moisture in large pots of 12 inches or more, use a moisture tester. It comes with a long metal probe that penetrates deep into the pot to tell you whether watering is needed. 2. MOISTURE-HOLDING GRANULES If you have water-loving plants, add these white crystals to your soil mix before planting. They absorb extra moisture to reduce watering frequency by up to 50 percent. Do not use with succulents or cacti. 3. INSECT CONTROL Mix this odorless pesticide into the top 1–2 inches of soil. It will be taken up by plants to protect them against common pests like aphids, whiteflies, and mealybugs. 4. WATERING BULB Heading out of town for a few days? Get…

THE BRIGHT SIDE Carve out a relaxation haven in your home office with a sweet daybed nook, above. Sprinkle energizing colors into the neutral space through easy, high-impact projects that you can make in just a few hours. Paint wide ginghamlike swaths onto a wooden chair, assemble a painted bead pendant light, accent a wall with the easiest macramé wall art ever, and pile dip-dyed and painted pillows onto a window seat that also functions as a daybed for guests. To make an even more dramatic impact, cover an inset wall with planks, and paint an accent wall in a breezy, contrasting hue like this seafoam green. GO GO GINGHAM Wide painted stripes with a hint of transparency turn a plain chair into a gingham statement piece, left. After lightly…

1. AGE COUNT Bring the unique beauty of tree growth rings to your walls with the Tree Rings series by artist Cora Niele. Unframed prints start at $15 for 12-inch square; art.com 2. ALL BARK, NO BITE Both rustic and modern, natural birch-with-bark pillars in varying heights lend stature to pillar candles, centerpieces, or tablescapes. $10 for 3 inch, $15 for 7 inch; walnuthollow.com 3. PERFECT PERCH Try a whitewashed tree stump table as a style-savvy stool, ottoman, or side table. $150 for 15 inch tall, $175 for 18 inch tall, $200 for 21 inch tall; bertuhome.com 4. FOREST FRIENDS Assemble these dimensional figures and create a charming woodsy scene. Laser-Cut Animals, set of 4: deer, fox, moose, and squirrel, $12; crateandbarrel.com 5. WOOD YOU TAKE A SEAT? A modern…

START SMART Natural cotton and linen fabrics will take fabric dye better than synthetics; follow dye manufacturer’s instructions. Producer Meredith Ladik suggests using inexpensive cotton dish towels for practicing your dyeing. “You can use them to make a table runner or pillow cover later,” she says. She also swears by Rit’s liquid fabric dye. “It’s easier than powder,” she says. “No granulation!” She completed these three projects outside, mixing dye in large plastic tubs, using a hose to rinse and a clothesline to hang the large items to drip-dry. 1. DIP Give drapery panels a color-block pattern by dip-dyeing. For these tricolor stripes, Ladik used Rit’s Royal Blue and Hyacinth liquid dyes. Plot your design and mark the placement of the center band of color. Fold the curtain panel in…

Step 1 Measure the edges and ends of the pedestal and use a router with a flush-trim bit to cut pieces of maple veneer 1 inch bigger in both directions. Cut a 4-inch-wide strip of MDF or Trupan scrap, and tape or clamp it to the pedestal edge to be veneered to catch adhesive overspray. Step 2 Coat the inside face of an edge piece of veneer and the pedestal edge to be veneered following the instructions on the spray adhesive (1). Wait until the adhesive achieves the correct tack. With a helper, center the veneer over the pedestal edge and gently lower it into place starting at the center and working toward the ends. Use a roller and firm pressure to bond the veneer (2). Step 3 Install a…

1. Swathe your walls in celestial bliss with this removable moon phase wallpaper. It comes in blue/white or black/white to fit your room’s vibe. $40 per 2×4-foot panel; chasingpaper.com 2. For a subtle nod to outer space, add this hammered gold crescent moon wall hanging to your decor. From $42; carmelsart.etsy.com 3. No full moon to help light the night? This 18-inch metallic marquee crescent is a shimmery stand-in. $60; marqueemarket.etsy.com 4. Track the moon’s phases on your fridge with these dreamy magnets. Set of eight, $39; goodfaithtoys.etsy.com 5. Artist Katelyn Morse has no shortage of moon art in her Etsy shop—we’re loving this strawberry moon print for a fun pop of color. $23 for 11×14-inch print; birchbliss.etsy.com 6. This hand-painted 2018 wall or desk calendar gives you 12…