Table of contents for Winter 2021 in Do It Yourself

Senior Editor BRIAN KRAMER Senior Associate Editor NATALIE DAYTON Associate Art Director JESSICA ENO Assistant Art Director EMILY BUTTERWORTH Editorial Apprentice RACHEL O’BRIEN Contributing Copy Editor NANCY DIETZ Proofreader MARTHA COLOFF LONG Administrative Assistant RENAE MABIE HOME & GARDEN Executive Editor SAMANTHA HART Senior Editors BRIAN KRAMER, SALLY FINDER WEEPIE, KRISSA ROSSBUND, NICOLE DEAN TEUT Senior Associate Editor NATALIE DAYTON Design Directors KIMBERLY MORGAN METZ, MICK SCHNEPF Associate Art Director JESSICA ENO Assistant Art Director EMILY BUTTERWORTH Senior Graphic Designer BRITTANY MUELLER Administrative Assistants RENAE MABIE, KATIE MORT, KIM O’BRIEN-WOLETT Photography Coordinator ALYSSA RICHARDSON Better Homes & Gardens Test Garden® Manager SANDRA GERDES FOOD Executive Editor JAN MILLER Senior Content Manager JESSICA SAARI CHRISTENSEN Senior Editor CARRIE BOYD Design Director STEPHANIE HUNTER Associate Art Director RAE DANNEMAN Administrative Assistant COURTNEY…

BOLD MOVES The graphic nature of grid patterns adds a preppy, playful sense to the most utilitarian household items—think lampshades, alarm clocks, and bedding, this photo. In contrasting hues, such as black and white or basic blue and marigold yellow, grids pack a design punch. LINEAR LOGIC Turn elements on your nightstand from simple to striking in no time. To update a lampshade, above, begin by pushing a threaded needle outward from the back of the shade near the seam, about 1 inch from the bottom. Wrap the thread horizontally around the shade and insert the needle back through the original hole. Tie off the thread on the inside of the shade. Move up 1 inch and repeat the process until you have horizontal lines from top to bottom. Begin…

INDOOR GREEN THUMB Just because the temps are dropping doesn’t mean the green has to go away! Try one of these fancy indoor planters to add a little life to your home this winter.…

GLASS GLOBES Fashion baubles in bright candy hues, opposite, with an easy dipping technique. First, clean frosted-glass ornaments with rubbing alcohol and let dry. For each color, mix 2 parts clear crafts glue and 1 part water in a container wide enough to dip the ornaments, then stir in food coloring gel (we used 12–15 drops). Tap the container on your work surface to force any air to the top, then let stand for 15 minutes so all bubbles escape. Dip ornaments into the dye, then let dry completely (we hung ours on bamboo skewers positioned over a shoebox). Use a cotton swab to periodically dab away any drips at the bottom of the bulbs. Repeat with a second color if you like. WOOL SNOWBALLS Dryer balls make the perfect canvas…

SHIPLAP STYLE To create the popular look on a budget, homeowners Lesley and Sam Graham first painted two of the living room walls black, then topped them with thin white boards, this photo. It’s easier and cheaper than working with the tongue-and-groove boards typically used to create the shiplap look. ARTFUL IMPACT Lesley, left, who blogs at lesleywgraham.com, mixes texture and pattern in the living room, opposite, using her husband’s musical instruments as dimensional wall art. A WALKABLE DISTANCE FROM RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS IN MARIETTA, GEORGIA, THIS SMALL COTTAGE HAD STREET SMARTS, but when it came to looks, a 1980s interior update and an exterior in disrepair made this far from the neighborhood beauty. With help from her dad, who invests and flips houses for a living, blogger Lesley…

MAKE IT BEDDING WITH RIBBON TRIM MATERIALS • Pillowcases• Iron• Grosgrain ribbon• Pins• Coordinating thread• Sewing machine• Flat sheet• Pillow shams (we used 26×26-inch Euros)• Decorative ribbon or decorative fabric tape (See page 22.)• Iron-on adhesive/hem tape with paper backing (We used HeatnBond brand.) Step 1 Press pillowcases. With the open end of the case on the right and starting at a seam, align the right edge of the grosgrain ribbon with the stitch line of the hem on open end of the case (A). Pin in place, working your way around the case. At the end, turn back ½ inch of ribbon to overlap the start of the ribbon and pin (B). Step 2 Slip the open end of the case around your machine’s work surface (C). Topstitch…

FAMILY HEIRLOOM Crafted from 100-percent copper, these canisters feature tight-seal closures and antimicrobial surfaces that make them perfect for storing baking supplies, coffee, or pantry goods. Kitchen Canisters, starting at $64; sertodo.com A LEG UP Assemble your ideal kitchen island with prefabricated legs and carved corbels. Available in paint-grade rubberwood and several solid-wood varieties, these components (shown on the island, right) make it easy to create a custom table. Petite Acanthus Leaf Corbel, starting at $17, and Traditional Fluted Dining Table Leg, starting at $44; osbornewood.com ISLAND TIME Can’t find the right size or style of island for your kitchen? Purchase prefab legs from a retailer, then choose a solid-wood top and assemble. For a luxe look, Amy Mings added marble tiles to the surface of her island. To do…

ALEX AND IRINA MAZHUKHIN ARE QUICK STUDIES. “WE STARTED RENOVATING WHEN WE BOUGHT OUR VERY FIRST HOME ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO,” IRINA SAYS. “Alex has always been handy, but there he started learning a lot more about woodworking, building, and remodeling.” The couple sold that fixer-upper and were ready for round two. When they found their current Boise home, an early 1990s build with four bedrooms, three baths, 2,100 square feet, and a big backyard, they could see its potential. “We knew it had some great bones and that we could really make it our own,” she says. “And we decided to document everything.” They used Alex’s Instagram account (@mr.build_it) and created a blog (mrbuilditandmrsstyleit.com) as platforms for their posts. The first projects were limited to getting the house move-in…

THE MAKER: CHANDLYR JACKSON This self-taught creator turned her side hustle into a booming business that allows her creativity to flourish. O: How did Freckled Fuchsia start? A: I studied industrial design and ended up getting a job at a small design consultancy as a user experience designer. On the side, I started working on Freckled Fuchsia, mainly because a lot of the work I was doing was strictly on the computer. It was a lot more strategy and a lot less loose than what I wanted to be doing. So I pursued Freckled Fuchsia on the side and decided to take a leap for it about a year and a half ago. O: What first sparked your creative side? A: I’ve always loved creating! For as long as…

HIGH STRUNG Swags of orbs reveal the sophisticated side of humble craft beads, this photo. For this pretty pendant, gather about 500 beads—ranging from ½ to 1½ inches in diameter—and cut a length of string to about 15 feet. Knot one end and begin threading beads, randomly alternating between sizes to create a dynamic look. Leave an 18-inch tail and knot the end when finished stringing. Suspend the inner hoop of a 12-inch embroidery hoop from a secured bracket. Tie one end of string to the hoop and begin looping the strand over and under the hoop, allowing space between the beads to drape over the hoop and creating a series of intertwining swags. Tie end of string to the hoop and cut excess. Place the outside hoop around the…

HEY, FELLOW DIYERS! We’ve been through some hard months, and I hope that your homes—and all the work that you’ve done in the past, and all the work you’re doing now—have helped you find sanctuary. I’m taking stock of all my nooks and crannies and surrounding myself with the things I love, and I hope you are too. ABOUT YOUR DIY PROJECT MASK Wearing masks has long been necessary for lots of DIY projects to protect yourself against chemicals and other irritants, including dust. Those masks differ from the masks worn to help protect everyday health. What do you need when it comes to your home to-dos? • DUST MASK. Think of this as your everyday, wear-for-most home projects; it’s available in both disposable or reusable/replaceable filter versions. This will…

TINY BUT MIGHTY Katie and Mike Leporte’s 7×7½-foot kitchen is small by any standard, but the little galley has grown on them, this photo. “I’ve come to love a small kitchen because everything is right there,” Katie says. “It’s less to manage and less to clean.” It’s especially welcoming now that the once-quaint kitchen (yellow walls, scratched countertops, and checkerboard floor) has given way to a more modern mood. Katie refreshed the room with smart retail buys (such as the new retro-style fridge and range), lots of high-quality paint, and hands-on projects that showcase her resourcefulness. The Leportes installed luxury vinyl on the floor, made over the base cabinets with bold blue paint, and updated the laminate counters, opposite, with food-grade epoxy. SURFACE SWIRLS “I had looked into replacing the…

INDIGO BATIK 7602, SHERWIN-WILLIAMS; SHERWIN-WILLIAMS.COM BLOCKED OFF Three hues of blue paint transform an entry into eye candy, opposite and above. Start by painting the wall the lightest shade of blue. Once dry, measure and tape off the lower portion of the wall—and door and trim if applicable—between 4 feet and 6 feet from the floor. (Use painter’s tape for delicate surfaces when applying tape to freshly painted walls.) Paint the lower part in a medium shade of blue. After the paint dries, remove the tape. To create the vertical stripe, tape off a 15-inch-wide section from floor to ceiling. Paint this stripe the darkest shade, using the same blue for the floating shelves and light fixture. MAKE IT FOLDING SCREEN MATERIALS • Two 4×8-foot sheets of ¾-inch plywood•…

[P] Paint Color Because of the magazine printing process, paint colors depicted on our pages might vary slightly from manufacturers’ colors. Use paint color names or numbers, when provided, as a starting point. To get a color as it appears in the magazine, take the page to a paint retailer for matching. TRY IT: GRID PATTERNS PAGES 9–15 Black-and-white grid knit blanket, knit pillow, sheets, grid wallpaper—Unison; unisonhome.com. Wool felt for projects by National Nonwovens—Amazon; amazon.com, search: National Nonwovens. Black pillow, golden pillow, napkins for project—World Market; worldmarket.com. Black plates, alarm clock—Target; target.com. Lamp, black vase, art, leather butterfly chair—HomeGoods; homegoods.com. Blue and white vases—West Elm; westelm.com. Canvas tote, wood letters—Jo-Ann Stores; joann.com. Paint for wood letters Decoart Americana multisurface paint—Michaels; michaels.com. Screen-print ink for napkin projects Versatex, paint…