Attracting bees to the garden with these DIY bee hotels

Over the years, we have made our garden pollinator friendly by adding a variety of features! It is exciting to watch these homes and places being utilized by benefiting creatures. We have also seen the benefits of these features as they have encouraged different types of bees to come into the garden and help pollinate flowers - especially in our vegetable garden. 

The bee hotels we placed in our garden were made in a post or block style, and painted with acrylic paint for aesthetics. We leave these homes all year round in the garden. 

For our love of wood: Scroll Saw, Wood Burning, and Workshop Setup

Wood is one of our favourite material to work with! From making designs with the scroll saw, wood burning to making furniture and other home decor it seems like we are continuously buying wood. 

Attracting birds to our garden with Squirrel Buster Plus Bird feeder

Over the past few years, we have updated our garden to encourage pollinators such as bees and butterflies to visit by choosing plants and flowers that attract them. We also made structures where they can build their homes, and created water features like bird baths. We also have a pond area which the birds love coming to take a bath and to quench their thirst or to sit by the rocks and sun bathe.

Waterproofing our fence with Rust-Oleum RESTORE®

We built a new wooden fence in our garden last summer using treated green wood, which has a bright refreshing feel. We gave the new fence boards time to dry out over the summer before applying a clear coat sealer to protect the wood from moisture. We used RESTORE® 12x Clear Coat Transparent Stain and Sealer. We went with the clear finish because we liked the original colour of the fence boards. This sealer can be tinted into six different colours. 

Using Stencil and Textured Dimensional Paint for DIY Focal Wall

Adding this textured stencil art instantly changed our space! We did this stencil art using the American decor tropical leaves and Americana Decor Texture in Meadow Green paint. Now, this space has a focal point and an added interest.

Sewing a Zipper Pouch

This zipper pouch we sewn using our Brother sewing machine. It is a convenient way to store our game pieces in one easy to access place. Follow these steps and make your own zippered pouch to store anything you want. 

DIY Draft Stopper for windows and doors

This DIY draft stopper is easy to make at home. It is very useful in keeping cold air from entering through windows and doors. This economical DIY is cheaper and easier to make at home, and it will save us a few dollars while keeping the cold air out.  

SoSoft Fabric Painted Water Lily pillowcases and bed sheet

I used the steps from the book Ten-Step Drawing: Flowers by Mary Woodin to draw the water lily flowers and customize pillowcases and a bed sheet. For the paint, I used the SoSoft Fabric paint from DecoArt. 

Poppy Flower Inspired Fabric Painted Cushion Cover

Fabric painting is a fun technique to use on clothes to add unique designs. For this cushion cover project, I chose to do a bright poppy flower inspired cover.

DIY Embroidery Top Wooden Stool

We wanted to a customize and make our own DIY wooden stool with a soft cushion top that can be used as an extra seating, a table, or a footstool. The colours we used are inspired by our love for Moroccan and Bohemian designs and colours. We feel this gives the punch of colour we want to make the interior of our home feel brighter even during the long winter seasons!

Painting on Glass with Americana Gloss Enamels

I thoroughly enjoyed doing this wall display on an old glass picture frame. Prior to starting the project, I cleaned the glass with rubbing alcohol. Once the surface air dried, I drew a Mandala themed design using a black DecoArt Glass paint marker. 

Cable Stitch Knit Scarf

I love knitting cable stitch! It is easier than it looks. All you do is simply catch the knit stitches according to the pattern onto the cable needle and hold it either in the back or front then knit the stitches on the knitting needle, then knit the stitches you put on the cable needle. I find the knitted projects using cable stitch add elegance and a beautiful texture. 

DIY Stencil Wall Art

We changed a wall space in our home using the Moroccan Tile Stencil from DecoArt. These washable and reusable 18" x 18" stencils are a fun way to add colour to any surface from walls to rugs and furniture. The stencils are available in different sizes, so we can use it on different surfaces for both small and large projects.

Adding Colour using wall mural and canvas prints from Photowall

Photowall.com, a Swedish brand which has a selection of wall mural and canvas prints we can use to add a different decor to any area in our home. We really like how these murals and canvas prints add dimension to our wall and changes the focal point, and the interior design of the space. 

Fun Board Games to Encourage Learning

I believe playing board games with our children is a fun way for us to get involved in teaching lifelong skills such as problem solving, team playing, communication skills, and help in the development of cognitive thinking. It is so much easier to shop for these toys for children in all ages right from the comfort of our home through Amazon.ca.

Security Cameras from EZVIZ helps us keep an eye on our home

It is surprising how far technology has evolved, making it easy for us to keep an eye in our home and surroundings from far away through crystal clear quality video. As we travelled many places this summer, we are glad we installed a couple of security cameras from EZVIZ.

The Dewalt DCP580B 20V Max Brushless Planer #DIY tool

We do a lot of DIY projects using wood and have a decent collection of tools to get the job done. The latest addition to our tools is the Dewalt DCP580B 20V Max Brushless planer. A planer is a really useful tool to have, as it has lots of varying uses. The DEWALT DCP580B 20V Max Brushless planer we are using is the cordless version, and it comes as a bare tool without any batteries. Since, most of our power tools are Dewalt we already have batteries to go with them. It is always best to use 3 Ah batteries or greater, so there is enough power to get the job done. 

More Convenience with Keyless Schlage Connect

Last year, with the help of the Schlage Touch we started our journey to the Keyless future. This made things convenient for us, and we had one less thing to worry about. The Schlage Touch uses a custom pin to unlock the front door, which makes it very convenient for the adults and children. In the mornings when heading out, there is no waiting near the door for everyone to be out to lock the door with a key as all it takes with the Schlage is to turn the lever to lock the door.

BigSteelBox A Solution for Storage During Renovations and Moving

In the past few years, we've done a number of different renovations around the home and most recently renovated our basement, bathroom and kitchen. When undertaking these big scale home renovation projects, it can become quite stressful when living in the same space. Clearing the space helps, but finding additional space to store the items can be difficult. We also found everything in the home gets covered with fine dust, which means we need to constantly clean up; so, having lots of things around doesn’t make it easy. In our experience, we felt when the space is not cleared the furniture and belongings get in the way and become a hassle, and it is hard to envision the full potential of the space.

Crocheting Motifs following the Granny Square Book

The Granny Square Book, Second Edition: Timeless Techniques and Fresh Ideas for Crocheting Square by Square has 100 Motifs and 25 All New Projects. Since first published in 2011, The Granny Square Book has instructed and inspired crocheters to make and create beautiful, stylish projects with these classic motifs.