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book, Books as decor, decor, Decorating, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, Home Tour, mantles

A Lazy Girl’s Patriotic Summer Mantel

My name is Pretty Handy Girl and I am addicted to my Christmas mantel. Yes, I have used it since December 2012. I needed to enroll myself in a program that would help me get unhooked from holiday mantel décor. Truth be told, I needed a…

Automotive, Giveaway, Home & Auto Maintenance

Ewwww, What’s that Smell – Replace Your Car’s Cabin Filter in Minutes

Driving two boys and a dog in the Handymobile several times a day can lead to some truly funky odors. The other day I found myself wondering what the latest funk could be attributed to. Was it the stinky socks and shoes left behind…

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Do You Follow Pretty Handy Girl in Google Reader?

Over a year ago I started delivering my blog posts via Mail Chimp. I was tired of the antics of Google Reader and their mischief with dropping subscribers and threatening to stop providing their service. Well, apparently Google Reader has…

Decorating, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, July 4th, Pillows, Sewing

Easy DIY Patriotic Star Pillows

As Independence Day nears, why not dress up your home with these easy to sew star pillows? Easy DIY Patriotic Star Pillows Materials: White felt Blue fabric Red Fabric Blue thread Red Thread Square Pillow Form Scissors …

art, arts and craft, Build It, Crafts, decor, Glaze, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, July 4th, milk paint, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, sander, Tutorial, Upcycling

White-Washed Patriotic Flag Sign Tutorial

Learn how to make this White-Washed Patriotic Flag Sign and hang it with pride in your home. White-Washed Patriotic Flag Sign Tutorial The other day I was at the fabric store but after not finding that perfect fabric for one of my projects,…

art, decor, flooring, Hardwood floor installation, Home Decor, painting, Painting & Antiquing Techniques, ReNew

15 Painted Floors You’re Gonna Love

Hey everyone, I have a very special guest for you today! Her name is Caitlin and she is a fabulous interior designer. She lives in the San Jose, CA area with her wonderful husband and their two adorable daughters. She and I share a similar…

Door, Home & Auto Maintenance, Home Maintenance, power tools, repair

How to Trim a Sticking Door with a Power Planer

Doors that rub the floor or jamb are flat out annoying. This problem is typically fixed by tightening or shimming hinges. But sometimes the door just needs to be shaved down a tiny bit and this can be accomplished by using a power planer. The…

Before and After, Decorating, fabric, Holiday decorating, Home Decor, July 4th, mantles, Sewing, Upcycling

Patriotic Denim Bunting Tutorial

Summer is unofficially here and I'm back to share a patriotic sewing project that uses denim! Yes, another way to repurpose those old holey (or should we say too tight?) blue jeans. Nothing says 4th of July better than red, white and…

Holiday decorating, July 4th, recipe, Summer

Red, White & Blueberry Fruit Pops

Summertime is here and cool popsicles are a must on a hot day. Sure you can buy a pack of popsicles at the grocery store, but this mama is trying to eliminate food dyes and increase the healthy desserts. With that goal I set forth to create…

Birthday Gift, Decorating, Gift Ideas, gift wrapping, gifts, kids art, party, Trash to Treasure, Upcycling

DIY Star Wars Birthday Party

Today we are going to talk about DIY Star Wars Birthday Party. But first, I have a special guest for you today. Jenelle is a woman who shares my passion for upcycling and creating treasures from trash. She creates at TrashN2Tees. When I…

Gardening, Landscaping, Landscaping & Gardening

How to Grow an Incredible Crop of Tomatoes

Last spring we completed my raised bed stack stone garden. It served as an incredible place for me to try my hand at growing vegetables. I planted green peppers, strawberries, onions, basil, oregano, jalapeños, and 9 tomato plants. Yup,…

Build It, cabinet, Decorating, kitchen, Kitchen Renovation, kreg jig

Wall-Mounted Kitchen Hutch Tutorial

Have you heard the term sandbox when talking about software development? It's the term used for the testing area where the engineers can "play" with their ideas before they go live to the public. Well, this little kitchen desk and hutch (kitchen…

Build It, Decorating, desk, kitchen, Kitchen Renovation

Building a Kitchen Counter Height Desk {Lowe’s Creator Idea}

Where do you drop all your mail, papers, reminder notes, kid's school notes, business cards, etcetera, etcetera...etcetera? If you answered the kitchen counter, I'm sure you are among many including myself who dropped everything on the counter.…

bloggers, Giveaway, Giving Back Campaign

Helping Oklahoma Tornado Victims

Being a part of the DIY blogging community is like being part of an extended family. Most of the DIY bloggers I know spend their time building or creating and then spending an equal amount of time creating a tutorial to help others make…

bedroom, Before and After, Closet renovation, Decorating, Home Decor, Home Office, Home Tour, kitchen, Kitchen Renovation, Master Bedroom, reading nook

Summer Tour of Homes – Welcome to My Home

Welcome, welcome! I'm so glad to see you made it. I hope you didn't get lost. Did you just get here from Angie's house at the Country Chic Cottage? Her home is so cozy and beautiful (so make sure you didn't miss her stop on the tour!) I'm…

Fall Decor in a Rustic Farmhouse Kitchen | Pretty Handy Girl

Build It, built-in window seat, cabinet, Decorating, DIY, framing, Home Decor, Home Tour, kitchen, Kitchen Renovation, Popular, storage, Tutorial, upholstering bench

Building a Window Seat with Storage in a Bay Window

Building a Window Seat with Storage in a Bay Window You know when you dream about the finished product on something that you've been planning for a long time? And then you finish and your dream becomes a reality? And you think to yourself,…

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Confirmed…no more daily updates

CONFIRMED: No More Daily Updates It's okay, my feelings aren't too hurt. I understand how it feels when you get too much email. You'll stop receiving all the updates from Pretty Handy Girl. You've been downgraded to only receive the occasional…

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arts and craft, Build It, Crafts, decor, Decorating, gifts, Plants, Tutorial, Window, window dressing

Build Your Own Custom Kitchen Herb Planter

Hello again, it's Cristina from Remodelando la Casa. I'm happy to share a tutorial to build this kitchen herb planter with you today. It's one of those projects that you can decorate and customize to your own needs. Having fresh…

Build It, decor, DIY, kitchen, Kitchen Renovation, moulding, nailgun

How to Plank Walls – Kitchen Renovation Progress

Today's post is all about filling in the plank and how to plank walls! I love a good play on words...and I love the planked wall look which harkens back to a simple country farmhouse look. Previous to the water leak we had beadboard walls…

arts and craft, Crafts, Sewing

Made in USA Star Shirts using Silhouette Interfacing

Around Memorial Day and the Fourth of July I love to make t-shirts for the boys showing our patriotic spirit. Last year the boys and I made these spray dyed star shirts: This year I decided it would be fun to brand my sons as "Made…