One of the most difficult parts about being married to a Rhett, a handyman for all seasons and for all reasons, is that he can be under the house or in the garage for SIX hours working, and at the end of all his work he has nothing to show for it. He's made progress during that time for sure...doing something electrical or something...but I can't abide by making progress on something that I can't see. I'm a results-oriented girl!
Usually I'm trying to do three things at once with my big toe, but every now and then I have about an hour to get something done. Sometimes I'm able to spend a little cash, but in all truth I just want to accomplish something to make my house a teensy bit better. Do you ever feel the same way? Like there's no time for a massive home renovation but you have a feeling you just want to make some kind of improvement?
You need to see results, too. You've got an hour? Know where a few basic tools are? Ready to see a change (and have other people notice, too?) Let's go! Here are some suggestions for ways to spend that one little hour (or less!) and take another step towards making your home uniquely yours.
Project number 1: Switch out tired old cabinet knobs ($)
The easiest update for any piece of furniture in any room is to switch out boring, standard cabinet knobs for a look that's funky and fresh. So far I've done this three times in this house alone!
Anthropologie has great knobs, and if you catch them on sale they're cheaper than a warehouse like Home Depot (and a lot more stylish). I mismatched knobs in our smaller bathroom for under 20$, and it took less than 20 minutes.
In the same shopping trip, I was able to score 4 yellow and brass knobs for the game/DVD cabinet and 6 (on sale!) green and while knobs with gilded edges.
Like this so much you want more? Add flair with finials.
A lot like adding/switching knobs is simply adding/switching finials. You know what finials are- those little decorative touches on the tops of lamps or at the ends of curtain rods? We...er, our oldest daughter...chose navy airplane finials for her curtains! Such a fun touch...and it makde her love shopping for curtains!
Project number 2: Rearrange! (free)
This one costs nothing (usually) and gives you a great workout (guaranteed!), but for some reason this suggestion is most likely overlooked. Why? Who knows. But here's your boot camp commandment.
Go to the room of your house you like the least. Stare at it, devise a new plan, and make it happen! It's hard I know, and usually you don't have near enough to space to even imagine something new...but just try to switch out two peices of furniture minimum. That's it. Live with it and see if you like it better (or get inspired to make a bigger change).
Have the courage to play around with the arrangement you've come to know. Who knows- you could chnage that room forever! And if it doesn't work? How hard is it to move furtniture back? Your least favorite room is waiting...
Project number 3: Beautify your entryway ($)
Who wants to come home to bleh? Not me. In under an hour, with some simple terracotta pots and easy annuals (1.87/6 pack at Home Depot), you can come home to something beautiful and colorful. How do I know? This was my one-hour project this afternoon. The trick to getting it all done in under an hour is to make sure you have everything you need before you get started- potting soil, pots, gloves, Osmocote, plants, and a little water (and maybe a spade). Here's the final result!
I have to acknowledge here, to be fair, that not everyone has a back porch, front porch, sidedoor, or small entryway in which to place pots of impatiens. My dear friend Virginia lives in NYC in a building where putting plants in the hallway is probably seen as an invitation for a severe fire code violation. So what is Virginia to do but bring the outside in? Nothing is more elegant and cheery than a small boquet placed inside your front door (or in this case, inside your den). Welcome home!
Project number 4: Switch out or revamp old photos ($?)
How often do you put a picture in a frame and then NEVER change it out? I thought so. We usually frame a favorite and then, years and millions of pictures later, we silently refuse to change it by simply letting the opportunity pass by! Walk through your house, grab all the frames you might want new pictures in, and decide firmly to change them. You can upload digital prints quickly and easily to Shutterfly and have them printed all Walgreens or Target in under an hour. I don't remember what used to be in this silver frame, but now it holds one of my favorite pictures of Rhett and our oldest daughter- super easy and very inexpensive. And I see it every day.
Project number 5: Boost your house with a fresh scent ($?)
These last suggestions will definitely boost your house by making an immediate difference in the smell if not in sight.
One of my favorite things to do is to bake. My house smells amazing for at least a few hours, and *BONUS* there's a yummy treat to share! Chocolate chip cookies and pound cakes are easy favorites that everyone adores.
Since baking isn't widely regarded as a home improvement project (when did you last see Nestle semi-sweet morsels in Lowe's?), you might consider placing scented drawer liners in your linen closets for an easy project that satisfies your olfactory senses and at the same time gives your towels and sheets a slight hint of lavender.
Measure your shelves, cut out the paper to fit, and secure it with double-stick tape (or something like it). As with all the other suggestions, this should take you no more than an hour. Crabtree and Evelyn has my favorite scents and prints, but you can find these at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and even Target.
Guests might not notice immediately that you've had a busy hour, but you'll know. The little things are what really makes a home YOUR home anyways. And that feeling of accomplishment? It's exactly the same as the one that you'd get if you gutted and refinished your kitchen...only a whole lot cheaper and much less stressful.
