A while back I talked about family trees. Not the kind that grow in your yard, but the kind that you hang on a wall. Well this time we’re back with another version.
I think I like this one better. (And the good news is you can buy it on Etsy!) But what’s clear is that family trees aren’t meant to be stuffed into a bookshelf and forgotten. They are meant to be displayed as one part art and one part history.
If you have a kid (or more) you know that you also have piles and piles and piles (did I mention piles?) of artwork. What do you do with all that paper? If you’re like my wife and I, we try to organize it, save the good stuff and throw away some of the “normal” stuff. But after a year of school, no matter how big the box, we always seem to fill it.
And what do we do with that box? Nothing. We put it into a bigger box, and it sits there. Probably until our own kids will clean out our basement long after we’re gone.
Who wants that?
That’s what I love about this art project inspiration from the A Thousand Words blog. She took her two son’s artwork and turned them into smaller (think thumbnail sized) images, then printed them into a 4×4 grid.
The result? A blend of new artwork and an appreciation for what her children have done.
If you ask me, this is a great idea! Check out her blog for details on how to make your own art project.
Some societies make their young kill a wild and dangerous animal as a right of passage. Other cultures have elaborate ceremonies to celebrate a coming of age. In America, we assign kid’s projects about their family tree. (I know, it doesn’t sound nearly as cool when said that way.)
Despite this, the day my kids come home asking about our family tree terrifies me. I know nothing of my family tree. It seems like a daunting task. That’s why it’s time I get proactive and instead of trying to make it up on the spot, I’ll simply paint it on the wall. And thanks to Fresh Paint Artist, I can!
In all seriousness though, I think this is a great idea. We even have the perfect wall, next to the stairs for a mural like this to go! How about you? Would you paint your family tree on your wall?
The philosophy here at Neatfeatures.com is that every house has something unique, something “neat” about it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 150 year old farm house, or a 15 minute old suburban condo. Every home has something that makes it neat.
Apparently so does furniture.
We don’t usually talk about DIY projects on Neatfeatures.com, but this was such a great article on how to refinish and paint furniture, that we felt compelled. That’s right; this article was so awesome we lost all willpower to do otherwise!
Let’s face it, we don’t always have the money to buy the latest furniture from Pottery Barn (or sometimes even from Walmart.) Plus, do we really need to send (functionally) good furniture to the dump?
Sometimes, with a little determination, and a willingness to get your hands dirty (or at least covered in paint), creating a DIY solution is the best option. And after seeing the results from this article, I think I’d rather get some beat up furniture and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a good DIY project!
Question: Why do doors have to be boring?
Answer: They don’t when they’re bright yellow and actually a barn door for your bathroom.
Dana Miller at House * Tweaking shows us that doors can be functional and fun. (Although I must admit, that’s not really a sentence I ever imagined myself typing!).
She took wood from a fence and recycled it into a sliding door for the master bathroom. And then painted it a bold yellow.
I know this sounds weird, but this really is one of the coolest doors I’ve seen. I actually feel inspired by this door. (Again, weird.) But hey, what can I say, I love this door!
image by Dana Miller from House * Tweaking
I have cats. And while most people think that sounds “fun” or “cute”, I see it in a different light. Because my cats are certified plant assassins. Every plant I’ve ever brought home, whether potted or a dozen roses for my wife, end up with hundreds of tiny teeth marks in them by morning.
Some end up far, far worse.
Personally I’d love to have some plants. Not only can they really add a sense of style, but they can actually improve the air quality of your house. Considering we’re heading into allergy season here in Cincinnati, I’m willing to try just about anything to stop sneezing.
That’s why I am so intrigued by the Wally Pocket system. (Not to be confused with the Disney flick.) I think it might stop my cats from being vegetarians and maybe even get rid of a bit of house air pollution. Plus it’s a pretty simple DIY project.
What do you think?
It seems that when you own a home, your work is never done. Perhaps that’s something that should be put in one of the documents you sign at closing?
But I have no one to blame but myself. I’ve found that I actually enjoy making home improvements. As much as I love my job and writing for things like Neat Features, there’s something rewarding about being able see, touch (and yes, sometimes smell) a project coming together.
That’s how it is with my newest ambition: a complete installation of a wired internet network. For the most part this should be “easy”. However my house is 100 years old, and so far nothing has gone “easily.” But there has to be a first time, right?!
While I look forward to creating a network to stream music and movies around my house, I’m still not thrilled at the idea of crawling through my attic to drill holes into the ceiling. So perhaps instead of all that work behind the walls, my wife will let me do something like this?
More pictures can be found on the highly create Maisie Maud website. Do you have a Neat Feature of your own? Consider submitting it, and we may post it.
Sometimes I’m just amazed at people’s creativity. Actually I spend a large amount of time amazed by people’s creativity. And then quickly followed up with a lot of squinting to see if I can figure out how they did that.
That was pretty much my reaction when I saw this bed on Kiki Creates. Now like most people, I have a bed. In fact, I have several (although I only sleep on one at a time.) Some of these beds need their frames replaced. Others could just be “modernized.” So I’ve been casually checking out bed frames to see what’s out there.
Now I know that one of the trends right now is to give your bed a presence through giving the frame a headboard. Sometimes it’s suggested you use cloth. Other times it’s something that comes with the frame. However, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a headboard made out of … well see if you can guess what that headboard is made from.
Did you figure it out? (or are you cheating to see the answer?) That’s right she used sets of shutters. Shutters. Like the things you see on the outside of houses. Maybe this is really common and I just don’t know about it. But as someone who’s “in the know” I’m really impressed.
I’ve mentioned before that in my old house I’m on an eternal quest to find space to store stuff. We don’t have a ton of things, but even without a lot of stuff, we really miss having closets. But with a lack of closets comes a lack of places to put coats, shoes, keys, gloves, etc…
And as winter becomes, those things become more important!
That’s what I love about this design by Rambling Renovators. They’ve taken something that was non-functional, from a storage standpoint, and built upon it by adding some convenient storage. (Check out the before and after pictures.)
It’s a simple, yet brilliant design solution to an all-too-common problem for older homes.
Images come from Rambling Renovators (a really great site by the way.) Do you have a Neat Feature of your own? Consider submitting it, and we may post it.
Not that long ago I bought an old house. How old? 101 years. Surprisingly 100 years ago they didn’t envision computers, HDTV, insulation, or other conveniences (like closets). This means that just about every day I am confronted by some new challenge. Some days it’s electrical (my kingdom for a grounded outlet!). Other days it’s just an issue of comfort (insulation) or convenience (closets).
But what I’m most interested in is bringing my 101 year old house up to 21st century technology standards. That’s why I was really excited to see that Klipsch is making a wireless speaker that screw into existing canned light recesses!
This is pure genius as far as I’m concerned.
Is it the best audio quality? Well reviews say it’s not ideal. But it solves a major problem for people who own older houses – namely no need to run speaker wire or dig through old plaster walls.
The biggest drawback is their price. These things aren’t exactly cheap.
I realize these Klipsch LightSpeakers aren’t your traditional Neat Feature. However I’m willing to make an exception. Because I don’t know about you, but I think it’s pretty neat to not spend my whole weekend patching plaster walls!
Do you have a Neat Feature of your own? Consider submitting it, and we may post it.
