My name is Tarah and its great to meet you!

Workshop Office Shelves – some much needed storage

Workshop Office Shelves. Normally I would build something like this from scratch but with the current cost of building materials (and that its cold outside) I went looking on Amazon for a deal instead. (Here’s the link to the shelf I purchased – At only $100 and literally only four minutes to assemble it was absolutely worth not building from scratch IMO.) I’m currently in the middle of integrating my office into my workshop and so far I’m very pleased! The space isn’t pretty yet but it is so much more functional as an office than the tiny little desk I was using in our entryway. Read More »

How to: Build your own butcher block!

Moving on to the fourth post ever at Grandma’s house DIY from back in September of 2015. How I built the butcher block for our island. I was pretty excited to tackle this project actually. I was fortunate to have all the lovely oak I needed and I really felt like I had a good plan. My red kitchen island needed a top and butcher block was absolutely the only thing I wanted. It turned out to be VERY doable and a fun project. I was really proud with how it turned out! Read More »

Build a diy garden planter because: weeding sucks

A few years back I built my mom a a tall planter to make gardening easier for her. She did use it for veggies for a couple of years but she ended up filling it every year with what she really wanted instead: FLOWERS! This was one of my first stand alone wood working projects I ever built and I’m really proud that its still holding up eight years later. This throwback series has been a trip and we’re only on the second post. When this post came out in August of 2015 I had just moved into Grandma’s house! Read More »

Inexpensive wood floor that looks like a million dollars!

Beginning our whole month throwback series with our very first do it yourselfer post here on Grandma’s house DIY. How to put down an inexpensive wood floor! I can’t believe we hit our 400th blog post not too long ago and this year will mark EIGHT YEARS of my living here and blogging about it. Sharing my life out here with all of you guys and improving Grandma’s house has been such an incredible adventure. This post was first published on Aug 26, 2015 and our inexpensive wood floors are still looking good to this day! Here’s a few of our most recent entryway photos so you can see how nice it still looks before diving into the old post on how I did it. Read More »

2023 Winter Project List

Our winter 2023 Project List. Next Sunday our 2022 recap post is coming out and PHEW! It was a big year for us. Maybe as big as it gets with the wedding, the honeymoon and the reception. It took us months to get caught up before Lodi and I felt like we’d financially and emotionally entirely recovered. It was all wonderful and I wouldn’t change a thing but returning to boring life and back on track to our financial goals (and house projects!) feels like Heaven! Read More »

Workshop Office Combination… Making it make sense

Figuring out how to make a workshop office combination actually make sense. Lately I’ve been spending more and more time working from home on my computer and also playing a considerable amount of Fortnight with my dad, Lodi and several nieces and nephews. Which all adds up to my “office” being glaringly insufficient. I’m tired of sitting in our entryway / dining room lol. Call me spoiled because what a first world problem to have but dang it, I really wish I had my own office space. Read More »

Thrift Store Floor Lamp Makeover – A $10 find for our living room!

Floor lamp makeover for our living room. Beside our sofa we have a little table I built years ago with a built in power strip. Its fine for setting a drink on and we charge electronics there all the time but its always been a bit narrow for a lamp. This last year I finally knocked the lamp off of it for the 100th time and had had enough. We needed to do something different. Of course the fact that it gave me the opportunity to go thrifting (one of my favorite things) had no bearing on my decision to buy a new floor lamp whatsoever… Read More »

A radio stand converted into a red kitchen island

Continuing on in our throwback series to our third post from September of 2015. This red kitchen island that I built out of my great grandpa’s radio stand will probably always be one of the most popular posts here on Grandma’s house DIY. I just loved how it turned out! It was my favorite place to perch every morning before work and every night when I came home for many years. Initially it was a little too tall so I fixed that, then the top needed some adjusting, so I fixed that too. The most recent addition was a lace doily to replace the old fabric and I think it turned out so pretty. Read More »

Storage Bench Makeover for my closet – before and after!

Of the four storage benches that we own that my grandparents’ made this one absolutely has had the roughest history. It lived in my child hood entryway for many years and suffered quite a bit from teething puppies gnawing on it. From there it moved to our horse barn where it provided a lovely home for mice and chipmunks as well as storing horse tack and the like. Move ahead a couple more decades and it came with me here to Grandma’s house where it lived in the barn (still full of horse tack), then in the wood shed and then, finally, in the old well house for several years up until right now. Read More »

Basement Refrigerator Makeover – Before and After!

Lodi did a refrigerator makeover a couple of weeks ago and I can’t wait to show you the before and after! Our basement refrigerator is a solid 30 years old (at least) I grew up with this refrigerator and remember poignantly the awesome day when my mom got a brand new one and this one was retired to “beer refrigerator” status. When she moved she asked me if I wanted it and I immediately jumped on the opportunity. Our basement has been slowly coming along but, not long ago, this was a totally unfinished space I often used for painting and staining if it was cold outside. Read More »

Cork board and Key Caddy Makeover!

I’ve had this little pine cork board my grandparents’ made for many years now. It comes with the added perk of also being a key caddy so, of course, we put it right by our front door. It really comes in handy! However, it doesn’t exactly mesh with the look we have going throughout our entryway. Varnished knotty pine in that gold color is really not our style so its been on my list for awhile now to give it a little makeover! Read More »

Adding Tufted Upholstery to an old Coffee Table

Adding a tufted top and a new paint job to an old coffee table. I’ve been working on the refresh of my living room for awhile now. It started when I decided I hated my sofa and was ready for a new one! That worked out perfect because I really needed my old sofa to complete my seating area out in my garage. Following my old sofa to the garage was my coffee table and one of my end tables too! That left my living room pretty barren: the perfect time to do a makeover! Read More »

March 2023 – So much snow…

We got hit by some SERIOUS snow throughout March 2023… So, I’m not going to go back on what I said in my last post lol. We still had a mild winter and I refuse to complain! (Though I fear I jinxed us by saying that in February…) With April here spring really is close at hand and I am SO looking forward to dirt and gardening and laying out on our deck. March just totally SUCKED weather-wise. It was FRIGID and we got at least three feet of snow. Unfortunately it meant for Lodi (now working nights at his new job) often coming home exhausted only to have to tackle plowing us out. Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #339)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #339. WOW did we get dumped on this last weekend. I think total count was nearly a foot of snow – it came down so hard it almost looked like it was pouring rain outside. (Looking forward to Wednesday and a hopeful high of 40 and maybe even actual rain.) The official first day of spring may be in March but not really when you live in northern MN… there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel now though. I always hate the time change as this jump forward always wrecks me for a couple of days but it does feel like we’re going back to the time it SHOULD be. A little more light later is always nice! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

5 Ways To Increase Home Security

Home security when you live out in the sticks like we do is a bit different then I think most people think about it when they consider how to make sure their home is safe. Around here we need to safe guard our homes from wild animals such as bear and even coyotes and cougers. The best home defense in our case is actually a dog! And though our senior little service dog Annie isn’t exactly a threat to anyone her big bark has scared off plenty of creatures that didn’t belong here. Read More »

February 2023 – A Lovely Gift from Lodi

I was relieved I didn’t have to write a blog post for January as its always been my tradition to devote that post to the previous year’s recap. I was relieved because I really just couldn’t talk anymore than I already had about last month when we lost my two year old nephew. February 2023, life, though never the same, does just keep going on – so ugly but the truth nonetheless. One thing we are all thankful for is that we have had an absolutely beautiful and mild winter. So lovely in fact that no matter what happens after this I don’t think you’ll be hearing any of us complaining. Read More »

January 2023 – Recapping 2022, we got married!

January 2023, a recap of 2022. Last January started off with a real accomplishment for me though it took me so long to get there it was a little non celebratory I’ll admit lol. I set out to repaint this entire home back in early 2018 as it was badly smoke damaged from heating with wood here for a couple of years. Four years of painting, finishing, accomplishing and designing each space as though I was just starting over. And, with a whole bunch of help from Lodi, I did it! Read More »

December 2022 – COVID and so so so so much snow

I’m not going to beat around the bush with this one as December 2022 pretty much just sucked for us lol. Xmas was still lovely of course and we had a great time with friends and family. But there was a couple of weeks there in the middle of December where it just felt like this month could not be gone soon enough! It began at my day job when we had a gal go out with COVID and then another gal went down with it and then a third gal headed for a long planned trip to Florida. And then I got COVID! There are only five of us lol. Read More »

Master Bathroom and Master Closet Tour

Master Bathroom and Master Closet Tour it dawned on me this is the first time I’ve done a full reveal of these two rooms together. WAY back in 2015 was the last time you guys saw the closet and, even then, it wasn’t much of a reveal. You know I’ve been working on our master suite second floor for nearly a year now. I refused to stop until every. last. thing. I could think of was completed and / or fixed. I’m very happy with how it all turned out! Read More »

Elegear LED Lights! – Adding warmth to our main floor for Xmas

There’s been some changes here at Grandma’s house that you will definitely notice in the pictures! I’ve moved my office into our workshop thus freeing up our entryway entirely. There’s lots more to do and posts coming out all about my new office workshop and our new open plan entryway. But, first, what Lodi did with these incredible Elegear LED lights that were gifted to us! Check them out here on Amazon and make sure and use the 10% off discount code: DHSCZOTA Read More »

Holiday – a little autumn Home Tour

I admit in the past I haven’t done much decorating for the holiday around here. There was just always this little thing about budget lol. Not to mention generally far more important projects that I needed to put my dollars and time into. Things are changing around here though. We’ve managed to take several big projects off our plates so I realized we could afford to do a little holiday decorating. Read More »

Garden Tour – an early summer look!

Garden tour, a little walk about in early July! I won’t say things got “away” from me here on the blog due to the wedding but I definitely feel like I’m playing catch up on so many things I want to share with you guys! June (the month of our wedding) definitely went by in a blur for us. What also went against us was the fact that we had such a horrible, cold, miserable, very late, rainy, freezing, absolute nightmare, spring! I planted our vegetable garden three weeks later than last year and was concerned it was still too early. Because of this, when it did suddenly warm up, our farm just kind of exploded in just a few days. Read More »

Master Bedroom Tour – Our Second Floor Oasis

Master bedroom tour, the final completion of the entire redesign of our second floor bedroom. Woah guys how many months has it been? I started on our second floor last winter and am so so thrilled to show you guys the final completion of the bedroom portion. (I’m just finishing up the closet and bathroom too.) There was nothing wrong with our old master bedroom it really just wasn’t US and we were both ready for a change. Read More »

Basement Bathroom Reveal – Pallet Walls, Barn wood and Black Floors!

Basement Bathroom Reveal, adding a touch of girl to this little space because it was starting to feel like a man cave and not in a good way… I am not a girly girl by any means (as I’m sure you’re all aware at this point…) but even I can attest a balance between masculine and feminine in a space is a real must. Outside of this bathroom our living room feels like just the coolest underground speak easy and I totally love it. But with Lodi’s wood furniture and black leather couches no matter what I do it will always feel at least a little like a bachelor pad. Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #341)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #341. My gosh has March been a rough month weather wise lol I fear I jinxed us by talking about how mild and nice our winter had been. Looking at the forecast of single digits and highs in the 20s is just such a bummer. I know spring will arrive eventually like it always does but we’ve got SO much snow its going to take a long time to even see dirt again. I’m so antsy to plant the garden and get outside! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #340)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #340. Well it does seem like I jinxed us back in February when I said our winter was mild enough that no matter what happened we couldn’t complain. Well, March has just SUCKED! lol like really bad! Like late December kind of bad. It won’t stop snowing and its also been just frigid! The driving conditions have just been horrible. Ugh we are all so so so so ready for spring. Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #338)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #338. Well, we were just far enough north that the majority of the storms over the last couple of weeks actually missed us. The one that did dumped nearly 10 inches of snow on us and I got a day at home as my little car didn’t have a prayer of getting out of the driveway. I’m just crossing my fingers the next one might not be too bad either as we have snow likely for the next five days… UGH… Still seeing highs in the 30s though! Spring really is almost here! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #337)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #337. As sometimes happens with where we live so far north we were fortunate the majority of last weeks insane storm went South of us. Pretty much all of Minneapolis shut down along with the airport etc. It was insane! Meanwhile we got just a couple of inches of snow here and are looking at highs in the 20s and 30s. It is almost spring and I do feel like we got away with a pretty mild winter overall. Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #336)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #336. Well it looks like we’re in for a doozy of a snow storm over the next couple of days. Warnings of up to like 22 inches of snow lol. Let’s hope not! I got out into the yard with my camera this last weekend and had a bit of a heart stopper when I noticed how much our earlier snow falls had impacted our poor old barn. It’s not like I don’t see her every day but I also don’t really LOOK at her every day, ya know? Her falling in is inevitable but it still pulls at my heart a bit… Now, on to the Party! Read More »

To Grandma’s House we go! (Wednesday Link Party #335)

Welcome to the To Grandma’s House We Go Link Party #335. Well, its official, no matter what the weather does from here on out us Minnesotan’s have nothing to complain about. Seriously, it was 44 degrees this weekend! What month is it?! How can this possibly be February!? In all my years living here I can’t remember a single day in January or February that legitimately felt like spring and its been practically every day for weeks now. Pretty crazy and absolutely wonderful to have a truly mild winter and, in February alone, we’re also getting 90 more minutes of daylight. Happy Valentines day! Now, on to the Party! Read More »

OMG Pumpkins everywhere! Hometalk Fall Decor Inspiration board

Hometalk Fall Decor Inspiration board! Summer is absolutely my favorite time of the year – you will NEVER hear me complaining about the heat lol But I honestly think that’s a fact simply because fall and spring are such short seasons here in northern MN. Fall for us could truly last all of three weeks like our spring did this year! And that’s just depressing lol because that means we’re settling into at least four months of some serious cold and snow. Read More »

Hometalk’s Outdoor Projects I Can’t Wait to Build! Do it Yourself!

Inspiration Board of the Outdoor projects on Hometalk that I’ve been drooling over! I received a comment on my outdoor bench saying, “You’re SO crafty, that’s amazing!” And I admittedly got a bit offended, eventually I just laughed about it but I’m not sure how I can build a wrap around bench for my deck and still be called “crafty”. I could’t help but think that if I was a guy she certainly wouldn’t have looked at that bench and called him crafty! I am a builder at heart and I spend most of my time building things in my head or drooling over outdoor projects like these: Read More »

Let’s build some swings! Pinterest Do It Yourself Inspiration Board!

Well now that spring has FINALLY arrived, my dreaming has turned to swings! Let’s build some! These are some of my favorites I’ve found on Pinterest and stashed away for a later time because, seriously, who doesn’t want to swing away a beautiful summer day? Contrary to popular belief, I do NOT feel that swings are for kids in any way. Many of these are very grown up swings for us “adults” lol Read More »

Nooks and Getaway Places: Pinterest Inspiration Board

Nooks, crannies, special getaway places, some of my favorite escapes via Pinterest Inspiration board. It has been a very difficult few weeks here at Grandma’s House, tailing the end of a very, very hard year. I will tell you guys why and what’s been going on when I’m able to get my feet back under me again. To say the least though I have found myself on Pinterest, looking longingly at getaway places and nooks that promise quiet and PEACE. Read More »

Inspiration Board: Six more Summer Projects I can’t wait to build!

Six more summer projects I can’t wait to build for us outside and out on our deck! Some DIYs and things just have to wait for some nice weather not only for us to enjoy them but for us to build them as well. Currently I’m sitting here in late October and we have a winter storm warning 🙁 So, hears to dreaming about next summer and all the things to look forward to building. I posted earlier this year a few summer projects I just can’t wait to build but I’ve seen so many build projects on Pinterest I had to share a few more that I can’t wait to build next summer! Read More »

Inspiration Board: Gorgeous Bedrooms to swoon over!

I spend a certain amount of time on Pinterest gazing with my mouth open at some of the gorgeous bedrooms people have. As far as Inspiration Boards go I’ve published quite a few over the years but I think this one might take the cake. I am absolutely in awe of a few of these. Considering how much time we spend in our bedrooms (albeit it is with our eyes closed) I am a firm believer that they are a VERY important part of our homes. From gorgeous colour palettes to hardwood bedroom furniture options, there’s always amazing bedrooms to look at when you are scrolling through Pinterest. In fact, the inspiration doesn’t stop coming the moment you type in beautiful bedrooms into Google! So, without further adieu here’s some gorgeous bedrooms via Pinterest!! Read More »

The most beautiful Dahlia Bulbs to grow in your garden

Aw Dahlias! I’ve always wanted to grow them here at Grandma’s house but admittedly I’ve always been quite intimated by non-perennial flowers. Maybe I’m just lazy lol but I never looked forward to the idea of having to dig up all of my flower bulbs every fall and replant them every spring. I figured I’d stick with my peonies and lilies. But dahlias are such a lovely romantic flower maybe I might have to consider purchasing some dahlia bulbs this spring! Read More »

Quick Tricks To Make Your Windows Look Bigger

Especially in older homes windows are often a commodity and making them look bigger can also make a space feel and look bigger. Lighter color curtains, curtains that expand beyond the windows or curtains that even span from ceiling to floor can really make a huge difference in the light of a room. Also curtains can balance out a window if it happens to not be exactly centered in a room too, making a space make more sense and it also gives the look of a bigger windows as well. Read More »

Elevate Your Entrance Hall With the Perfect Front Door

Our front doors are literally the first impression we get of our homes and I feel like people have been having a lot more fun with color over the last years then they ever have before. I love our front door and front screen door unfortunately though what I love about them is the problem. They’re really old! The screen door is on its last days the beautiful front door let’s in a lot of draft all winter long. Unfortunately to replace them we will have to have them custom made to fit the house which will cost a lot so… Someday we will have a new front door! Read More »

Create Breathtaking Exterior Aesthetics – Home Renovations

As a kid I really didn’t appreciate how much I could appreciate having a beautiful exterior and outdoor space in our homes. Perhaps because I live so far north and end up trapped inside for a good four months every winter, it means I really appreciate our outside space just that much more. Our upper deck gives us another 700 square feet of living area and our new lower deck even more than that! Read More »

Brush Away That Overwhelming Feeling To Complete House Tasks

Overwhelming could almost be the dictionary word with the description on how to describe any kind of house renovation lol. Just getting regular house tasks and chores done with no additional work done on the house can feel almost impossible. I’ve found for me to keep from getting overwhelmed I end up making a lot of lists breaking down every project into small, manageable, pieces. It means I am often crossing things off the list and the entire project feels a lot more doable. Read More »

Exploring Different Styles for Decorating a Bedroom

Our bedrooms can be both practical but still lovely, decorating our bedroom last year was so much fun! I got to bring us both into the room and add a lot more fun and color. I really set down what I thought other people would like and strove, instead, to give us a space that WE loved because, frankly, we’re the only people who use our bedroom! A big quilt I got for a steel on Amazon and some really wonderful sheets were just the start of the transformation. Read More »