Today I’m gonna make my way out of your closets and into the rest of your houses.  For those of you who aren’t attuned to the phrase or acronym, D.I.Y. stands for Do It Yourself, and in these fiscally challenged times, it’s a craze that’s sweeping the nation… and for more than just that cost-saving reason.

Yes D.I.Y. will save you money, but maybe more appealing is the notion of ending up with a product that is not only one of a kind but perfectly your kind.  Now I’m not suggesting that you all should grab a needle and thread and make your way on down to the local fabric store for some bad plaid and an ill-fitting cocktail dress pattern.  But, when it comes to home improvement or fixer-upper projects around MY igloo… Do It Yourself is the only way to go.  For me the main reasoning is probably conceit – I feel that I’m more creative and capable than anyone I might hire to design or create the project for me, so why pay more for less?  Hey, at least I’m honest.  If that doesn’t work for you, just think about “D.I.Y.” as “custom” instead.  Frugally custom.  Custom means unique and done both to your liking and to your exact specifications. Perfect.

The example I’m using to illustrate the point here is a floor refinishing that I found on Design Sponge. In this series of images you can see how tragic of a linoleum nightmare the room started with, and what this genius, Lori Dunbar of Fin+Roe, was able to transform it into.  The process was pretty simple: rip up the plastic sheets of linoleum, sand the wood floor base, prime the wood floors, paint them (in this case a brilliant yellow color), stencil them, invite your friends over and let them envy you.  For those of you thinking you’re creatively and artistically handicapped – the only part of this D.I.Y. project that required a brain cell was cutting the stencil, and that is as simple as owning a printer and a pair of scissors.  Here is Lori’s ‘how to‘.

When it was finished, Lori had a completely unique floor that catches the eye and will likely set off the furniture and other contents of the as yet incomplete room.  The bright yellow floor (again, don’t be afraid of color. Color is your friend) and oversized white pattern will undoubtedly be the focal point of the room, and maybe the home… rarely the case when we hire professionals to do what is, to them, just another flooring job.  I sincerely hope you all realize that my point is really not ‘how to create a new floor’, but instead ‘how to bring some creativity and originality into your home… and maybe your life’ with a Do It Yourself project.