lovenwright: G.Y.M.U. :: DIY Projects

In the past 10 years, the term DIY has been plastered on every magazine, website and tv channel. Women, and men alike, have begun to take control of their home decorating, personal hygiene and wedding planning versus relying on the professionals. DIY simply means doing it yourself! Its an opportunity to use your creative juices and save a few extra pennies in the process; remember they do add up! But sometimes, knowing such a project exists or how-to do the project can be quite daunting. Here are a few diy project that are relatively easy and inexpensive.

1. Cafe a la home

I looovve to eat! Well, anything that smells good, but then there is a slight contradiction: chiltlins don't smell good! Ha! Nevertheless, eating out can become quite expensive! Even eating at Micky D's can add up over the week, especially when meals are in the range of $5 and $10.00. So why not, take it to the house? Marie over at Merely Marie does a fab job of explaining the process of making delicious food with photos to match! For sure, if she puts out a recipe book, I'm buying! {HINT, HINT!}

Mushroom, Spinach and Feta Cheese Lasagna

Heavenly Sweet Potato

2. Tips&Toes
I believe it was the summer before last that I began to keep my nails painted on a weekly basis! In fact, now I feel a bit lame if they are bare...(I'm starting to look at lipstick in the same manner) But running to Jessica every week for a mani and pedi was an additional $200 expense! Okay, you say the cheaper route of a polish change...it was still $60! And one time I recall wanting a cheetah design and she told me she only knew how to do the zebra design. What's a girl to do? Do it yourself! Unbeknowst at the time, there are so many sites and ytvids that show you how to paint your nails, give design inspiration and show you how to take better care of your nails. Let's just say, I quickly got over spending extra money and mastered the left hand-right hand paint job!

Step by Step directions from MopTopMaven: Chic Tribal Nail Design

Definitely learned something new from Jenny: leave a visible nail line!

3. Home Decor
In most cases home decorating is about putting together a pallet of colors and pieces that blend well to make the perfect overall feel to a room. Granted, you may have sought out the pieces and placed them in the perfect location, this doesn't parallel the idea of doing it yourself! However, if you found a chair and repurposed it, painted a hutch to the color of your suiting or purchased an amoire from IKEA and used that special screw to assemble it; then you my friend Did It Yourself! Check out Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere, she has several home improvement projects that I'm looking to try once I'm living in the states again!