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Oh, Hey!
I’m Nickell (pronounced Knee-Kell), but you can call me Kell! I’m a woman of God, a wife, a mother, and I love creating a space filled with organization, style, and functionality. You can catch me wrangling my 4 kids most of the day, tending to my plants (I’m obsessed!), or spending time with my husband. I’m so glad you found my little slice of the internet where I keep it real. Life isn’t perfect. It’s messy… let’s navigate it together.
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DIY Pendant Grow Lights
I needed some grow lights for my plant babies to go along with my plant wall desk, so I did some research and made my own! Let me show you how.
How to Build a Wall Desk
Small spaces require out-of-the-box thinking and that’s how I came up with a plant shelf wall and desk combo. I don’t have a space for both things in my home, so I created a serene and calming workstation with the small space that I had. Let me show you how you can make one for yourself.
DIY Small Closet Makeover
I decided to de-clutter my boys’ closet and make it more functional. I believe by starting here, it would jump start the process of de cluttering, getting things functional, and overall creating a nice and cohesive space for my family. I’m going to show you how I transformed this reach-in closet from completely non-functional to an organization oasis in a few days.
How to Install Vinyl Flooring in a Rental (That You Can Remove!)
For the Closet Makeover, I wanted to change up the floor. The original floor was not nice (to say the least), but since I live in a rental, I couldn’t make any permanent changes. I browsed the internet and either the temporary flooring options were 1- Too expensive, 2- They didn’t look nice, or 3- Didn’t give off a realistic feeling (they tend to looked more like a giant sticker), and that’s not something I wanted at all. I came up with what I think is a solution to this problem. I do want to note that this is a low traffic area. These floors will not have the wear and tear of higher traffic areas like an entryway or hallway, so I was comfortable with this process. Keep reading if you want to know how I did this!
DIY Drywall Repair
During my DIY Small Closet Makeover, I realize the actual layout of the closet is just horrible. I wasn’t using the space to it’s maximum potential, and having 4 kids in a NYC apartment, I needed to be able to store things efficiently, and let’s face it - I also want it to look nice. Before I could design the closet, I had to demo it, which I will show you in this post. Demoing left a bunch of holes for me to patch up, and being that it was my first time doing this, I chose to document the process.
How to Throw a Mask-querade Party at Home
This year, we want Halloween to be low-key (because COVID), so Donald and I decided to throw a mask-querade party (think of a regular masquerade party but covering the lower half of your face!). We wanted to enjoy the company of a select few friends, so we headed to The Home Depot and got everything we needed from Decor to cutlery.
DIY Dog Bowl Stand Under $25 + Healthy Dog Meal Plan
I wanted to create a modern dog food bowl for my teddy bear that will not only go with the aesthetic of the home, but also provide him a little height so he can be more comfy while eating. Ted’s 6 years old this year, and I do whatever I can to make sure he’s okay physically and emotionally. I’ve noticed I’ve been giving him a few more pup treats than he should normally get, and in turn, he has gained some weight (okay, A LOT more treats.. and table food). In this post, I’ll also share meals that I’ve been giving Teddy to help him slim down and stay as healthy as possible.
DIY Balcony Makeover | How to Build a Pergola (Renter Friendly)
How to Clean a Deck without a Pressure Washer (Renter Friendly)
If you’re anything like me, you might either be one of two things:
a) intimidated to use a pressure washer for fear of ruining the wood
b) much rather save money and not rent a pressure washer and use the hose you currently own.
I figured out an easy way to clean my deck without the pressure washer AND I found everything I needed at my local Home Depot!
DIY Wood Geometric Wall Art
September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and I wanted to celebrate and honor my son. If you are unaware, my son (pictured) was diagnosed with a rare cancer - Neuroblastoma. It affects roughly 800 children per year around the globe. His case is espeically rare, and his oncologists have only seen ~5 kids present with his histology in their 20+ year career. Thank God, he’s doing exceptionally well with treatment.
I could not let this month pass without acknowledging this terrible disease that affects children at such a young age, some of which are much younger than Donald.
The concept of the geometric wall art in itself is not new, but I personally have not seen an intentional design within the piece. I hope it inspires you to create a unique design of your own.
DIY Fall Decor | Flower Pumpkin
DIY Romantic Hoop Centerpiece
DIY Heart Centerpiece
Christmas is over and Valentine’s Day is pretty much here! I’ve been dreaming about making this centerpiece for so, so long and I finally got around to doing this. Not only can this be made for Valentine’s Day, it can also be incorporated in Weddings (monogram!!), baby showers, graduations, birthdays, pretty much any event!
Outdoor Entertaining with a Small Balcony
This year, my husband and I decided to revamp our outdoor balcony and make it into a warm, inviting space for the summer. We had to do some huge overhauling (stay tuned for the tutorial!!) and thanks to The Home Depot, we were able to make it happen just as the warm weather started rolling in.
DIY Desk Calendar
Having a desk calendar is something I’ve been wanting to create but kept putting off - because let’s face it, we have a habit of checking our phones for the date or asking Alexa.. well at least I can say I am guilty of these things! This year I want to connect with the things around me more, which means less time constantly checking my phone and figured this would be a great DIY to help me with my compulsive phone checking!
DIY Rustic Mantel or Shelf (Simple Pallet Furniture)
As long as I can remember, I wanted a mantle in my house. With this entryway remodel and some scrap wood (and hooks) I finally made that dream into a reality. Although this mantle isn't attached to a fireplace, it is attached to hooks that is SO needed in my entryway right about now. If you have some scrap wood (or not) this project is totally for you. Before we get started.. just a little fun fact: The pallet wood is the same wood I made my barn doors with! The 1x3 is also left over from the storage unit! haha. Don't let any wood go to waste, people!! Ok now, let's get started.
Wood Projects: DIY Hand Painted Sign
As you all know based on last week's post, I'm working on redecorating my (used to be) crusty and dusty entryway. I started with the DIY Stairs makeover and now I'm creating some decor for the walls.
I wanted to make something that's encouraging to my family as we come and go as well as others as they enter our home. When I stumbled upon this scripture in Romans I immediately knew this needed to be a piece of art.
Pumpkin Painting Ideas | Dollar Tree DIY Pumpkin Designs
Guys, can you believe this pumpkin is that ugly foam pumpkin from Dollar Tree?! This is completely FAKE.. or FAUX if you wanna be chic & fancy. haha. I truly didn't expect the pumpkins to come out THIS GOOD. Sorry I'm using so many caps in this post. Can you tell I'm so excited? This blog post won't just cover one, but TWO designs!! Oh yeah.
Staircase Renovation: Makeover Your Stairs for Under $80!
I wanted to make over my staircase since it was reallllyyyyy UGLY! Haha. I have no nice words for how the staircase looked before. I got the bug to redecorate since our entryway was the first thing you saw, but let me backtrack. The "entryway" is more of a landing on the top of our stairs cluttered with shoes and toys my kids regularly throws over the baby gate. It wasn't a good first impression so I decided to finally do something about it.
Learn to Weave: 3 Basic Weaving Patterns for Beginners
In this post learn 3 Basic Weaving Pattern Techniques which will help you create an array of different wall hangings. Learning to Weave is NOT hard at all. You can DIY your own weaving loom for a few dollars and purchase some yarn at your craft store to make this beauty!