I may be showing my age, but whenever I see patchwork I think about those charming Holly Hobby dolls from 25+ years ago. I loved those dolls, especially red-bonneted Carrie. Holly Hobby and her friends could be why patchwork always makes me smile. But now as a grown-up, there’s the added-in appreciation for the time and [...]
Just My Type: Crazy about fonts
March 15, 2012 By 3 Comments
From the moment I saw the periodic table of fonts inside the cover, I knew that I’d love this charming book about fonts. I’m going to age myself, but when I was in high school, I was lucky enough to take architecture and engineering classes where I got to build a little car, a radio, [...]
The Roof: Designs on Taking the Outside In
February 16, 2012 By 6 Comments
Here’s one of the awesome things about design: it reinvents things. It takes the common and makes it uncommon. I’ve seen a lot of this from Theresa who has done incredible things on both a large and small scale. I’ve also seen it on the 5 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition builds I’ve been on where [...]
Designing a playground for the kids of Joplin: Dream, Play, Love
January 11, 2012 By 4 Comments
When Mark and I heard that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was planning to build 7 houses in 7 days in Joplin for families affected by the tornado on May 22, 2011, we were volunteering at an Extreme Makeover project in Delaware, where we encountered an earthquake and were evacuated for a hurricane. And a tornado [...]
Last minute guest prep: Check your Castle
December 22, 2011 By 3 Comments
Sometimes I feel like life is more like an avalanche than a skip through a field of daisies. Know what I mean? If you are smiling, then you have probably found the clock’s deviousness of holding back on extra tick-tocks when you are prepping before guests arrive. Here’s what I try to do: Take a [...]
Roof Styles: A Focus on Composite Slate Polymer Tile
August 3, 2011 By 4 Comments
Mark Clement, practical contractor for The Old House Web and host of MyFixItUpLife radio show, discusses the predominant roofing styles of homes across the country. If you have an old house and need new roofing, you may want to use materials common to your region. A Look at Roof Styles by Area Wooden roofing [...]
MyFixitUpLife talk show: Counter cultured 180FX
July 18, 2011 By 4 Comments
From counter to cabinet, right up the wall, we’re finding out that surface runs sensuously deep inside the world of Formica at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show. And we’re delighting in the delicious designs of HGTV’s Monica Pedersen, who took a break from presenting gorgeous new products from Kohler to check in with Mark & Theresa at the [...]
Pergola Design
July 1, 2011 By 32 Comments
Dear MyFixitUpLife, a question: I’m designing a pergola. Instead of using 4-by or 6-by posts, I want to laminate a 2×8, 2×6, and 2×8 together to form a sort of I beam. This way I’ll get a different look than most pergola’s with square posts and I think it’ll be easier to build. I also [...]
MyFixitUpLife inside Hyde Tools at the National Hardware Show
June 17, 2011 By 2 Comments
Mark and Theresa are talking new tools from Hyde, Envirolet composting toilets with Ed Begley, Jr., and chatting with HGTV’s Lisa LaPorta.
Pergola Design
June 14, 2011 By 1 Comment
Theresa and I love designing and building pergolas. One of the things that fascinates me about them is that for such a simple—and old—structure, there seems to be a limitless variety of designs to choose and create. I like the one pictured here which is–no joke–in my grocery store. I like its graceful use of [...]
