We’ve lived in our new home for almost 7 months and we’ve taken great pride in making it unique. After spending the evening making yet another table and an art piece for the bonus room, I realized how many DIY projects we’ve done around the house. We’ve made dumper diving a regular event and we both love coming home with a new find, especially when we pull it out of a garbage bin in the neighborhood. I search craigslist for possible projects and I spend a lot of time at second-hand stores and yard sales. All of the searching and creating has resulted in a semi-furnished space that is completely us and a labor of love. Each project is special because we either made it from scratch or refinished it. It may take longer, but the end result is uniquely “Carter” material.
Our Garage –
It all started with a workbench in the garage. Darren’s father helped build a workbench that is large enough for most projects and it got our creative juices flowing. It’s made completely from reclaimed wood.
Our Laundry Room
Our Living Room
Our Breakfast Area
Our Dining Room
This week we’re adding paint!
Bucket List Publications 
Looks good, have fun with the colours.
Jim
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Isn’t the personal satisfaction of doing it yourself wonderful? And as my nephew used to say when he was young, “I do myself”, your daughter will be exposed to you “doing it myself”!
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Looks great!
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You’re a good carpenter.
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Love the blues in your living room, really peaceful. Especially like the table behind the couch. Great job.
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Oh my gosh everything is beautiful!! Your DIY home is fantastic! Makes me want to redo mine!! Hugz Lisa and Bear
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I love the colours and how you’ve recycled materials to become you own treasures. Beautiful!
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It is nice to be able to create your home, so you also feel it like your home. Very nice results.
Irene
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I like the blue cupboard.
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Love your colour choices. The kitchen chair is a wonderful shade. When do you find the time for
a-l-l this?
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i like finding projects to do too 🙂
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I’m a thrifter too…and love remaking something into a new item…looks great Lesley…
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I love your house! Love the blue table.in the living room!
http://jemsbitsandbobs.wordpress.com/
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I love everything you have made! I wish I had tools to build for my DIY projects, but for now stick with sewing, painting, and other crafts… But it is amazing how small projects can make you feel like you have such a special place!
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I love the globe and saying in your dining ( and if you won’t tell anybody I’ll tell you one of my secret fetishes – pallets. I love them, made into everything…. can’t help myself. 🙂 Keep writing. I enjoy all you have to share.:-)
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Love it! I really like the colours you have chosen. There is so much joy and pride to be had from turning something old into something new and beautiful! I remember when I had my baby 20 years ago and we were short of money, my husband and I used to buy old furniture from flea markets or auctions and do them up: the baby cot, his high chair and even a pram! I still have an old sewing box that he renovated and painted for me: it’s still one of my most precious possessions. Enjoy!
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I love the things you’ve made to make your house your own. No matter how you do it, that’s the important thing, to make your ‘house’ into your ‘home’ where you feel comfortable and safe.
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wow….you never cease to amaze me… that is awesome Lesley.
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I come from a family of hard-core diy-ers that’s left me with “I bet I could make that….” complex. 🙂
I’m in love with the sofa table (made using a pallet?) it’s absolutely stunning! Keep up the good work.
Love,
Kiera
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Yep, all of the wood is from the dumpster and most of it is pallet wood.
What’s your most recent project?
Lesley
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It’s been too long since I’ve gotten my hands dirty, my last project was painting and aging a horrible hand-me-down dresser (I have a serious aversion to blonde wood). It turned out well, but I’m still looking at options to either replace or refinish the icky gold drawer pulls.
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Hello Lesley,
I have nominated you for the Sunshine Blogger Award since I enjoy your adventures and blog posts about them so much! Here is the link. http://wellnessthymewithcarol.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/the-sunshine-blogger-award-nomination/
Safe Journeys, Carol Takakura
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Love the colors you’re using!!
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There are some great ideas here. Love the projects.
Looking forward to your 2014 bucket list.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
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OMG woman. Enough. Go on that African Safari. John looked at the pictures and is now making a list. 🙂
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I stand in awe of you! I have no such talents as these and truly admire people who have the eye to look at something and see it done. I have a girlfriend who does this very thing as well and her house is just beautiful. She enjoys taking an old piece and making into something unique to fit into her home. The world needs more like you! Keep creating! Much love and light to you and have a blessed day! Queen Of Hearts
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Very crafty:)
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Oh, you just reminded me of the chair in the garage that I’ve been wanting to refinish (now that the weather is cooling down). We’ve been in the house for 13 years and I keep begging my partner to help me set up a workbench in the garage–maybe I’ll send him a link to your post (nudge, nudge)! By the way, I love the table in the living room with all the differently hued planks; it reminds me of the beach 🙂
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One word … amazing 🙂
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Loving the blue, green and white sofa table – my favorite colors! Lots of good creative energy in your home.
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I like the work bench and the coat rack in the laundry room, may have to steal some of these ideas.
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All the pieces are so unique and colorful! I love it!
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Very creative. Looks great.
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Love the blues! So neat.
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I love your colors!!
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i would love love love LOVE to be able to do this. think i am going to make it my mission when we buy our first house (we’ve put in an offer, so hold thumbs!!).
i absolutely ADORE your pieces and how you decorated your spaces. well done!
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I love the colors! Would you move your laundry room to my house?
You are so creative.
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Thank you! This was one of the easier rooms. Do you like DIY projects?
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Wonderful work. All this and travel too. How do you do it?!
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What do you use the piece with the X for? It looks kinda high. Love the color.
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Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I am going to move soon and will definitely try some of these ideas while doing my home 🙂 Thank you.
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These are beautiful! Love the colors too!
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Love it all!!!!
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I love the living room table and the laundry room colors, and the roomy work bench! DIY is soooo satisfying, isn’t it?
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Wow. Impressive. I would never have the courage to put one of my DIY projects on the internet–unless is was as part of a comedic post.
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Fascinating — inspirational, really.
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Awesome! I love all the wood, and how you incorporated travel into your design!
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Love the blue X table.
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I absolutely love what y’all have done. I got into woodworking last year, and spend a lot of time building bird houses.
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Your work is amazing, and color choice the best.
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Wonderful colours and ideas – and super ‘homey’ 🙂
Here’s to adventurous DIY.
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Great work! This will be an inspiration to me when I finally have a home to settle into.
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I *love* what you’ve created! I think we must have very similar tastes because I can see our sofas are closely related!
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Helpful tips and projects for DIY buffs. Thanks for the follow. Roy
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