Blog - Page 34 of 93 - Dagmar Bleasdale

The Easiest Way to Install Lattice Around a Porch

May 4, 2019 by Dagmar Bleasdale 20 Comments

To install lattice around your porch or house is a super easy and inexpensive way to upgrade your home!

I’ve been on a roll about improving our porch.

First came the DIY porch curtains, and a while ago I tackled replacing the lattice on the bottom of the porch.

This is my kind of DIY project because

anyone can tackle this in an hour
it’s inexpensive
and it instantly adds a more attractive, finished look to your house

Our house is built on pillars, so we have this big space between the porch and the ground.

This is what the bottom of the porch looked like after I added some plants. [Read more…]

DIY Porch Curtains Made With $10 Shower Curtain Liners

May 3, 2019 by Dagmar Bleasdale 35 Comments

DIY Porch curtains made out of shower curtain liners are a super easy way to keep rain or sun off your porch or patio! In this post I’ll show you how I easily installed porch curtains on our porch.

I added these curtains to the Blue Cottage a few years ago, before I painted all the railing white, and they are still one of my favorite practical DIY project I’ve done for our house.

I’ve since replaced them twice because they were dirty and they are so inexpensive, it makes more sense to add new ones and reuse the old one to cover the floor for paint projects, but you could also just wash the curtains and rehang them.

After writing the blog post about stunning cottage gardens, I was inspired to work on our own cottage. [Read more…]

Unique Summer Recipes You’ll Want to Make

May 1, 2019 by Dagmar Bleasdale 3 Comments

It’s time to collect a few new recipes for this summer that hopefully are so popular that they become staples! Here are 5 yummy and unique summer recipes.

Unique Summer Recipes

I definitely want to try the zucchini pancakes, which remind me of my zucchini banana muffins.

I picked very different recipes, from sweet to savory, and I hope you’ll find one or two you’d like to try. [Read more…]

DIY Beds and Other Things You Can Make Out of Pallets

April 30, 2019 by Dagmar Bleasdale 8 Comments

There are so many things you can make out of pallets. Check out these DIY beds, sofas, wall hangings, and more for inspiration.

DIY Beds and Other Things You Can Make Out Of Pallets

I’m really into recycling and upcycling, and I’ve been saving picture of cool things you can make out of shipping pallets to my “recycling” Pinterest board for years now.

Seeing all these projects makes me want to get my own pallet bench for our porch.

So far I’ve made this DIY pallet deck in just minutes for my backyard:

[Read more…]

Xylitol: The Natural Sweetener With Many Health Benefits

April 17, 2019 by Dagmar Bleasdale 23 Comments

Xylitol is the natural sweetener that tastes like sugar, has less calories, doesn’t create cavities, and has many other health benefits. Move over, sugar!

The Natural Sweetener With Many Health Benefits

“Sugar is sugar.” Every time I see that deceptive commercial, I wonder how the actor must feel getting paid to tell a total lie: sugar IS NOT sugar, and most people know this by now, I hope.

High-fructose corn syrup is not the same as cane sugar, honey, or molasses.

Making Sense of Sugar and Sweeteners

I’ve recently been looking into all kinds of sweetener options — sugar, artificial sweeteners, and syrups.

I already wrote about agave nectar not being a good sweetener alternative, because agave syrup is as bad as high-fructose corn syrup. [Read more…]

DIY Beds and Other Things You Can Make Out Of Pallets

<img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-34057 size-full" title="best sugar substitute is Xylitol" src="https://www.dagmarbleasdale.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/best-sugar-substitute-is-Xylitol.jpg" alt="best sugar substitute is Xylitol" width="640" height="426" />

The Natural Sweetener With Many Health Benefits

Making Sense of Sugar and Sweeteners

Create a beautiful home on a budget!

Thank you!

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