Month: August 2016

Our 6 DIY Home Ideas are perfect since Fall is in the air. Salt Lake City’s trees are starting to turn brilliant yellow, deep orange, and fiery red. With the weather cooling as well, the autumn season definitely is arriving. If you want to get into the fall spirit, take a look through our 6 DIY home ideas. They’re all cost-effective, crafty, and guaranteed to bring the coziness of autumn into your home.

Fall leaves

When the maple trees in your area start to turn, collect a few of the most vibrant leaves. Place them gently into a hurricane glass, or pair them with colored candles. Put them all together in a nice bowl or on a decorative platter. And there you have a colorful and inexpensive fall centerpiece.  

DIY Home Hanging flowers

You don’t need to buy fresh flowers for this DIY Home project. Head to your local craft or dollar store and buy your favorite plastic flowers. Put them together in a ball using florist foam. Then simply hang them over a window using twine or string. This project brings the rustic look of fall into your home with just a few dollars.  

Chalk board messages

Do you have a chalk board at home that you use to communicate with the family, or for grocery and to-do lists? Spice it up with an autumnal message, and add a few sprigs of maple leaves, twine, or any other fall related décor. You can swap out the message and the seasonal accessories for every holiday, too.  

Fall scents

To really bring the October season into your home, tantalize the senses. Brew up a batch of apple cinnamon and citrus aromas on your stove top, and let the pleasant fall smells waft about your house.  

Simple mini pumpkins

If simplicity is your game, this is the perfect DIY Home fall craft. Buy a bundle of mini white pumpkins (or any color that you love). Arrange them neatly in a wooden basket and place on any table in the house. It’s simple, beautiful, and easy to put together in minutes.  

Floating candles

For the perfect evening centerpiece this fall, try this floating candle project. Fill 3 or more different sized candle glasses with water, and arrange twigs from outside into the water. Place the floating candle in and light the flame. For an added glow, place the candles among some fall leaves, and intertwine some twinkle lights within them. This project adds soft yellow light with touches of autumn, great for a family meal or evening dinner party.  

If you’ve scoured homes on the market and have experienced nothing but disappointment, you and your hopes of home-ownership may be better off constructing your next residence rather than buying an existing one. While it’s understandable for you to be hesitant about this idea, know that there are a number of advantages to constructing your own home from scratch.

Live in a Home Built Without Compromise

Oftentimes, homeowners have to settle for a few things when it comes to the features and aspects of the home they want. Whether it’s square footage, the number of rooms, or the age of the plumbing system, there may be some requirements you have to cross off your list. By building your home, you get more of the things you want out of your property. Even if you have to make sacrifices, you can create your home in a way that you can easily include add-ons in the future.

Energy Efficiency

Having an energy-efficient home is more important than ever and with good reason. When you build your home, you can include the latest energy-efficient appliances and residential systems, such as electrical and plumbing. One of the great things about focusing on energy efficiency in your new home design is that you can have a bigger property that has the energy bill of a much smaller home.

Overall Building Affordability

Before you get the impression that it’s more expensive to build a new home than it is to buy an existing home, know that this isn’t always the case. While an existing property may be well within your price range, its location may keep it out of your financial reach. You also have to consider the fact that making renovations to an older home can cost more than the price of building a new home. Just like needing a budget when it comes to remodeling a home, the same is true of building a brand new home. Start exploring your options for creating the home of your dreams. Building that dream into a reality could be easier and less expensive than you think.

Don’t feel discouraged by those high priced designer rooms in the glossy magazines. You can make your home look just as chic and put together at a fraction of the cost. Take a look through our ideas and let us know which are your favorite décor on a dime items.

Frame your flowers

Add freshness and life to your home using fresh flowers and cut out cardboard. Shape the cardboard to spell your name, a word, or a shape you love. Add grip green foam (available at any craft store) and arrange your favorite short stemmed flowers to your liking. Voila!  

Seasonal décor for every holiday

No matter the season, you can decorate your home to celebrate the holidays. Buy some inexpensive glass or plastic candy containers. Fill them with décor items for whatever the holiday. Add bows and ornaments during the Christmas season, mini pumpkins and candy corns in the fall, and plastic Easter eggs in the spring. Using these containers year round saves money and time, and your home will look festive and trendy at every holiday!  

Plan a gallery wall

Use the frames and artwork you already have at home and design a gallery wall. Use different sized frames to add visual appeal, and map it out so there’s equal space between every piece. Make sure every frame is hung level to create the perfect look.  

Chic bathroom storage

With a little creativity, bathroom items can be stored in a beautiful way. Instead of using the soap dispenser from the store, pour some into a decorative bottle. Get a matching set for your toothbrushes, cotton swabs and Q-tips, and any other bathroom necessities you like to have within arm’s reach. This keeps every item organized, clean, and looking amazing.   Tweet us your favorite décor on a dime item at @HamletHomesUtah!

This summer, enjoy the beautiful outdoors with your family and friends. Not sure what to do outside besides hike, bike, and swim? We’ve got you covered! Below are some super simple DIY games and activities to keep you and the kids entertained!

Ring Toss With a Twist

Impress your friends with a super fun (not to mention, adorable) game of ring toss! It’s a game that is both fun for kids and adults and will add some color to your backyard! The curvature of the flamingos’ necks adds a little extra challenge too! If your backyard party is at night or your kids are restless before bed, make a glow-in-the-dark ring toss instead using glow sticks!  

Giant Jenga

Instead of playing games inside all day, get some fresh air and bring them outdoors! Make a giant version of Jenga for a backyard game that a group can play without feeling crowded around tiny pieces! If young kids are playing, try making the pieces out of foam rather than wood to prevent any little toes from getting hurt.  

Lawn Twister

Leave the tarp inside and DIY your own Twister board right on your lawn! Use washable yard paint to spray twister circles directly on your grass and let the games begin!

Rock Tic Tac Toe

Do you have a few rocks to spare? Then you can make the easiest tic-tac-toe game there ever was! Not only will it be a great game to play while enjoying the sun, but making the game itself is a fun activity! Let the kids (or adults- we’re not judging) choose how they want to paint their rocks and use your new pet rocks as the x’s and o’s.

Backyard Bowling

Have a few extra bottles laying around since your last BBQ? Recycle old bottles (plastic bottles are preferred) by turning them into bowling pins! Simply pour some paint inside each bottle and swish it around and add some tape to the outside for some fun decoration. After the paint dries, pour sand, rice, or dried beans into each bottle to weigh them down. Be careful not to add too much weight – you don’t want to make them impossible to knock over. Find any type of ball you want (the smaller, the more challenging). Now you have yourself your own bowling set! For a fun game at night, place glow sticks or fairy lights inside each bottle and inside a hamster ball, or just buy a glow in the dark ball.  

Bean Bag Toss

Put together the perfect party with this fun carnival style game! Decorate the wood any theme you want or have the kids paint it for a fun arts-and-crafts project. Combine the bean-bag toss with outdoor bowling and some ice cream and you have yourself the perfect carnival.

DIY Backyard Movie Night

What better way to enjoy a summer night than by relaxing with an outdoor movie?! Transform your yard into a cozy outdoor theatre with some blankets and beanbag chairs. It’s perfect for the whole family, a kids party, or a dinner date! For a romantic touch, hang a few lanterns, open a bottle of wine, and have a picnic under the stars while watching your favorite rom-com.  

Make It Sprinkle!

Summertime is a wonderful time of year to be outdoors, but sometimes the heat is a deterrent to getting fresh air. Don’t let that stop you from getting a tan though. Build your kids a mini water-park in your own backyard using a hose, pool noodles, or pvc pipes. Be creative too! You can make a tunnel, a spinning sprayer, or even an obstacle course.