kelsey.mackall, Author at A Dabbled Dwelling

A DIY Mailbox for Under $50

December 1, 2023 by kelsey.mackall

On a whim, I decided to update my mailbox because the old one was lacking style. I wanted something with a classic feel that would look nice and make it easier to see our house number. This DIY mailbox managed to stay under $50, which is a bargain for the updated curb appeal that it gave my house.

How We Built a DIY Mailbox

First things first, I had to remove the old mail box and post from the ground. Once I got that out I was able to remove the mailbox from the post so that we could reuse it. I took my trusty spray paint and painted the box black and the flag gold. Next up I built a simple dual-post structure with 2x4s and fence pickets, and attached the mailbox to it. I put the new post structure into the ground with concrete and ripped a fence picket down the middle to attach to the front and the back to give it a more finished look. When the concrete was dry I stained the wood and added the new house numbers to the mailbox. I love how this DIY mailbox turned out.

Mailbox post is being placed into the ground

Woman is placing wood strip on the front of the mailbox post

And It’s Done!

It looks so good, and it was such an easy project. The update really improved the curb appeal of my house and it’s a super stylish addition. My favorite part about this DIY mailbox was that the total cost was under $50! Click here to watch the video of this build.

How to DIY the Cutest Yard Decor

November 25, 2023 by kelsey.mackall

I was itching for a quick project and wanted to use up some leftover tile from my kitchen reno. My yard was looking a little bland so I decided to use the tile in some of the cutest yard decor. I started with a bag of concrete, some dollar store bowls, nylons, and leftover tile. It took me an afternoon and I ended up with an adorable addition to my yard.

How to Create the Cutest Yard Decor

I started by mixing up the concrete and filling the bigger bowls with it. Then I stuck smaller bows into the concrete so that there would be a place to attach the stems. To make the stems I filled nylons with more concrete and shaped them so they would appropriately hold the tops I made with the bowls.

A woman pours concrete into bowls while a small child looks on

A woman places a small bowl in a larger bowl of concrete

Once the concrete was dry I removed the tops and stems from the molds. I used liquid nails to attach the tops to the stems. The extra tile was so satisfying to smash with a hammer, and then it was fun to attach to the tops with more liquid nails. After they were all put together I had the cutest little mushrooms to put in my flower beds.

A woman removes mushrooms tops from molds

A woman is gluing mushroom tops onto a stem

A woman is smashing tiles with a hammer.

A hand is placing broken tile on top of concrete mushroom

So Cute!

See how cute they are? They are adorable and a great addition to my flower beds. I love the mosaic touches on the top and that it was such a great use of my leftover tile. That tile is so beautiful and I am so glad I was able to use it here. If you would like to watch the video of the process click here!

How to DIY Roman Shades

November 24, 2023 by kelsey.mackall

When I renovated the water closet in my primary bathroom I really wanted Roman shades for the window. A lot of people would choose to B-U-Y, but you know that I always prefer to D-I-Y if I can. I tested out a hack for making these DIY Roman shades, see how I did it!

How It Started

I started with that small window that already had 2 inch faux wood blinds. The blinds were easy to take down and were a vital piece of my plan to DIY the Roman shades for that window. When you use the blinds, they already are all set up to open and close easily. Once I had them down, I laid them on the floor and removed three slats at a time, leaving every fourth slat on the blinds.

This was kind of a last minute project, so I had to work with what I had. Finding fabric that would work for this project was simple. I borrowed some fabric from the drapes in my living room that I thought would work perfectly for the water closet.

I laid the blinds out on the fabric and used my hot glue gun to glue the slats to the fabric. Then I wrapped the fabric around the edge of the blinds and used more hot glue to secure it. This whole process was super easy and it used things I already had on hand!

Supplies You’ll Need

As I stated before, the supply list for this project is small. It utilized things I already had on hand, but if you don’t have them on hand, never fear! They are all easily found and budget friendly.

Blinds that fit the window. These can be found at Lowe’s or Home Depot for a decent price, and they can cut them to fit the window.
Fabric. I used these drop cloths that I purchased for drapes in my living room.
Hot glue gun. My favorite is my Hart Tools cordless hot glue gun.

And that’s it. Seriously! Once you have all of the supplies gathered it takes only a few minutes to put it together.

How It’s Going

I couldn’t be happier with how these turned out. They were so easy to make, and so inexpensive! For a last minute project on a whim, it was super fun to make them and have them complete this space!