Hey everyone! Today I’m excited to announce a project that has been in the works for over a year. Long ago in the dark ages before Pinterest, I was bookmarking DIY tips and tutorials on my computer to keep track of all the cool ideas or helpful information I wanted to refer to in the future.

From time to time, I’d link to a few on the site, and those infrequent features led to regular series you all know as the Best of the Blogosphere. Problem was, as time went by, the features were getting buried under more recent posts, and I was getting way too many emails about projects featured in the past. Cue the necessity for a well cataloged library of all that amazingness! 

Now that Pinterest exists, I include many inspiring ideas in my DIY Inspiration board, but I wanted to create a library dedicated to home improvement and interior decorating ideas. Pinterest is great, but often research leads to a bad source or no source (grrrr), so I decided to gather up all my favorites in a reliable spot. 

Today I’d like to introduce you to the Best of DIY site – a place where I’ve gathered over 1,000 excellent tutorials and tips in one organized place. The categories range from home improvement to crafting to fabric projects and include outdoor ideas too. Drop down menus make searching by category easy.

Here’s the best part – all of the galleries link to original sources which take you the right place in one click of your mouse – bookmark or Pin from the original source of brilliance as you please.

Some of the galleries are small for now (like Fall and Christmas Decorating), but as those holidays approach there will be plenty more ideas to browse – I’ll be sure to let you know when they’re packed with more inspiring blogger projects. Feel free to email us through the contact form to submit your projects for consideration to be featured, or if you know of an amazing DIY tip you’ve seen elsewhere, send it our way!

I have to give a great big shout out to my assistant in this endeavor – you all know Amanda who helps me scout the BOTB links. She has worked tirelessly behind the scenes for months to assist me in uploading all of this information. We’ve emailed back and forth and finally organized all of this DIY goodness in one place. Thank you Amanda, I couldn’t have done this without you!!!  

The new site is a really great resource and I see it as a way to continue to promote all of you – have fun exploring Best of DIY – I encourage you to come back often because we’ll be uploading a dozen or so links a week of the best ideas from around the web. The ‘Best of the Blogosphere’ series will continue, but now you know where to find all the goodies! 

Enjoy browsing the galleries – and have a great weekend!

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Hello everyone, I’m so happy to welcome back contributing writer Michelle from Ten June today to offer some tips on a hot topic in interior design: how to mix patterns. Each designer has their way of bringing a space to life with the use of mixed patterns and if you study them carefully, there are always tips to glean from great design. Today Michelle is back to share five helpful ways to mix patterns. 

“Hello, hello! It’s great to be back here writing at Centsational Girl. After taking some time off to have my first little one, I’m ready to dive back into discussing the world of interior design. And where better to start than one of designs most puzzling concepts: mixing patterns. 

First off, bravo to you if you are already a whiz at pattern mixing! It’s one of those skills that I marvel at, kind of like when someone can do long division in their head or remember the capital city in every state. For me, the concept of mixing patterns in interior design is tough and is something I strive to learn more about as I play with patterns in my own home.

Today, though, I’ve done my homework and am excited to share with you a few tried and true methods to mixing different patterns in interior design. Think of it as sort of a “Pattern Mixing For Dummies” approach if you will. Without further ado, here are five approaches to effectively mixing patterns in design.

1. Start with Solids. If you ever feel overwhelmed with the patterns you are trying to piece together, simply start with a solid foundation and mix in a few more solid pillows to help break up the patterns.  It’s an easy way to get polka dots, florals, and graphic or exotic prints to work together when the backdrop is a solid, or you’ve separated the patterns with solid color fabrics.  

Oh Happy Day

Pottery Barn

Amber Interior Design

Better Homes & Gardens

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New month, new roundup post! I almost didn’t do one for March since I spent a week away but looking back, there were quite a few good posts during the work weeks, so here y’all go, the top ten not to miss posts from March.

1.  I painted a thrift store credenza in gray and gold; 2.  Here’s a roundup of fabulous sources for affordable pillows; 3.  Spring came indoors in the form of blooming branches;  4.  The ideas for renters series continued with solutions for kitchens; 5.  This is my travel camera; 6.  the proper measurements for chandeliers.  

7.  My daughter’s room got a fresh look in lavender and blue; 8.  We adventured in Oahu; 9. table runners became new spring pillows; and 10. washi tape Easter eggs.

        Be back later today with a requested topic: tips on mixing patterns!

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Oh, just editing these pictures makes me miss Maui so much. *sigh* After our three days in Oahu on spring break we island hopped to Maui for another four days of bliss. “Maui No Ka Oi” in Hawaiian means “Maui is the best” and it’s a phrase tossed around by Maui residents a lot – they take pride in the beauty and community of their island. 

We love Oahu, Kauai, and the Big Island too, each has its own unique beauty, yet we find ourselves returning to Maui the most because for us it offers everything we want to do, see, and taste when in Hawaii.       

Here’s a glimpse of our four days in Maui and some of the favorite places we’ve come to love over the years in this beautiful destination.    

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