Hi guys, I am here to share my experience in repairing our old couch at home. I was actually thinking of having it disposed of but I decided to mend it myself to use it on the other side of our home. At first, I could have not thought how to begin it myself but I watched the YouTube videos and read some forums to make it through. I can’t say, it was easy but it was really an amazing activity for me as I finished it in almost 2 to 3 weeks. I canvassed for the best quality but affordable fabric for the sofa and I purchased foam as a replacement to the old one. We always want to have a soft sofa for the safety of our children too. The wood forming the couch must be well-covered to avoid any accident when someone bumped into it especially our toddler. Always remember that you have to find out the specific spaces where you’re going to patch your new fabric. It is best for you to check if the woods are not damaged yet and have no termites too. You may use a gun tucker to support the foam you’re patching on the wood. Before you patch your fabric, scrutinize the textile around the hole. You may decide that you need a bigger patch to coat any frays in the area. Because the patch is larger than the hole it’s covering, pin around the edges, pinning through the patch and the garment underneath. And, here’s the result… See how a beginner like me did it. I know I can improve it in the future… Have faith!

Hi everyone! Here's another recycled creative project of my eldest daughter. Just a simple DIY Toy Drum. Remember, this can absolutely be a toy also of your little ones after it's being checked by the teacher in school. Yet, Christmas is very fast approaching... It can be used as a "caroling" musical instrument of your kid. (wink... wink...) Here are the things used: 1. Can 2. Used swimming head cap (you can also use a balloon, or any kind of a thick plastic) 3. Scissors 4. Rubber bands 5. Chopsticks or Popsicle Sticks 6. Creative sticker paper Let me start with, "maybe you're wondering why we didn't use a formula milk can" as its body. It is because we don't buy a canned formula milk for our baby. We buy her a formula milk that's in the box. If you have to compare the contents of the milk powder inside the canned milk and the boxed one (with the same weight), the output is that "the box has more formula milk powder". Typically, the can is heavier than a box. So, let us proceed... We looked for a swimming head cap in our storage box that is not being used anymore as it is more durable than a plastic. The swimming head cap is mostly made of a "latex rubber" so it will last longer. It will serve as a "tom-toms" of the drum. And, to have it in place, we put rubber bands on it. We also have a sticker paper on top of our printer. We thought of a beautiful design and have it printed and pasted it all over the can. The chopsticks or popsicle sticks can be used as the drum sticks. We just only added a rubber band on it to make the sound louder. Here's the result of it... A very simple but practical DIY Toy Drum... We hope you like it!

Hi friends, I am here to share with you another story of recycled materials. The public school teacher of my eldest daughter advised his class to do a “DIY: Toy Guitar”. So, my eldest daughter, Tiffany Youxi (Yushi), Grade 5 student, told me that she needs materials for it. You might think that making this is a fun toy for yourself or for your kid. Imagine of creating a simple toy to make a little music from household items. In our family, we always have a brainstorming time when we are planning. We thought of the milk box to be the body of the guitar (since we have a baby). Then, we collected rubber bands from tied vegetables or fruits we bought in the market to be the strings. We also added popsicle sticks as an extra design. Lastly, we used the box inside a rolled aluminum foil to be the finger board of the guitar. Always remember that making something out of a recycled material is fantastic and really amazing. We will definitely not harm the Mother Earth. Who will not be happy to know if you can create an “object” that budget won’t be a predicament? Let us learn by heart! This toy looks both practical and attractive as well. Things needed: 1. Cardboard boxes (milk box, shoe box, paper plate) 2. End box of the aluminum foil 3. Rubber bands 4. Marker 5. Cutter 6. Popsicle sticks 7. Adhesive tape 8. Glue gun 9. Scissors 10. Pencil Firstly, we will draw a circle on the center of the milk box and cut it as it will serve as a sound hole. Then, cut another circle on top of the box where we are going to insert the end box of the aluminum foil. Secondly, we will paste the popsicle sticks on the front part of the box as its design. Then, paste the rubber bands to one of the popsicle sticks as it will be the saddle of the guitar followed by pasting the other side of the rubber bands to stretch out it. This is already our ground for the strings to be stable on the toy guitar. Finally, here’s the result of our very simple toy guitar. It’s very gorgeous because of its colors! Hope that you like it! Let's all have more DIY articles in this community!

First and foremost, I would like to share with you why I thought of remodeling our kitchen. It is not an easy decision because you have to figure out your budget. The roof at the back of our house is already damaged and rusty while the back door had TERMITES. These are small, pale soft-bodied insects that live in large colonies with several different castes, typically within a mound of cemented earth. Many kinds feed on wood and can be highly destructive to trees and timber. We hired a contractor group to make it convenient for us as it includes the materials and labor of the workers. The timeline is only two weeks but it went longer than usual because of the frequent heavy rain here in the Philippines. Well, it is also rainy season here. When the demolition started, we determined the location of the light fixtures, electrical outlets and appliance. The setting up and installing mechanical systems are typically part of the process too. Let me tell you some information how our kitchen looked like. The roof made of galvanized iron sheets are now SLAB. Yes, we are certain to have it made of concrete instead to have a less risk of flooding or leaking gases. Yet, it can be used when we are ready to improve the second storey of its part. We just put two glass blocks to have some sunlight during the day and the advantage of it is to save money too, instead of using electricity. We used the granite tiles for kitchen counter-tops. Mind you of, IT’S A GOOD CHOICE! Why? Because the granite is the hardest, long-lasting flooring materials available, making it less likely to crack or chip than ceramic. And, it is extensively admired in the kitchen decoration. We know it’s fashionable but we selected simple and white design hence we can easily see the dirt or any tiny insects crawling around. The gold trim tile is placed along the edges of the granite tiles to append beauty and color on it. We also placed new sink and faucet. You may want to consider the stainless steel sinks. Because stainless is resistance to fire and heat allowing it to resist scaling and retain strength at high temperatures. Our first daughter chose the sink because we found a design that has a little built-in bin on it. She found it cute. Ha ha… We decided to insert a kitchen bar or kitchen island because it is vogue and it is my dream too. You may find it prettier if you put bar stools in front of it. The flooring of our kitchen is just a plain and smooth cement because the “pozo negro” or the cesspool (septic tank) is located in there too. The fridge and the dish cabinet will be placed there so our dining and living area will have some additional space. There are some sort of unique set of challenges because of our limited space and style layout. We also considered the “Feng Shui” or “Vastu shastra”. Feng Shui, literally meaning “wind and water,” is a traditional Chinese concept linking the destiny of man to his environment. It aims to ensure that people live in harmony with their surroundings. Vastu shastra is a traditional Hindu system of architecture which literally translates to "science of architecture." These are texts found on the Indian subcontinent that describe principles of design, layout, measurements, ground preparation, space arrangement, and spatial geometry. The kitchen cabinets will be added soon as I still need to save money for it. I will make sure to share ideas to you too once available. I hope this kitchen improvement story would inspire you if you have small space in your precious house. Till our next home interior improvement story… See you.