I have been wanting to update our front porch for some time now, but because we previously had large bushes right in front of our house it made little sense to spend the money.  A couple of weeks ago we had those bushes removed, so it was time to update the front porch just a little bit, and this trash can planter hack was born.

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Trash Can Planter Hack

  I am sure if you follow my other decor posts, you have gathered that I tend to like a more modern, clean, simple look, so I wanted 2 large planters.  

If you have never shopped for large planters before, just a FYI they are expensive!! (we are talking $80 plus for the size I wanted).  With some brainstorming I decided to try something out, and this blog post was born.  Read below to find out how that whole patio was done for $100 due to my trash can planter hack.

If you’re into decor hacks, be sure to check out this post with some of my post popular IKEA hacks!

Trash Can Planters

For my planters I purchased these from At Home ( these on Amazon  or black) they are 56 quart trash cans.  In order to make them heavier I put a couple of old bricks in the bottom of each, then filled them a little ways up with packing peanuts in order to not use so much dirt.

I have 1 $9 Fern In each planter to save money but still make an impact.

‘HOME’ mat 

Under mat — I think that the layered front rug look makes a huge impact for a small price.  If your top mat is smaller you could do a smaller mat under! Be sure to check out this post for other buffalo check decor options too!

I would love to see if you use my trash can planter hack and which trash cans you use! I have been wanting to add some more to the back patio and I think matte black would look amazing!

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We finished our dining room recently, and hands down my favorite part of the room is these large framed engineering prints.  They are SO inexpensive, but make such a huge impact in the room. So I thought I would share how I did these for roughly $25 per frame – photo and frame included!

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Large Framed Engineering Prints

If you are new to my blog, then you may not know that I am the queen of EASY decor and DIY projects. My goal is always to make a room look finished and polished without spending a fortune.  

I firmly believe that a home that is well decorated doesn’t have to pop right out of the Pottery Barn catalogue. I believe that you can mix the right DIY’s and inexpensive items into your home, and those can make a huge impact for a small price tag.  

This was a project I had been wanting to execute for a LONG time, and just wanted to find the exact right spot.  And boy, did I find it.

I truly think that the size of these pictures for scale on the wall is what makes the inexpensive nature of them work so well.  Adding such large scale artwork really makes the room look polished and put together. 

Also – I know that some would say that you shouldn’t have family photos in your formal dining room, but this is my house and this is what makes me happy.  I love the way it looks and thats all that matters. 

Since doing this – it has gotten super popular and I see it all the time, WHICH I LOVE!! Be sure to tag me @arinsolange on Instagram so I can see what you all do!

How to Make These Large Framed Photos

You need to first pick your frame.  I went with this one from IKEA for $20. The frame we chose is 24×35 for reference.

We added a 4th baby this past year, and it was time to add her to this wall, and in doing so I realized that they no longer have the exact frame, but one that is a bit boxier.  I went ahead and ordered 4 brand new frames and will update the post when they get in. 

Then choose your photos.  You need to use high-resolution photos.  So unless you have a camera that takes those, plan to use photos from a professional shoot.  This is a really important step because if you don’t do a high resolution photo your pictures will be really grainy. 

Order engineering prints.  I ordered mine from Staples online for roughly $4.  Engineering prints are on paper and not necessarily photo quality (in fact you will get a warning not to order photos when you’re ordering but be a rebel and do it anyways).  

I have heard some feedback that sometimes they wont let you order these, and other times they will.  I am about to order all 4 of our kids pictures again, so yet again I will report back on the end outcome!

 Note: I believe they don’t offer the exact sizes of many frames.  If you choose a photo with a good amount of negative space you will be fine to trim the photos!

Tada – that’s it.  Seriously you guys, its honestly that easy!! And I love that the photos can be changed out for $4 as my kids grow! Let me know if you have any questions on this.

 I know it was a super simple little how – to, but it really makes a statement!  Make sure to check out the rest of our dining room for how I tied in these large framed engineering prints, and subscribe to see more great DIY posts like this!!

Other Posts You’ll Love

We have since updated the dining room and I will be sharing all the details on that here soon and will update the post with all the details – but if you are going to IKEA and looking for another great IKEA hack,  be sure to check out how I turned a simple IKEA piece into this gorgeous cane cabinet!

IKEA CANE CABINET HACK

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I hope you enjoyed this post on how to make your own large engineering framed prints. If you are inspired to recreate this DIY, be sure to tag me so I can see your great work!

If you have any questions about this tutorial, please leave them below. Follow me on Instagram @arinsolange for more easy DIYs to help your house feel even more like a home.

We did an easy DIY Dutch door at our last house as a creative way to baby proof our house, and it was honestly one of my favorite little updates to our house. This blog post will walk you through how to update your current door to turn it into a dutch door at your home!

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Dutch Door

When babies get mobile we get creative –  for us it meant this DIY dutch door. This past winter our third born, Walker became mobile, and with the cold winter air we were all cooped up in the house.

 The older kids are hitting an age where they are more capable of playing in the basement on their own, but still at an age where I prefer to hear what they are up to.  Leaving the basement door open wouldn’t be an option, so we decided that our best option was a DIY dutch door.

What is a dutch door?  

A dutch door is a door that is separated horizontally and can function as a normal door, but can also be opened only on the top half only for an open air function with separation still there.

Why are Dutch Doors So Expensive?

Initially when we thought about doing a dutch door in our home we looked at purchasing – but it was so much more expensive than a typical door. When you are purchasing a dutch door it’s more expensive because:

A: They are typically solid core doors – that is much more expensive than your typical hollow core interior doors on current homes.

B: They require more hardware – between the latches and the hinges and such there is just more to the door!

Transforming your current door into a Dutch Door

Because of the expense of buying a dutch door we decided to go transform our Current door into a dutch door.

When it comes to home decor and home choices one thing I am VERY passionate about is making our home both functional for our kids and us as adults, but also beautiful all at once.  I want the kids to learn, grow and play in our home, but also don’t want to battle clutter. 

I have made very purposeful choices in both decor and baby proofing that has allowed us to all exist in our home happily and this dutch door choice was just the latest in those choices.

What You Need

When it comes to turning your current door into a dutch door you don’t need much – but the project will look different if you have a hollow door vs a solid one. 

I am going to walk you through how we did this with our solid door – we were doing a basement door so in most homes that will be solid, but if you are looking to do a hollow door I will give you a solution! (or you can always buy a solid door to start from)

Supplies:

4 Total hinges – you likely have 2 or 3 on your door now. You need 4 total when this is done!

Shims

Wood Filler

Paint

Latch

Table Saw or circular saw – I linked to ours and we love both!

Electric Sander

How to Create your Easy DIY Dutch Door

First things first you want to mark while your door is still hung where your hinges will be added to the door jam and on the door. It is also helpful to mark where you want it to be cut before removing the door.

We personally cut it a few inches above the existing door handle so I could add the latch, but wouldn’t have to worry about the door handle.

Now remove your door and take it to be cut. draw your line and use your table saw to cut the door in half.

Sand it down lightly, and paint the inside the color your door is painted. For us we had to fully painted the door because it needed it.

An option if you Have a Hollow Door

If your current door is a hollow door you could cut off just over a half inch, and add a .5 inch piece of wood to the top of the bottom piece. Give it a small over hang for style, and use wood filer in the top piece of wood to give the appearance that it is solid!

Hanging and Finishing

When you hang the door, expect to need to do some hinge adjustments to get the door to swing freely well.  That was a bit time-consuming for us on tightening and loosening screws to get it working smooth. Once you have things where you want, give the doors and the opening a coat of paint.

We then added our hardware after it was dry. We did a simple latch on only the outside (upstairs) and added a knob style handle to the top door as to not have too many handles going on!

Other Posts You’ll Love

If this simple DIY was something you liked – check out these posts for some other posts that I think you will love!

Painted Tile Floor | DIY Built-ins | Wall mounted Easel (seen in the images in this post) |

To see another dutch door – my friend Val did one in her kitchen remodel and it is gorgeous!

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If you enjoyed this tutorial for an easy DIY dutch door, or want to find it for later be sure to pin the image below.