I work full time in a cubicle. I have two small kids. I have about 30.2 min of free time a day, and in it I've found that I'm obsessed with planning the next DIY project.
This has been a somewhat clandestine affair. My husband doesn't understand my need to constantly improve our house, prove myself, whatever the impetus is for these projects. I tend to work under cover of darkness, because the only time I can pull out tools without my kids underfoot is after their bedtime, after bills are paid, the kitchen is clean, etc. I've had a few comments from neighbors ("Were you out digging last night...?").
Rushing through projects is a necessity right now. I can't leave nails, shards of wood, paint, etc. around for even a day -- my kids will be scratched, splintered and covered in that paint if they get the chance. So I plan, plan, plan then work in short bursts. This has proven effective for me. Even if I wasn't so time-constrained, I am certain there would be long dry periods then fits of creativity. The great thing about this approach is seeing progress almost immediately.
Another benefit is the learning curve I've had... I inevitably screw something up, and plow my way through, and along the way learn something. It may be something I want to repeat (like using trim to finish off even an otherwise boring woodworking attempt) or not (like leaving wood outside in damp weather). None of these projects is so involved that I couldn't abandon it and start over. Not that I have... I'm stubborn, cheap, and fairly resourceful so I just cover over or mash my mistakes into a reasonable result.
(My little brother has invented a verb for this approach. He calls it "hill-billying". As in, "I didn't have the proper tools so I had to hill-billy it." Turns out that I'm not as suburban as I've feared...)
I have no real skill, just a bunch of ideas and some exposure as a kid to parents who knew basic carpentry, reapholstery, tiling, and a multitude of other things that enabled them to fix up and maintain a 1947 house. Now I find myself in my own house from 1948, after years of renting... I could not be happier with the freedom to do whatever I want! Within limits, of course -- e.g. I'm not spending more than a couple hundred dollars on any of these projects, and I've shied away from getting outside help (which I would need for anything involving electricity or plumbing).
So after near-constant sketching, list-writing and scheming, it's about time I have a formal place to jot down my ideas, my progress, and -- if anyone like-minded ends up reading this -- get some ideas and feedback.
My plan is to log my ideas, describe projects I've undertaken and about how much they cost (in time and supplies), and lessons learned. And because I love before & after photos, I'll try to include plenty of those (they may be from my phone, because in my house the camera is never charged up).
Yay!
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