Billy and I like to describe ourselves as DIYers. We bought our home a few years ago and had a mountain of work in front of us. We did a lot ourselves and because of it were able to save tons of money and splurge on a few other things like getting new insulation and stone counter tops. But, Billy does the mountain of the work. We have a joke that I’m “Good Idea Mandi” and he’s “Make it Happen Billy”. It helps to have a great partnership and encouragement when it comes to new projects. Working with tools can be quite intimidating, and I’ll admit there’s a lot I don’t know, but I’m always game to learn. We are now somewhat proficient drywallers and have framed pantries and walls, put in windows and painted our home.
The other week I was invited to hang out with some pretty amazing women doing some pretty amazing things at Habitat for Humanity and Lowe’s Girls Night Out during National Women’s Build Week. Across the country, Lowe’s parking lots were partitioned off for us ladies to get our build on. Seventy-five percent of women avoid construction type volunteering because they feel they lack the skills. If anyone is ever intimidated by building or feel they don’t know enough, I encourage you to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. Not only will you feel awesome about helping families in need, but they also spend the time to teach you how to use tools and break down projects in really approachable ways. Habitat’s goal is to have 1000 families in new houses before the holidays. At the end of the build, I felt empowered and brought back a lot of knowledge.
You can also start building skills and confidence with a few small, easy projects. Below are some totally awesome, totally easy DIY projects with specific instructions and a complete material and tools list (I love a good list). Take those craft project to a whole ‘nother level ladies!
