DIY – Kick Ass or Die

Building Days: Raised Beds and Laundry Storage

January 30, 2017 9 Comments

Most of the time when I’m building things around the farm it’s just me, my tools, some loud music (and, if we’re being honest, also

Shit I Should Have Done Sooner: DIY Console Table

September 16, 2014 16 Comments

There are a lot of little projects on my list that I put into the “you know, sometime I should… ” category. This area of

Learning the Hard Way

March 27, 2014 24 Comments

Let me tell you something. If there is an easy way to learn things that are totally beyond your current realm of expertise, that shit

Getting Through

August 6, 2013 34 Comments

Saying “some days I’m all over the place” is like saying “I have a couple of tools in my garage”: an epic understatement. This website

DIY Weekend Project: Vertical Garden Beds

July 5, 2013 12 Comments

I live in a half-torn apart house on six acres of land that are under a constant threat of being reclaimed by the wilderness, so

DIY Rustic Wine Rack: Supporting my alcohol habit, one bottle at a time

May 29, 2013 14 Comments

Hey, look, I took a break from shoveling dirt and whining about the weather to actually build something… This thing is not actually supporting my

Ikea Hack: TARVA Drawer Dividers

May 21, 2013 9 Comments

I make no secret of the fact that most days I’d rather be standing on a 2×10 plank over twenty feet of open stairwell, sanding

Sneak Peek: Chicken Tractor Progress

April 11, 2013 4 Comments

Raised garden beds weren’t the only harbringers of sawdust in the shop this weekend. I finally did what I’ve been threatening to do for the

Raised Garden Beds: The Holy-Shit-I-Built-These-for-$25 Edition

April 9, 2013 59 Comments

Well, well, look what magically appeared in my yard this weekend… By “magically appeared” I mean “were brought into existence by the blood, sweat, and

Weekend Plans: Beds & Nugget Boxes

April 4, 2013 12 Comments

As it turns out, even if I spend seventy-two hours laid up in bed, mostly incoherent, my brain still doesn’t stop thinking about building things.

Unsolicited Advice: The “OK I’m pissed so I’m going to DIY” Edition

March 20, 2013 37 Comments

Over the weekend I received email with what may be the best subject line ever to ever come through my inbox… Makes my little heart

Coop Building 101: Planning for a Foundation

March 13, 2013 25 Comments

For the last year I’ve been responsible for exactly two lives on this planet: me and the cat. In the last month I thought it

Sunday Sawdust: Indoor Workbench Edition

February 24, 2013 6 Comments

Sometimes I have this vision of one day using my Sundays for rest and relaxation, and then a minute later I remember that this is

Relisting: The Next Five

December 13, 2012 6 Comments

Over the summer I had a really good run of projects that just sort of came together in a puff of sawdust and magic. Sometimes

Indoor Workbench: Progress

November 20, 2012 15 Comments

This is how I redeem myself after a week of not working in the shop… Big tools. Barn beams. Copious amounts of sawdust. Okay, actually,

I'm not interested in a mediocre life. I'm here to kick ass or die.

(formerly DIYdiva.net)

THE STORYTELLER

Back in 2004 I started writing about my adventures in fixing up houses on the internet. A lot of things have changed since then, with me, with my houses, and with the internet. These days I am basically a cranky old man trapped in a slightly less old woman’s body. The internet has changed and I am staunchly refusing to change with it. You won’t find any algorithms here, or feeds, or ads, or social media. Just good old-fashioned stories about a woman drinking beer and building shit, and living an unexpected life.

(While you won’t find updates on social media, you can sign up to receive new posts via email here.)