10 tools to start on your DIY journey

One of the things that can feel overwhelming when it comes to being a beginner DIYer is not knowing where to start when it comes to those first tool purchases. Whether it’s not knowing which tools to get first, or what brand to go with, or what accessories to get, the world of tools is one that you’ll need to enter in order to have success with your DIYs!

Another big reason it can feel overwhelming: money. Tools cost money! And some of them can be more expensive than others. Don’t feel like you need to run out and buy a whole workshop full of tools right of the bat. You can buy tools slowly, as you need them.

We’ll start with some non-power tools that I always keep on hand, and then we’ll get into the power tools that are essential!

Hammer

This almost feels like it goes without saying! A hammer is one of the most basic tools out there and it’s extremely handy. A hammer is great for everything from putting up shelves and building Ikea furniture, to framing a wall. There are lots of hammers out there, but a basic standard hammer is all you really need (unless you start getting into some more specific building realms). And! They’re very inexpensive.

Tape Measure

”Measure twice, cut once!” and in order to measure twice, you’ll need a Tape Measure. You may want multiple, because if you’re anything like me, you’ll misplace yours and there’s nothing more annoying than not being able to find a tape when you’re working. I also keep a smaller 12 or 16ft tape in my house for easy grabbing, and I’ll usually have a 12ft one in my purse for when I’m out and about and need to measure furniture or stuff at Home Depot. A standard 25ft one is a really great length for having in your toolbox, and is what I have in mine!

Level

A level is super handy and the type you get first may depend on what you’re most wanting to do, DIY-wise. If you’re just installing shelving, hanging pictures, etc— smaller stuff, you may only need a short little level. If you’re leveling counters, floors, or larger projects, you’ll probably want a larger one. I like having a small 1ft level for little things, a more substantial 4ft level, as well as an 8ft one. If you want to get techy and fancy you can also get a laser level, which is a very cool little tool!

Sawhorses

Havinga set of sawhorses, even just some cheap plastic ones, comes in SO handy when you’re working on projects. Cutting wood, making a makeshift table, painting things, sawhorses will help with countless projects and make things 100 times easier.

Power Tools:

Power tools come in two options: corded and battery powered. Typically corded versions are a little more affordable, and they can also be more powerful, but cordless battery operated tools can be more lightweight and convenient. For instance, my battery operated brad nailer is WAY more convenient because I don’t have to hook up my air compressor and pull out the long air hose. I just pick it up and start nailing. My battery operated circular saw is also much lighter and easier to wield than my corded version, but the corded version is more powerful.

Another thing to consider if you start buying battery powered tools is that you’ll want to stick to a brand, only because once you start buying batteries, those batteries will be specific to that brand’s tools and won’t work on another brand. So you don’t want to buy a Ryobi drill and get the battery pack and charger for that and then get a Makita circular saw, because then you’ll have to invest in Makita batteries and charger (and batteries can be expensive!). So stick to one brand, get a few batteries so you can have a spare or two on hand, or charging up so you’ll never get stuck with a tool and a bunch of dead batteries mid-project— that’s the worst!

This obviously doesn’t apply to corded tools since their power source will be the outlet, so you can go “off brand” with those. I use Ryobi for my battery powered tools and I have a few random brands in my corded tools.

Brad Nailer

Having a brad nailer is super handy for a lot of different projects. Working on furniture, installing trim, putting up molding, making shelving, my brad nailer gets a ton of use around my house. There are lots of different nailer types and sizes too, so depending on what projects you think you’re most likely to tackle, you may want a stapler, a pin nailer, a 16 gauge, etc. I LOVE having a battery powered nailer because then I don’t have to have an air compressor with a long air hose dragging through my house in order to work on projects.

Drill + Impact Driver

A drill is one of the most useful and basic power tools you can have in your arsenal. Not only can you drill various size holes with standard drill bits, spade bits, hole bits, and more, you can also use it as a power screw driver. I would say that my drill is my most used tool over the years and if you don’t have any tools at all start with a power drill! An impact driver is very similar to a drill and they look almost identical, but there are some differences. Impact drivers are more lightweight and compact and they also have more torque. While drills hold bits using a “chuck” which is basically a unique way to clamp down on the bit to hold it in place (and you can use standard or hex bits), Impact drivers have a quick change clamp and only take hex bits.

So why/when do you use an impact driver? Impact drivers are more commonly used to drive in a large quantity of fasteners, longer screws and lag bolts. If you use impact-rated, 1/4-inch hex-shank drill bits, you can accomplish some basic drilling tasks with an impact driver. However, these tasks will be limited in scope. An impact driver is not ideal for precision drilling tasks and should be limited to jobs where the size or placement of the hole is not crucial but more torque may be needed, such as drilling through metal and dense or knotty wood.

A lot of time you’ll see these two sold in a set, which is a nice way to get both, but if you can only afford one, go with a standard drill. I will add that driving in screws is much easier with an impact driver, and as a small (yet strong) woman, I have to use much less force to screw in using an impact driver, which is nice.

Circular Saw

The circular saw is an extremely useful tool if you’re doing any kind of building. It’s the first power saw you should add to your toolkit, IMHO. You can make cross cuts, rip cuts, angled cuts, and more. It’s great for cutting plywood, lumber, you can use a blade designed to cut metal, etc. It’s a super handy tool that will instantly level up your DIY. A circular saw can feel intimidating to some, so make time to practice to get the feel for and hang of how it behaves and cuts.

Jig Saw

The one big limitation that a circular saw has is that it can’t make curved cuts. Which is why I highly recommend grabbing a jig saw next. After my circular saw, my jig saw is my most used saw. I love it’s capabilities, and it’s the pervect tool for making more precision cuts.

Sander

Having a power sander on hand is super useful. I use mine all the time. Whether I’m sanding down a piece of furniture to refinish, prepping cabinets to paint, cleaning up cut edges, or smoothing rough surfaces, my sander makes it so easy. There are a few different style of sanders, but for starting out I’d get a sheet sander, or orbital sander, though a corner sander is also a great starter. These styles are great for most basic sanding you’ll be doing.

My Mother's Day 2018 Gift Guide

Commercialized Mother's Day gifts feel so impersonal and out of touch with what real moms want and need.  Not that I don't like flowers and little goodies, and growing up I don't think I thought much in depth about a Mother's Day gift.  But I think if we're going to have a holidays celebrating moms, lets give moms something they really need.  And obviously for every mom that's going to be different, especially depending on her love language and personal interests.  

For me, my love language is quality time, and I've realized that as a mom you get tons of quality time with your kid(s), not as much quality time with your partner, and almost no quality time with your self. This gift guide doesn't really have a theme other than "things I as a mom truly love or crave."  So it might be relatively specific, but I figure there are probably moms out there like me, so you might enjoy this little list too!

A get-away OR a staycation

image via the joshua tree house

I crave an escape to the desert at least once a month.  But being able to hang out in a relaxing home-- ALONE --in the warm sun, getting to sleep in, not have to give my kid any of the food I'm eating, and lounge around all day with no one bugging me?  Sounds magical. On the flip side, being able to be in my own home for a long weekend so I can accomplish projects around the house that feel impossible to do when a toddler is following me around or napping also sounds magical.  I think the key here is: time sans child(ren).   Just time to fill our own tanks without the distraction or obligation of caring for anyone else.

Plants that don't die in a week

image via wearetriibe

Flowers are nice and all, but in a few short days, they start to wilt and eventually all those pretty blooms will have dropped their petals and died.  I don't know about you, but I adore have living plants in my space and have accumulated a small urban jungle-- but I always want more.  I would prefer to get a snake plant, monstera, or some other beautiful greenery that will fill my home with life for years to come!

Professional Hair Cut/Color

image via jessfxstyle

I would love to sit in a salon chair and have a hair magician take my locks to the color I've been dying to try for years.  I haven't had my hair colored since before I had our son, and while I'm not a salon junkie and I prefer low-maintenance hair, it feels so luxurious and caring to have someone refresh your hair.  I'm usually too cheap to splurge on a salon, so it would be a lovely treat to be able to hit the salon and get a fresh look.

Gift Card to a Shop I Love

image via satori

This one gets me two things: time alone to walk around said store and enjoy the ambiance of a store I like (ya'll even Target will do, my ambiance threshold is loooow), and then things that I want to buy.  I know people like to give gifts that they find meaningful, but it can feel really nice to just get something that you know you'll love because YOU picked it out.  A gift card to an online shop is nice, but now that I'm a mom I kind of like the idea of getting to get out of the house by myself, wander around the store and touch things.  Ideas? World Market, Target, Home Goods, Satori, Moorea Seal, Ikea  (These are just stores that I like shopping at that have local shops where I can go walk around).

I know Mother's Day is coming up quickly, but pretty much all of these gifts can be procured last minute (probably minus a vacay). And throwing in a nice note of appreciation can go a long way too.  Oh and a mimosa.  Happy Mother's Day!

photos of me + jack by sons and daughters photography

handmade holiday gift guide // for the photographer

ne thing that I get super excited about it is getting new photography gear.   Whether it's a new lens, new editing presets, or bags and support gear, shopping for camera stuff turns me into a kid in a candy store.  This gift guide has a lot of things on it that I already have and love, so I wanted to share them with you guys because I'm sure you'll love them as well!
My big personal wishlist item this year is the Holdfast MoneyMaker camera harness.  I first saw it when I was in the audience at Creative Live earlier this year at Jen Rozenbaum's session and she was using one and I was like  O_____O   "I NEED THIS."  I don't like traditional camera straps and haven't used one in years, but hadn't found an alternative that really seemed to fit my needs.  While my lenses aren't giant, by the end of a wedding day my wrist would be killing me after holding my camera for 8-10 hours straight.  When I saw Jen using her MoneyMaker I knew it was the exact thing I'd been looking for!
I spent years editing photos in Photoshop and then a couple years ago I really wanted to try out VSCO's film packs because I really loved how they emulated a real film look.  I ended up getting Lightroom so I could use their Lightroom presets and it's made my editing workflow so much faster.  I still use photoshop occasionally for certain things and retouching here and there, but for the most part I only edit in Lightroom now and exclusively using VSCO's 1 + 2 Film Presets.
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Before I stopped using a normal camera strap, I had an IMO strap which I loved.  It was so cute and such an improvement over the boring, stock Canon strap that the camera comes with.  It's such an easy way to make your camera unique and stylish and if you're not shooting for hours on end or need everything that the MoneyMaker strap offers, IMO straps are a great option.  I have their rainbow zig zag strap but I love this one's Pacific Northwest vibe!
I didn't do much in the way of Black Friday shopping, but I was on the hunt for some photography deals that day and one big ticket item I snagged was this gold sequined backdrop!  I fell hard for it a while ago and it was a little present to myself for my business and I'm so excited to shoot with it.  It's on backorder so I won't get it until January, but they've got a bunch of other colors in their sequin collection and a lot of them are half off right now!
One of my best Christmas gifts from a couple years ago was an Ona bag that I use constantly.  It holds my laptop, lenses, camera body and more, so it's my go-to carry-on when I fly.  Unfortunately it's too big to be my day-of shoot back with my extra lenses and such, so I've been using a camera bag insert inside a smaller purse that works so perfectly.  But, I've had my eye on this Ona bag for some time.  It's the same size as the makeshift bag I use now and it's in the prettiest cognac leather.  Swoon!

top photo via benj haisch

handmade holiday gift guide // leather, canvas, and stone

here are so many amazing makers out there killing it in their small, handmade businesses, so I wanted to feature a few of my favorite things from some of those makers.  I've been really loving the natural textures of leather, stone, and canvas lately and I'm constantly impressed with how many incredible products are being made by independent artisans.   I've got quite a few small business owners and makers in my instagram feed and it's been fun to see how busy they are this time of year.  I know that this season can really be make or break for small businesses so giving them my business is important to me.  Quite a few of the artists featured in this gift guide are also local to Tacoma or the PNW, which is another thing I love.  Putting my money right back into my community is a great way to support my local art scene, small businesses, and economy.

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Natural stone jewelry is fast becoming my favorite thing to adorn myself with.   I was never much of  a jewelry girl, but now that I've discovered what kind of jewelry I love, I'm definitely becoming more of a jewelry hoarder.  Growing up I was always fascinated with turquoise jewelry and I remember road trips through the southwest spent ogling all the amazing jewelry made by native artists at roadside markets.  

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Can we talk for a sec about how amazing that tablet sleeve is?  Holy cow. One photo can't really show how awesome it is, so make sure to click through on that one to get a better look.  In the past I used to get faux leather products because they were cheaper, but I always found that they fell apart pretty quickly.  I've made a shift to investing in higher quality leather goods because they're built to last and the craftsmanship is so much higher, especially when you're buying from makers who are devoted to crafting an incredible product.  

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I've got tons of little canvas totes that I use for picking up our CSA from the farmer's market, but none of them are nice enough to carry around as a daily bag.  All of these bags meld form and function perfectly and I love how you can tell they were crafted by artists.  From the hand printed textiles, to the design, the attention to detail is apparent.  I've been coveting a Year Round Co. bag for probably two years now (2 + 3), and they just keep getting better!  They are located here in Tacoma and it feels like such a treat to have such an amazing company located right here in my town!

(top photo via black anchor workshop)

handmade holiday gift guide // moorea seal

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ypical me, I'm behind on all things holiday related.  Honestly I don't even know if we'll get a Christmas tree this year.  I feel like we're too busy and it's just not worth it to put up a tree and rearrange my living room.  We're probably not going to do too much in the way of gift exchanging so it wouldn't have presents under it anyway.  Though, I will say that after a few years of jonesin' for a faux white tree I might finally go for it.  But anyway: Christmas!  While the whole crazed materialistic buy-buy-buy thing that happens this time of year kind of freaks me out more and more as I get older, I love that this time of year is a prime opportunity to really support local and handmade small businesses.  I'd much rather give my money to people who are living their dreams out and hustling to make their creative small businesses thrive.  One of my favorite lady-hustlers is Moorea Seal who is a fellow PNW creative gal and someone I'm honored to call a friend and mentor.  I met her years ago when we were both doing blog design for Freckled Nest and it's been such a pleasure to watch her creative aspirations flourish and business goals become realized over the years.

My favorite thing about Moorea is that not only is she a creator herself (as we speak I'm wearing one of her necklaces), but her shop is stocked full of handmade designs by other creators, so when I shop at her store not only am I supporting her, but also all the creatives whose products she sells too.  This little list is just a small sampling of a few of my absolute favorite items from her shop.  I actually have three of the things on this list already!