Teach
Clear steps, real-life tips, and honest lessons from each project.
DIY · HOME · THOUGHTFUL FINDS
Approachable DIYs, considered décor, and practical ideas that respect your budget. Come along as we make the most of the home we already have.
Explore our projects
THE IVEY HOUSE WAY
We share the process, experiments, lessons learned, and little changes that make a space feel finished—without an unlimited budget or a professional workshop.
Clear steps, real-life tips, and honest lessons from each project.
Ideas that help you see new potential in the home you already have.
Practical solutions and thoughtful finds that help your budget go further.
I’m Chrissie—a lifelong fixer, resourceful by nature, with an eye for detail and a tendency to overshare. DIY started as a necessity and became a choice: a way to make our home feel like us, with quality and value in mind.
My husband is my project partner, and staying married through all of this feels like a win—mostly because he hasn’t left me yet with all of my ideas and changes. Lucky man.
We care about the details, but we’re learning when to step back. I lived with a mismatched cabinet front in a new house without noticing until a friend pointed it out. We often give someone else’s work grace, then inspect our own from six inches away.
In full transparency, maintaining joy through projects is a goal. I won’t pretend there haven’t been plenty of four-letter words and an occasional piece of wood sent flying. 😬 We’re works in progress, too.
Reuse, repair, repaint, and reimagine where it makes sense. Sometimes the piece you already own just needs a second chance. And sometimes a washed fabric shower curtain makes a perfectly useful project drop cloth.
Colors and finishes can change from room to room—and from a small sample to a whole piece of furniture. Match your base color and sheen, use the same tools and technique, and let the sample dry before deciding. A little patience here can save a lot of redoing later.
FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS
Real projects, real photos, and the lessons learned along the way. Choose a tutorial to see how we did it.

A softer faux-wood seat, leftover glaze, and a much lighter feel by the window.
Read the tutorial ↗Refreshing our Luminara lanterns and candles for under $15 in paint and supplies.
Read the tutorialThree pine boards, thoughtful stain testing, and a slip-on design that preserves the original mantel.
Read the tutorial
Screw-mounted magnets, a cordless bamboo shade, and no holes in the metal door. Here's exactly how I did it.
Read the tutorialTHOUGHTFUL FINDS
Honest product reviews, project supply lists, and useful home finds will live here.
Useful beats unused. Beautiful should work for real life.
LET'S MAKE HOME MORE YOU
Follow along as The Ivey House grows—one idea, one lesson, and one before-and-after at a time.