Manda and Caitlin McGrath, the duo behind The Merrythought blog, are scrappy women who are forever upgrading their houses without spending a penny more than necessary. Close in age, the two live in Western New York and are related by marriage: “We probably have one of the oddest/most interesting blogging partner relationships,” they write. “Manda is Caitlin’s stepmom.”
They share an interest in bare-bones wooden design, and a knack for coming up with storage solutions that they tackle themselves. They’re both also able stylists. Here are seven of their DIY standouts: go to The Merrythought for more photos and step-by-step instructions.
Photography courtesy of The Merrythought.
Ladder Plant Stand
Above: In response to Caitlin’s growing indoor plant collection, a DIY Ladder Plant Stand.
Paper Organizer
Above: Manda created the DIY Wood Wall Organizer in response to her kids’ daily flood of school papers: “I think that might be the number one complaint I hear from moms when we’re discussing clutter and things they struggle with: All the papers,” she says.
She gave each of her kids a pocket (with instructions to weed out the unnecessary and the out of date). But notes that it’s also ideal, as shown here, for mail or magazines.
Peg Rail
Above: A project that speaks to us Shaker peg rail lovers here at Remodelista: The Merrythought’s DIY Wooden Wall-Mount Rack. Note that they used basic dowels as hooks, but you could easily add wooden Shaker Pegs—they’re .60 each (25 for $14.25) from Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine.
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