Sometimes we shop a little late in the day, when feet are larger, and end up with shoes a little too big for morning-feet. Sometimes, against better judgement, we buy shoes just a bit too big in the store. No matter how they ended up in your closet- we all have them: Adorable flats or…
How to Splice an Extension Cord onto a Hardwired Chandelier
This post updated: One of the most read posts at Hawk Hill is our tutorial on how to convert a light fixture to a plug-in style lamp, but for some of the applications where a portable-chandelier lamp comes in handy, it can be easier and safer to use a different method than the one described…
How to Care for a Leather or Wood Cell Phone Case
I’ve always been partial to phone cases with the highest impact resistance, with style as a secondary consideration, but recently a new wave of phone cases seem to combine the benefits of a high-tech case with more natural elements such as wood or leather. As I prepared for recent international travel, I decided to up…
How to Clean, Condition, and Care for Blundstone Boots
Blundstone is an Australian company that makes a line of books originally marketed as equestrian boots, but now in style as popular, multifunction boots. With a $250+ price tag, Blundstones are an investment. In this post I’m going to show you how to care for your boot investment and keep them looking great for years.…
How To Create a Rental Friendly Accent Wall: 8 Damage-Free Ideas
1. Get Permission to Paint an Accent Wall Some property managers will give a green-light to requests to repaint a room or a single wall, but in many cases- painting is not allowed. Despite this, painting an accent wall can often still be negotiated. Even if you can’t get “permission” to paint you can still paint- …
How to Fill and Patch a Vintage Cast Iron Sink or Tub
Living in Seattle on a grad school budget means having to sometimes settle for a lifestyle very different from the one I lived in Missouri only a few years ago. With Seattle’s booming tech industry, housing on a grad school budget usually implies lots of roommates or ultra-tiny studios (some of my fellow students even…
How to Add Hidden Storage: Using Wall Hangings for Decor and Disguise
Bathrooms can be a cramped storage space- especially in older homes or apartments. In my tiny studio apartment in downtown Seattle, while the bathroom is relatively enormous it does not have even a single drawer, cabinet, or shelf! Using this space well, without cluttering the room with shelves, vanities, and drawer units has been a…
Easy Hack to Fix High Heels and Flats that Slip off your Heels
It’s always been a challenge to find shoes that comfortably fit my wide foot, but when it comes to finding heels, it’s nearly impossible. I’ve always resorted to ankle straps or various other designs to keep a shoe in place on my foot as I walk, but recently I came up with a new idea.…
How to Line a Drawer with Felt – The EASY Way
Today, I want to show you how to line a drawer with felt. This project can be a bit intimidating but it’s actually so easy to create a luxuriously lined drawers to upgrade your closet or furniture project! I’ll be demonstrating this method with a medium sized drawer that I picked up second-hand just for…
Creating a Professional-Looking Personalized Award Rosette Ribbon
In this post, I’ll be showing you how to personalize a blank award ribbon rosette with a custom design, message, or personalization. This method is perfect for creating custom gifts, awards, or to celebrate unique celebration that would be hard to celebrate or find a card for. Using just about any vinyl cutting system such…
How to Create a DIY Portable Light Box for Art and Hand Lettering Anywhere
Before downsizing, I purchased a light box for my art studio. It was handy and worked great for finessing my art, but it was also expensive, bulky and difficult to use due to the electrical cord. I sold my light box in an estate sale when I moved to Seattle, but as I do more…
How to Import Adobe Web Galleries into WordPress
A departure from my typical DIY tutorials, here’s a step by step tech tutorial for taking old web galleries (created by Adobe PhotoShop 7 and similar versions of photoshop), which are now very out of date, and migrating them to a content management platform like WordPress where they can be adapted and modernized. In my early…
Cheap Photography Hack: Make a DIY Light Reflector with Insulation
In Seattle, homes are not designed to be air-conditioner friendly. It was during one particularly hot streak last summer that I went to a big box home improvement store for some insulation to place around my apartment’s portable air conditioner vent and discovered along the way the best (and cheapest) photography light reflector I…
Cement Art: How to Create Gold Veins in Poured Concrete Objects
Whether you are creating fine art or a first-time concrete user making DIY planters for your houseplants, metallic gold can be a dramatic way to add visual interest to your project. Layers of metallic gold within a cement art object can create an effect that reminds me of geology, shaping the illusion that the pigment…
No-Mess DIY Silicone Mold Making – A DIY and DI-don’t.
Before making a tutorial, I’ve usually completed the project successfully a few times and know how to add my own pointers to the tutorial to help you get an extra-nice result. Not so much this time, friends. The sequence captured in these photos didn’t quite work out the way I needed it to, but I…
How To Create the Texture and Movement of Water with Resin Sculptures
In 2015 I was commissioned to create 5 sculptures riffing off of the themes in Henri Matisse’s painting “La Danse.” I knew I wanted to represent moving water in my interpretation, and the months that ensued between being commissioned and delivering the sculptures were filled with a maddening course of experimentation with materials, resin casting,…
How to Clean and Deodorize Vintage Luggage
Since moving into the urban equivalent of a tiny house, I’ve learned to be very, very creative with storage. One of the ways I keep my art supplies handy but neatly organized is by using vintage luggage- especially train cases. Train cases make perfect storage for illustration markers, artists paint storage, and place to tuck away…