Love DIY? Then you should get to know Amber

At Brick-Anew we love blogs, and we love bloggers, too! That’s why we particularly enjoy getting to know some of the bloggers behind our favorites.

Today we’re sharing a Q and A post we just completed with blogger Amber Stidham, the creative genius behind LOVEofDIY.com. In addition to being an accomplished DIY afficianado, Amber is also a graphic designer and artist (not to mention a wife and mom).

Here’s Amber’s story:

BA: Where did you get the idea for LOVE of DIY—what triggered your desire to create the blog and share your world?

LOVEofDIY: I love design and creating design concepts.

My best friend Meg has a well-established food blog name Beard and Bonnet. She encouraged me to start documenting the projects I do by taking pictures, so that the projects can be shared on my own blog.

Image source: LOVEofDIY.com
Amber working on new art.

Image source: LOVEofDIY.com Some of Amber’s work on display.

BA: What makes you so passionate about creating, finding new projects?

LOVEofDIY: Being an artist, I find that it helps me to do different creative projects rather than just creating art. I am a mixed media artist, so combining mediums is something I am very comfortable with.

BA: How do you go about choosing projects for yourself? What makes a project exciting for you?

LOVEofDIY: I love to repurpose things instead of throwing them out if I can help it. Most of my projects are reclaiming an object I already have. My friend Marci has started bringing me items she does not need anymore. I love the challenge of thinking up new uses for those items. Wither its glass jars or tins they can serve as something they were not initially made for.

BA: A lot of our readers are looking for ways to make their fireplace stand out in a room redesign or update. How would you approach a redesign or design challenge in a room with a fireplace? Have you ever found any exciting or unique items, or created anything that would fit well above a mantel?

LOVEofDIY: I have an old home that has an out of commission fire place in the living room. It was black when I move with a white mantel and the fire place was open.

Right away I painted the mantel and bricks a medium warm gray. I closed in the open fire place with an antique tin square I found at my favorite local antique/oddity store, Born Again Antiques.

Image source: LOVEofDIY.com
“After” Amber updated her fireplace.

BA: In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing someone when starting a home project or update, or DIY project?

LOVEofDIY: Where to start and if they should try to DIY it or pay someone to do.

BA: What are your best tips and advice for people who want to tackle a DIY, home reno, crafts, or home decor project on their own?

LOVEofDIY: If you have no experience with the type of project you want to tackle you should definitely research and test your materials. Even better, find someone who can guide you through the project with their experience.

Image source: LOVEofDIY.com
“Before” Amber installed her new kitchen floor.

Image source: LOVEofDIY.com Amber installing her new kitchen floor.

Image source: LOVEofDIY.com
“After” Amber installed her new kitchen floor.

BA: What is the most frequently asked question you get from your audience?

LOVEofDIY: They ask how I come up with the projects. I think creative thinkers forget that someone who is not a concept design type of person will not necessarily just know how to do something that may come easily us.

BA: What is the #1 question your clients, readers, viewers, followers, fans should be asking you?

LOVEofDIY: Maybe how they can use a technique I share in one project for a different type of project or purpose. That would make for an interesting feedback answer.

BA: What’s the most unexpected thing you’ve learned along the way?

LOVEofDIY: It is never as easy as you think it will be! EVER!!!! It takes so long to gather the materials, document, take pictures of the stages, design the post, share on social media and repost to Hometalk (not to mention all the technical website up keep). I always feel there could be more explanation or maybe I over explained.

BA: Which item that you’ve found, restored, repurposed or created resonates most with you, and why?
LOVEofDIY: I really enjoyed the floral arrangement posts I did last. Getting to get out of the house and see what is happening in my own backyard is really inspiring to me. Even more cool, is getting to use greenery or flowers from my yard to make an arrangement or garland. Gives me a good feeling to know It came from my yard and not a store.

Image source: LOVEofDIY.com
Antler arrangement

BA: Which types of projects do you find the most challenging? Which have made you think twice about doing them after you had started?

LOVEofDIY: I have yet to post an entry on lotion making (except the lotion bars which are not as difficult), mainly because I could only get my first batch to take. I never blog about anything I have not done several times before. I guess feel a responsibility to give viewer a good experience. I would hate for them to spend the money that did on all those batches of lotion. We won’t even go there!

Image source: LOVEofDIY.com
Amber’s lotion bar project.

We hope you enjoyed today’s visit with Amber! For more DIY inspiration and creative ideas, check out her blog for yourselves, at LOVEofDIY.com. We highly recommend it!