Welcome to Locust Street DIY, the home page and go to for my latest undertaking- Locust Street Market. I'm Brittney and I live in Indiana, PA with my husband Alex, our dogs Hazel and Dexter, our troublemaking cat Olive, and whatever foster kitties we find.
Alex and I work together, go to the gym together, play on the same church softball team, and pretty much just hang out all the time. This is great... until it isn't. Which is probably why I got so into crafting, why my projects, my paint brush, and the podcast in my headphones (lookin' at you McElroy Brothers!) became my "me time" and how my craft room became my escape.
Who We Are
Locust Street DIY is the place I come to keep my creativity alive! Recently, as I'm pushing 30 it seems, I have fallen in love with new hobbies and really honed in on the creative, crafty spirit I didn't know I had. I dabbled here and there, but my largest project to date was covering my light switches with scrapbook paper. Nothing noteworthy there. Fast-forward a few years, and now I'm scouring online sales and roadside stands to find my next best creation, and Pinterest has become my best friend. We've converted tables into benches, hutches into bars, and pallets into dog beds. So far, these pieces have filled our home with so much joy as we take great pride in a job well done but our cute 3 story house is running out of room! This is where Locust Street Market comes into play. My vision for 2019 is to take on client projects, making their furniture or home decor dreams come true one old forgotten piece at a time.
What We're About
"There's no such thing as 'away'. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere" - Annie Leonard
I've been a budding hippie at heart for a long time now. Not the long braids and tie dye kind- hey, there's still time- but the kind who just wants to see people do a little better for the environment. If you're not being challenged, what's the point? It's how I've lived most of my life. Getting out of my comfort zone and allowing myself to be present is truly the right thing to do. For me, that means doing my part for Mother Earth.
My generation didn't have it rough. No weird toys most likely laced with lead paint or metal jacks that could probably kill you if you fell on them... but what my generation did have was a whole new world of possibilities open because of plastic. Late 80's/early 90's babies know what I'm talking about. Bright colors and lights, sounds that transport you to being five again, and most of these wonders ended up in the trash. Years later, my toys still sit tucked in the tiny musty closet of my first bedroom as if I'm going to go play with them any minute, only dated by the faded Playskool logo and neon colored barbie clothes. They're waiting to be given to some kids who can enjoy them. I love my parents for this. Partially for them being too sentimental to get rid of them and partially because I know they don't want them in the trash. They too want to see kids picking through the toys which carried inches of dust and memories and are now new again.
Why do I bring this up? It has a lot to do with my hobbies and drives in life. There are a few non-negotiables for me. I will NOT throw something away that can be repurposed, I'll recycle what can't be, and I'll do my very best to not buy things that don't fit into either of those categories. Refinishing furniture is a way for me to repurpose and save items that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Have you seen these pieces? Edges damaged, spindles missing, but enough character to bring a lifetime of stories into your home. They're the ones I fall in love with online or at a yard sale... or in someone's trash pile. "They just don't make things like this anymore" you hear from generations before. And while I'm all for progression and technology, there's just something about muscling an 80 year old hutch down the steep front steps of a home it has served well that gets me giddy.
What You'll Find Here
Along with refinishing furniture, this site will feature the many different types of crafts I've picked up over the years, my new(ish) journey into a meatless lifestyle, weightlifting, home renovations, and ALL THINGS DISNEY, all while introducing a little to no waste lifestyle into our home. I hope this can be a source of inspiration, a sound board for those bad days and projects gone horribly wrong (more on that later), and a bit of comedy as a life taken too seriously is not one for me.
Until next time,
Brittney