Hi, I’m Stevie Johnston, your DIY partner!
The phrase, “within these hands”
The words I chose to use as the name for my DIY projects has many meanings for me.
When I was thinking about what would represent creating and inspiring others to do what I had done (learned how to do all my own DIY projects), I was left with these thoughts:
My love for using my hands to build and form things; My love for God; My love for my children; My appreciation for my upbringing; My gratitude for all that I’ve been given; My desire to inspire others to start projects they think they can’t.
What would encapsulate all of that?
This is when I started to think about hands.
Our hands mold, shape, pray, build, love, inspire, and show the marks of their past. In fact, they are a part of the proof Jesus showed his disciples. He used his nail stricken hands to show all that he was in fact Jesus of Nazareth who died on the cross and come back to life from the dead.
My hands show the scars and wrinkles of years of use. I look at them and grin.
They are a reminder that I’m living a life that I can joyfully look back on, with gratitude.
“Within these hands—I’m praising God, raising two kids, and building a lot of DIY projects along the way. Let’s get building!”
About me and my family
My name is Stevie Johnston. I have two beautiful children, Bowen and Quinn, and a loving husband, Brant Johnston. My husband and I met in high school, and then later dated in college - the rest is history.
I’m so thankful for my family. I am grateful they encouraged me to pursue my passion of doing all things DIY.
I am starting a new chapter in my life as a blogger for the pure joy of sharing what I love doing: DIY projects in and around my home.
I love sharing how I take on each project in hopes to inspire others to try it out themselves.
I want to help give you the confidence to tackle projects on your own. You can do this, and I’ll be there to cheer you on.
My Design Background
I went to design school for Communication Design (aka a graphic design degree) at Texas State back in 2010 - 2014.
While I was finishing up my final year in college, I started a chalk typography business, Johnston Typography, in Waco, Texas. I created hand typography mostly for weddings on both a small scale, like welcome signs, and a large scale, like photo backdrops.
After graduating college, I was hired by IBM Design to design enterprise software. I was recruited on a team in the Data and AI organization creating software for data scientists.
Being a part of the team at IBM has been so rewarding, and six years later I still love it.
In 2017, IBM hosted a South by Southwest (SXSW) event, called ‘The Hive’, where I was able to bring back some of my previous training as a chalk typography artist (see image above). This chalk art design was at the entrance of the event and served as both a welcome sign and photo opportunity for guests.
However, spending forty plus hours a week doing work that mostly consist of staring at a screen left me yearning for something more.
I found myself ramping up on house projects after work, starting with repainting some of my furniture. Then I moved to building and installing my own floating shelves and building my larger-than-life peg boards.
Now, I’ve got the bug of doing tons of DIY projects. The feeling of accomplishment after completing each project is so gratifying and somewhat addicting.
How DIY projects saved me
During my maternity leave, having little moments of creating something new with a DIY project was paramount for bringing me back to who I was.
There is nothing greater in this world than having children. I count it as my greatest achievement and my most precious gift from God; however, if your a mother then you know you can get lost in it. Lost In way where you can’t quite find yourself between all the lengthy lists of to-dos and baby schedules.
You can go an entire month or more without ever taking time for yourself. The act of finding, creating and completing home projects was my release, and where my love and passion for it as a hobby was solidified.
Why I love it so
I find so much joy in designing a space. I think about it for days and sometimes weeks, trying to solve the spatial problem of how to create a beautiful space at an affordable price. This is the heart of a DIY-er: “I will make it beautiful, personalized, and all for cheaper than buying it pre-made”. If this resonates with you, you will love my blog on how-to-do amazing DIY projects!
Sometimes, DIY projects end up costing the same as buying it new. However, making it yourself allows you to have complete creative control and that is my jam.
Most of my projects have had affordable prices, which is a plus (saving money makes it even more rewarding). Yet, I’ve had projects accidentally become much more expensive than originally expected, such as my curtains. Don’t worry though, because I’ve already made the mistakes so you won’t have to (more money in your pockets).
I’m a go-getter. I love trying new things, although I’ll admit I wasn’t always this way. It took a lot of small steps to make me into the person who jumps into something new as I do now.
It’s my hope to inspire you to take a few steps here and there to help you see what you CAN do. It’s amazing how empowering it feels to be able to tackle a project on your own.
Don’t be afraid, and don’t feel like you have to expect perfection. You should have seen some of my first projects back in 2013 when I was a newlywed. They were AWFUL, but they were mine, and I was proud of them.
With every project, I had things that I messed up on. I’ve also learned a new skill or tip on how to do things easier or more efficiently and what not to do.
It’s the iterative process that brings us to a better place than we were before. Power tools are your friends, and they are amazing. They are the best investment you’ll ever make - take my word for it. And if you get the basics, you can go a long way with a relatively small investment.
Where we go from here
I am so excited to share the projects I’ve done from the past three years, which marks when we moved into our first home. I would say it was a bit of a cosmetic fixer-upper, but it wasn’t a full-blown wreck. It was a 16-year-old house, so most updates were purely cosmetic.
We still have plans for future renovations, and I can promise you that I’ve got a list of new projects I want to try, so stick with me, and I think you’ll enjoy the ride. With that said, let’s pick up some tools to make your DIY dreams a reality. Throw out the “honey-do list”! You got this. Now it will be “honey, I CAN do list”! Let’s get building!
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