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About

Hello, I’m Kati


Welcome to our house. It’s a little crazy with 2 small kids, a dog, a parakeet, a project in progress in every room, and something cooking in the kitchen, but it’s home.

This is my story of our fun, and a little crazy, DIY life. Join us as we DIY our way to a beautiful home on a budget!

Kati from Houseful of Handmade

I have a disease I like to refer to as the “I can make that” disease. When I see something I like, I instantly start figuring out how I can create it.

I have a measuring tape on my key chain and a sketchbook in my purse so I can document my inspiration wherever it happens.

I’ve always been a creative person, my mother was that creative mother before the internet and Pinterest. We always had handmade Halloween costumes, green pancakes for St. Patrick’s Day, and a month of activities leading up to Christmas.

I remember one year my mom got a jig saw for Mother’s Day, I didn’t know that wasn’t normal. Now I realize how she influenced my creativity so much.


I also have a love of cooking, and try to do it mostly from scratch. I desperately wanted to raise my kids with heathy eating habits and a love of new foods so I try to serve a home cooked meal almost every night of the week.

Of course, life happens and we get pizza or Chick-Fil-A, but my kids also love to eat zucchini noodles with pesto and kale salads so I consider that a win.

Learn how to make the best whole wheat pie crust ever! Tons of great tips and tricks so you can make the best pies for your Thanksgiving gathering. | HousefulofHandmade.com

My creative journey started in high school where I discovered a love for watercolor painting. Then I went to school for Fashion Design and fell in love with pattern making and fashion sketching. I was a seasoned seamstress because of the years I spent in 4H and learning to sew from, you guessed it, mom!

My love of fashion took me into retail where I spent years as a Regional Manager for a clothing company. I did enjoy my job, but I was spending my time managing not creating.

When we started our family, we made it a goal to work towards me being a stay-at-home mom and the summer before my little girl turned 2, we were able to take the plunge.

Now that I had “all that free time” being at home with the kids (believe me, I knew I wouldn’t have free time but everyone else must have thought I would be watching General Hospital and eating bonbons while the kids sat nicely reading books in my clean house because they kept asking what I had planned to fill up my days after I quit), I was able to start working on the things I so desperately wanted to do (like the remodel that was taking a decade to complete).

After I quit my job I turned to the internet to fuel my creativity. I had always wanted to learn how to use Illustrator and be able to create digitally, but until recently I was struggling to figure it out.

I took a Creative Live class by Bonnie Christine of Going Home to Roost and she changed by life! After a few hours, I was creating in Illustrator where I’d never been able to before, then after the course was completed, I was so inspired to jump into my creative journey and run head on into what might come next for me. So here I am!


I’M ON A JOURNEY TO FINISH ALL THE PROJECTS IN OUR HOUSE, CONTINUE TO FIND HEALTHIER WAYS FOR OUR FAMILY TO LIVE, AND JUST CREATE SOMETHING!

Join me for this journey, I’m sure there will be lots of fun things to see, some laughs, probably some tears, and a lot of coffee since I seem to be avoiding sleep to get everything done!

This tutorial is brilliant and so easy! Have you every found a printable that you loved but didn't have room on your walls for it? Turn your favorite printable into a decorative pillow with this super easy tutorial so you can fill your house with beauty. | Housefulofhandmade.com

Denise Kirby

Wednesday 15th of November 2023

We found your Dollhouse Barn plans online, so we are building this for our sweet grands! What a cool design! Can you tell me where you purchased your hinges and the mini hook and staple latches?

Kati

Monday 20th of November 2023

I bought them at my local Home Depot in the latches department.

Tina Stuc

Wednesday 12th of April 2023

Hi Kati. My husband and I are just finishing up a pergola build and saw your article on the clear SunTuf roofing on your website. How are you liking it over time? Does it get quite dirty? Is it loud when it rains? We were just about to give up on the idea of a clear roof and shingle the whole thing. You've sparked our interest again. Thanks, Tina

Kati Farrer

Monday 24th of April 2023

Hi Tina, I am glad you liked the article. We have recently moved but absolutely loved the roof and were really sad to see it go. I did collect dust and leaves with changing seasons, but a good rain storm cleaned it off pretty good. We couldn't hear any noise in the house and if you were under it, the noise was pretty mild. It's pretty similar to the skylight we have in our current house. I absolutely would use (and probably will) it again.

RaRA

Saturday 11th of February 2023

Hi Kati, I saw your closet organizer on Kreg’s site and was wondering if you use software to determine drawer size and cut list? If so, which one? I am planning a similar project and SketchUp is so complex. Thanks, Robert

Kati Farrer

Tuesday 14th of February 2023

Hi Robert, I know you don't want to hear this, but SketchUp is what I use. I agree its complex at first, but in my opinion, its worth the effort to learn. Once you get practice, it's very easy to use.

Alex Sal

Wednesday 1st of December 2021

Hi! Looking forward to making the double vanity you did. Question, what size and type of drawer slides did you use? Did you use the Kregg drawer slide jigs? Thanks!

Kati

Monday 20th of December 2021

I used ball bearing drawer slides that were 16" long. I didn't have the drawer slide jig when I built this vanity so I didn't use it, but it is very helpful and I use it on builds now.

Amie walker

Sunday 22nd of August 2021

Quick question, I have a vanity seat that I need to make some legs for it. What kind of wood would be the strongest? It’s either going to be a step stool or a stool for sitting on but I don’t want it very short it’s harder for me to get up off of it. Thanks Amie walker

Kati Farrer

Tuesday 24th of August 2021

The way the legs are built is more important than the hardness of the wood you use.