Hi, I’m Brittany Bailey (aka Pretty Handy Girl).
I am a licensed general contractor, artist, graphic designer, web designer, photographer, and lover of doing everything myself. I’m also a night owl who likes to sleep in on the weekends.
I despise stereotypes and am working hard to break down the stereotype that women aren’t handy. This site is for anyone who wishes they were handy and could make their own repairs, upgrades, or become a true do-it-yourselfer. You’ll find detailed tutorials (about home improvement, home repair, decor, craft, and sewing) to help you over the newbie hump. I’m also taking you along for the ride as I flip and renovate houses for fun.
How the heck did I get to be handy?
I grew up in Northern Virginia, the oldest of three daughters. My parents added onto our home three times during my childhood. During renovations, my mom and dad let me swing hammers and “help” them build. They instilled in me a belief that I could do anything a boy could do — if not better.
In 2001, my husband and I bought our first house in Raleigh, NC. Money was tight, so I learned how to fix things  — one broken toilet at a time. In 2013, a leaky pipe turned into a major kitchen renovation. We fired the contractors and I took over the task of building back our kitchen from bare studs by myself.
Over the years I’ve amassed quite a few power tools. I enjoy the surprised look on faces when I explain that they are actually my power tools and I don’t usually let my husband (affectionately referred to as Pretty Handsome Guy) touch them.
Want to know more about me? Read this post filled with oodles of mundane facts about the girl behind the blog.
A wish to empower
My mantra is that if someone can do it, then there is a 95% chance that I can do it too! Join me as I show you some of the accomplishments and pitfalls of doing it yourself!
I love to hear from my readersÂ
I enjoy answering questions, comments or getting feedback! I love getting random sweet notes in my inbox letting me know if I’ve encouraged you. Please, feel free to send me an email.
Brand Awareness Campaigns
I DO NOT ACCEPT PAYMENT FOR LINKS. I DO NOT ACCEPT GUEST POSTS. I WON’T PUT YOUR LINK ON MY BLOG FOR FREE. Are you still reading? Do you want your product mentioned on my blog? Great! Let me ask you a few questions first. Is it DIY or home-related? Can I write a valuable post or tutorial around your product? Do you have a budget for sponsored posts? If the answer to all of these is YES, feel free to contact my agent:  whileyouwriteagent (at) gmail.com.
You can also find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube!
You May Have Seen My Work In:
Soooo glad to have found you. Love your blog and your tutorials. Thanks for sharing x
Thanks for your comment and for stopping by ;-).
Howdy, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one
and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam remarks?
If so how do you reduce it, any plugin or anything you can recommend?
I get so much lately it’s driving me crazy so any support is very much appreciated.
Audrey, welcome to the world of blogging. Spam in one of the negatives about blogging. I use two plug ins. The first is Akismet which catches most of the spam, but then you have to wade through it and delete it. This is where I like the plug in Block Top Spammers which allows you to block IP addresses. I wrote a little post about WP plugins I like here.
Hi,
Yes, they are bare and I put latex primer on the panels with a 2″ angled brush then took small paint roller and did the whole door, What type of paint should I use over the primer and do I need 2 coats of paint over the primer?
Thanks again.
Typically doors are a semi-gloss paint. I like the Benjamin Moore Impervo because it holds up to a lot of abuse. Also a good reason to paint two coats. Doors get a lot of dings, if there are two coats there is less chance it will show.
Hi, Just happened on this website trying to paint new solid panel interior doors. I primed them with a brush panels first but do I roll the whole thing with primer too or wait til they dry and just roll the paint on? Thank you.
Leta, I’m not sure I understand your question. Are the doors pre-primed or bare wood? If they are pre-primed then you don’t have to prime. If there is any bare wood exposed you will need to prime it or the paint will just soak into the wood.
I’m a single mother and have been living in my home for 20 years and fear has definitely held me back. My house is still the same as when I moved in 20 years ago and I’m sooooooo tired of asking my ex-husband for help. I just replaced my front entry door and it’s black. I love it, but it’s so nice it makes the rest of my house look very old and drab. I was thinking about painting my interior doors and trim black. Do you think that would be too much? Would it be better to paint them white? My glass door has white trim. I just finished painting my son’s room and it took me forever because I was so afraid it wouldn’t be perfect, but I got over it and went for it and it turned out great. Now I’m on a roll 🙂 and would like to take on another project. What do you think – black or white???
Sandra, I think you should paint it the color that you like. But, you can find lots of visual images to look at on Pinterest. Just search for black door and see what pops up ;-).
I have been divorced for about a year and was left with no tools. Can you recommend a list of must have tools and the order in which you would acquire them. Money is tight so learning to do most of the home improvements is pretty important to me.
I too have conquered replacing the entire working of the toilet and with that being done I am considering redoing my concrete slab flooring with bamboo plank flooring. Could you give me some advice, a list of tools, difficulty level and whether or not you think a first time woodworker could do this project.
Debbie, I’m sorry to hear about your divorce, but happy to hear that you are taking on your own projects! My post about the tools I own and what I recommend is in the My Toolbox tab above, or here: https://prettyhandygirl.com/my-toolbox
And regarding the flooring project, I say go for it! Ask around, do your research and make sure you have extra flooring. I haven’t installed floors over concrete yet.
Love your blog! It’s always fun to stumble upon another local blogger!
Mary Ellen
The Working Home Keeper
OMGosh! Thank you soooo much for taking the time to blog the tutorials. It’s nice to be able to double-check that I’m doing a project correctly and/or learn how to do something I never DARED before. . . like beating up my furniture! LOVE IT!!!!
Now, to learn how to use a jig saw. . . . .
Tarja, you are so welcome.
Hi Brittany,
Fantastic Blog! I’ve been thinking about starting a blog myself with all the DIY stuff I do to help other women get over their fear of DIY. When you mentioned that the tools were your and you husband wasn’t allowed to use them I laughed out loud! That’s the same in my house. Guys will be like “hey nice table saw” and I’m like, “no, it’s MY table saw!!!” I grew up with a father who was very talented. He was a home builder, cabinet maker, sculpter, painter and musician…but he never taught us anything. He didn’t want anyone touching his tools. So I guess I inherited this desire to create, improve. Some people think I’m never happy, because I’m always looking for somehting new to do. I have the ability to see in my mind how something should be done. My next big project I want to do is to build a rather large hutch for my foyer with my Kreg Jig. My husband doesn’t want me to do it, he says he doesn’t have the skill. I told him that was fine, because I had confidence in mine! Maybe I’ll document the entire process and start my blog there – not that I have any idea how to start one, but it’s a thought. Thanks for the great job you do. I have done many of the projects you have done. I love the changing out the plug post. It’s amazing what a new plug can do for a room!!
Kathleen
Kathleen, so true on the plugs. Takes a room from the 70’s to 2012 in no time!
Hi Brittany,
I love your blog! You have such great ideas…you really are handy! : ) This may have been posted somewhere on your blog already, but I can’t seem to find it. Do you happen to know the name of the paint your home is painted? I love it… we have about 5 big swatches painted on our house right now and I just can’t decide! I would love to know what color yours is if you still have the name on hand. Thanks!!!
alli
Alli, I emailed you the color formula a while ago. Just following up to make sure you got it ;-).
Hi Brittany,
great blog! I need to create a display for my bottles of olive oils and balsamic vianegar in our new cage at the Borough Market (London) my idea is to have display which looks quite old in whiteish, could you suggest any materials, paint, technique please, is something that you could engange perhaps?
Thanks in advance for your valuable tips
Best
Danilo
Danilo, have you looked at my post where I whitewashed a yard sale chair? https://prettyhandygirl.com/2010/06/make-me-beautiful-painting-step.html
Hi Brittany…I am so glad I found your blog.. My husband and I are updating our living room. We removed old gold wall paper..eww…and painted the walls a pretty shade of blue. Our old, red brick fireplace needs some help..I think I am going to try your method..Looks like fun and inexpensive..I am kind of nervous, as he wanted to put granite down and around, and I am not a granite person, and the house isn’t a granite kind of abode..so, I am sort of in charge of this project. He is usually the leader, as he can to anything, plumbing, drywall, electrical..I am so blessed..We gutted our master bath last year and it’s amazing what that man of mine can do..so I will be referring back to your page, and will probably be throwing some questions at you…Has anyone done this with unpainted red bricks that you know of? Thanks so much..
Elizabeth, I say go for it! You will still need to clean the bricks with TSP and then prime them. I’m sorry for the late reply, hopefully you received my email a while ago.
Wow! I am so glad I found this blog. I am a wife and mother of two rambunctious boys. My husband and I just bought a new home, and I am so excited to finally try some do-it-yourself-projects of my own. I, like Brittany was raised that girls can do almost anything the boys can do and better. My husband thinks I’m nuts and I need this blog to “shut him up.” I can be a do-it-yourselfer! I look forward to this blog helping me create some beautiful projects…….Wish me luck, from your soon to be Texas Handy Girl.
Sanetra,
Welcome and so glad you found the blog. And so nice to meet another handy girl! 😉 You don’t need any luck, just the confidence. Don’t let fear of the unknown hold you back. Remember, “If a Human Being can do it, then there is a 95% chance you can do it too!”
I need to update/fix/paint my home so badly and have little fundage to so! I happened on your Kreg jig post and came to see what you’re all about. This blog is what I have needed for a long time because even though I am a visual/manual/handy person, I have been paralyzed by my perfection gene so rarely start. I’m going to buy a jig and try to just start doing something, anything. I have many of the tools you list because my folks left them to me, so why am I waiting?!