6 Quick Question: Hoard Much?

Relatively speaking, I’m a pretty clutter free creature—especially after watching an episode or two of Buried Alive or Hoarders. In fact, after such viewing, it may be argued that I have the opposite problem in the form of a selective case of home OCD.

Case in point: my refrigerator. 

Clean at all times with three exceptions: a shopping list, invitations that have yet to be written in my day planner at which point they will promptly be tossed in the trash and a framed magnetic photo of my sweet deceased puppy dog Ralph…OH! It’s also critical that all three permissible items are neatly arranged on the side of the fridge not the front. Very important.

Of course I feel sorry for my future children that their macaroni artwork won’t be showcased on the steely doors of my Frigidaire, but I find comfort knowing that surely such neglect will only build character. Besides, if they take after their mother, they’ll find a deep satisfaction in hoarding magazines. Stacks and stacks of magazines.

It recently dawned on me that a serious publication hoarding situation is brewing in my neck of the woods…



You may now be anticipating a come-to-Jesus moment where I admit my hoarding sins and vow to rid my house of every pre-2011 issue…but that’s just silly. We all need a hoarding vice. This is mine, and I know you have one too.

So spill your guts. What are you stashing away in that casa of yours?

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11 Million Dollar Decoupage

For those of you as blatantly obsessed with all things Bravo as I, this post is for you. Bravo’s newest insta-hit, Million Dollar Decorators, profiling killer before & afters for the rich and famous is to die for…or as my watch party buddy in crime Jessica says, decor porn.

An instant favorite of mine, without a single smidge of a doubt, is designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, who upon introduction pronounces his name Maaaaartyn. Not just because he goes by three names and has a unhealthy—and completely relatable—appetite for chaaaawklawt (read: chocolate), but this designer can whip out stunning transformations.

Now that my due praise for the decor lords is said and done…time for the not-so-hearts-and-flowers part of today’s post. I need to discuss the “scenic art” (aka wallpaper mural) he plastered on Daisy Fuentes’s wall on last night’s episode…


…An awesome image. No question. But the entire time I was watching Martyn Lawrence Bullard install Miss Fuentes’s wall(paper) art, I just couldn’t help but think that maybe the original owners of my house had the same inspired thought when they slapped the Gone with the Wind plantation scene on my dining room 50 years ago. Just maybe.

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0 So Right, Yet Sew Wrong

The crafty powerhouse, How About Orange, never ceases to send me into a fit of jealousy over the latest in do-it-yourself inspiration. The recent post on DIY totes was no exception and sent my mind spinning: I have a sewing machine! (That I’ve used exactly 2 times in my adult life). My DIY ADD will definitely allow time to learn to sew AND whip up a perfectly stitched tote or two! (It’s not like I have 343 other partially completed projects in the works)…forget reason. I’ve found that envy is a much stronger source of motivation.

Out of the four DIY tote bags, I clearly fall in love with the most challenging…


I can just picture myself travelling around some fantastically chilly European city this fall with my new companion slung over my shoulder…

…but, let’s be honest here. This project may be a bit more compatible with my sewing skill level…



…Ok, fine. This one may be the only feasible option…

…but I will love every toting second of it.

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0 Just Sold: 6 Dove Circle

Congratulations to Matt & Jackie on the purchase of their first home! These guys have been chomping at the bit to get to work on remodeling their new home, and I can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeve. One young couple juggling work, med school and a home remodel? Love it!

PS…if you missed Jackie’s killer bench rehab, click here. You won’t regret it.

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2 Sneak Peek: Getting Lit

A huge thanks to my pal, Susan, for donating her terribly fabulous light fixture my way to rehab! You know me better than to think that I could keep the before shots all to myself…



Creaky, brassy and bursting with potential, this lovely lady is patiently waiting her turn to join the after party at the Rehabilitation Station.

Thanks to this guy who is currently dangling from the ceiling in my dining room, I’m no stranger to a rehabbed light fixture, but I’m still chomping at the bit to whip up a few ideas for his older sister’s reincarnation. Stay tuned!

  

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2 Reader Redo: Jackie’s Bench

I know it’s wrong to covet, but I’m seriously sick to my stomach that my friend-client Jackie’s latest before & after is not taking up permanent residence in my home…

Hi Cara! I have my own little DIY project to show off! This is the before. A flea market coffee table I found for $17.50…

Now meet the new bench for our guestroom!…

Now do you understand my intense jealously for Jackie’s killer creation? By removing the doors, painting the base and pulling together a super simple DIY cushion, this rehab is a wrap. Amazing job, Jackie!

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3 True Confession: Sand, Paint & Steal

I can’t tell you how excited I become when someone tells me that they read this little blog-o-mine, but when someone tells me that they read my blog AND are starting a furniture rehab project, I lose my mind. Happier than Christmas. 

This past weekend, at my grandfather’s wedding, one of my wonderful cousins and I were chit-chatting about her house when she told me that: #1 she reads my blog (big time hugs followed suit) and #2 she recently bought a coffee table to rehab (holy moly!)...I was on cloud nine that my very own flesh and blood was hopping on the DIY bandwagon—until the most poisonous words trickled out of her mouth—I’m just not so sure I can do it. I nearly keeled over. A family wedding and funeral in the same day just wouldn’t do.

After a little pep talk, my cousin and I parted with high hopes for rehabbing success and detailed instructions that she is to send the before & after pictures my way…but then I started thinking about how many other people have told me that they really want to tackle their own furniture rehab but just don’t know where to start. No worries, friends. I’ll tell you exactly what to do.

True Confession: Sink to my level and turn yourself into a stealing packrat.

You see, very few ideas fall into my lap out of the clear blue sky. When I see a magazine photo of a wall color I just can’t get enough of, I tear out the page and save for later inspiration. Should I fall head over heels in love with a living room I scouted online, I save the image to my laptop. Visiting a friend’s house and find myself green with envy over an end table? I snap a picture on my iPhone.

Don’t believe me? Take a gander at just a few of the knock offs that have worked their way into my Rehabilitation Station…



No excuses. You (and lovely-cousin-who-shall-not-be-named) can do it!…and send before & after pictures my way. You know the rules.

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0 Happy Weekend

Happy Friday, friends! Hope you have something fantastic up your sleeve. Not to leave you too green with envy of my action packed lifestyle but Junie and I have one heck of a DIY gremlin haircut awaiting us this weekend. It's a quarter past time to tackle those luscious locks.

Have a wonderful Father's Day and we'll see you back here on Monday!


Cara

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4 You think too much and no one cares about you…

Today I’m super tied up with the boring real estate hum drum that I love to pieces, but does not an enthralling blog post make. I have no killer before & after or spectacular tidbit of DIY advice. To make matters worse, I (gulp) skipped out on posting yesterday. Please pretend for my own wellbeing that you didn’t notice my absence…sigh…What good am I? A blogger turned bad.

Down on my blogging abilities for sure, it’s time to turn the tables on myself.

You see, I have a wonderful bunch of close friends from all walks of life that I thank the big guy upstairs for every single stinkin’ day of my life, and in return for their spectacular support, I do my very best to be a good friend and lend an ear when needed. At which point I offer the same two pieces of advice to every friend for every problem…

A. You think too much

B. No one cares about you


…before you write me off as a heartless shell of a human being, allow me to explain…


A. You think too much: Basically you think too much. So stop it.

B. No one cares about you: People are wired to think about themselves. Sure, we worry about our friends and help the world when we can, but the plain truth is that no one thinks about us as much as we think about ourselves. No one sits at home and spends hours staring at a picture of you with the worst haircut of your life, nor do they replay a conversation over and over again to judge you for your misuse of the word “pugnacious”.


So today I’m taking my own advice for my epic failure in LTHL blogging history...I am thinking too much and no one cares about me…Good golly, that feels good. Go ahead and send the friend of the year award my way. I’ve clearly earned it.

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0 Just Sold: 1124 Mellon

Congratulations to Clark & Brittany on the purchase of their first home! Not only will this house be the perfect home for you guys during Clark’s medical residency and as Brittany begins her new job, but I’m over the moon to have more friends in my very own neighborhood!

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1 Key(s) to My Home Loving Heart

Weekends are made for the pure satisfaction of scratching around-the-house projects off of to-do lists. It just feels so stinkin’ good to knock out the little items that have been nagging at you for ages. Case in point: cleaning out the junk drawer.

We all have one and, let’s be honest with ourselves, even the neatest of neat freaks needs that one designated spot where it’s alright to be a little junkie. While I’ve not completely fallen off the clutter-free deep end, I am a firm believer that everything has its place. Towels folded neatly in the linen closet. Water glasses to the right of the sink…but still I can appreciate a junk drawer’s ability to conceal the random assortment of items necessary to keep a household in working order: batteries, sticky notes, the pile of 35 house keys the former owners left behind…

35  house keys? It’s true. While most home buyers are lucky if they end up with one set of house keys on closing day—the lord has really blessed you if karma is good enough to leave you a spare—my sweet, darling angel of a previous owner not only left me a spare (or two) but must have rounded up every copy of every key to every lock that she passed out to every person she met in her 104 year-old life before she packed up and got out of dodge.

I could have just kept a hand full for a rainy day, tossed the rest and considered my junk drawer clean-out nearly completed, right? This would be true if there weren’t 7 different exterior locks on my house. 7 different exterior locks all of which require a different key…which were piled unlabeled in my junk drawer.

Let’s do the math…

 

Matching each key to each lock definitely made me feel like I was on a ridiculously addictive beat-the-clock game show, but with no million dollar prize waiting for me at the finish line, I had to settle with a parting gift of a newly color coded set of house keys…complete with rape whistle.

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0 Swimming at my own risk...

Afternoon off and a little fun in the sun. See y'all Monday!

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