Live The Home Life

7 A Little LTHL Dialogue…And a True Confession

>> Thursday, October 7, 2010

Friend/Co-Worker/Random-LTHL-Reader-That-I-Bump-Into-At-Target (my absolute favorite!): Cara! I read your blog all the time and your house is sooooo cute! I wish I was as crafty as you and could make my house look like that.

Me: (Bring on a big blush paired with a happy dance/bear hug) You made my day! Thank you so much, but I have to be honest. It’s not that great.

Friend/Co-Worker/RLRTIBIAT (MAF!): Whatever! It’s adorable. I’m sure you keep it spotless all the time too.

Me: Well, I wouldn’t go that far…

Now, granted, I’ve put a lot of elbow grease into this construction site of mine and think these particular rooms are looking pretty stinkin’

cute…

But maybe you haven’t seen my dirty little secret—I mean, my dirty 12’x18’ secret…

…um, excuse me, Ms Wilkerson. You did not tell us about this project…

You’re right. Probably because this is less than a formalized project and more of what happens when my boredom gets the best of me on a Sunday night BUT the good news, this actually is progress. Let’s revisit the before shots of my den…

The terrible brick fireplace. The oh-so-seventies wood paneling. The hint of Willy Wonka wallpaper sneaking in from the kitchen…my current mess is looking a lot more tolerable now, huh?

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0 eHow: The Triple Holiday Wreath

>> Wednesday, October 6, 2010

More eHow goodness headed your way!…

With fall in full swing, around the house holiday decorations have crept into the forefront of my creative thinking. However, being the thrifty home-lover I am, the thought of shelling out a ton of cash for Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations makes my head spin. So why not kill three birds with one stone and create a berry wreath to weather all three holidays? Not only is this door decor perfectly simple to make, but using berries in warm fall colors will help preserve your pocketbook all season long…click here for entire post & complete wreath how-to!

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2 Reader Redo: Emily’s Killer Creations

>> Tuesday, October 5, 2010

At the risk of sounding redundant (but that’s the beauty of being the boss lady around these parts—I can do what ever my home-loving heart pleases!) I love your emails, so keep ‘em coming! Case in point, Emily’s email I received a while back…

Hi, Cara! I know you show other's before and afters—do you only feature pieces that you have seen on other blogs and like or do you also feature pieces that people have e-mailed you about. LOVE your blog and all the links you post too. Thanks so much!

No, my dear friend, thank you!—

Let’s get a little mushy for a moment as I remind all of my LTHL friends how much I adore you for stopping in to see me. If no one bothered to read, there would be no point in me typing away on my laptop each day. Ok fine. Let’s be honest, I’d probably still show up, but a party for one becomes a little sad after a while, so THANK YOU!

Now, back to Emily’s email and the answers to her questions: yes and yes! I love to pull before & afters from all corners of the blog-o-sphere, but what really gets my creative juices flowing is when a furniture flip is waiting for me in the form of an email from one of my fabulous LTHL readers. So, bring ‘em on sister!

Now for Emily’s amazing stockpile of before and after shots…

Genus, right? Great job, Emily! Be sure to send more before & after shots my way as you tackle new projects.

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5 LTHL House Tour: Living Room Revisit

>> Monday, October 4, 2010

This weekend while working around the house, I realized it’s been far too long since I brought you up to speed on my living room. It’s changed a bit over the past few months and around these parts, I like to make sure that my LTHL friends are kept in the loop.

And—just for Monday morning kicks—let’s revisit the before shot of my living room from a few months ago. Remember this frightening scene?…

If that’s not enough to scare the Halloween socks right off your feet, I don’t know what is. Bring on the pretty!…

Check back later this week and we’ll discuss the details of this room, like how I scrounged up the pair of fabulous black tables for under $50!

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4 A Little LTHL Dialogue

>> Saturday, October 2, 2010

More from my Granimal…

Gran: Cara! Let’s go to lunch today. I’ll let you take me.

Cara: Ok, where do you want to go?

Gran: You’re taking me out, so you pick.

Cara: I want something kind of healthy.

Soup & salad sound good?

I feel like I’ve put on a few pounds.

(Obviously I was fishing for the expected grandmotherly comment about how great you look regardless of how many potato chips and tubs of ice cream you’ve gobbled down over the past few weeks…)

Gran: That’s a great idea. We don’t want you turning into a big fatty.

Oh, Gran. Always keepin it real.

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3 eHow: Furniture Flipping

>> Friday, October 1, 2010

Furniture Flipping Friday? Nothing beats it! Head over to eHow to check out my latest post overflowing with tips for selecting the perfect piece of furniture to restore…

When it comes to furniture shopping there are a few odd birds (like me) who can rarely stomach the thought of buying brand-new. Armed with a few helpful furniture scavenging tips, the money to be saved in furniture flipping - not to mention the unbeatable 'I did it!' moment - is well worth the effort.

Know where to look...

Thrift and junk stores are always popular (and cost-effective) options, as are yard and estate sales, but don't underestimate the power of friends and family…click here for entire post!

1 Feeling the Love: September Recap

September is over! We are all shocked by how quickly the back-to-school month breezed passed us this year, but I’m pumped! October 1 officially kicks off the holiday season in my book. Who isn’t super stoked for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Veterans Day?…I’m completely onboard and plan to spend the weekend busting out the fall decorations.

Hope you guys all have a fantastic Friday as I recap on all of the fun had in this September filled with friends, football, real estate and of course an assortment of DIY projects…