Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday!  I’ve decided that until November (due to circumstances at work, etc.) I will not be posting on Mondays.  There’s just no time to get a decent post together and I’d rather skip a day than waste it on trivia or rambling. 

That’s what the rest of the week is for after all.

So this first post is a review of some new sites I have discovered.  I am not, by any stretch, the go-to for many topics but I can usually direct you to a good source.  Like Google.  Only less wealthy and all up in your business. 
First up is All Things Heart and Home.  The hostess, Robin, has done a lovely job with a mixture of DIY, recipes, and entertaining ideas.  One of my favorite things about her site is that none of it looks so difficult you couldn’t handle it, and it’s full of pretty unique design ideas - Like the wooden range vent hood.  One of the pieces I currently am enjoying is her curation of 2015 Behr Color Trends – love getting an early scoop on things!

Next on the docket is 11 Magnolia Lane.  While these ladies are brilliant with their entertaining, recipe and organizational posts, their DIY posts are among my favorite.  It’s written in a real and relatable tone.  Sometimes there are things in the DIY realm I want to try but am afraid to do, and they do it for me then tell me all the trepidation they felt and how it really turned out.  There aren’t always perfect projects, and I appreciate that.  Right now, I’m looking at an older post (several in fact) on how to paint fabric because I can’treupholster, but I can paint.  Check it out!
Farm Fresh Vintage Finds is Beth’s baby.  I admire her because she and her husband bought a dilapidated farmhouse (her words!) and have been making it into something stunning.  Her work really inspires my architectural salvage gears and makes me want to take all the old and make them new.  Her blog is sprinkled with tips and stories about farm life.  One of the things I really enjoy about her blog is her link parties and curated posts.  Everyone does them, they aren’t unique to this blog, but I’ve found hers to be more useful than many and the link parties go to blogs I haven’t ever heard of, thus expanding my range of connectivity.

Speaking of which, as an avid fan of Houzz.com – you know I can appreciate a well put together design and décor site.  What about a site that takes that one step further with gardening, home maintenance and repairs, repurposing and upcycling, cleaning and organization tips?  Thank you Hometalk.com.  I originally found this through Farm Fresh Vintage and it’s a great find!
The last site of my quick review is called Made2Style.  Cindy is a woman after my own heart.  (I think we even picked the same outdoor lighting fixtures!)  Her realistic (and affordable) ideas come from that creative “work with what we have” place.  For all that we have a large house and can do “more” with it, that’s still my attitude most of the time.  Her posting is about once per week, but the projects are ones anyone can do at home the same day for great results without breaking the budget.  Right now I’m latched on to one of her older posts on how to turn the crappy plastic blinds into gorgeous roman shades!

Now, just so we're clear - none of these people know me nor I them.  In fact, they have no idea I'm reviewing their sites.  No payment or anything is being exchanged.  These are honestly cool sites I've found that I enjoy.

Now, on to the next thing...

We've all been on Etsy, but I didn't know I could find gemstones there.  I won't admit how much time I spent perusing various sites looking at gorgeous gems.  (Or how much I may have spent, allegedly...)  But I will tell you to start checking out Etsy for those things you wouldn't expect to find there.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

Additionally, One King's Lane has gotten some recent dinero from me because they have some really cool stuff on sale right now.  I advise checking them out.

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