Who doesn’t love a good makeover? Today I’m joining Rhoda’s “Before & After” Blog Party over at Southern Hospitality. We’re supposed to share our favorite Before & Afters of 2008. I narrowed mine down to the Top 5, and here they are (I’m showing the afters–click on the links to see entire articles with more [...]
My friend Cindy over at The Amateur Tightwad told me I had to check out Anna Maria Horner’s amazing kitchen makeover, and I’m so glad she did. Wait until you see what lies beyond those bright blue doors!
Have you heard of Anna Maria Horner yet? If not, you’re in for a treat. Anna Maria is [...]
The Ashmore–the “Aristocrat of Bungalows”–was one of the Sears Honor-Bilt Homes sold through the catalog between 1916 and 1922 for between $1,648 to $3,632. It’s considered one of the rarer models. Rosemary Thornton, who’s a well-known expert on Sears Kit Homes, has been able to identify only three still existing in the United States. (For [...]
Yesterday we talked about the difference a framed mirror can make in a bathroom. Today I’m going to show you the difference it made in one of ours.
This is what my 5-year old daughter Lily’s bathroom looked like when we moved into our house in 2003 (in the days before we had a digital camera, [...]
You know how much I love a good makeover. Well, when I saw what that talented twosome over at Ramblings of a Renovating Couple did with this unremarkable little space in their house, transforming it into a cheery and functional at-home office, I asked if I could show it to you, and they graciously agreed.
Home [...]
“Beauty doesn’t lie in the expenditure of much money, but in the artistic disposition of little.” -The Mothers Magazine, 1917
Here’s an excellent example of how a little time and effort can make a big difference. I don’t have a “before” photo of this small mudroom, but it was filled with trash, covered in dirt and [...]
As promised, I’m now going to tell you how I used those black-and-white pillows that I found at Ikea.
I had an empty corner of my master bathroom underneath the window, so I had added a bench there with a couple of pillows. The seat of the bench opens up, adding handy storage, but the natural [...]
A Beautiful Abode has a great interview with Aja, “the Super Shopper” today that I really enjoyed. I checked out the photos Aja has on Flickr of her 1956 brick ranch, and they included this amazing, you-can’t-believe-it-until-you-see-it, kitchen makeover.
Just take a good, hard look at these “before” photos. Do you see much potential there? I’m [...]
The February ‘08 issue of Domino magazine arrived in my mailbox yesterday, even though I had absolutely no memory of ordering it (I wonder if this is like that disorder where people get up in the middle of the night and eat everything in the fridge in their sleep? Except I’m getting up and ordering more magazines [...]
In 2003, HGTV took a poll to find out which of its shows was most popular with viewers. The overwhelming response? “Trading Spaces.” The problem? It airs on TLC, not HGTV.
That had to hurt. HGTV had actually passed on the series, essentially handing it to TLC. Now “Trading Spaces” was pulling in bigger ratings than [...]
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"Julia, I love the name of your blog but really, you should issue a warning to go along with the name...a girl like me needs to know that I WILL GET HOOKED on Hooked on Houses. Your blog is wonderful!" -Pat Layton
