Tour Through Blogland

Happy Monday!

 

I hope you all had an amazing weekend.  

Mine was filled with friends, family and…I even knocked some things off my never-ending to-do list!

 

Today we are going to be doing a fun little tour of my home and i will be sharing a little about myself and some behind the scenes photos of my blog, my business and my day to day life. 

I want to begin by introducing you to my friend, Caitlin from Desert Domicile. She was kind enough to invite me to participate in this blogging tour.

 

Isn’t she a doll? Check out her site and show her some love ♥

 

 

Here is a little about me for those of you who are new to my blog:

I am a junk-lovin’, dumpster-diving, curb-shopping wife and mom of 3 boys whose passion involves all things Repurposed, upcycled and DIY

I am a decorative painter, cabinet refinisher, furniture refinisher, public speaker and broadcast/media personality.

I host a weekly DIY segment called the Diva of DIY on Kansas City Live, a local morning talk show on a NBC-affiliate station.

Find out more…

 

Here is a look inside my home…it is always a work-in-progress.

This is my kitchen. I painted and distressed all of my cabinetry. I love the lights over my island. They are actually outdoor lights but i like to break the rules.

 

This is the view from my kitchen. To the right is my dining room table. My home is extremely open. There is only one interior wall on the main level.

 

Here is a better picture of my dining room table. You can tell by my table decorations   that i love to layer my treasures. Everything in my home tells a story about who i am and what i love.

 

I just bought this piece while on a trip to Alabama. It was love at first site. When you find one-of-a-kind pieces that move you, buy them on the spot or you may lose the chance.

Here is my favorite wall in my home…it’s my pallet wall. This is the only interior wall on my main level so it needed to make a statement. I accumulated pallet after pallet and let them age outside for months. The colors you see on these boards are natural. All i did was seal the wood. I made the artwork that hangs on the wall and once again, it tells a story.

 

Here is another special project in my home. What makes it extra special is that my husband made it for me for Christmas. It’s made with 8″ x 10″ photos and a vintage window. It says “Lee Boys” and I love it.

 

Here is my bedroom. It is my sanctuary. It is where i recharge after a crazy, chaotic day. I refinished all of the furniture in the room when we moved to give it a fresh, new feel. 

 

Last but not least is my family name and wedding date crested above the door. Once again, it tells a story.

 Thank you for allowing me to share my home with you. I hope you feel like you know more about me and what i love.

Part of the tour includes answering a series of questions so…here we go!

1.) What are you working on right now?

That is such a loaded question! I always have a million projects going on at once. LOL

Here are 3 projects i am currently working on that i am
especially proud of:

Project #1: Restaurant: Impossible

 

I just got back from filming an episode of Restaurant: Impossible in Upstate New York. It is the holiday special and will air close to Christmas.

 

Project #2: Pallet wall in new studio

I just purchased a 2800 sq ft building to house my decorative painting business, my DIY showroom and my film studio. There is a obnoxiously big blue wall in there that is in desperate need of a new look and what better to use to fit my design style???

 

Yep…you guessed it…Pallets.

I have been on the hunt for the perfect pallets for awhile and we finally found them. (Woohoo! Yay! Hallelujah!) 

See, this is no ordinary wall. This is a 26′ wide by 10′ tall wall which will act as the backdrop for my video set. A standard pallet is about 4′ long and a pallet board in typically 3.5″ wide sooo….that is a ton of pallet boards. 

I found these pallets at a place that sells hot tubs. Makes sense right? Hot tubs are big so pallets will be big. These pallets are 8-10′ long. They still have a standard 3.5″ wide pallet board but length will help us dramatically when it comes to laying them out.

Once we get enough pallets accumulated, we will use a sawzall to cut them off the frame instead of trying to pry them off. HINT: Prying off pallet wood does not work…the wood is too brittle plus…I love the look of the nailheads left in the wood.

Project #3: Home & Garden Trendsetter Finalist

Follow this link and choose the DIY Rope Ottoman

 

2.) How does your work differ from others in the genre?

Hmm….I am not sure how to answer this. I just do my own thing. I am a decorative painter/cabinet refinisher by trade. I use a lot of the skills I have acquired in the painting field to transform the treasures I find.

I love all things repurposed, upcycled and DIY. 

3.) Why do you write and create what you do?

I guess you can say I am passionate about junk-rescue. Most of my blog posts and video tutorials are about things I have saved from their unwarranted destiny…the landfill.

I find my topics from: Garage Sales, Thrift Stores, Estate Sales, Craigslist, The ReStore, Curbs and Dumpsters.

4.) How does your writing and creative process work?

I am going to be honest here and tell you that i am not a very good writer. LOL

I do my best work & explanation in front of the camera. That makes me a vlogger, a video-blogger. Most of my content is done through video tutorials.

I have always learned best from watching and that is how i teach.

I film at least one video a week and then provide a detailed supply list to complete the project.

 

 

 

My tour has come to an end and now i would like to pass the torch to two of my friends who also happen to be amazing bloggers:

The first blogger is:

Wendy Batchelder, the founder and voice behind Pretty Well Organized LLC. She is an organization junkie who thrives on creating pretty and organized spaces.

 

 I met Wendy at this year’s Haven Conference. We bonded immediately. It was like we had been separated at birth. LOL  The ironic thing is that i am probably the most unorganized person you will ever meet. Maybe God put her in my life to save me!

 

The second blogger is:

Kadie from 7 alive (all livin’ in a double wide). She writes a great DIY blog…check her out!

Kadie is the first person i met on my way to the Haven Conference. We actually met on the tram at the airport. She had hand sanitizer hooked to purse so needless to say, we had an instant connection. LOL. I asked her if I could have some and we struck up a conversation and found out we were headed to the same place. It was Fate!

 

Thank you again for stopping by to visit. You are always welcome.

See you next time!