May I Bend Your Ear?
My gracious! It’s been quite the month!
First things first: the ORC is just not happening. There’s still time to get it done, but we have too many projects happening consecutively AND it is Maycemeber — if you have kids in school, you know what THAT means! So, the laundry room is partially done and is very much on hold.
Yes, I’m loving having countertop in my entryway, thanks for asking!
But what am I doing?
Well, let’s talk about it!
To begin, we are just a few weeks away from the one-year anniversary of the Wildlife Garden project, and I am taking stock of this big project with all kinds of content coming including plant lists, planting instructions, and a whole lot more! So stay tuned!
Additionally, we are getting ready for a HUGE backyard project — the last piece in our master plan. I’ll be unrolling this on Instagram, so be sure you’re following me there for all of the details!
And then there’s all of the busyness of gardening in May! That’s one of the things about gardening in Colorado — there is a lot of hurry-up-and-wait-now- GO! With late spring snowstorms and freezes, it feels like May is an absolute avalanche of gardening work!
So there we are!
Wondering where to find me? Here’s the breakdown:
Instagram:
Stories: daily project updates
Reels & Posts: a few times per week, bigger project updates and lots of gardening education
Highlights: plant and product recommendations, project updates collected in one place
YouTube: I am hanging out here a lot more of late!
Longform Videos: monthly Gardening Checklists, gardening education, big project recaps
Shortform Videos: a few times per week, bigger project updates and lots of gardening education
Blog and Website: you are HERE!
Pages: big project recaps, how-to projects, reviews, and idea lists; use the search and the top navigation to find all kinds of goodies!
Blog: monthly updates with links to new content
ORC blog: weekly updates when a project is underway
As always, I welcome questions and queries, and I’m so thankful for your ongoing love and support! Happy spring!!
Love,
Angela
That's a Wrap!
Two Mid Modern bathroom renovations — finally done!
We have had one bathroom or another under construction for 19 months, and it is DONE! And so ends another One Room Challenge. Check out both rooms here!
The Primary Bathroom:
And here’s the Guest Bathroom:
Two bathrooms with lots of color and fun! Enjoy!
Cheers!
Angela
Fall 2019 ORC: My Favorite Rooms
My favorite rooms from the Fall 2019 One Room Challenge participants
Almost 300 people participated in the Fall 2019 One Room Challenge, and I have read alllllll of the posts. That’s 220 bloggers, 58 Instagrammers, and the 20 Featured Designers. And if you think about it, that’s 298 rooms around the world that have been completely transformed. Astonishing, frankly. As I was reading all of the posts, I posted the following appreciation for all of my fellow ORC’ers:
No matter how big or small the project is — or how big or small your budget may be — doing one room in six weeks is a feat of strength! Most of these people have jobs and families and other obligations. For most of us this is a hobby — and a crazy one at that! But we love our homes, and we want to make our homes more beautiful. This is one great way to do just that!
This little community represents an extraordinary amount of work and ideas and creativity, and I wanted to share some of my favorite projects with you. You’ll note that none of these projects are from Featured Designers. I hoped to shower sunshine on some of the smaller but no less worthy participants in the Fall ORC. I hope this whets your appetite! There are some amazing rooms here!
Bathrooms and Powder Rooms: DIY and Inspiration
Maybe it’s because I have three bathrooms all in need of renovation, but I thought the bathroom category for this ORC was particularly strong. Here are a few of my favorites.
Wallpaper is Back!
I love wallpaper, and I’m so glad to see it making a strong comeback in home decor. There are soooo many options now — self-adhesive, removable, wild patterns, murals, and everything in between. Of course, I used wallpaper in my Workroom Makeover, and I’m glad to see so much variety in the others who used it, too.
ORC Budget Makeovers
Even an unlimited budget doesn’t guarantee great design, but it’s the truly creative projects on tiny budgets that make my heart sing. I’m always working on a small budget, and I get inspiration from clever people who make the most of every penny spent.
Laundry Rooms
I have a laundry room makeover in my future as well, and several people tackled their laundry areas with great results!
Offices and Workspaces
I was watching the office and workspace transformations very closely, and there were several fantastic transformations. Some rooms like mine are workhorses, others are more showcases. But I thought these were particularly lovely.
Kitchens and Dining Rooms
Having gutted two kitchens, I think the people who tackle kitchens for the ORC are more than a little nuts. There is just sooooo much that can go wrong! And there are several kitchens that didn’t make it across the finish line. However, there are a few that did — and they are truly a testament to the power of paint. If your kitchen just needs a facelift — not new cabinets and wiring and plumbing — but paint and hardware and countertops, then it can be done. And here are some fab examples.
Living Spaces
To check out all of the ORC rooms for Fall 2019, click the links: Featured Designers and Guest Participants.
Thanks to Linda of The One Room Challenge for organizing the One Room Challenge! Thanks also to Better Homes and Gardens, the ORC media sponsor. On Instagram, check out #oneroomchallenge and #bhgorc to see all of the amazing room reveals, or visit the One Room Challenge Blog where you’ll find the link-up to all of the participating blogs. There are rooms of every kind, aesthetic, and design. It is an amazing thing to explore and get inspiration!
And just in case you missed it, be sure to check out my Workroom Makeover. I am in love with this room! I hope you love it, too!
Pin it!
Ciao!
Angela
PS: obviously, copyright for the images from other sites belongs to their respective owners. Not me.
ORC Week 6: A Place for Everything
The Big Reveal for the Fall 2019 One Room Challenge: the Workroom Makeover
It’s done! Pop on over to see!
ORC Week 5 Update and More
Happy Halloween! This week has been all about making a Halloween costume which won’t require a coat since we got almost 10” of snow this week! It’s cold but beautiful! So I’ve been making a very warm Harry Potter costume, and Bambino and his dad turned the wand on the lathe. So fun!
The One Room Challenge Week 5 update is live, and it is filled with organizational ideas that could be adapted for any home office, art studio, sewing room, or crafting space. I hope you’ll take a look!
And I know you’ve been worried about my lighting situation! LOL! Well, it is solved, thank heavens! There are more details in the ORC update, but let’s just say… this isn’t what I imagined for the Workroom, but it works very well!
Next week: the big reveal! Lots to do before then, but I’m excited to share that with you next week!
Oh, and Christmas is coming… but let’s get through Halloween first.
Happy Halloween!
XOX
Angela
ORC Week 4: Lighting -- and Problems
Happy Wednesday, Friends! Let me tell you… on Monday I wasn’t sure I’d be able to send you an ORC update of any kind this week. First of all, I spent much of last week getting The Nice List orders shipped out which was fun, but it absorbed a good deal of my week. And this week was to be all about how to light a room like the Workroom. But I am having all kinds of trouble — lights have arrived missing pieces, lampshades have proven to be a bigger challenge… it has just been all kinds of frustrations this week. So I am writing to you in the semi-dark.
More on all of that — and how to properly light a room like this here:
I am shipping off orders for The Nice List each day, and it’s not too late to order your copy! Make your purchase in the shop!
Free Printable Pages!
I am also thrilled to announce the addition of this year’s Christmas printable pages which are free! You’ll find a Menu Planner, a Grocery List, and a planner for Seasonal Favorites — all adorned with Jone Hallmark’s gorgeous illustrations.
These and so many other items are available for your use in the Library. It’s a little bit like Christmas — and it’s not even Halloween, yet! Enjoy!
Have a great week! Please check out the One Room Challenge post! And for daily updates, watch Instagram. Lots more going on there!
Ciao!
Angela
ORC Week 3: Furniture for a Room with Many Faces
An update from Week 3 of the One Room Challenge as well as the arrival of The Nice List 2019!
I now have a 14 foot long desk. Yep. It spans the entire length of my Workroom with places for writing, projects, sewing, gift wrapping, and all kinds of projects. That’s just one of the pieces of furniture I’m discussing this week in my One Room Challenge update! My Workroom has to be a multifunctional room, and as such, it needs furniture that is flexible and functional. I am hoping my crazy-long desk and all of the other choices I am sharing this week fit the bill. Check them out!
Two New Tutorials
I also have two tutorials this week. One will show you how you, too, could have a 14’ long desk. Or perhaps something a little more… reasonable.
The other is a newly acquired skill for me this week: replacing trim on a Mid Century steel desk. Very fun — and very sticky!
The Nice List has Arrived!
It seems impossible, but those aren’t even the biggest bits of news this week! The Nice List arrived, and it is gorgeous!! Thanks to Jone Hallmark for her gorgeous illustrations and to Holly Kennedy for her design work. I am so excited to start shipping these out — and getting them into stores — this week! If you ordered one, it will be headed your way soon. If you haven’t ordered yet, there are still copies available in the store. Grab one before it is too late!
Have a great day!
Ciao!
Angela
ORC Week 2: I Have this Thing with Green
An update on Week 2 of the Fall 2019 One Room Challenge: the Workroom Makeover
Green has been my favorite color for almost as long as I can remember. As a little girl I briefly flirted with pink, but green took over early. Green — the color of Ireland, my eyes, the grass in my grandmother’s back yard, my favorite sweatshirt in college. So I suppose it is natural that my Workroom is green. But it isn’t just the paint on the walls. I am working to make this makeover a green one in every way I can. And the Week 2 One Room Challenge update includes a list of the easy ways I’m working to make this room green in the eco-friendly sense, too.
Not only that, but I have TWO tutorials this week both of which will help you make your Billy bookcases (or other stock bookshelves) look cleaner, more like custom shelves, and just absolutely amazing!
Oh, and did I mention the wallpaper? Yeah, click the link and see all the fun this week…
That’s not the only news this week! Orders of The Nice List will begin shipping early next week! If you haven’t ordered yet, or want to order another copy, you can still place an order, but supplies are limited, so don’t dally!
The wind is howling here, and the temperature is plummeting. It was 77 at about 5 pm. But look what’s coming overnight…
I hope you all are having a great week!
Ciao!
Angela