Where do you blog?

Kate over at Centsational Girl is having an impromptu Linky Party asking, “Where Do You Blog?”

I have recently added a little office space to the living room. Once we moved our rooms around a while back, I lost my desk and have been missing it. So I looked around the house searching for spot where I could house an office. I don’t need a whole room for this but just a corner. I felt like the living room was the best option. So once I decided on the space it was time to figure out what kind of desk.

To figure out what size/shape the desk needed to be, I set up a mock table…

So I liked the way the taller piece would work with the sofa. Oh and check out the lamp I scored from my Mom – that used to be my grandparents. I remember it being in their bedroom for YEARS!

So after a few measurements – I’m off to IKEA! Have I said before how much I LOVE the fact we have an IKEA fifteen minutes away – ahhh Life is Good!

So after a little assembly I had a super sleek cool desk!

Now for some accessories and my laptop = instant workspace!

I really like the way it turned out. I’m still in search of a shade for the lamp. But boy oh boy lampshades aren’t that easy to come by! Also still thinking about adding some kind of artwork or bulletin board behind the desk - nice and low. But still on the fence. What do you think?

So that’s the official blog spot – ha! blogspot that was funny. But to keep it real you will most likely find us like this when blogging.

So where do you blog, pay bills, write notes, etc? Go link up with Centsational Girl.

Make the blog “yours”

Do you have blog envy??  I know I do!  I look at these amazing designs and hem and haw about should I pay for someone to make my blog pretty???  I am limited when it comes to graphic designing skills.  I would love to have Photoshop and actually know how to use it!  I’ve looked into taking courses and buying the software but I think I would need a part time job to pay for that!  So I have been searching for tutorials on how to make my own blog pretty for FREE.
I found this great tutorial on making your own header, with software I already had!  Sarah at Clover Lane guest posts on Blissfully Domestic and did a post a while back on using Picasa to make your own header.  YEAH!  Finally!  She completely breaks it down for you – super simple! 
As you may have noticed (if you aren’t reading this in Google reader) that I figured it out a while back and used my own photos to create the header for our blog.  I played around with a couple different ideas…
  





This was before I cropped them and added text.  But the options are limitless!  My mind is spinning with all the different creations I could come up with!!  I worked on one for my good friend Julie for her blog Three Queens and a King.

You have to hop over to her site to see how it all came together!

Along with making a new header I changed the background, text, colors etc.  If you haven’t played with bloggers new layout design, you must!  So many cool background options!! 

I am still wanting to work on the sidebar and figure out how to make the pictures with links so if anyone knows of a good tutorial for that let me know!  But you must go check out Sarah’s tutorial and try it!  And if you don’t have Picasa yet I highly recommend it!  Great tool for editing and sharing your photos as well!

So what do you think of the new design?  Any suggestions?   

Dropping back in…

Earlier this week, we stopped by Rhonda’s and saw the lovely facade of her home. It’s very interesting how similar our homes are: built in 1950’s, Ranch, hardwoods, 3 bedrooms, etc. Her nieces asked her one time, “where are you stairs, Aunt Rhonda?” Cracked me up!

So anyhoo… now we are moving into the Master Bedroom. This is the only before shot we have – and yes I do think that’s a person under those covers.

And the now…

Isn’t that great! Light - airy – refreshing – tranquil. Love it!

Check out that amazing mirror she made! She found the project on Remodelaholic and they found it from Straight Stitches. Whoever it came from it’s awesome – A LOT of work Rhonda says but totally worth it!!

I love her collage of artwork. And the addition of the antique dresser in the space is such a nice touch. Adds sweet character! I also want to point out how she used the drapery panels behind her headboard. This serves multiple purposes. There is a window back there but it’s in an awkward location that doesn’t allow you to center the bed on the wall – but she cleverly made the rod longer and used the panels to her advantage! Adding softness and height to the focal point in the room – nice work!

And you must see the before on the dresser she re –did for this room as well. She still wants to add a little more drama to this piece – some glass knobs and maybe a little decoupage here or there.

I have to say I love the clean lines of what she’s got going on now. But she’s got a vision and I look forward to seeing how it turns out! I’m sure she’ll share it with us when she’s done.

I can’t wait for the next installment of Dropping In with Rhonda!

Our first “Drop In”

You may remember that I mentioned back in the January that I wanted to start showing you some of my talented friends and families’ homes.  I have gotten a few of them to say “yes” and now it’s time to start sharing!

Our first “Drop In” is with my dear friend Rhonda.  She has taken her home from bachelor pad to amazing coziness!  It’s going to take a few posts to share with you all the goodness at her casa.  We’re going to start where it would only make sense…  the exterior. 

Before:

And the amazing After:

 

I know, right?!?!?!  You can’t even imagine that this is the same house, can you?  Painting the brick and the siding the same color made the facade one cohesive unit. 

Do you need to see a side by side to really appreciate all the work they’ve done?  I thought so.

They’ve added new windows, painted the entire exterior, labored over the landscaping, and more!  And boy does it show!!  I can’t wait to show the inside off!  You’re going to love it!

Our firecracker…

The summertime is always a busy time for us for birthdays.  My cousin is a fire-cracker baby born on July 4th.  We had a great family party for her earlier in July with all kinds of yummy fixin’s. 

So for her present this year I wanted to do something a little different.  SO instead of getting her “things” – we went for an “experience” instead. This past weekend we headed up to Conover NC (between Statesville & Hickory) to Rock Barn Spa.  The cool thing about this spa is the “pool” you have access to for the full day of your service.  When they say pool – really they mean 5 different water features plus the sauna and steam room.  They have a regular pool with mineral and salt water, then an indoor hot tub, a cold water plunge pool (@ 65 degrees!), a waterfall pool and an outdoor hot tub.  Needless to say we were a bit pruney from all the water time. 

     

For our services, we had a Bamboo Body Polish and Zen Garden Stone Massage.  The body polish was something I hadn’t tried before and oh my I will be doing this again!  They start with an exfoliating soapy rub down and then they have this amazing shower head sorta thing that pulses warm water all over – can you say A-MA-ZING!  It really was like all the cares of the world were just running away with the water.  The Zen Garden massage was with hot stones.  A cool experience.  That’s actually inaccurate – it’s a HOT experience!  Those stones can get hot but the way she moves them over your skin mixed in with the lotion it’s a very soothing massage! 

Doesn’t she look completely relaxed!?!?

We couldn’t have had a better time – well we could have had more treatments which would have been lovely… but seriously it was a great day to spend together!  Surprise – surprise I’m ready to do it again!!

Where’s your favorite spa?  Are there any specific services we need to try?  I want to be more adventurous but then I get stuck going back to the ol’ Swedish massage – help stretch my imagination.

It’s the little things…

John & Sherry over at YHL pointed out a few things in their home that make them happy – so it got me to thinkin’ what around our house makes us happy?? So here’s what comes to mind…
1. Our den:
This is definitely the most used space in our home. This actually used to be our Master Bedroom. My good friend Julie said – “hey why don’t you use this space for your den?” Eureka! I love having two living spaces – it really makes our small ranch home feel bigger.
The Pantry:

In older homes you don’t get those snazzy closet pantries that are in the newer homes. So I decided I would make my own pantry! Our mudroom is right off the kitchen so I turned half of our Cookbook Bookshelf into pantry space. Adding in cool containers from yard sales, IKEA, etc really makes this space cute & functional! But the real bonus is the additional cabinetry space in the kitchen that this frees up! And it’s super easy to take a quick inventory of what we need at the grocery store.
3. Dressing Table

Paula Deen once said - “you’re either a sit-down or stand-up get ready girl.” (She really did say that on CMT Cribs – promise!) Well I’m like Paula and I like to sit down while I get ready. This dressing table was in my room through high school and I used it getting ready for all my hot dates with Joe everyday. Ever since I had often wanted the dressing table back but hadn’t followed through with the idea. But for Christmas last year my Mom surprised me with having it re-finished and brought back to beautiful condition from all the caked on hairspray. (thanks MOM!)
4. Family Photo Gallery

I love family photos, especially some fun old ones mixed in! Our small hallway is a great space to highlight these photos. It’s a little unconventional with black walls but I love the high contrast with the photos. It really makes them stand out! Add a little personal touch with writing right on the wall and it really says home to me!

5. Front Porch

I really do love our front porch. It’s perfect for morning coffee and a good book or dining al fresco. And it’s the best spot for watching a rain storm. I’ve done some little changes out there that I have to share with you soon!!

So what around your house makes you happy? I think so often we can take for granted the wonderful touches of our homes since we are there everyday. There’s always time for a little gratitude! Share yours with us!