what to expect HERE
You dream of bringing your home out of its 90’s rut and want a place to start.
You’re drawn to ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures like a moth to a flame.
You’re looking for home ideas & like to see what other people have done.
then, you’re in the
RIGHT PLACE
In case you missed my intro on the Home page, I’m Gail.
Together with my husband, we’ve cleaned up, organized, re-decorated, re-purposed, thrown out, pondered and/or remodeled every part of our 110-year-old house.
And we’re not done yet (are you ever?).
Finally fixing up my neglected house has been like losing that last 10 pounds. It’s no longer nagging at me, and the view is better.
My goal when I started this journey was to create a space that was organized, pretty and comfortable for us.
That we’ve done, but what surprised me was how much improving our house would improve our lives.
The first time I finished a room and it was exactly the way I wanted it to be – beautiful and with a place for everything, it was nearly a life-changing moment.
I felt like I could breathe again.
And I wanted to share the story behind all that with the world. It was too good not to.
SO HERE I AM.
OUR HOUSE PROJECTS
You’ll find articles here like this:
How I built my 8-foot gallery wall
HOW OUR LIVES IMPROVED
Some of the life improvements that resulted from fixing up our house were tiny, some were game changes. They all made a difference in our daily lives, especially when you lump them all together.
So, for every room/area in my House Tour I added a subtopic that lists all the ways our lives improved with the changes we made. Because pretty is nice but pretty AND functional together are priceless.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
You’ll find articles here like this:
What I Bring
Though I don’t have a formal background in decorating or renovating, I bring some skills to the Love My House Blog table. In particular, I spent 16 years building and managing an award-winning photography studio, where I acquired a lot more marketing, design and technical skills.
I sold the studio in February 2016, took a year off and then launched into our house remodel.
How I spent my time as a professional photographer:
- styling sets
- designing photo sessions
- building studios
- prop shopping
- fixing whatever needed fixing
- learning new things
- managing the overall business, and
- most of all – making my clients feel and look good
‘Cause I love to share, here are some samples of my work from my previous life. Sigh.
Remodeling and decorating a house are not a far leap from all of that.
TRUE Story
What really drove me from there to fixing up my house, though, is this:
It happened during photo shoot at a client’s home years ago.
The family was beautiful, the house was beautiful. I remember looking around as I was photographing and thinking, “I want this.” I wanted a house that I’d love to come home to and be proud to show off.
My house at the time was NONE of those things. But, the feeling never left me and when the opportunity arose to do something about it, well the rest is history.
The Blogging Part
I’m an advocate for social sharing. I don’t think I’ve ever thrown an idea out there that didn’t come back better for it.
This blog is my medium for sharing all that I’ve found and learned.
It’s also my way of giving back and connecting with anyone who may be interested in making their home and life better. So, if you fall into that category, this blog’s for you.
back to YOU
Regardless of where you are in life, I’ll bet you’re a busy person, with a lot going on every.single.day. When you’re super busy, it’s easier than pie to let your house get away from you. I know.
There are lots more urgent things calling for your attention.
- Furniture everywhere was mis-matched
- Some drawers became junk drawers
- A few rooms became junk rooms
- Most of my closets looked like clown cars
- Nothing was organized
- Things were frequently lost or hard to find
My house was not really a welcoming or comfortable place most of the time. And it bothered me, but evidently not enough to fix it.
The problem was (lack of) TIME.
But, here’s the thing…
If someone had shown me how much time I could save and how much better I’d feel by making small improvements in my home, I would have been all over it like white on rice.
And if it were possible to give advice to my younger self, I’d tell her to download this guide I created, just like I’m going to tell you download it. It’s FREE & it’s helpful! Click the button below, just like my younger self would.
Then I’d tell myself to find snippets of time, you don’t need a lot. Pick a SMALL space to work on. Like a shelf in the bathroom, that small.
Then, do this:
1. Use the instructions in the guide to de-clutter and organize that space.
2. Rejoice in that victory.
3. Map out the next step. I promise, you’ll look around and you’ll see it.
That’s how it started for me.
Anyone Can!
I believe that anyone can tackle projects around the house.
Not everything, for sure.
Dom and I don’t do everything. We do quite a bit, though. And, if we can tile a backsplash, pull up 6 layers of floor, install new outlets, create a gallery wall and install a kitchen at our ages (hey, 60/70 is the new 40/50 these days, amiright?), then anything is possible.
Plus, there’s LOTS of help out there.
Heck, a Google or Pinterest search can answer almost any DIY question. We’re proof!
How I Can Help You
By sharing all that we’ve done and learned, I hope to:
- Inspire you to take on a nagging project and
- Provide you with a little help to finish that project, or
- Give you a few ideas in your own quest for a pretty, organized home
Click here to view all our projects.
Please continue to join us in our adventures and we’d love to hear about yours!
