Cha...Cha...Changes

I'll start off by addressing the big pink elephant in the room (although maybe I'm the only one seeing it...).  I'm a bit mortified that not a single soul posted a comment on my call for opinions post last Friday.  I'm secretly hoping that it's because no one ever wants to be the first commenter, but I know I'm delusional.  In reality, that actually answers the questions I asked in my last post just as much as your comments would have.  It tells me that I haven't engaged you on a personal level, so that needs to change. From here on out, I'll be focusing more on content than posting on a certain schedule.  The posting will be sporadic for a few weeks while I figure out the changes.  I'm going to start up a few series posts and probably revive my Pin and Tell series, but lets face it, you aren't invested in me enough to care about the minutia of what I started over the weekend (aside from a few of my friends in real life), you want RESULTS and meatier posts (more content, less filler).  So your silence has spoken volumes.  I hope you'll bear with me through this transition and if it goes according to plan, this blog will be better than ever!

Until then, please enjoy this teaser of my newly painted and stenciled bathroom.

XO~K

Happy Friday!

I've been very reflective lately.  Could be that the onset of Spring always makes me think of new beginnings, but that's too logical.  I'm going to blame the show How I Met Your Mother.  In the episode 2 weeks ago, the guys reflected on their 3 year tradition of watching the Star Wars Trilogy and where their lives have taken them (in sit-com land of course).  So naturally, I'm blaming fictional people for making me think about my life.  Only a little weird I hope.

Part of my reflections have been how I can make this blog more worth reading and more worth writing.  I enjoy  writing here (and I hope you find reading it enjoyable most of the time), but I'll admit, sometimes I'm at a loss of what content to include.  I started this blog a year and a half ago and since then it has evolved to be largely about my adventures as a new homeowner (much to my surprise).    I've been thinking a lot lately about improvements I want to make to this blog and I want you guys to weigh in.

The content has naturally evolved (without much of a gameplan), but the layout and design of the blog hasn't changed one bit.  I look at the layout of other home/design blogs and I have some ideas for layouts to make the content that I already have more accessible.  Although I want to hear your feedback on EVERYTHING, (the good, the bad, and the ugly) I really want your opinions on which posts you like reading.  DIY projects always seem to be a crowd-pleaser, so those are most certainly here to stay (only limited by my 'free' time and how fast I can do them).  What other posts do you like seeing?  Or what would you like to hear more about?  Have you missed my Pin and Tell posts?  Do you want to hear more about my estate sale/tag sale treasure hunts?  I want to know what keeps you coming back!

Comment away!!!

A Punch Bowl and a Vise

One of these things is not like the other. As it turns out, however, no two things have ever said more about my personality than those two.

It was actually my dad's observation.  My parents came up from CT to my sister's again this weekend and I stopped by to pick up a few things from them.  The items that I picked up from my parents were things that were being passed on to me now that I had use for them...

A punch bowl that belonged to my grandmother (to use for B's bridal shower)

And a vise that belonged to my grandfather (for my basement work area)

To over-simplify:  tools + pretty things = happy Karen.

The older I get, the clearer it is how I turned out the way I did.  When my dad told me I could have his extra vise (because don't all dad's have multiple extras of pretty much every tool? or is it just mine?) he also told me he cleaned it up for me and repainted the original logo and details.  To quote an e-mail from him: "I was thinking as I was doing it what a complete waste of time it was and that you are one of the few people who would appreciate the effort.  Besides it was fun."  That's Handy Dad for ya.

I should also point out the stenciled table runner that I used as a backdrop.  Custom hand-made Christmas gift from mom.  (See, she's Handy too!)

And that's why I am who I am.

Any questions?