Call for Collaboration

As I mentioned last week, I attended the online blog conference, Alt for Everyone, and now I'm super pumped, motivated, and excited about what I have in store for this blog!  After 7 online classes, 1 virtual meet-up, and an inspiring keynote speech, I couldn't help but end the experience super inspired. Speaking of inspiration, I also recently came across Jess Lively's podcast the Lively Show and I've fallen hard.  First podcast I've ever subscribed to and it has become an awesome way to keep my brain busy while my body paints the seemingly endless pile of doors in the latest flip.  The topics are so varied- blogging, entrepreneur, continuing education, motherhood, etc- that I'm sure everyone could get something out of it!

What does this all mean for this blog?  Inspiration leads to more creative juices flowing and awesome new features planned in the coming months!

The first new feature that you'll see (in a couple weeks) will be "Welcome Home," a house crashing series that will be featured monthly (similar to this past post).  And I need YOUR help!

If you're in the Boston area, are proud of your house and wouldn't mind me stopping by for a little photo shoot, shoot me an e-mail!

I have several other ideas for new features as well, that are still being developed.  I would love love LOVE to collaborate with other bloggers, photographers, creatives and small business owners to come up with some really dynamic features.

Last but not least, I'm opening up my blog to sponsors!  I'll have standard size ads available (250x250) as well as mini ads (120x120) that would be ideal for your etsy shop or to promote your own blog.  I'll be offering ad discounts through August, so contact me for more info.

If you're interested in being part of "Welcome Home," collaborating, sponsoring, or seeing your ad in my sidebar, e-mail me @ karen@yearofserendipity.com

I hope you're as excited as I am for things to come!

Herbaceous

It was a pleasant surprise on Saturday when the predicted rain decided to clear long enough for Hubby and I to get started on this year's garden.  Since the weather was still threatening a downpour while we were at the garden store, we only bought about half of what will end up filling up the garden, but we're off to a good start!  Until we plant a bit more and put down some fresh mulch, the flower beds are nothing to write home about (mid-summer will be a different story- flower explosion and I love it!). My current quandary is the herb garden.  After planting 7 new herbs this weekend, I'm left wondering what I want this baby to look like this year.  Aside from some minor leaf cleanup, all we've done is place the new herbs in last year's set-up.

For the past 2 years, I've had the herb garden planted in pots, 'planted' in the ground (inspired by this) and I've liked the look.  With fresh mulch and flowering peonies on the left, it looked pretty sharp.  But this year I'm itching for something different.  I'm thinking of going vertical.

This vertical garden from Better Homes and Gardens would probably be the easiest.  Hubby loves the idea of smaller pots that can be brought inside in the winter.  I love the idea of making the herb garden into living art.  Win/win!

This lattice garden from Hammers and High Heels might be even simpler, but still clean, classy, and effective.

Naturally, I'm gravitating to the more complicated set-ups:

More complicated, yes, but Curbly spells out all the steps on their How-To.

This one from Ryan Benoit Designs is probably a little too industrial for my own yard, but it makes me swoon nonetheless.  Yes, those are ammunition canisters.

Back to simplicity

This indoor mason jar version is very simple and chic.  For years I couldn't find the original source for this image, even google image search leads me back to pinterest, but a friend was able to locate the designer.  This project, by Suzie Frazier is stunning, don't you think?  I'd need to scale this up for an outside application, but this would be a great idea for easy herb access in your kitchen.

My brain has all of these beautiful examples swirling around in it, and I have a feeling that the application that I decide to attack will be a conglomeration of them all.

Which one is your favorite?

Save

Grover: Week 8

I hope you enjoy these weekly updates as I learn to navigate through the business of flipping houses.  Check out  more about this flip, Grover, or check out posts about our last flip HERE. Every week I'm appalled at how quickly this flip is flying by and how the work isn't... Somewhat by design, though, since we're trying to space out the large expenses until we sell Frankie.  (quick update: still on the market, 2 very interested parties trying to work out numbers currently.  Fingers crossed we hear something positive today!)

On to this week's update!  Better pictures next week, I promise... my good camera got left at home on the day I needed it... this'll just make the after shots look even better, right?

I spent a good portion of my week staring at more blue tile.  This time it was by design.  I still have to scrape thinset from a few more grout lines (ick) before I can grout, but I can't wait to grout!  That'll take the floor up about 5 notches.  I can't say the floor is perfect... which frustrates me a tiny bit, but I did the best job that I humanly could, so it's a floor I'll be proud of!  I'm pretty sure everyone still thinks I'm crazy for installing blue tile in a bathroom I just removed every trace of blue from, but I'm going to make it awesome and totally work.  Trust me!

And speaking of working, check out that functioning, NON BLUE toilet!!!  It's the little things that make flipping rewarding, people.  The vanity is not installed yet, it's just hanging out while I worked out my plan for the walls.  The board and batten dimensions, placement, and materials are all figured out!  Once I grout the floor, the walls should be able to be banged out in a day.

While I stared at floors, the drywallers got busy in the kitchen/dining/living room.  Next step: paint!!

How's that for straight?

You may also remember that I had the contractor move another small wall behind the fridge to allow for a modern-sized fridge- that also got drywall this week.

On the other side of that wall is the smallest bedroom's now smaller closet.  Today the new closet door is getting installed.

Back in paint land (ugh), doors are starting to reach finished.  Check out the hallway!  The closet is the first door with a new door knob too.

Other doors are hanging out in the back bedroom waiting for final coats.

The electrician was also a busy bee this week and swapped out all the switches and outlets in the house with nice, clean, white ones- today: a new electrical panel!  Aren't you excited??...

I'm thinking that next week will be a huge week of progress over here.  I'm hoping at least!  Also... a week from today... Brimfield!!!  It's going to be a good week.