Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Who Inspires You? & Giveaway Winner

I want to announce the winner of the Purse Giveaway! The winner is #32- Charmaine of LicklePickle Blog. Congratualtions!
Send me an email Charmaine and I'll send the purse your way.

I was thinking the other day about how I became the way I am. Meaning that person who sees a piece of forgotten furniture on the side of the road and immediately start thinking about how I can give it a new life, always thinking about how I can improve my home on the lowest budget possible, always trying to figure out how I can make that piece of furniture I see in the store myself instead of buying it.

So I thought I would give a run down of a few of my top influences:

1. Martha Stewart

Ok, what can't this woman do?! I mean, she wakes up in the morning picks eggs for breakfast, feeds her cows and horses, goes antiquing before lunch, whips up some amazing craft in the afternoon, then throws an amazing dinner party she cooked over her woodburning stove using wood she chopped the day before.

Wow, if only I could have half as much talent in my whole body as she does in her little finger! I try to be diverse in my projects like her but will never be on her level. Of course she does have a daughter with a TV show where she makes fun of Martha's old shows, so its a give and take.

2. Decorating Cents

Oh my gosh, do you guys remember this show? I loved it! Making over your house with only $500! Amazing! My favorite part though was the Trash To Treasure segment. I couldn't wait to the end of each episode to see what they came up with this time. Decorating with old shoes, using an old crib as a shelf, it went on and on. And it gave me hope that I wasn't the only one out there that enjoyed turning junk into something special. I was sad to see this show leave HGTV.

3. Design On A Dime



Loved this show too! They had so many great ideas to make over your home on a budget. A lot of their projects required knowledge and skill with tools. This motivated me to learn how to use a jig saw, buy my own drill, ect. (Sometimes this got me into trouble though.) I'm sorry this show isn't on anymore either. I like all the House Hunter shows, but I like design ideas too!

4. Trading Spaces



Ok, not only did this show have great inexpensive design ideas, but they had some serious eye candy as well. (It doesn't hurt is all I'm saying.) I loved Genevieve's Mod style, and Vern's clean, slick architectual vision. There were so many ideas I could implement in my own home. Another thing I loved about this show is that they went all over the country. My friend and I applied but the show was cancled not long after we sent in our application. Sadness!

5. And last but not least- My Mom! Not to be cheesy or anything but she was really understanding of my obsession with roadkill rescue furniture (during high school I think I had up to 8 chairs in my room at one point), or rearranging my room every few months. And she was always willing to take me to my favorite junk stores before I could drive. Thanks mom!

So, who inspires you?

8 comments:

Bonnie@Creative Decorating said...

Decorating Cents was one of my favorites!! I wish they would bring it back again!

Do you remember Room by Room with Shari and Matt??? That was my original inspiration. Then this new gal who is as tall as me showed up from Canada named Candice!!

I got ideas from trading places and design on a dime but they weren't my fancy.

Too much fun remembering all these shows!

Shanny said...

Yes yes yes and yes. I agree with every. single. one of these.

I hate to say it-- but some people do not heart Martha. Say what you will but that lady is super duper crafty. She makes me jealous and enthusiastic all at the same time.
LOL.

clustres said...

Yes, and do you remember Kitty Bartholomew? She was great too and I happened to attend a seminar she did one time. It was great!

Lisa said...

Other bloggers inspire me the most! I get really sick of tv and magazine homes where people have tons of money and everything looks perfect. I love reading blogs because they're REAL and come from normal families with normal lives. What I read on blogs keeps me inspired on a daily basis : )

Allison said...

I agree with Lisa about other bloggers. ESPECIALLY my new neighbor Flannery, who is behind Three Sisterz. Amazing stuff. My mother also inspired me (as cliche as that might sound!)

Mally said...

Yes I agree with Lisa too. The new shows say they spend $1,000 or $2,000 but it seems if you add it all up it would cost way more. Trading Spaces and Design on a Dime seem more real. I loved all the old shows w/Kitty and Joan. When we remodeled our kitchen a friend said "Oh I can't believe you did this on your own." But my husband said, "This is what you get when you watch 80 episodes of Design on a Dime" And he was right.

Shelby said...

I get lots of inspiration (for our future abode...I'm not dumping cash into the hole we're in now, obvs!) from Google Image, ha! I just insert random rooms and design elements (i.e. living room fireplace) and see what pops up!

But like you, my mom is definitely #1 on the list. I remember growing up and seeing the stuff she created and just thinking, "How in the world did she do that/come up with that?"

Funnily enough, I say the same thing looking at most of your stuff too!

Christina said...

Oh no, Decorating Cents and Design on a Dime aren't on anymore?!? Design on a Dime was my absolute favorite. I currently live overseas (husband is in the Navy) and they don't have HGTV in the cable package here. :( We barely just got Food Network!

I just recently found your blog and am SO glad I did!