Archive for October, 2009
Burning Question: Sharing Is Caring?
This week we got to wondering how often you share with your spouse, specifically the bathroom. Do you guys use the same one? Not at the same time of course. And if so, do you have a double sink situation or are you sharing one mirror and one vanity like us?
Are you fancy enough to each have a designated bathroom so you never cross paths while you’re washing up? We’ve heard some say it’s the secret to a happy marriage, so tell us what you’re working with.
And speaking of bathrooms, check out how we injected some subtle style to our guest bathroom in just a few hours with $4 of paint.
Image courtesy of HGTV.com
Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Us
1. A few months before starting this blog we had never painted brick, ripped up a carpet, upholstered a chair, made a headboard, caulked anything, changed out hardware or done pretty much any of the other tutorials we’ve since figured out and shared on our How To page (we’re true believers in learning as you go).
2. Our license plate says “Burgrr” (custom plates are only $10 here so we couldn’t resist).
3. John’s middle name is Freeman in honor of his grandfather (his first name honors his other grandfather named John).
4. My first name is actually not Sherry, it’s Sherry-Beth (my mom thinks it flows like Elizabeth, but it doesn’t- in fact it pretty much ruined my life growing up so I quickly adopted Sherry to avoid the Bobby-Joe-Becky-Sue country bumpkin comparison).
5. The irony of my good ol’ girl name is that my mom’s side of the family is extremely Italian (for example, her name is Diana Teresa DeCesare LaPadula and I have an Uncle Vito, a Grandpa Carmen and a Cousin Dominick) so the odd country/southern reference in my name is totally out of left field (and my brothers and cousins got totally normal monikers: Daniel, David, Adam, Tim, Jennifer).
6. John kissed me first (anyone who knows us is blown away by this because he’s generally the shy one and I’m the loud crazy one).
7. John used to do improv comedy in college and in NYC after he graduated but opted out of that lifestyle after he realized he liked to sleep at night and be awake during the day (thank goodness or I never would have met him working in advertising). Many of his improv acquaintances have gone on to be super famous (he knew Kenneth from 30Rock and a girl named Jenny Slate who’s on SNL this season).
8. I had a tumor in my airway (between my nose and my throat) in middle school. Can you imagine how many times I had to hear “it’s not a tumor”? Thankfully it was benign and two surgeries later I was as good as new. I also had teeth that grew in near the back of my throat and had to be slowly pulled to the front of my mouth through a series of torturous wire tightening exercises (but in hindsight, having a normal smile is totally worth the effort). I always ask my mother what the heck she ate when I was in the womb but she has yet to tell me.
9. John doesn’t drink. Not a drop. He never has, which almost everyone at work quickly learned after a few happy hours with him (he was still the life of the party, just never the one we had to put in a cab at the end of the night). His unwavering willpower and amazing ability never to be “that drunk guy” made him incredibly intriguing and appealing to me… and still has me hooked to this day.
10. John and I tried out for the Amazing Race back when we were friends right on the cusp of dating (our hook was that the race would either ruin any shot at a relationship or bring us together). We didn’t even get a call back, which I now realize is a good thing as my terrible sense of direction and loud mouth would probably have made us a pretty lame team. I still think John could win the entire thing with a better partner though. He’s great at reading maps, having a strong sense of direction and running (three things I don’t do).
So that was a fun little Friday departure. What about you guys? Any strange facts that will blow us away about you, our lovely readers? Anything that we revealed above that totally surprises you? Number 1? Number 9? Number 10? Do tell.
Psst- want more Burger? Just head on over to Hamburger’s House to see how big his head is getting (along with the rest of him).
Last image found here.
Cindy & Katie’s Design Dilemma
Cindy’s daughter Katie’s bedroom is already cool, and she wants to up the ante. Here’s her letter:
I need help with my daughter Katie’s room. She’s a 15 yr old self-confessed band geek and is not a girlie girl (she’ll happily throw on her cowboy work boots with her shorts to go to band practice- no makeup- won’t shop for clothes even when necessary). The door on the left with the mirror in the first pic will be removed & sheetrocked. The door on the right (with the towel over the window) will lead to a walk-in closet. When it comes to style, we like modern, casual, & bold. The things that must stay are the bed and the stuffed animal head on the wall. The sideboard and the tall white chest thingy can go. The green chair can be replaced along with the desk/chair. We also need curtains and maybe some shelving for googaws and doodads and books. When it comes to color, Katie loves the green paint. We were going to paint or stencil a pattern/graphic on the white wall but couldn’t ever find anything we liked and couldn’t decide on a color. She does not like pink or paisley. I bought a couple of cheap giraffe paintings in Africa that I thought I would hang in her room. If you can fit them in, great. Wildlife photography is a hobby of mine so if you could incorporate one of my photos I think Katie would like it. Can’t wait to see what you come up with! – Cindy (& Katie)
Here’s the plan:
And now for the mood board breakdown.
Read the rest of this entry »
Crib Your Enthusiasm Freebie Winner!
We’ll kick off the follow-up to this week’s giveaway from LaJobi Industries with some personal news (which you already know if you follow us on Facebook or Twitter): our new nephew Emanuel Gray arrived at 7:39am yesterday morning, weighing in at a whopping 9lbs 3oz. Mother and baby are both doing well, and we can’t wait for him to come home to his nursery!
Of course, that’s not Emanuel’s nursery shown above. That’s the incredible eco-friendly crib from LaJobi that one of you is about to win (along with an organic crib mattress). So even amidst all of this baby excitement, we had a little pow wow with random.org and picked a winner: Carrie (who, as a kid, used to dream of staying up all night reading books). Congrats! We know a certain newborn who’d probably be very jealous of you right now if he knew how to do more than sleep, eat and put his diaper to good use.
Next week we’re leaving babyland and going back to freebies for grown-ups. But the prize will still be quite touching (yes, that’s a clue)…
Get more info on our freebies at our Giveaway FAQs page. Images courtesy of LaJobi Industries.
Reader Redesign: A Tale Of Teal
When Trish sent us photos of her vibrant living room walls we couldn’t wait to share the amazing before and after pics. Here’s her letter:
Here are a couple of pics of my transformed teal coloured walls for any of your colour-loving readers. We live in a tiny old cottage with tongue-and-groove timber interior walls and our living room needed some cheering up. It’s amazing what some happy colors can do to transform a formerly gloomy room! -Cheers from Trish in Australia
Isn’t Trish’s living room welcoming and smile-inducing? There’s just something about it that makes us hopelessly happy. We love her bold use of such punchy and fabulous colors (like how she spray painted that wicker chair red) and can’t wait to hear what you guys think! We’ve always loved the teal and red color combo- it’s so crisp and Domino-esque. Thanks so much for sending your lovely photos our way Trish. We’re off to enjoy some vegemite in your honor (ever since another Australian reader sent it over I’ve learned that I actually love the stuff!).
Pssst- Don’t forget to drop in on Hamburger’s House to see his new favorite YouTube video (and it doesn’t even have a dog in it…)
