Congratulations to Amy Hill and Cindy Friday — the two readers who won a “Love The House You’re In” collage — featuring them and their houses — specially created by collage artist laureate Mel Kolstad. Mel’s been doing a Love The House You’re Inn collage-a-month for the blog. ENTRIES NOW CLOSED. But, we thought we’d take it one step further by getting readers involved. On Tuesday night, I used the random number generator at random.org (I to select the two winners. Their numbers came up! (I did not try to “judge” the comments — everyone’s were great — I selected the winners randomly.) Mel has started working with them on their collages. Thanks to everyone who participated. Your comments — AMAZING! We love our houses, that’s for sure!
Here were the rules:
- Leave a comment below, answering the question, “Why do you love the house you’re in?”
- You must sign up for my weekly newsletter.
- Residents of U.S. and Canada only.
Additional details:
- I’ll pick two winners from among the comments with a random number generator at 8 p.m. on April 19. (I will cross-check that they are newsletter subscribers, and if they are not, I will pick again.)
- If you win, you will send up to three high-resolution images to Mel, she will create your collage and mail it to within a month. The collage is mounted on a 4″x4″ wood tile with a notch for hanging – it’s very cool!
- Pam will confirm with you whether you’d like it featured on the blog or not – your choice.
- If this all goes well, I’ll continue the contest every month.
What do you think? Wanna win? Why do you love the house you’re in?
John Hedge says
I love my home too. It’s a relatively small ranch home from 1958. It’s easy to clean and we put a lot of time into it with upgrades that do keep in with the character and style of the home.
Julie Rogers says
Our 1955 home still has the plaque showing what number it is off of National Home Corp.’s prefabricated line. It was originally identical to 44 other homes in our neighborhood. Now, with so many years gone by, they all look completely different, but they’ll all wonderfully cozy. My home sweet home survived the Chicago area’s only F5 tornado while the newer, allegedly better houses were pretty much dismantled and the neighboring church was leveled. (This brings new meaning to “act of God,” huh?) When my husband and I were looking for a house, we both knew this was the right one when we stepped in the door. Every step we take to try to bring it back to its 1955 glory just exposes more greatness: gorgeous wood floors that were hidden beneath bland carpet, tulip bulbs that were ready to bloom as soon as we unknowingly shifted the soil and notes written in chalk by the original homeowner to remind himself when they’d made changes to the house.
Deb says
Why do I love the home I’m in? After spending last summer fighting a losing battle to save a historic school building, my love for timeworn things truly blossomed. Not long afterward, layoffs cost my husband his longtime job, and he struggled for months to find work nearby. Sadly, there was nothing in the entire region.
Around Thanksgiving, a phone call of opportunity came. The job was in another part of the state, and on a leap of faith, my husband accepted. Not only did we land in a great, friendly town where preservation is cherished, but we fell in love with a sprawling 1962 ranch with original colorful bathrooms, a swanky Frigidaire Flair, and flagstone built-ins (both a fireplace and a planter)!
And so, despite the hardships of 2009, we are blooming in 2010. Three cheers for blue bathtubs, swan doors, and charm! 🙂 Thanks, Pam, for your endless inspiration and joy!
Kersten Falvey says
I love the house I’m in because it was built in 1957 out of Redwood and is provided nature’s air conditioning from beautiful mature maple trees. The front yard is simply terraced down to a quiet winding street that mostly satisfies school children and the occasional neighborhood dog. Because we sit up on a bit of a hill, I can watch my young children walk home from school each day with other neighborhood kids out of 2 large picture windows that marry each other at a corner.
The house is simple, small and understated but the center of the house is occupied by a 2 sided floor to ceiling corner limestone fireplace. (The 3rd side to the fireplace wraps around to the kitchen where the double oven and rotisserie are built right into the stonework.) It’s not a large house, and, truth be told, we could use a little more elbow room, but it is enough. And, as the old english proverb says, “Enough is as good as a feast.” We feel very fortunate to have and love our house!
Sara in WA says
I love my home because my husband has fond memories of hanging out there as a teenager and working around the farm with his friend. He remembered the orange layer of wallpaper in one of the bedrooms. He found an old adult magazine in the woodshed! And he remembers with great fondness the people who owned it. It’s very rustic from the outside and looks like a bigger version of the “Little House on the Prairie” house so people are always curious about what it must look like on the inside. I must admit that I feel like I’m giving people a little gift every time I show someone our house on the inside and they feel special because they got to see it. We had a wedding reception for a family member outside between the house and the barn in August and I ended up giving a “tour” which kept growing. Also, I agreed to buy the place without seeing the inside of the house with the promise that I could do whatever I wanted with it. It looked a little haunted and it was a big leap of faith. (so I feel like the “good wife” who helped make her hubby’s dream come true) I find old bottles and rocks collected over a lifetime around the outside of the house in various places. It’s neat to be a part of the place’s history. However, it is a love/hate relationship. I have to remind myself to “love the house I’m in” on a daily basis. I need that collage! 🙂
Gwenn E says
My husband and I love our 1950 museum… I mean, Cape… it sits cozy on a just big enough lot with lots of flowers and trees, but room for more. Inside, not much has been touched. Original bathroom tile- white walls, mauve oct and dot floors, buzzing fluorescent light above the medicine cabinet. Red oak floors through the rest lovingly maintained by the carpet-loving 50s. A rotary phone on the wall. But most of all, the kitchen. At first, I couldn’t wait to get rid of the raspberry red and light blueish-grey color scheme- grey tiles on the walls, red lino counters with giant cast iron sink and chrome edging, and of course the 2 colors in lino tiles zig zagging across the floor. It’s a color scheme I’d never have thought of, but once we get to updating, I think there will still be some raspberry put back in. And lastly, my husband’s favorite thing: our original Hotpoint stove. Apparently there was less limit on oven temps back then- we can get her up to 500+ easily, which makes killer pizza!
Tera says
My husband and I live in the house we are in because it is cute, has all it’s original 1949 parts and our first kiss happened in the hallway. I looked into the history of this house and the first owner and my husband have the same name. We love vintage and antiques and it’s the best feeling to actually live in a relic from the past.
Pencils says
I love the house I’m in because it’s the first house I’ve owned! My husband and I just bought it in February and we’re going to fix it up and make it ours. It’s a 1951 Cape Cod in the neighborhood I’ve wanted to live in since I was a kid; I used to ride my bike through the area and dream about living there someday. The house needs loads of work, and we’re going to have to do it slowly, but I’m so excited. I never wanted a McMansion–I would have liked one of our village’s big Victorians if we could have afforded it, but ethically I prefer the idea of a smaller house, a smaller footprint on the world. Less energy to heat and cool, even less furniture and other consumer goods to fill it up.
It’s going to be great.
Laura says
I love my 1955 4-level split because of the efficient use of space and for the attention to detail; cupboards for storage of pans, dishtowel rails, windows that are larger in areas that require more light, wide overhangs outside to keep the house cool in the summer, and shoe closets at both the front and back of the house.
Michelle says
I love my 1940 bungalow because it’s unique and quirky — it’s about half-renovated, and even though I can’t afford to do all sorts of crazy awesome things to it, it still impresses people. I love it because it would cost twice as much in any other neighborhood, and my neighborhood is a well-kept secret: an affordable pocket of older homes very close to downtown that is quiet and low-crime, filled with deep yards and mature trees and spilling over with azaleas and gardenias.
I love my enormous kitchen, even with the crooked floors and hairline crack in the ceiling. I love the tree swing in the back yard. I love the view out the front windows of flowering bushes and the original lamppost.