Update: We have a winner. Stay tuned for a new contest in February. My monthly contest to win a “Love the House You’re In” custom collage will continue this year, with collage artist extraordinaire Mel Kolstad remaining with scissors and vintage ephemera in-hand. Do you realize that Mel’s collages are just 4 inches square? A bit smaller, even, than what you see on your screen. To get us started for January, I asked Mel to make a collage for Susan, who was the winner of my first annual “The Hard Way” award. I love it! Click on through if you want to enter to win our next collage -> .
Meanwhile, Mel explains her journey in crafting Susan’s collage:Susan’s house is wonderful in that it incorporates so many different textures: wood, brick, stone and glass. It was the first time I’d ever “made stones” and I really loved the process. It was also a hoot to feature many of her kitties on the collage as well!
😀
Mel
Thanks, Mel! Read more about her work on her cool blog, Ephemeraology.
Joanne Deschenes says
The big project that my husband and I are planning is to get rid of the living room rug and the kitchen vinyl and either get hard wood or tile.
pam kueber says
hey joanne, know that there can be asbestos in that old vinyl — consult with a pro before removing it so that you know what you are working with
Laura Boynton says
Hmmmmm,
Well, I’ve been systematically erasing my ex-husband one room at a time. The last room to get re-painted (that’s all it needs) is the kitchen. So, I’m dithering over a paint color. . .gold? Maybe?
Missouri Michael says
My hottest house project for this year is unfortunately the same as it was last year, although I actually finished the project last year. I am redoing the bathroom – again. I was so happy once I got it finished, and even though most of it was just paint, I thought it looked pretty good. Unfortuantely, over the summer the beadboard expanded (which it hasn’t done in the 4 other summers I have lived here) and it cracked and split and buckled. Now, I have another mess to clean up. This time, I’m doing away with the bead board. And, I’m getting closer to having the bathroom as it originally was. It was originally pink fixtures with pink tile, pink wall paint, and green linoleum. Now I’m working on the goal of gray tile, gray floor, pink fixtues and pink walls… We’ll see if I manage to get it done, again!
Trouble aka Shane says
Sounds kool, man. I’m getting closer to the home stretch in my BR. It’s gray painted now…prob a black and some other color VCT floor. The fixtures are white but I’m debating on the tile color. I’m throwing in some reclaimed old school knotty pine and built-in shelving w/scalloped edges around the opening. 1954 all day!
Patty says
I want to get new windows for my knotty pine “club room” so I can fully enjoy it. When I moved in, my neighor, an original owner in this 50s neighorhood,, said that’s what this room was called by the builder.
eudora says
Patty, when I lived in Stillwater, OK my ranch came with a set of plans. Mine, too, was called the “club room.” And I camped it up…many cocktails and games enjoyed there.
Nicole says
Our hottest project right now is in progress! We are remodeling our bathroom a rockin’ retro bright avacado green and I am going to hand stencil starbursts throughout. Once that is done…we are in the plans for putting on a new roof, shingles and color to our 1900 bungalow with a 1963 renovation 🙂 I truly love the house I am in and I am determined to win one of these collages before we change the outside of the house a different color! I want to have something special as a memory of how far we have come with our renovation. Happy renovating to all!!
Mel says
That’s so nice of you, Nicole – but if you win you could just send me a photo of your house with the old paint color! I don’t mind! 😀
MbS says
Mel’s small collages are perfect gems…I own three! Together, they make a triptych that channels the cool-llageness of
hybrid tea roses and metal can fumigators
poodles and poodle skirts: bark cloth, truly!
the healing properties of the tincture of rhubarb….
MEL, still lovin’ on my ephemeral gems….
Mel says
Oh MB, you are so sweet. It was an absolute pleasure making those collages for you – and it makes my heart happy to know that you love them! Thank you for making my day! 😀
Puzzy says
Oh, I would love to get my hands on one someday! They sound like real treasures!
Mel says
Thank you so much, Puzzy! What a lovely thing to say. 😀 Best of luck!
Natalie @ Chadwell Chronciles says
We hope to have the kitchen completely remodeled by the early summer. We are currently painting the living room and hope to remodel at least one of the two bathrooms. We hope to be pretty busy this year and finish all the interior items up. We’ll see!
Puzzy says
Our current hot topic is an un-do of the kitchen which was updated around 1969. Although we loved the fact that it was very retro we felt it was more funky than we could live with day to day. So let the un-do (back to 1955) begin!
Trouble aka Shane says
Lol!
Kelly Cornacchia says
Number one on our list is to refinish the wood floors. We have gone back and forth about completely replacing them but have finally decided that these original (to the ’50s) are salvageable. They’ve been poorly redone by past owners but we are committed to restoring them to their former glory.
denise says
I didn’t realize the collages were only 4″ square….wow! that’s small work. I like the kitties in the windows on this one.
My hottest project is to completely declutter….but if we’re talking renovation, then it would be to finish my kitchen. I’m so close and dropped the ball….I’m hoping to pick that ball back up and soon!