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.
Amanda says
My “hottest” house project right now is to replace one interior door and to install a cat door of sorts in another. Once that gets done I’d like to install some bathroom cabinets that have been in boxes since before we moved in (4 years ago). We’ll see what actually gets done!
Mary V. Thompson says
HIring a cleaning person, so this mid-century modern rambler in a National Register Historic District will always sparkle!
pam kueber says
sounds great!
Tera says
We wanted our house to have a screen door. It looks like there was once a screen door and I imagined it looked like those vintage doors with scalloped trim around the screen and a louvered lower half. At least that is what I thought would look great on the house as well, it was built in 1949. So we were able to procure a brown, vintage door on Craigslist. It needs to be stripped, repainted, re-screened and installed so we can enjoy the window of mild weather we get in Texas in the spring.
Nina462 says
I love the little kitties in this collage! and the masonary stone work is very nice as well.
My project(s) this year are: a new driveway – but that doesn’t really count as it’s just having a contractor come and retar the current one.
Does staining the back deck count? For sure I am painting the living room and spare bedroom.
and of course putting in a garden & clothesline this summer.
Jenny says
Working on our basement family room. I have the walls painted and am on the last layer of floor paint before we get the room-sized area rug put down. Then it’s a matter of repainting some of the furniture, getting it all moved in and organized. After that, we move on to the next room in the basement which has a built-in bar from 1956 and lots of knotty pine. Patty and Eudora, I guess that must be our “club room” but my love calls it his “man cave”, lol.
Ericka says
Our hot project for the year is replacing the white ceiling tiles in the basement that had to be torn out when we did the full house rewiring last summer. The house is 1950, and the ceiling was probably installed some time between 1950 and 1960. We tore the tiles out ourselves so we didn’t have to pay electricians to do it, so we have a huge bare ceiling. It’s a pretty large finished basement so it’s daunting, and we’ve been putting it off, but this year, hopefully before spring, it will be done! Then we’ll finally be able to paint and decorate the basement’s two big rooms: space age bachelor pad with kitchenette, and parlor/music room. =)
Anna says
My fiance and I bought our 1960 MCM house in November… we swore with the holidays around the corner we would wait until the first of the year to even begin putting our touches on the house. Yeah, that didn’t work out! We have painted five rooms so far and our big project this year will be the kitchen. We are going to leave the floors, the Modern Maid oven, the Nutone fan, etc. but the cabinetry needs a little TLC:) Pam- I posted pics on facebook if you want to take a look… you will love!
pam kueber says
ooooh, i will go take a look right now.
Carrie says
My hottest project is the kitchen…seven months so far, all do it ourselves, I am very ready to have it completed. Don’t worry, have been documenting everything with pictures so will get it to you soon!
Charlotte says
I’m a newbie to the site but am already madly in love with it!
I’ve been hard at work since moving into my 1920s condo last April, making it a 1950s/early ’60s condo. 🙂 The big project for this year is continuing to create a funky but comfy retro kitchen/dining area. I painted the kitchen and dining room a light teal, added a red polka dot rug, and got rid of the ugly lampshades on my vintage chandelier. Now it’s time to add two chairs (possibly bright yellow wood or maybe orange Eames-type shells) around my recently acquired early ’60s dining table. Major renovations are not feasible right now, but I think a smaller fridge and bigger oven will be a big improvement.
Kari says
The Immediate Hot things are fixing a leaky tub faucet (we’re both lazy & clueless, so we’ve just been collecting the water and using it for making coffee, adding it to the brita, and the pet bowls). And, um, taking down Christmas. My dad passed away right after the new year, so we’re the only house on the block that still screams “HEY IT’S CHRISTMAS!”
But my Happy Hot for this year is replacing the cabinet hardware in the kitchen. Getting rid of the fru-fru country brass, and putting in maybe “deco rings” nickel knobs or “saturn” oil-rubbed bronze knobs. And schoolhouse lighting fixtures! Yes, please! Can’t wait to hit “submit” in my shopping cart!
pam kueber says
I’m so sorry to hear about your dad, Kari.
Kari says
Thank you so much, Pam. It’s not a great way to start the year. 🙁
pam kueber says
Your blog is wonderful, Kari. I added it to my blogroll.