Now, on my Google reader, I follow a TON of blogs. What turns me off is when people only post about things you could buy if you wanted to. Do you know what I’m talking about? “Look, here are some lovely clothes and decorative objects grouped by color. They are all out of your price range.” While I’m impressed by the fact that the author found these cool design-y objects I could not come up with if I tried (where do you find this stuff??), that ain’t me. Among the blogs I follow, a few do have moments like that, but those posts do not stick with me. I glance at them, scroll past, and look for something more down-to-earth, chatty, and engaging. Like… the ones I’m going to point out today.

My blog heroes: I’m talking about heavyweights in the interior design blogging world. I know there are bigger ones, magazine-style blogs with various contributors and more content, and other blogs with a widespread reader base that I subscribe to, but none of those speak to and inspire me as consistently as these three do. These are the blogs that I cross my fingers and hope a new post is up when I check my Google reader every morning. The ones I can spend hours browsing in my pajamas on the couch instead of going to bed. Wow, I sound like I’m writing a love letter. And maybe I am.

Below, click on the picture of each site to be taken to it.

Enough blathering. Let’s get to ‘em.

What I love about 7th House of the Left:

• What a great site design! They seem like a fun and interesting couple.
• This house is so classy and the writers seem so fun. You can tell a lot of the house is “in progress” and it makes me eager to see how things turn out. Each room’s color palette is top-notch and I can’t wait to see her incorporating more “pops” of color here and there (which she mentions frequently that they’re working on).  They are currently working on their kitchen (YHL is too–see below) and I find it very interesting what they are choosing that is similar and different from other kitchen rennos I’m seeing online.
• I really like their “his and hers” posts–glimpses into what other people are totally into at the moment is interesting to me.
• They post the least frequently out of the three blogs listed here, but that’s okay because of the posts’ quality.
• They have a top-notch house tour page and their “projects” page allows you to see their floor plan and click room by room to see related posts. LOVE!

What I love about Brooklyn Limestone:

• There are fewer home construction posts on this blog since the renovation she started 5 years ago is finished. She does talk about furniture and accessories, which are interesting to me, but also writes about a wide variety of topics like holidays, travel, and organization.
• The photography is excellent, from up-close shots–she does a ton of holiday-centric paper items, especially halloween, and takes detail shots of everything) to far away, and wide angle shots. (I have to assume she has a wide angle lens to get narrow rooms into one photo).
• She travels a lot… and shares photos with us, which as I said before, are often just breathtaking.
• Her free printables are so much fun! I used the tags she made this year at Christmas and I look to these to get some inspiration for my own paper documents (cards, fun things at work, etc).
• Collaboration with other bloggers–I found this blog around a year ago (I think) from her junk drawer overhaul series… YHL (below) were included and I followed their link on over and have been a fan ever since!
• Her worldly sofa table. I am pretty sure this is what sold me on the blog for good. It is just perfect.

What I love about Young House Love:

• John and Sherry’s writing style makes their personality very clear. Tons of commenters mention it every day–”I feel like I know you and we are friends!”
• Frequency of posts: they post twice each weekday (once on Friday) which keeps us all coming back for more on a regular basis.
• They do a ton of projects, large and small. For example, they are currently redoing their kitchen, but not all posts are kitchen-related, because they simply aren’t going fast enough to give us two updates a day on it (they are moving at light speed considering they are doing it themselves as well as being full-time bloggers). So, interspersed between the big projects are smaller things that anyone can do, whether a homeowner, renter, or other (dorm resident? I don’t know).
• Step by step details. Man. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen somebody explain, with words and picture (instead of video or in person) how to do something–and make it seem so doable and even easy. They have a knack for walking you through a process and making you (well, me) believe that I can do anything as long as I’m patient (paint: “thin and even”) and thorough.

Takeaways:

If this blog wants to grow up and be more like the others (maybe my blog is in middle school and the above are in college?), here are a few things I can learn from their successes and work toward in the future. While it’s not feasible for me to abandon my 40 hour a week job like YHL, I can continue focusing on doing quality projects, getting better at writing step-by-step how-to’s for them, and most importantly taking and using more photos. How pathetic is it that I don’t use a ton of extra photos because it’s such a pain moving them over to the computer from the camera? Lazybones alert. So, here are a few more bullet points just for fun:

• Take more photos and improve their quality
• Do more step by step “How to” posts
• Share budget breakdowns so readers know how cheap/easy something can me
• Continue to link back to old posts for reference
• Try to post frequently, make it a habit and gradually increase frequency

Any tips for my little blog as it grows up?
Or, I know, please leave YOUR favorite blog in the comment section! Pretty please!

I surprised my dude with an especially nice dinner the other night which consisted of garlic-butter tilapia, garlic angelhair, and steamed veggies. Looked pretty on the place, tasted even better.

Now, after having such a great dinner, one must follow it up with an equally great dessert. Cue a last-minute run to the grocery store to get vanilla bean ice cream for affogato.

How to make your own delicious affogato. Easiest thing ever, I swear.

1. Scoop ice cream into bowl or mug.
2. Pour freshly made espresso over ice cream. (We use the Marimba stove-top espresso maker. I suppose you could use drip brewed coffee if that’s what you have–just make it extra strong!)
3. Enjoy.

PS: we used small bowls here but I recommend using mugs because there is usually espresso left over after the ice cream has been eaten, and it is easier to drink out of a mug.

I still can’t believe I got to live an adventure like this. 

Please note that the navigation bar has more things on it! You can see Where I’ve Been or take some travel advice from me as Where to Stay is concerned.

It’s worth pointing out that the La Route Libre posts were made before I really got “into” blogging–that is, using the commonly-expected, more journalistic style that prevails on lifestyle blogs I admire. My travel posts are very much “what I did today” and personal journal in style. On My Friend Staci I have been making steps toward being more organized, topical, interesting and accessible to new readers.

What I am most excited about is being able to share my travel adventures right here instead of blogging at La Route Libre and linking it back up to this one–talk about split personality! Especially with our upcoming Eurotrip this will be the perfect place to talk about “crossover” topics like how Parisian fashion could influence home decor, planning or budgeting for a trip, and, of course posting lots of photos once we get there and back.

Can’t wait! (via)

Paris, je t’aime. 

It will be immensely helpful towards our summer vacation.

It is much too cold to spend too much time outside right now, but our bleak and boring backyard is begging to be spruced up first thing this spring.

I got my #1 inspiration when I saw this heavenly back patio from Prudent Baby.

Click the photo to be taken to Prudent Baby for the whole backyard.

I am crazy about the colors, the different styles of furniture, the textures… everything! 

I’m not delusional–I know that to dream about a yard like this in Kansas isn’t exactly, well, Prudent given the extreme winters, summers, wind, rain, etc. So, if I went in this direction, certain aspects would have to be enjoyed in the spring, summer, and fall, and safely stored in the garage during the winter.

The great thing about patio furniture is that due to its exposure to the elements, it is the perfect opportunity to take previously-loved items, give them a little refurbishment (and some weatherproof coat) and put them in the yard to see how they do. I’m talking picked-up-off-the-side-of-the-road stuff. Take a coffee table, turn it into a bench. Take an end-table, close it in and make a doghouse. Hmmm… not a bad idea! If I get my way and we have new dining chairs sometime in the distant future (that is, after Europe) I bet you know where the current chairs will be destined!

If you said “they’ll go on your new flagstone and grass patio,” you are correct.

I love the idea of flagstone and grass because it doesn’t have to be perfect. The stones just have to be big enough and even enough that chair legs and table legs don’t sink into the grass. The look they lend themselves to is elevated from a plain concrete slab into something more resort-like.

As for the fence, I would like to use wood and wire (wire is cheaper) in a variety of directions and configurations to create “zones.” In the “back forty” I am envisioning a garden zone, a dog zone, a dining zone, a grilling zone, etc. Let me tell you. Growing up in a Southern California tract home community with a low-maintenance strip of grass in the back, I almost can’t get over how HUGE the backyard is here. Big enough for a separate structure, as I’ve mentioned before, but this space could really be a clubhouse, studio, or just “hang out” covered zone.

For more backyard brain dump, make sure to
check out my Out Of Doors Pinboard.