Blogland Tour

 

One of my Haven friends asked me to participate in a blogland tour… if you read other blogs, you know that this is a great way for us to introduce you to other bloggers you will find interesting.
Sadly, Jennifer and I met on our way home from Haven. We were headed to the airport at the same time and chatted non-stop while Corey guided us to & through the airport – we were completely oblivious little travelers as we rehashed our first-ever Haven experience. It turns out we are kindred spirits in many ways! We had a lot in common and I only wish we would have met sooner in the trip! We have stayed connected and continue to cheer each other on from afar.

Jennifer is a blogger at The Striped House. Like us, over the last decade she’s been renovating her ranch house in Omaha, NE into a chic and sophisticated home – think bright whites and creative splashes of color. You must check out her fall table scape here. She also has some fabulous craft tutorials like this reverse herringbone canvas here. She was even featured in Omaha’s Inspired Home magazine… After seeing pictures of her house you’ll wonder why she hasn’t been featured in more mags. She is crazy talented and not to be missed! Please stop by the The Striped House.

This is my first tour so I’ll start by sharing a bit about myself.

Ha, ha… what am I not working on right now? My creative mind jumps around… a lot. First of all, we are renovators. There is always, ALWAYS a DIY project around the house that we are working on. We live in a century-old home that we have slowly been renovating and restyling for the last decade. Right now we have a kitchen that’s been in the middle of a renovation for the last 2 years… Whether it’s something that needs repaired like unstopping a sink or replacing a faucet to bigger projects like painting our kitchen cabinets and installing a tile backsplash, we’ve done it all. We are fearless… and it’s our favorite way to spend time together.

Secondly, we are makers. Today, I spent most of my day finishing up some fall decor for the blog (trying to be ahead of the game this season). My husband and I are also busy handcrafting items to sell at the Holiday Hobnob Market in Danville, IL. We set up a booth at this market in November for two days. Currently, he is making these fabulous soda crate pet food containers while I’m working on smaller projects like painting furniture and getting crafty with maps. Tis’ the season… almost. We are also creating Christmas merchandise like holiday signs and decor (seems crazy to be talking Christmas this early, but it will be here before we know it).

Ultimately, we are always working to discover thrifty treasures at auctions, flea markets and sometimes the dumpster and then restyle them with purpose. We created Robb Restyle to help find new homes for our repurposed goods.

Most of the bloggers that I adore and follow in the home decor genre live in newer homes… While I would LOVE to hang pictures, paint and decorate walls made of drywall instead of plaster and lath, we love the charm of an older home. Newer homes just don’t have the architectural backdrop that you’ll find in a home 60+ years old. Most homes built in the last 40 years don’t recreate the handcrafted woodwork, built-ins, beveled glass, detailed staircases, timeworn hardwood floors and other details that we find appealing in an old house. Unfortunately it also means that we have to find a way to renovate bathrooms that were built when indoor plumbing was a trend or try to retrofit a kitchen with too many windows and doors. It’s a challenge but we wouldn’t want it any other way.

Our century-old home lends the perfect stage for old and thrifty treasures. We love finding ways to decorate in a modern way with things from the past and we have a clever way of using vintage as home furnishings and decor. We also aren’t afraid to mix it up. I painted black and white chevrons on the kick plates of my kitchen stairs and I recently painted my front door (original to the house) a bright yellow. I love color and I’m not afraid to use it.

We are in the Midwest and have access to countless aged and weathered treasures. We love working with barn wood, tin ceiling tiles, license plates, bead board, etc. We have perfected our own technique of aging furniture and we have a good eye for picking vintage goods.

Creativity is a way for me to express myself – quite literally. I have to “BE” creative and I don’t know how to really describe it better for you. It’s what drives my entire being each and every day. I have worked in marketing/advertising for the last 15 years. I love to design, edit, and write. In that exact order. Before Corey and I were selling our crafts, we were making them for our own home and we’ve always had a passion for restoration that even extends into our community.

I wish I knew. LOL. Remember my preferred order above: Design, Edit, Write… Writing is the hardest part. I have so many words in my head and I always procrastinate getting them on screen. I would gladly shoot and edit photos or design a new layout before writing a post. Any day. But, alas I have to share my projects with the world and our blog has helped Robb Restyle reach further than our tiny rural community. Many times I’m taking pictures that tell a story. I am visual. So, I must photograph and design my story before any words come out. Sometimes as I’m taking the shots, I make a few notes about something clever I thought of or want to express about the project, but mostly I don’t start writing untill all the other editing and photography is completed.

So there you have it… a little behind the scenes tour of Robb Restyle.

And now, I’d like to introduce you to another blogger I met at Haven. Kala at My Breezy Home is a bright and spunky blogger who is super talented with a paint brush. I’m often asked what my favorite paint is or how to restyle furniture but I’m not good at describing my process or creating tutorials. I’m more of a show and tell kinda girl. But, not Kala. She has some really fantastic tutorials that can help even the novice painter jump in and get started. Her blog is also sprinkled with a variety of crafts, projects and lifestyle tips. She’s another midwest blogger located in the Kansas City area. Please check out her blog: My Breezy Room.