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All About You. And Me. And You and Me.

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Y’all.  Y’all.

I am so grateful (and humbled) that so many of you would give your time to take my little blog survey a few weeks ago.  I was really nervous that like no one at all would take it, and when so many of you did, I was so elated.

I’m a mega dork who sat there and read all of the answers as they came in.  You guys are thoughtful. And open.  And freaking hilarious!  It really was a joy to read every single one response.

I decided to take today to talk about some common themes I noticed in your answers and kind of do a little blog brainstorming sesh right here in public.  As I said before I put out the survey, I wanted to find out your why’s.  I wanted to know why you read Makely and why you are scared of making changes in your home.

The most common worry that you guys have about decorating is money.  Hands down.  Money is a worry.  And you know what?  It is for me, too.  I am constantly worried about spending too much money on decorating and DIY projects.  All of those cans of spray paint and screws really add up.

The thing I can suggest is have a separate place for you decorating money, if you can.  I have a separate banking account since I do this for a living, but even an envelope or baggie would work.  Put aside any money that you can.  You may find that it’s $5 a week.  Or you may find that it’s $3 a month. Whatever it is, whatever you feel like you can do that your family won’t miss, put it aside for a future project.  I am a big believer in making sure that every Mom (really, every woman) has a little piece of something just for themselves.  Even if it’s the one can of spray paint that you saved two months to buy, use it to transform something that makes you giddy inside.  As your decorating and DIY budget grows (I seriously start selling old stuff on CraigsList when I have a big project brewing), so will the number of projects that you can complete.

The second biggest concern was color and pattern choice.  Many of you are nervous that you are going to make the wrong choices and have to live with something that you hate.  That is so common, y’all.  And it’s also completely understandable.

I didn’t start out being comfortable making big statements with color.  Do you remember the post that I wrote at the beginning of the year?  I began my decorating journey with the teeniest of baby steps. Little by little, over the years, I have embraced a love of color that I just can’t shake.  And don’t even get me started on pattern – this is your warning that it’s about to get crazy up in here.

I do know that not everyone feels comfortable with making color choices.  It’s hard to make those decisions when you feel so uncertain and worried about making a mistake.  I’m trying to come up with a way that we can help and support each other in our choices.  I don’t know how that’s going to “look” yet, but I’ll keep you updated as my thought process evolves. I think this is pretty critical to how I feel like I can help you in your own homes – and that’s what I really want to do.

There were also some questions about me.

  • Like what and why does Makely mean?  Here’s what it means.  But the short answer is that it’s a name I made up.  Just think about it like you did when Gwyneth Paltrow named her baby Apple so many years ago.  It’s just weird, right?  You feel sorry for that poor kid, but you still go see her movies…even if she is insanely annoying as Pepper Potts.
  • Or why does your Pinterest feed wear me out?  I freely admit that I probably have a Pinterest feed just as annoying as Pepper Potts.  Did you know that about 1/2 of the people who visit the blog come here because they saw something they liked on Pinterest?  That’s crazy, right?  I have such an intense love/hate relationship with Pinterest.  Since Pinterest burst into the scene, bloggers are having to go outside of their comfort zones with self promotion over there.  I HATE it.  But, I LOVE all of the new friends I’ve made that have found this blog on Pinterest.  I’m trying to figure out a better way to my feed feel less lame.  It’s annoying to me, too.
  • And how do you find your inspiration?  My best ideas usually come while I’m taking a shower or it wakes me from a deep sleep.  I’m not even kidding.  BUT, there are lot of other things I turn to for inspiration.  In the coming weeks/months, I’m going to walk us through my inspiration turned (hopefully) awesome room for Zack.  Y’all, he wants a shark theme.  SHARKS, y’all.  We’ll make it work…somehow.
  • Also, can we be friends? ABSOLUTELY.  Y’all.  If you live in Austin, or around Austin, you need to let me know!  I’d love to hang out and do some projects together or just have a thrifting day.  I am dead serious.  Let me know so I can start figuring out how to put together a fun little Austin group.

 And then there were the hilarious comments that I just couldn’t help but share.  I so wish I knew who you were!

“I could sure use a babysitter so I could spend more time getting projects done.  Or maybe my two-year-old and ten-month-old to develop some better taste and motor skills so they’d actually be helpful.”

HA!  I’ve seriously been there, done that, got the t-shirt.  But, I’ll tell you.  Yesterday, I was watching Emma (who is 3 1/2) eat lunch and realized that she’ll soon be 4.  And then 8.  And then 16.  WHY is this happening so fast?  I do feel like that as long as you are trying to teach your kids some basic skills (mine each have their own tool boxes and Tom buys them “real” tools for holidays and birthdays), you can easily spend time with them while you DIY.  Also, don’t ever give up on the naps.  Or on wine.  🙂

“OM gosh – I just caught on to who you are!”

Uh, oh.  Time to let the Witness Protection Program know that I’ve been discovered.  Actually, this really made me laugh.  Who did you think I was?

“I worry that my silly husband will not like what I do just because he likes to not like things.”

I’m pretty sure we must be sister wives.  Are you also married to Tom?  I love him, but yikes.  He calls it playing the devils advocate.  I call it debating for the sake of debating.  You know, just because.

 “My sister and I have this debate going.  So, how do you feel about family pictures in a bathroom?  I say nature or architecture only.  I don’t want to see people smiling at me when I do my business.  What is your opinion?”

Can I please come to your house for Thanksgiving?  This sounds like the best debate EVER.  I think I’m going to come down on your side of the fence, though.  I don’t have super strong feelings about it either way, but I don’t have any photographs in my bathrooms.  Maybe it’s a subconscious thing?

“Okay, here goes…but please don’t think I’m crazy.  In one of your videos you mention something about your favorite Mexican restaurant…and my daughter and I want to know which one it is so we can see all of the beautiful colors you described.  There, I’ve asked!”

Totally cracking up.  Okay, the restaurant is Rio Grande in Pflugerville, TX.  Get the Lite Plate (it’s not at all light).  But really, we don’t go there much anymore because our favorite waiter moved to a newer Mexican place that’s closer to our house…and we are fiercely loyal to good people!  But, we did go to Rio Grande a few months ago and the interior had been repainted.  It still has crazy, colored walls, but the colors are now deeper than they used to be.  A little piece of me died inside.

“I love this blog!  I read it when I’m feeling overwhelmed and go away feeling better because at least I’m working on [insert big project] today.  I read it when I’m bored and go away excited to start [insert large projects]!  I read it when I’m frustrated with [insert large project] and go away feeling reassured that everyone has problems during DIY…I try to copy the fun, well arranged, colorful, fearless self-expression I find here.  Thank you for creating such a great resource!”

No, thank you.  I cried when I read this.  Some days I feel like I’m reaching people, and other days I feel like I’m just talking to hear myself speak.  But, if even one person gets something out of my crazy projects and personal style, then I can walk away happy.

But, I’m not going to walk away, y’all.  I love this way too much.  I cannot wait to keep on the path where I’m headed and figure out some other ways to help you face your own fears and conquer color and your budget.

One person has a chance to address her decorating budget head on!  Hillary R has won a $50 gift card to any store of her choice for taking my survey.  Where do you want to go shopping, Hillary?


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Thanks again to you all. You complete me. Really.

About Lindsay Ballard

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Comments

  2. Debbie says

    You’re a hoot! Thanks for being a part of my day! And thanks for answering all of our questions, too! Life is good!

    Reply

  3. Sir's Fabrics says

    Color choice doesn’t have to be scary! For those of us with zero eye for what goes with what, I like to fall back on advice from color scientists. You wouldn’t believe how much math is secretly going on with colors!

    There are a ton of mobile apps to help you decide what splashes of color would be right for your room. My personal favorite is a free Android app called “SwatchMatic”. You take a picture of some of the main colors in your room, and it spits out a color scheme you can follow that won’t annoy. There are choices to do “triads”, “analogs”, vibrant color schemes, toned-down schemes, etc., and you can even save the schemes to check later.

    I’m actually a web designer, not an interior designer, but color schemes work about the same everywhere 😉

    Reply

  4. Kim G says

    Oh I love Rio Grande. We haven’t been there in ages, though. Add me to your list of someone who would love to get together with you. I’m the one in Round Rock that has pestered you in the past! . Keep up the great work.

    Reply

    • kari says

      I’m another person in Round Rock who has pestered you, so should I be called RR2? And where is your new Mexican restaurant? I have a list in my phone of places in and around Austin to try, so I will need to add both places, maybe!

      Reply

      • Lindsay Ballard says

        YAY! The more RR peeps, the better!

        We go to Morelia in P’ville now. They have a friend avocado stuffed with chicken that is just delightful. And, it helps that our old waiter is the head bartender now. 😉

        Reply

  5. Suzanne Melton says

    Money? Yep. I love Dave and I love our lives together. His motto: “I’m not tight but I AM cheap!”

    I never went to an auction or an estate sale until we reconnected in 2010. We’ve found spectacular items at both.

    But, SOMETIMES, I want things that he thinks are outrageously expensive. So I save five-dollar bills.

    Every time I get a five in change, I save it in a jar on my desk. When I get to 20, I trade them in for a hundred-dollar bill. When I have enough for my next “target,” I take the cash to the store/bank. My first purchase was a bidet toilet seat. I also spent $200 on an old barber chair (needs restoration).

    My next target is a dining room rug. While I don’t think $500 is too much for a rug, Dave does. “But, IT’S MY FIVES!”

    If saving fives doesn’t work for you, try saving ones or quarters.

    Reply

      • Suzanne Melton says

        Yep! And I must say, Dave usually gives me his fives, too.

        He did make a “deal” on the bidet toilet seat: Every time I use the bidet, he’ll give me a dollar. BUT, every time I don’t use it, I have to give him FIVE dollars!

        We haven’t moved to that end of the house yet (bathroom’s almost done but master bedroom needs texture, prime, paint, and flooring) so I don’t have a score yet.

        Reply

  6. Jen says

    So, uh, I’m the one who asked for the babysitter. *insert sheepish grin here* You’re right about it going fast, though. My babies are growing up and it’s so happy/sad, y’know? They have opinions! And want to help! (Yesterday they “helped” by gouging my entry console table with their father’s screwdriver. Woo.) Anyway, thanks for the perspective. And for thinking I’m funny. And if you want to be friends I am totally down. 🙂

    Reply

  7. Kami says

    I made you cry with my [insert large project] comment? OMG. You are my favorite and I meant every word of it! Thank you for all you do!!

    And I’m incredibly celebrity-crush freaking out that you posted my comment when I know you got hundreds from your survey. You just made MY day!!

    Reply

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