Makely

Let's Make Life Awesome

Are You Up for the Challenge (Again)?

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About this time last year, the economy was in the tank, and we were all looking for ways to add some Spring decor to our homes without breaking the bank. I wanted to prove that we could stretch $5 more than we thought. I challenged my readers to create new Spring decor for their homes using only $5 worth of products from the Dollar Store – the Five Dollar Challenge.

This year, things aren’t much different, are they? Sure, the economy has rebounded a bit, but we are all still more conscious of each dollar we spend than we were several years ago. Well, are you up for the challenge (again)?

I’m excited to announce the 2nd Annual Five Dollar Challenge! I was blown away at the creativity you guys displayed last year. My Mr. Linky from 2009 has expired (boo hiss!), but there were over 150 entries in last years challenge. And have I mentioned there are prizes?

This year the rules are largely the same:

– Create a new Spring decor item for your home using only $5 worth of items purchased at a dollar store – i.e. Dollar Tree, Dollar Store, Everything’s $1.00, etc. The $5 does not include sales tax.

– You may use the following supplies *if* you already have them on-hand – paint, glue, paper, fabric, tools.

– On or before March 25th, post a tutorial for your new craft on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, please email me photos and a written tutorial to lindsay@makelyhome.com and I will find a way to display it for you.

– On March 25th, come back to my blog and link up your tutorial to the Five Dollar Challenge post that will go up that morning. Any entries that do not follow the rules will be disqualified (and I’ll feel like a big, honkin’ jerk).

– A panel of esteemed judges (JJ from the Blah Blah Blahger, Emily from Remodeling this Life and Gina from The Shabby Chic Cottage) will select five entries to put forth to the Living With Lindsay readership for voting.

– YOU guys will vote for your favorite of the entries. One winner and one runner-up will be selected to win the prizes (which are gonna rock, I must add).Got it?

If you have any questions, please post them below, and I’ll answer within the comments so everyone has the same information.

If you are up to the challenge, please announce it to your readers! Help me spread the word by posting the below button in your sidebar:

Woo hoo! I can’t wait!

Real People Don’t Live in Magazine Spreads

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Much to my postman’s chagrin, I receive oodles and oodles of home decorating magazines. Once I discovered Amazon’s $5 magazine subscription deals, I was a wild woman ordering this magazine and that magazine. Now, they just pile up, because I don’t have the time make the time to look through them all.

When I do find myself in a bubble bath with a few moments to myself, I love checking out the beautiful rooms put together by real-life designers. More often than not, I dog-ear pages in the magazines thinking, “Oooh, that would look great in my bedroom,” or, “I could do that for so much cheaper!” Occasionally, though, I find myself thinking, “What real person lives in that space?”

Before you get depressed that your house isn’t as beautiful as the ones in House Beautiful, I want you to remember one thing: REAL PEOPLE DON’T LIVE THERE. Sure, there’s a family or a couple living in each space photographed, but THAT’S not how they actually live.

One read of Eddie Ross’s blog or even a visit to the Lettered Cottage reveals exactly what you need to know – when the magazine pros photograph a home for a spread, they enter a spectacularly fabulous home with an army of stylists and props to make a space look more magazine-like. Throw blankets are strategically placed so that they photograph well and add a splash of color to a bare spot. A beautiful place setting is styled on the dining room table in case an impromptu dinner party errupts. And what is with there ALWAYS being fresh cut flowers just laying on the kitchen island? I’m I the only one who notices that?


Don’t you just LOVE the color of those kitchen cabinets, though?

Do you want to know what a real home looks like? I’ll show you. It has pliers and space shuttles in the oven.

It has a giant mess tucked away in one room where you can simply close the door (don’t we all have a messy room like this?).

It has a pile of throw pillows on one side of the room (and lots of Legos on the coffee table), because let’s be honest – it’s not really comfortable to sit on a couch with throw pillows.

I just want to tell you right now that your home is perfect the way it is. Absolutely perfect. There’s always room to refresh your space – to add a new chair here or a book wreath on your wall there – but your home is perfect. Don’t ever, EVER let magazine spreads make you feel your home is unworthy.

Remember, it’s all just a mirage.

Beautiful photos by House Beautiful. Real-people photos by me.