home renovation – Flipping Tourist

Party without the Panic

May 21, 2019 4 Comments

Our current home renovation is fully underway. But you know I didn’t allow one wall to come down until we partied in the original space. We signed the papers on the house at 10am Friday and put together a random last minute party for that same evening.

**Because time was of the essence, I built this on MINTED. Saved it as an image and then just texted the photo to friends and family that I thought would like to see!**

Party prep pre demolition — **Crafts and Kids. Totally stress free in a home that is set for demolition the next morning.**

Listen people, we don’t do all these home renovations just because we like seeing the beautiful outcome. Buying a home in desperate need of attention gives us another perfect reason to entertain. And we are NO ONE if not simple humans seeking any excuse to throw a shindig.

{See our last home renovation pre-party HERE. And that specific Before and After HERE.}

Some of you may ‘gasp’ at the idea of putting together a soirée last minute in a home that is minutes from being demolished. But let me tell you that this setting is EXACTLY the perfect place to host your friends.

Think about it: *Expectations are low. (unless you are a total monster, everyone has grace on the couple hosting a party in a dilapidated home they purchased only hours prior). Which leads me to the next major bonus: NO CLEAN UP! Can I say it again for those in the back? NO CLEAN UP! Don’t really have to clean before guests arrive either (a few cobweb dustings might be appropriate but don’t get too crazy). You certainly DO NOT have to clean up when they leave. Countertops filled with crumbs and muddy floors are the least of your concern when you know a demolition crew is just hours away from coming in to rip up floors and jackhammer thru some brick walls.

And while all this sounds a bit silly, to us it’s seriously fun! We would not enjoy spending time renovating homes if we couldn’t share the updates and progress with friends and family. It’s more exciting to share the home reveal when you’ve been able to share a true ‘before’ experience with others.

**Wall of Fame. Does is stay or does it go?**

Complete Self Portrait — **Self-portraits only a mother could love.**

We are all so busy this time of year – it’s actually the perfect time to keep your celebrations simple and focused on the fun of being together – unless of course you need some alone time. In that case, may I suggest you be the one that does all the shopping for a party. You leave for a few hours and your family never needs to know how quickly this can be done. #winkwink

I’ll include our shopping list and quick party tips below. For this particular party, it was the perfect weather to have doors open, kids playing outside. And of course we had the luxury of allowing them to color and glue on walls. Not to mention, no parents had to walk around pretending their kids know how to pick up after themselves. Because no one enjoys picking up after themselves so we should really give each other grace on this front as well.

CHARCUTERIE BOARD (this portion feeds approx 20):

(we like to purchase all items from our local Central Market)

1/2 pound Capricola

1/2 pound of Mustard Seed Salami

1/2 pound Sopreseta

4oz goat cheese

4oz Manchego cheese (add a drizzle of honey sweet thang)

4oz Blue Cheese

Vine of Grapes

2 handfuls of Olives

Handful of Corshons

Praline pecans

Dijon and Mustard Seed mixture

Add in Apple/figs/strawberries/etc.

*The key is a good mixture of savory to sweet along with spicy to mild.

Various Crackers (we {HEATH} make our own using a skinny baguette sliced up. Then toast up the slices and top with olive oil/salt/pepper). We {ME} also buy Water crackers and I’m very visual so anything else that pops out at me that day.

Simple party bites — **I love a good ‘come and go’ before dinner party. Lite Bites are so easy to prep!**

Drink set up — **Drink Station. Waters in the shape of an airplane and the plastic cups stacked high. We are David Tutera’s party nightmare!**

Have music playing as guests arrive (we always use our BOSE speaker wherever we go). Let guests know where the drinks are if they are not immediately visible when they walk in. Offer to take any bags and let them know where you will be putting them so they can easily find it when they need to leave. And if kids are involved certainly just put away anything you don’t want juvenile hands touching. Keeps everyone more relaxed!

I wish I would have taken more photos during the party, but isn’t that truly the sign of a good time. So much fun, never thought to find my camera.

As I write this we are hopeful that we are just 6 weeks away from moving into this completely transformed space. In the meantime…feel free to invite me over to your place. I promise to always be a good time. And let’s make a deal that you don’t have to pick up before I arrive!

What is your favorite go-to party food?

Blog, Home, Renovation, Uncategorized

Before and After in less than 22 minutes

January 3, 2019 10 Comments

Growing up I loved Saved by the Bell. There would usually be some sort of drama (Gasp, Jesse is on pills and we have an aerobics video to record). But then it always returned to happy perfection when Slater and Zach saved the day. Remove the commercials and, if you’re like me, you realize you can solve most of life’s problems in less than 22 minutes. (Even Screech occasionally found his coordination and had a few ‘special’ moments with Lisa within those 22 minutes. I’m telling you…I thought anything could happen in less than 22 minutes).

And I’m certain most of you reading this have also seen the magical home renovations on HGTV that occur in the same time frame. Well guess what my friends?! Our latest project is overdue on our own magical home reveal. Sure we did a reveal party but someone (me) was hitting the cheese platter too hard to remember to take any photos. And now that we’ve also hosted a few Christmas soiree’s, I want to do a proper BEFORE and AFTER photo share.

The actual renovation for our Pied-a-Terre (read more about it here and here) took a full 13 weeks. But today I’m giving you the pretty ‘tied with a big bow’ finished version. And in less time than our coveted 22 minute sitcoms. (Although please do let me know in the comments which project you want to hear more about). If I can add humor and helpful information to it then I promise to do a write up to share details. And when are vaulted ceilings and updated tile never not funny!?.

Just like I couldn’t wait to see Lisa Turtle find a soft spot for Screech each episode, I hope you too can see that this house was wonderful to begin with. It just felt dated and we love to find and restore some updated charm.

Oh…and because you know my family likes to keep things interesting. Our whole family fled to Mexico for a week in the middle of this 13 week project. What HGTV never shows you in those 22 minutes is the insane mental exhaustion of a renovation. Spoiler: beach cocktails help cure this ailment. We came back ready to finish. She is a beauty! Take a look!

Before with zero curb appeal — **THE BEFORE. Forget about curb appeal. You could barely see the house driving by!**

After. Sherwin Williams Shoji White. — **THE AFTER. Ahhhh! There she is! Bushes be gone and show us your bright white!**
**(more specifically Sherwin Williams Shoji White). You actually notice the big sprawling tree now as well.**

BEFORE. Come inside and look around! — **THE BEFORE. Come on in and let us show you around.**

THE AFTER: Even the models seem cuter in their raingear! 35* and rainy on reveal day. But for a family that ‘loves a rainy night’ these 8 foot glass front doors ‘are a beautiful sight’. Thank you Eddie Rabbit for my lyrical door description.

Split level with a split personality. Bold and confusing. — THE BEFORE. Split level with a split-second decision on which staircase to use. There were TWO staircases within 4 feet of walking in the door. If you’re indecisive like me, you’ll appreciate that we gave you one solid grand entry.

The After. Entry way — **THE AFTER. The largest doors I’ve seen in person with my actual eyeballs. A bright and elegant light with just a few grand easy stairs taking you into your cozy living area.**

Before Family Room colored in all brown — **THE BEFORE. A solid dark palette and turns out the fireplace brick was poorly assembled. One swing of the hammer and it all came down!!!**

The After with vaulted ceilings! Hooray! — THE AFTER. Why yes we did vault the ceilings! Installed real hardwoods, updated the fireplace that turns on with the flick of a switch (or by asking my 3 year old to do it)! And of course we gave her fresh paint – **Sherwin Williams Front Porch.Speaking of paint – that painting you are all going to ask me about is by Legendary Katie Murray.**

Before Laundry and Storage — THE BEFORE. The laundry room and storage was all one space. We redesigned the entire downstairs and think it’s much more user friendly. (do you spy one of the staircases that formerly led to the entryway?)

The After. Spacious and Stylish Laundry Room. — **THE AFTER: A sizable (and stylish) Laundry Room. Large enough to host a gathering and pretty enough that you might actually run a load of laundry too!**

Before Bonus living area — **THE BEFORE. This was the large living space off of the laundry and storage area. They gave us a great space to work with. We just knew we could make it more functional.**

**THE AFTER. Smooth ceilings, reinforced header (au revior columns), and lots of places to stash the toys before company arrives!**

Before half bathroom — **THE BEFORE. This half bath was showing it’s age with a few dated design aspects.**

The After. Downstairs Bathroom — **THE AFTER: Downstairs bathroom. A few easy, inexpensive and simple updates!**
**So fresh and so clean!**

Before Master Bedroom — **THE BEFORE. Master Bedroom had a large layout with an area that we felt would be better used and appreciated in the Master Bathroom**

The After Master bedroom with a fresh design. — **THE AFTER. The Master Bedroom is still spacious with a seating area (out of view from photo). We think you’ll agree on stealing space for the Master Bath…..**

Before Master Bathroom. — **THE BEFORE. A tiny Master bathroom considering the overall size of the house. Itsy-bitsy shower and just the one shell-shaped sink!**

After Master Bathroom. Saving marriages with double sink vanities. — **THE AFTER. There’s room in here for two! Larger shower and a double sink vanity (because we believe in the sanctity of marriage).**

Before Master Closet. — **THE BEFORE. Previously the Master closet was accessed thru the bedroom. Our renovations allowed for a proper en suite.**

After Master Closet and En Suite — THE AFTER. Master Closet (En Suite) has an updated layout and is now accessed thru the bathroom. I love this because it means if you sleep in later than your partner, he can shower and get ready in one area without opening and closing doors and turning on various lights. (I might be speaking from personal experience here ‘5am Heath’).

Before Leigh Ann's bedroom — THE BEFORE. Leigh-Ann’s bedroom. I’m not sure who Leigh Ann was but she had 3 layers of wall paper and I was digging her ever-changing design ideas! As we did with all the bedrooms, we just freshened it up and made it move-in ready for anyone’s design to take shape!

Before single panel doors — **THE BEFORE. We replaced all 16 single panel doors. RIP Leigh-Ann’s room.**

The After. One of the bedrooms, now a girls dream. — THE AFTER: ‘Leigh-Ann’s Bedroom’.
Now Greenley’s bedroom and she loves having her own ballet barre along with two closets. #girlsdream

Before Hall Bathroom — **THE BEFORE. Layout was already large so we just updated with some of our favorite design ideas at the time!**

The After Hall bathroom. Floor to ceiling tile and a shiny vanity! — THE AFTER. The most commented thing on this Hall Bathroom thus far has been regarding the shiny finish on the vanity. It’s hard to see in the photo but just know it has serious luster and we love the way it pops with the gold accents and white tiled wall.

BEFORE backyard deck — **THE BEFORE. Most of you have seen the backyard from the pool here. But we also wanted to update this side of the yard.**

After backyard deck — **THE AFTER. Again we simplified things by reducing the stairs and opening up the area to better entertain your friends and family.**

Before the kitchen — THE BEFORE. I will end this post with the most requested room in the house….the Kitchen! I coined the wall to the left as the ‘isolation wall’ because the cook was literally cut off from the rest of the house. The space was too small to let others into the kitchen with you, yet being fully walled off, you couldn’t even pretend to be a part of the group.

The After. Kitchen looking out to the spacious and inviting living area. — THE AFTER. The kitchen now opens up to the main living area. The high ceilings make it feel more spacious and you still have easy access to the living area downstairs. You should have seen the 10 guys hauling in this massive marble island countertop.

After. Another incredible view of the kitchen with a pretty pop of color in the backsplash. — THE AFTER. Casing out the kitchen sink window instantly made it feel larger and we added the largest window we could find within our time constraints. Now this is a kitchen I can really spend some time in (I probably still won’t cook, but I will spend more time here).

Y’all this house (our Pied-a-Terre) is FOR SALE! We have moved our little family here until the next owners find it and I can whole-heartedly tell you that it’s wonderful! Will you stop by for a drink if you’re ever in Fort Worth? It’s seriously the perfect home for hosting. Tell me the details of this project you want to hear more about. You know I love to share!

Blog, Party, Renovation

Pied-à-Terre Par-tay

October 17, 2018 No Comments

Last week I finally introduced you to our ‘Pied-à-terre’. Our House in the City. She would be a Plastic Surgeon’s dream (Just in house form). She has great bones and is well-kept. She just needed a serious refresh. As I write this, most of her walls have already been torn down and she now gleams with brand new sheetrock and a layout that suits her much better.

And just as a Plastic Surgeon would do, we took tons of before photos. But because our life as home renovators allows us to have a bit more fun with our ‘patients’ than actual surgeons are probably allowed (HIPPA hasn’t reached the construction business yet), we also threw a party to show her off! Before and After photos are so important, but getting to celebrate your work and let your friends and family actually see the process is so fun for us.

Since the ‘pied-à-terre’ (home in the city) has a pool, we knew how we needed to kick off the renovation:

Pool Party!

Seriously though, if you are doing updates or renovations to a home, I want to encourage you to throw a little shindig for friends and family. As I’ve mentioned, ‘before’ photos just don’t do a project justice (although I’m going to flood you with plenty of ‘before’ pics anyway. See a few here). It’s more fun to let people into the space. Here is how we kept it simple and stress-free (because the party shouldn’t stress you out. Home Renovation that gets to take the ‘stress’ glory)!

Impromptu ‘BEFORE’ Pool Party came timeline:

Thursday morning: Having just returned home from Thailand, we rushed to get papers signed on this home and line up our crew. We realized demo wouldn’t start until the following Monday – we literally looked at each other this morning and both had the same idea. “Let’s throw a party on Saturday“. It was 110º daily so we coined it the ‘Dog Days of Demo Preview Party‘. I quickly created an online invitation. I typically use Paperless Post, but this time I tried MINTED’s online invitations.

Minted invitation - too hot to hammer — **Too Hot to Hammer!**

Friday mid-day (more importantly still nearing 110 freaking degrees outside): We decided it was seriously too hot to cook and way to hot to offer a cook-out. Heck, the heat made it barely possible to breathe. With Heath devoting his time to his renovating spreadsheets and my brainstorming the details that truly make for a good party, we decided we didn’t have time to home cook for this little shindig. We would need to ‘cater’ the dinner. We fell back on an old favorite that is always a hit. First, let me give you a quick back story – Prior to meeting Heath, I had been ordering fried chicken from a hamburger joint. He has blessed my life tremendously by introducing me to the best fried chicken on God’s green earth. Even if you aren’t a fan of that type of food, this joint has a recipe that will leave your mouth watering. And preggo mammas…just get ready to give them all your money….

Saturday afternoon: We call CHICKEN EXPRESS. Oh ya baby! Locals know this joint as Chicken E and their corn nuggets are the crown jewel to the combo of fried chicken and mac ‘n cheese. We also stocked up on various frozen desserts. As I type this and salivate, I may never allow Heath to cater with boring Ahi Tuna and those silly charcuterie boards again. (I jest. My mouth is salivating again). Regardless, fried food is always a win. And are you like me? Do you somehow put on a bikini and all of a sudden crave fried, buttery foods? What is up with that?

Saturday 4:30pm: With 30 minutes before the party started we quickly set up. We didn’t have to do the silly pre-party cleaning. Nope. Didn’t need bother dusting a darn thing. No need….who was going to judge? The only thing we did to truly prepare the home was use spray paint to outline as many of the changes as we could. We wanted to give a good visual to anyone really interested in which walls would move, where the coveted kitchen island would go and how large the master bath would be.

When your party is so on brand you can use the decor dump truck to help bring in party supplies.

PARTY TIME: The adults had a great time walking the space and we loved describing the future of this home. The kids were allowed to paint, glue and color ANYWHERE they wanted (Although Tide stain remover for their clothing would have been a nice parting gift. Next time!). We had fully functioning bathrooms so the drinks could flow easily and no one even had to dry off from swimming to relieve themselves. I accidentally put the ice cream in the refrigerator instead of the freezer, but not one single parent stressed about their kids spilling the soupy dessert. It was just good ‘ole laid back summertime fun!

Party Setup — **Fried chicken, sweet rolls in a dump truck, silverware in a Home Depot apron and paint supplies for kids.**

Easy to brand a construction party when your child owns all the toy trucks.

Party Painting — **We can’t be held responsible for kids leaving this party and trying to paint their own walls at home.**

Saturday 9pm: Clean up lasted all of THREE minutes. The Demo crew would be there to enhance the party mess on Monday so no need to even sweep up crumbs. We did throw the remains of the food and plates in the trash (because we aren’t total savages).

party girl — **Ta-Da! Party clean up was a breeze. Grabbed the dump truck and headed on home.**

While this party really had nothing to do with the actual renovation, it was so fun to share our project with others. Our desire was that we would complete the full renovation project in enough time to throw a reveal pool party as well. Unfortunately, the cold rain is now pouring down in Texas so pool season is over and I regret my complaints about the heat (it wasn’t that miserable, was it?). But this home boasts an amazing backyard, so maybe an evening of s’mores and decor is in our near future! We can’t wait to show you the final product!

Before showing where the stairs will go — **Soon enough I’ll show you the reveal photos!**

If you remodel, what are ways you make the process feel special? If you don’t personally like to renovate, what makes seeing others progress so exciting?

Home, Party, Renovation

Pied-á-Terre

October 5, 2018 4 Comments

Brown on Brown on Brown. — ***All wood. All day. And brown accents everywhere you glance. This home was well cared for but definitely dated and crying out for a refresh!***

Claustrophobic Kitchen. — On my InstaStories, I referred to that wall of cabinets as the ‘Segregation Wall’. This is the entire Kitchen. All of it. And if you’re cooking you don’t get to be part of ANY of the fun your guests are having because you can’t see beyond the stove and it’s too small for your friends to fit in the space to help you.

Downstairs but not downtrodden — This is going to be such a cool hangout space. It was added on by the original owners, but we are going to make it feel cozier and create a proper bathroom and laundry room. This will become the area that fully completes this family-ready home! OH…and BYE-BYE popcorn ceilings!

There is no perfect remodel home. Some are completely trashed and you need a hazmat suit just to get started. Some have been vacant and infiltrated with pests and ‘pets’ (read: raccoons and their furry friends, squirrels and cats).

But occasionally you find that easy breezy remodel home. The one that has been well-loved, yet it is dated and needs a fresh update (this is also how I typically describe myself!).

These remodels are so fun for us as parents because we can actually take our kids into the home throughout the renovation without third world style vaccines or having the fear of death by impalement or toxicities. (Sure…it’s also nice for us as grown ups too. I have a good sense of smell and I promise you no amount of Febreeze can hide the scent of untrained animals).

Our current project falls into the ‘we could move right in, but we prefer to make it a #1 Stunna’. And we shall call this project the ‘Pied-á-Terre’ (home in the city) because:

1. The term is French. We LOVE anything french: This French toast recipe similar to Norma’s, French braids, French promenades along the southern coast of France and of course French fries. Even our dog is French, people!

Moiselle. Our FRENCH dog — You didn’t think I was going to mention our little Bichon Frise/Shih Tzu without showing her did you? Moiselle will make an appearance anytime I can sneak her in (standby for the story of her missing and being found after nearly 5 months).

As I write this, we are currently living in out the country. 30+ long minutes away from family, friends and the city of Fort Worth we love. We honestly needed a ‘home in the city’.

So while we will sell our Pied-á-Terre before the Autumn leaves are done falling, this project is our little home away from home as long as you don’t mind a home with live wires, exposed nails and subfloor (hint: we don’t mind). But better than even the location, is that it has a pool. We seriously are doing this project at the perfect time. What a waste it would have been to have renovated a home with a pristine pool in December?!

Hidden pool. — ***There is a pool back there…you just can’t see it because the railing is blocking it. Don’t worry…we will enhance your view post renovation!***

Look how HUGE this pool is! Check back in soon and I’ll tell you how to throw a quick and easy Renovation Party! We invited everyone over for a pre-reno swim (Pro-Tip: more people come if it’s for a swim party vs. having to do ACTUAL work).

Don’t get me wrong. Just because this home was technically move-in ready, doesn’t mean that we aren’t completely changing the footprint and going full resurrection mode to bring this charming home up to date. Every room has changed in ways that will enhance this living space for the next owners and we can’t wait to show you!

I am late in sharing this current project with you all, so it will feel almost like an episode of HGTV because the big reveal is just a few weeks away. Do you want to see the progress photos? Or maybe you’d like to see how quickly our budget spreadsheet changed. When the ideas flow….the money flows along with it…..

Have you ever thought about renovating? What scares or excites you the most about it?

Family Travel, Home, Travel

Flip to Trip

November 13, 2017 2 Comments

Imagine a life where you were dropped at an airport, skirted through the express security line, sipped on Fiji water while Priority Boarding your flight overseas. Then put that on repeat for 5 years. This was my life. Actually no it wasn’t – nothing was ever that smooth. Sure, I travelled internationally on a very regular basis, but it came with A LOT of hiccups. I still travel often, and the same trouble follows me. Begging to be put on flights when the door has already closed. Leaving my carry-on at the airport Sushi Lounge. Ambien-Induced conversations with flight attendants. And I haven’t even mentioned to you yet that I was a Travel Director in charge of ‘vacation ease and entertainment’ for elderly and wealthy people during my travel working years. This isn’t your same old boring travel blog. This is about my life as the ‘flipping tourist’. Now married with 2 kids and 37 years old. Not much has changed. I cause havoc and hilarity everywhere I go.

Filming A German commercial on the beach — **That time we filmed an infomercial for German Television!**

**That time we wish we were filming an infomercial so at some point production would come give us a break from these fake kids.**

Oh speaking of ‘Flipping tourist’. Sure, it’s a play on words as we all know that tourists are a ‘flipping’ pain. But now my husband and I are actually FLIPPING houses to fund our travel! Nearly five years of marriage and ready to flip our 6th home. He’s the numbers guy and I’m the idea girl.

Beyond flipping homes and traveling the world, we love to entertain! Heath acts as ‘Back of the house’ and I’m always ‘Front of the House’. Why flip homes if you can’t use them to entertain others and travel the world? We will share it all with you (as long as it’s entertaining. Like someone Ubering their forgotten passport to the airport and arranging its very own seat all the way to Puerto Rico or turning a cat-infested stairwell into a wine cellar that Alain Ducasse would be impressed with). We will spare you from the boring ‘flight delayed’ drama. Who cares unless it comes with $100 Vueve Cliqout airport credit while we brainstorm our next home and travel purchase.

**First Class always means champagne. Even better that it’s included so you don’t have to wake your sleeping toddler to pay $6. #Upgradebenefits #alwaysworthit**

Think of this blog as your one stop shop for interesting travel stories, incredible vacation ideas and renovation must-haves. There is nothing I love more than traveling and the best way for me to fund extraordinary adventures is to stay busy flipping homes. I think we’ve got some different perspectives on home remodels and I’d love to share those ideas as well.

Our son went from sleeping in a crib to slumbering away in this 14-foot sailboat. When people ask how the transition from crib to bed was for our family I can’t answer this question fairly. What little kid wouldn’t die over this bedroom? On night one we said, “all aboard” and he climbed in and has slept in it ever since!

When it comes to travel, we do it all including couples weekends and amazing group vacations with hilarious friends. Oh and we even love those family trips (NOTE: These aren’t vacations. They are clearly trips when anyone under the age of 20 is included), And yes, I’ll throw in some helpful hints and links because I suppose you might want to know where the best ceviche and wine in Spain would be).