1.26.2010

2nd "Welcome to NEWBIE" Weekly Feature!




Welcome to my 2nd "Welcome to NEWBIE" weekly feature.  Each Wednesday, I will introduce you to a few NEW, or as I like to call us, NEWBIE, bloggers who are fun, creative and just plain COOL!

You, my peeps, get some new inspiration and the NEWBIE gets some new followers!  A win-win for all!

So here we go!

Have you ever stumbled across a blog and while reading thought to yourself, "Man, I could totally hang out with these peeps if they didn't live on the other side of the world"? 

Well, that's how I felt when I found Dolores and Chris at Humble Ablog




Isn't that name just the most clever thing?!

Meet Dolores and Chris, newlyweds sharing their adventures in renovating a 1950's house!


Love the gangsta face, Chris!

I love Humble Ablog not only because of their fun & ULTRA CREATIVE decorating projects, but also for their writing style, which is WITTY, HONEST, and HILARIOUS!  I devoured this blog for an hour when I found it, drooling over their wonderful transformations...and laughing, crying (from laughing so hard!) and laughing some more.


Dolores and Chris purchased their home in June 2008 in Whittier, California (a suburb of Los Angeles). After scouting many homes for sale, they happened upon a short sale and severely neglected home, that called out their names ("Rescue me, love me!")

Instead of spending big bucks on a traditional wedding, Dolores and Chris made a very smart decision to spend their savings on a first home and dedicate their newlywed life to transforming a 1950's house into something amazing (Wish me & Mr. Finesse Your Nest would have been practical like that! Doh!)

Humble Ablog originated when Chris and Dolores were ready to tackle their family room (it had been empty for over a year!) In order to help keep them motivated and on some sort of a timeline, they began blogging about their first major home project.

The Family Room Before....



 
 

And here's the super-hip retreat they created!

 
 
I'm.In.LOVE!!!
Pops of turquoise...beautiful tufted sectional...are those lateral files turned entertainment center?!  Genius!
(read on...I'll be talking more about that awesome paint treatment in a sec!)



I loved their hilarious post about these aluminum blinds.  Yes, so "old school" but they totally "WORK" in this space, dontcha think?

The sad little breakfast nook before....






Now here's a place you WANT to linger over coffee!


What a difference!  So cozy and inviting!

Dolores and Chris are fans of mid-century modern furniture/style and enjoy incorporating some of those designs into their home.

Exhibit A - This Tanker Desk courtesy of Craig's List!

The poor thing was begging for some lovin'...



And now, look at this beauty!



Exhibit B - Eames Chairs (and if you EVER want to sell these guys, remember your friend in Texas! Somehow, though, I doubt you'll ever part with them....sigh)



 
 
Just look at that beautiful wood grain!


Paint pattern has also been a theme in their home and Dolores and Chris find that paint is an inexpensive way to add pizazz.  They like to say, 'paint is your friend!'  (and I couldn't agree more!)

Check out the paint treatment in their family room!




And the ceremonial "square dance" before tackling this project!  (this represents their humor to a "T" and one of the many reasons I don't go a day without my Humble Ablog "fix"!)



Now THAT'S an ambitious project!  Wow, you guys!

And here's what they call their "Wall of Sound".  Part home decor, part art installation....I just call it freakin' awesome!


Okay, so do either one of you play the banjo?  My little 9 yr old musician son wants to know!




Aside from the typical before and after pictures of their projects, one of the unique things that really sets Humble Ablog apart from other blogs I follow is their use of Google Sketchup to give readers a preview of their projects and really help you see their vision.  I love this!



Sketch of their family room



Loving what you see?  Go check out and follow Humble Ablog!
Oh, and make sure you have about an hour to spare!  You'll get sucked in just like I did!



And here is my 2nd featured NEWBIE!  

Meet my new friend, Diana aka Sissie!  But I'm going to refer to her as Sissie because...well....she's just as cute as the name implies!



 

Sissie's DREAMY and DELIGHTFUL blog...



Sissie has been happily married for 35 years to a wonderful, retired "UPS Man".  They have one son and two kitty babies, Gabby and Gizzard (LOVE the names!)  Sissie has been a business woman most of her life, but when her husband retired and they moved to the coastal south, her life took her on a new adventure!

She stayed busy for about 8 months while the "shabby cottage" was being built, and she played a big role in the interior design, including a beautiful kitchen she designed herself (Sissie, I searched for pics of your kitchen, but couldn't find, so please blog about it if you haven't already...dying to see it)!

So come on in to the "Shabby Cottage"!

Welcoming entry...


The living room...


  
  You had me at "hello"!

The beautiful feminine guest room, also known as "The Kim Room", named for her sister...
 
When can I come visit, Ms. Sissie?


It was fun creating her dream home, but Sissie missed her partner in crime, her equally creative sister.  You see, her sister used to live right down the street and now they live 450 miles apart.  Sissie missed the decorating "pow-wows" they shared, like combing through decor mags and shopping for their homes.  So, in search for a creative outlet to help fill the void, she rented a space in a favorite local antique shop to sell her handcrafted pillows.


(just an example of her handiwork.  Her "Memory Pillow"!  And she's giving one away right now!) 

 
Another yummy pillow creation. 

 Eventually she migrated to a larger booth space and new creations such as painted furniture, candlelabras and anything she could repurpose, restore and give her special "shabby cottage" love!


I could spend some SERIOUS dough in here!

Sissie, like many of us, read decorating blogs for awhile before she started her own.  She started writing, not really expecting anyone to read it (I remember those days, not too long ago!)  After discovering The Secret is in the Sauce, Sissie began networking and the rest is history.  This creative lady has been blogging since August and is approaching 200 followers!



So here's just a few more reasons why I fell in love with Sissie's Shabby Cottage!


 
 
 
 
 
 

RACHEL ASHWELL AIN'T GOT NUTHIN' ON SISSIE!
(*grammatical errors abound, but felt good shoutin' that in my best Texas drawl!)

So go check her out now!  Get ready for some delicious eye candy, from furniture to accessories.  SISSIE.NEVER.DISAPPOINTS!


So that concludes my 2nd "Welcome to NEWBIE" Wednesday! 

From mid-century modern, fresh and funky to beautiful & feminine cottage style, I get tons of inspiration from these 2 very different blogs!

Thanks for stopping by!  Come visit next week to meet my next victims....errrr NEWBIES!





7 comments:

Shellbelle said...

First, I am so glad we found each other, I'm just lovin' your blog and this is a great feature!

I have to check out that young couple. I grew up in California in a 1950s house, so it will be fun to see one reinterpreted.

But Sissie? Now that gal has got it going on, I want to see every nook and cranny in her house. I've already gotten ideas from the photos you posted. Love Shabby Chic and you already know I love anything beachy!

Meg said...

You've got a great eye, Kendall! Humble Ablog is one of my favorite haunts and has all of the awesome qualities you mentioned. I love their style and am blown away by some of those projects. There's an upcoming leggo project that has got me VERY curious!

Sissie has got such a clean looking, gorgeous living room. I absolutely adore that fresh look.

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Hi Kendall,
You have made me look like a rock star, well maybe more like a "decorating diva!"
I am so thrilled with the post that you did on my blog. It is so well put together and makes me look better than I really am. You flatter me. I love it!!

Thank you, Thank you from the bottom of my heart you sweet gal.
You ROCK!

The young couple before me was a hard act to follow, Humble ablog, how cute. They have really worked magic in their home.

I'll be sure and visit them.

Thank you again. I'm so glad that I met you and look forward to a continued fun friendship.

Hugs
Sissie

Dolores said...

Thank you again for featuring us on your series! We were all smiles when we read your post today. And to answer your 9yr old son's question, Chris unfortunately does not play the banjo BUT he plays many other instruments (his man cave includes a full set of drums). Man cave post to come...

I would also like to thank Meg who bought Finesse Your Nest and Humble Ablog together. I promise our Lego project will be coming soon....perhaps even a video time-lapse!

Rosemary Brennan said...

Dolores & Chris are the BEST! They're just as cool as you would expect them to be. Even if I weren't good friends with the two of them, I'd still blog-stalk them for cool design ideas!

I've always been a fan of cottages and the "shabby" style so Sissie's blog sounds like a new fun resource for me. Thanks a bunch! :)

Stephanie ~ Angelic Accents said...

Hi, Kendall ~ I just love your blog and your NEWBIE feature!! I will check out that young couple soon.

Sissie is how I found you ~ she is one terrific lady! I'm in TX too, so you and I have lots in common. I'll be back to visit often and hope you will hop over to my blog soon!

Big TX Hugs,
Stephanie
Angelic Accents

Alison Agnew said...

I just recently started blogging and found your blog. Love it! I'm a total decorating voyeur so thanks for spotlighting these two "newbie" blogs.

Search my archives for more great ideas!