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April Superlatives: Inside, Outside & Acting A Fool

Um where did April go? The shower-iest month seems like a distant memory by now, but it was filled with outdoor makeovers, bathroom updates, shades a plenty, and even a bit of rapping. So we’re taking a moment to appreciate all the things that we checked off of our list as a motivator to hopefully make the coming months just as productive. Oh and you can catch superlative recaps of the last 2+ years here (in 27 easily skimmed posts instead of nearly 900 long ones!). Plus, we’ve got a little clue about what’s happening next week in the mix below…

Most Photogenic: Next Monday’s giveaway, which should make all of you fellow Instagram addicts pretty dang excited.

Giveaway Clue

Most Foolish: Us, for kicking off the month with a faux rap video in honor of April Fool’s. A few of you even fell for it or wanted it to be longer (jiggawhat?!).

Most Delayed: Adding crown molding to the tops of our kitchen cabinets… finally. Something about being on a crown molding kick made us bite the bullet and polish those guys off.

KitchCrown 3 Nailing Crown

Most Awesome: Finally getting our “Things That Are Awesome” print hung up in the guest bedroom as part of finishing off that side of the room (and adding a colorful little bookcase too).

Guest Room Art2

Most Weirdly Amusing: In this updated video tour of our house, a towel falls off a hook at one point. I have no idea why that cracked us up so much…

Most Worldly: The map calendar that we cut apart to create a series of art for our hallway. It makes for a nice visual wish-list of places we’d like to go, since so far we’ve only been to one of the eight cities shown. So yeah, we should get on that.

Hallway Frames

Least Naked: The space above our TV which we finally dressed up with a simple DIY shelf and a few colorful objects. The award for “Most Naked” may go to the Games of Thrones episode that’s still on our DVR.

Tv Shelf Detail3

Smartest: All of the friends and family we tapped for advice on how they work smarter, not harder – including ideas for organizing your daily tasks, emailing efficiently, and even blogging better. Not to mention all of the tips you guys added in the comments!

Working Smarter Not Harder

Most Relieved: Sherry, when she learned that busting out the scallops on our porch was going to be much simpler than the last time she attempted it on our first house. It’s always nice when a project starts off easier than expected!

Porch 7 Halfway Done

Most Proven Wrong: Me, I’ll admit. I told Sherry I wasn’t convinced that we should add window treatments to our office. But from the moment the bamboo shades went up in there I knew I was wrong. I’m still surprised at how much more finished they made the room feel. And the new house will definitely get a nice gaggle of bamboo blinds in cahoots with a boatload of curtains.

Shades Horiz Straight

Beefiest: The new columns on our front porch, which we boxed out last month to give our house a bit more of a modern look. Just looking at this picture again is giving me flashbacks to all the caulking we did out there to make sure everything was sealed up to keep out moisture. But we love that the new columns are a lot more true to a ranch style home (many of our neighbors have squared off columns that used to make us green with envy).

PorchDone 14 BA Angled Close

Most Well-Traveled: Certainly not us, although we did clock a lot of travel as part of our book tour. So we shared ten things we learned along the way and in the comments you guys added a lot more great tips and advice.

10 Tips For Smoother Travel

Most Polished: The three additional spaces we added crown molding to, making all of the rooms in our house officially crownified (except bathrooms). This post also has a step-by-step video tutorial of the process for any future crown installers out there.

More Crown Big Girl Detail

Craftiest: Clara, who got her first experience Mod Podging as part of this little box makeover which involved some washi tape and one of Clara’s paintings from school.

Mod Podging Box

Most Tedious: Clipping off branches from a vine that was bad news for the tree off of our patio. It wasn’t the most exciting task, but the open feeling it brought to that side of the house was well worth it. Plus, I got to wear a construction helmet.

Vine Removal5

Most Neutralized: The guest bathroom, which we painted white (trim, walls, and ceiling) in preparation for a mini-makeover. It was a small change from the cream paint that was in there before, but was an important step in freshening it up a bit – and it made the yellow tile more charming when it wasn’t in a big off-white box.

Bathroom Before Full

Most Likely To Throw Shade: The bamboo blinds that we also hung in our sunroom to add a bit of privacy and warmth to the window-tastic room.

Sunroom Shades3

 

Most Old School: The yellow tile in our guest bathroom, which we were able to embrace thanks to new art, accessories, and a freshly painted mirror.

Bathroom After Fave

Most Helpful: The free pergola plan from Workbench magazine that we discovered online, which is what gave us the confidence to tackle the pergola project we had long dreamed about.

Pergola Workbench Diagrams

Most Improved: Our carport, after completing the pergola (aka “cargola”) that gave it some much needed architectural interest.

Pergola After Side Angle

Most Commented: The announcement that we purchased a new home. It quickly became our most commented non-giveaway post at nearly 3,000 comments, surpassing the previous record holder (Clara’s Birth Story) by about 600. Your enthusiasm and excitement for our new place both humbles and hypes us up. Let’s do this!

New House

What did you guys cross off the list in April? Can you even remember?

Comments

  1. Tiffany says

    Ooooh! I love all the little treasures I found in this post! Lot’s of pinning for future projects just happened here. My kitchen window is in dire need of some sprucing (the curtains are falling apart after 11 years! YIKES!). Can’t wait to find some funky fabric and jump on it. Pinterest night is in a month!

    Reply

  3. Lisa says

    Man, talk about a BUSY month! I feel like a slacker…I think I may have swept the floors last month! I’d say you guys have earned a vacation once the move is over!

    Reply

  4. Angela says

    I demolished an 11 foot long and 40 inch deep planter on our deck and rebuilt it. It was a great idea that the previous owner executed poorly. Like the fact it wasn’t attached to the deck at all and was cantilevered over the driveway.

    Reply

  7. Kim R says

    Do you guys ever kick yourselves on working so hard on a house that you’re walking away from? I would feel like, “Why did I even hang those pictures in the hallway? We’re leaving!” (Though I love the hall and the framed maps.) Trying not to be a debbie downer (wah-wah) but I’d feel like, “I just got this right” and now it’s time to leave.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oddly enough it’s crazy satisfying to “finish” all of those spaces. Like “Yes! That last cog fell into place. Now I can leave without feeling like I’m bailing.” So weird, right?! I think of our love of before and afters encourages us to get each space to an “after” so we can remember it that way :)

      xo
      s

    • KLL says

      I was thinking the SAME thing Kim. Oddly enough, the frames in the hallway was what triggered the question for me, too. Especially thinking about having to take them down, fix the holes in the walls and then pack them all. UGH.

    • Marlayna says

      So I’m new to homeownership and wondering, are you supposed to patch up all nail holes before locking up and handing over the keys?

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We didn’t know that when we sold our first house so we did a little Facebook poll and more folks voted yes (repair them) than not, so we did! It was great new house karma I think! So we’re definitely going to do that again. I thought it would take forever, but if you do it all at once (all the spackling/sanding at once and then use touch up paint) you’re good to go in a few hours of work :)

      xo
      s

    • Marlayna says

      I think you’re right, good karma. :) My new home had all of the owners previous art hardware still in the walls. I’ve wished many times that the walls would have been a blank canvas for me to make my own (like apartments are) instead of having to undo their old stuff. I never minded undoing their old paint but i don’t get as excited about spackling and sanding…so i’d procrastinate and make Dan do it! I even painted over one full room with nails because I didn’t want to do it that badly! Haha Interestingly enough, even with new paint, something as small as one tiny nail on a wall made me feel like our home was still theirs and not quite our own yet! Lesson learned: remove and fill old nail holes for new crazy owners (who hate spackling and sanding)! :)

  8. Amanda says

    Do your bamboo blinds still let in lots of sunlight? I am looking to a solution for my sun room but do not want to loose the amount of sunlight I get without having blind but we need some form of window treatments for privacy purposes.

    Reply

  9. Erin says

    We listed our house for sale a few months ago (way before the prime selling season, unfortunately!) and we’ve been tackling a few small projects to freshen it up. We had laminate floors installed in the master and a hall. This week, it’s painting the back door, which is looking rough due to our pups trying to claw their way in!

    Reply

  11. Cara D says

    Got a daybed put in the guest room so it can double as a playroom and put up some billy bookcases. Haven’t got them built in yet though

    Reply

  12. jackie seybert says

    Please tell me the “Most Likely to Throw Shade” was a reference to the Real Housewives of Atlanta?! They always talk about “throwing shade” LOL.

    Reply

  14. Ali B. says

    I found a hold lot of great thrift store stuff in April. So far May hasn’t been nearly as fruitful or interesting on the thrifting front, but we’ve been super duper busy around the house!

    So jealous of all your bamboo blinds. Our HOA requires white blinds and I hate hate hate them. What kind of white blinds aren’t awful or beachy looking?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I love thick white faux wood blinds! We have them in the bedrooms (and they cut them down to a custom size for free at Home Depot and Lowe’s!).

      xo
      s

  15. Robyn in Chicago says

    Ok. I am not on topic. But I just got so excited to see you mentioned on Emily Henderson’s blog. She reads your blog you guys!? Did you see this?

    “Except I just realized that I literally have ten more rooms to go, which would make this officially the longest post in the history of long blog posts. Yes, longer than most Young House Love posts (which I read every word of:)).”

    http://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/hgtv-magazine-spread-a-lovely-house-makeover-in-studio-city/

    You guys! Are you friends w/ Emily Henderson? I hope so! That’s so cool! That’s all. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha! Isn’t that funny?! Yes, she’s our buddy. She did the first Pinterest challenge with us and we’ve been IG/FB/blog friends since then :)

      xo
      s

    • Robyn in Chicago says

      Ahhh. My obsession with her and her blog is a recent thing so at the time of the first pinterest challenge I didn’t pay one bit of attention. Well, this is great news. Love her and you guys (duh).

  16. Melanie says

    I just wanted to congratulate John on being able to use “gaggle”, “cahoots”, and “boatload” cohesively all in the same sentence when referencing the bamboo window treatments. Haha!

    Well done, my friend!

    Reply

  19. Annie R says

    You are some busy bees!! Love it!
    So, maybe I’m just kinda out of it and you totally talked about this already- but I’m just realizing why you probably changed your web page header/banner to be more “clean & less cluttered”. I didn’t realize before that you had taken out the pic of your current house. Duh, Annie! :)

    Looking forward to the new house upgrades- I’m excited to see how you handle a two story!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So funny! I didn’t even think about that! We were craving a cleaner look after a few years of the busier one so we just stripped it down and figure there are lots of house pics in the blog and on the House Tour page anyway :)

      xo
      s

  20. Heather says

    Totally agree about “Most Naked”! My hubby just started watching Game of Thrones after everyone at work told him what a great show it was. Well, after not really liking the first episode, he perservered and kept watching. He’s now hooked, but it has been renamed around our house as “Game of B@@bs”

    Reply

  21. Theresa says

    I gotta say — I’m almost more excited for this new house than I was when my husband and I moved into our current “dream” house a few years ago.

    Although, to be fair, I was pregnant and suuuuuper emotional when we moved, so I cried. A lot. A LOOOOOOOOOT. Because our old house was great, even if our new house is perfect.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw, I think it’ll definitely be bittersweet to move. I keep thinking that I know we’ll see the house again. Maybe that’s crazy but I envision the new owners having us back to house crash in a few years when they’re settled :)

      xo
      s

  22. Michelle says

    Does looking at this list make you feel sad to say goodbye? So many great projects – I got a bit sad looking at your recent touches in the guest room, hallway, and guest bath! This is a well-loved home.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think it’s hard to leave them but we’re so glad we did them all so they can live in our brain like that forever! We love before and afters so much, it’s so satisfying to say “yes! We made it to the after! And it’s so pretty!” and we know the new owners will love the house as much as we did (and I’m comforted that I can wave at our pergola from the street forever and ever :)

      xo
      s

  23. Megan says

    The husband and I did nothing but rip up grass in our front yard. We live in a cookie-cutter house suburb so it was important to us to jazz up the front yard landscaping to set our place apart. So we’re adding a flagstone walkway next to the driveway, planting beds along the house, and a raised mound in the middle. It’s been over a week since we pulled up the last bit of sod and my hands are still sore. Once the front door is painted a bright, happy yellow; our place will be easy to spot. In a good way!

    Reply

  24. Cassie says

    I always read your blog at work so I can never watch the videos, but today I broke the rules and plugged in my headphones and I am so glad. Hahahaha, that video is awesome!

    Reply

  25. Liz Marie says

    I love this post! You guys always motivate me to do more to our home. We are actually in the process of getting our home ready to sell in the next year, & looking at your blog and your selling process has been so inspiring. We are also adding bamboo shades in the next little while to our living room & I’m so excited!! I know it’s going to add a lot of texture and character to our living room and kitchen. Is it weird that I get sentimental about your home? haha You are all just so great at taking us along on your journey, & I know the next house just has bigger and better things in store for you guys :) xx Liz Marie

    Reply

  27. JoniB says

    I finally repainted my dining room chairs. I inherited them from my parents, they bought them used when they got married 53 years ago. They are still in great shape and I love that I have something from when my family first started. They make me smile every time I look at them!

    Reply

  30. Abbie says

    Ha! I was just re-watching your April Fool’s video last night when I ran across it. It makes me laugh every time. Epic! I’m still waiting for you to complete it ;-)

    Reply

  31. Donita says

    You did a lot in a month. Will you take ALL of your art work, bamboo shades, shelves, with you? Will you leave them for the new owner?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      All of the window treatments except for the curtains in the playroom and guest room and dining room convey (those are just our favorites – especially since Clara picked the playroom ones) but the rest (shades/blinds/curtains) are being sold with the house. All of our art comes though, and the open shelves in the kitchen stay (those are built in) along with the built-in desk and the built-in laundry shelves but the floating shelf over the TV comes with us :)

      xo
      s

    • donita says

      Your art, etc will help make the new house YOUR home! We always say it is not the house that makes a home, our own touches make it home!! :-)

  32. Stefanie says

    This question is totally unrelated to the superlatives but would you ever do a post on how you grocery shop? I know it sounds funny but I thought of this when one of your photos had your groceries in it and I noticed a lot of organic items. So I was curious as to how you save money/shop simply (like you do with your personal care items)/decide which items buy organic or non-organic.

    Would be interesting! :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Stefanie! We usually buy organic produce whenever we can, along with organic milk and eggs. Items like bread and crackers and cheese and hummus and spaghetti are usually just the affordable store brand stuff, and we use coupons to save money.

      xo
      s

  35. Amanda says

    i know on a post like this i should comment something to the effect of “wow that’s a lot of stuff for one month! congrats on all your hard work!” but instead i have let myself get hung up on one tiny thing, so all i really want to say is: hard hat.

    Reply

  36. Laura says

    Two (somewhat) major things happened in April: it was confirmed that I’m moving 307 miles away in now less than 3 months and still don’t have a place to live (dun dun dunnnn), and I finalized my design for a DIY loveseat! Now to start building and packing.

    Reply

  37. Sydney says

    Hi Guys, I’ve been reading your blog for about a year now and really enjoy it. But, I do have one comment/suggestion/helpful hint for your new home. Please rethink hanging more bamboo blinds in the new house. I say this not for looks, but for safety. The hanging cords on those store bought blinds are a true safety hazard for small and even older children. To date over 500 children have been severely injured or killed due to dangling cords and even ones which are tied up on cord cleats. You can check out the website of the Parents for Window Blind safety here. http://parentsforwindowblindsafety.org/ to read more about it. As a disclosure I am not a member of the group, but do sell window treatments and so am very aware of this issue. Good luck with the move and I’ll keep reading to see your new progress.

    Reply

  38. Leanne says

    Okay, I don’t know how I missed that April Fool’s Rap the first time around, but it was awesome! But,I was bummed because just as I was startin’ to get into it, you stopped! Is there a full version somewhere? Will there be any rappin’ in the future? Please? :)

    Reply

  39. Whitney Dupuis says

    A couple of things:

    1. I am very excited about a giveaway dealing with Instagram!

    2. I just had to watch your music video again because it makes me giggle uncontrollably.

    3. I started watching Continuum on Netflix and finally realized last night that the lead actress reminds me of Sherry – especially when her hair is up. *revelations*

    Reply

  41. Marlayna says

    Would you be interested in (or already have done) a post on sanity strategies for moving a whole home, with fur baby and kiddo? Anything from truck rental, buying supplies, how to pack, timing (more than a day to move), to unpacking, etc.

    How do you guys save moolah? I like to do things on the cheap so my great corner cutting tip is: picking up boxes from a clothing store in your local mall since they probably get product 2x a week and will have almost a hundred big boxes to dispose of! Major $$ saver and recycling of boxes!

    Personally, the more life stuff we accumulate, the more reluctant I’ve been to say, “yay, let’s move again!” *would love tips* thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’d love to share tips after we move (we won’t know how things work until we’re done and in the new house, haha!). Here’s hoping we figure out a few tricks to make it easier :)

      xo
      s

  42. Marisa says

    I somehow missed your April Fools rap (which was awesome!). I saw this today and thought you guys would love it. Not sure if someone already posted this.

    Reply

  43. Karen says

    Hi! I love the carpet in the sunroom; where can I find one like it? Thanks and good luck on the next house of adventures! Karen

    Reply

  44. courtney says

    Oh you guys are so cute!! I loved the videos lol :) I love your decor and your cozy home! I was curious where you got claras playroom wallart right when you first walk in the room?
    the “you are so loved.” I love that style of prints.

    Reply

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