Egganddart--your post is so true!!! I couldn't have said it better myself. So many people are caught up with trying to impress or keep up with someone else, that they forget what is really important! And the stress of it all!!

Now on the other hand, I know there are people out there that have a real knack for decorating and so many on here do too! I'm am not one of them. I really do love seeing everyone's pictures on here. I do envy those of you that can set something in the middle of the floor and it look good. If I do it, it just looks like I was too lazy to put it away. Heck I couldn't even pick out light fixtures when we were building. I had to make DH do it!

Marrilyn--I like to think of it this way. Those people who have such nice and well decorated homes will have old and outdated ones all to soon. I'm already there and didn't have to stress it. LOL!!

Marrilyn,

I'm spent after a very long day, but I promise I will post pics in the morning of some of my "yuck" spaces. I have several, both outdoors and in, and I know that feeling you're having.

I sometimes feel like I'm spinning plates with my house; most of the time I *just* about get them all spinning, and then they start to crash. My yard gets overgrown, I realize how I've overlooked a hideous area of my house, one project will showcase how ugly the room next to it is, etc.

...where you've really made a big decorating boo-boo.

OK here's mine. It's a sideboard I bought for nothing once upon a brain fart. What was I thinking???

It's not a bad piece, it just takes over my whole dining room. Anybody want it?

Egganddart is so right. Marrilyn, I hear where you are coming from, but don't let those thoughts take away from your joyous occasion! Those kids won't notice/care (and I bet it's not really like you think). And any adult that thinks otherwise has their priorities in the wrong place.

I sincerely hope you have a fabulous open house!! That is so sweet and gracious of you.

I suffer from your same ailment--on a mosaics list I'm on it's called OWCS, or Own Worst Critic Syndrome.

One thought I have for giving people somewhere else to look while they're having a wonderful time in each other's company: flowers! A few beautiful flower arrangements can make any place spring to life. There's something so celebratory about them.

Just an idea. Best wishes for speedy remission of your OWCS symptoms :)

I wish I had a picture, but I don't. I used to have this funny stool with two "legs" covered with striped leg warmers and an extra large tennis shoe on the bottom of each leg. My aunt gave it to me because she said it was given to her, but she thought it was the ugliest thing ever seen. I still laugh out loud thinking about it.

Anyway, I believe it's possible to make just about any place look charming and inviting. Good food and fresh flowers, as already mentioned, will go a long way. I hope you have a great time with your party next week.

Jan

OK, just quickly going through pictures I already have online, I'll make you feel a LOT better. Here's a shot I took and posted here to ask opinions on closing the pass through window in the background. I told everyone the mess was because I was in the middle of decorating for Christmas (and I was), but truthfully, my kitchen looks pretty darn close to this messy pretty much all the time. I clean it and 2 seconds later, the kids sweep through and leave it looking like I never touched it.

Oh, and we had some water issues that necessitated cutting some holes in the drywall to ensure we had taken care of the leaks. This was...oh...more than 2 years ago. My bedroom still looks like this:

and my hallway still looks like this:

The passthrough I ended up closing off from the first picture? Looks great from the kitchen (where I put shelves in the opening and covered it with a cabinet door) but from the dining room it looks like this (except that there is a larger pile of toys under it now). Again, this pic is at least 2 years old:

I keep waiting for the drywall fairy to visit me some night and fix all my walls, but it just hasn't happened yet.

Oh, and see this??:

I've been trying to pick a paint color for my main public area (a huge space encompassing the kitchen, family room, 2 foyers, 4 hallways, and 2 staircases) for about 3 years now. There are splotches like this all over my house and they've been there for over a year (I painted white primer over the splotches from 3 years ago to start again). If I just added a few more splotches, it would probably look like a half-decent faux finish.

Feel better yet, or should I keep going? :-)

I was complaining today because we are in a small apartment until we build.
You asked.
See how lucky we are?

Here is a link that might be useful:

I had to come back to this thread after being in my living area for a while. Uck.

We are building so it isn't like I give a flip about this house. We are staying in an old house on the property that will be torn down. I just wish it would take some of my furniture with it.

Although I have a couple of inspiration photos that have the "feel" I want, it is a LONG road between my living room and those pictures. In fact, I'm not even on the right map.

I am literally paniced that nothing will look right. In fact, everything I have looks stupid/bad/cheap/ugly/unmatched. There is a table I like, but haven't been able to get because I can't figure out the scale, even after a mockup. Then more questions: is it too dark, too serious, too spindley...

Hmm... Maybe this feeling is related to that feeling you get when you wake up one morning and think you are suddenly enormously fat when your weight didn't change any. Does anyone else get like that? Maybe it is due to a change in some decorating hormone LOL.

So she wants to see something ugly...well, we've been working on the LR for about 2 years, and while I've made good progress on 3 of the walls and the ceiling, this is what people see straight ahead when they walk in the front door...I've removed more of the paper, but not all of it. Now it's just battered plaster instead of a wallpaper collage. What's worse, I've begun to remove wallpaper in the adjoining DR as well, so this ugliness is SPREADING!

Thanks for the responses, you guys are awesome!

reno, I totally know what you mean by the spinning plates. Why can't I get everything to look nice at the same time?

homemaker, I can see why you liked that buffet, its a really cool piece. And at least you didn't spend a fortune on it, to end up not wanting it.

flyleft, fresh flowers, thanks, they're on my list!

lkplatow, thanks for showing me your mess, but I can tell there's a lovely kitchen under there. :) I love the drywall pics too.

Paintchips, I feel your pain. Sometimes I feel like I can't make a good decorating decision to save my life! Doesn't matter if I'm trying to go cheap or if I decide to break the bank, I still feel like I end up with something that looks bad. I'm also struggling over a table right now.

Love the pics, Kim, thank you!

Thank you all for the kind words. :)

Ooooohhhhhh! There's a reason you guys never see my kitchen!

I literally just walked right into my kitchen & took this pic for you. Even I went "OH MY!" when I opened up the pic.

To me this kitchen is hopeless w/o a wrecking ball. I have no refrigerator in it (it's in my uninsulated mudroom due to lack of wall space in the kitchen). The counter & cabinets that you see are the only ones in the kitchen. I just hate it so I avoid it at all costs.

See? No beautiful kitchen under all that!

Do not feel discouraged. As long as your home is neat & clean nobody will care. People will still be talking about the good food, good company & good time that they had long after you're ever finished doing what you want to do to your home.

ttodd and kim, I give you a great big hug :)

paintchips, I tell ya, it's OWCS. The next big discovery. Soon big pharma will be offering a pill for it.

ttodd thanks so much! I just told you on another thread how much I love your house. I need to make a decision on a dining room table by next weekend (I have two different posts on that subject so people please look them up and offer opinions :) ) and was afraid to show a pic of my dining room because it is filled with my Dad's paperwork that I have had to take over.

I will take a pic tomorrow and post it.

I STILL love your house ttodd!

Hmm, which would you like to see...my bedroom closet with no doors and exposed lath with plastic duct-taped around it? Or the mismatched woodwork between old that needs to be refinished and new that was reproduced? Or perhaps the sagging front porch? Or the coat closet that has no ceiling? Maybe the linen closet that is bare plaster (still, after 80-some years)? Or the "laundry area" in the basement that is so creepy that if I dare drop a clean something coming out of the dryer that I immediately put it back in the dirty laundry? Or maybe the driveway, with sparse asphalt that is only about 1-inch thick (where it's left, that is)? And this is after well over $100K in restoration! And don't even get me started on decorating mistakes!

It's so funny that you posted this...I've often thought of posting the same request. Rest assured there are many places in many houses that are not "forum-worthy". :)

Oh Marrilyn,
I can soooo relate to your post.
And I thank everyone who responded and/or posted pics of your 'Stuff'. Your kind words as I took them to heart and your pics as now I don't feel so badly.
And those of you with the witty comments, you started my day off right with a big ol' grin on my face.

Marrilyn,
I'll make you feel a whole lot better with my pictures. *smile*

We moved my parents in with us (modest 1500 sq. ft. tract home).
Several rooms had/have to be redone, partially to accommodate their physical needs and partly to find us storage in any leftover nook or cranny.

I started posting last year about this time about my M. Bedroom.
It's still not done.
At the time of posting questions about my bedroom I already had 4 other rooms being renovated at the same time.
NONE of them are done---going on 3 years now.

If there is a corner of a room, a bare wall or furniture that can be stood on end to make more room in the space, we've done it to fit "Stuff" that comes from other rooms being renovated.
I am, have been for almost 3 years, and will continue to be (until we win the lottery and hubs can work fulltime on these renovations instead of just on weekends. He works 10 hr. days and 2 half Saturdays a month) living with "STUFF", piles of it, everywhere.

The exterior front of our home was to be started this Spring
Not happening anytime soon as far as I can see.
We keep the grass mowed, hedges are way overgrown but somewhat trimmed back and the driveway clean.
ONLY so that the neighbors don't turn us in.
Otherwise, I wouldn't bother with the front at all --- giving us more time to work on the inside.

I guess with age comes priorities.
I remember so well while the kids were growing up here, stressing over the house, how it looked, cleaning, dusting, making things pretty--and moreso if we were having a family gathering here.
Then came age.
Then came parents moving in.
Then came "Who the he77 cares as long as there's a clean area to cook, a clean area to set down your plate, a clean area to sit and of course, a clean bathroom.
That's it - Done.
I've had major gatherings at my home while it's in this state.
I cover the big piles with clean sheets.
Guess what? Nobody cares!
Well, except my Mom who is flabbergasted that she could raise a daughter that would live like this and not care what others think. *grin*

So here are my "Make you feel better" pics of areas in my home in all their glory.

Sidebar: FLYLEFT: I left you a response in the Bathroom forum. Looking forward to showing you more pics and please, please, no apologies for your wonderful suggestions-I'll gladly take any you offer!!!

note the pink wall...
{{gwi:1707764}}

like the wall paper?
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who says subway tile is always elegant?
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what? couldn't afford any more paint?
{{gwi:1707767}}

want a trip to the ok bathroom sallon?
{{gwi:1455058}}

we had a dinner party out here three times! (our living room during the remodel)
{{gwi:1707768}}

you don't have a view of a mooses butt from your family room?
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i love metalics in a dining room:
{{gwi:1707769}}

who had issues with their kitchen?
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is your house so ugly that the occupants are all trying to escape?
{{gwi:1703504}}

ever feel like you're in prison?
{{gwi:1545999}}

difficulty choosing a paint color?
{{gwi:1707772}}

whats wrong with living in a bees butt?
{{gwi:1707773}}

wallpaper issues?
{{gwi:1707774}}

mmmm raspberry! (and way to hide the shower with the broken door!)
{{gwi:1707775}}

can you overdo faux painting?
{{gwi:1540203}}

what? this isn't how you hang A wallpaper boarder?
{{gwi:1707776}}

i entertained in all of these spaces...feel better now? heh heh

igloo -- LOVE the pic -- and your caption too! -- with the kid and cat trying to plot their escape ...... LOL!

Jan

OMG!!!!

Igloochic you have me laughing so hard I hope I don't wake the toddler! Can't wait to show this to DH when he gets home.

In fact - I think I'm going to print it out & hang it on my refrigerator door so that the next time my I find my milk frozen (along w/ me) in the winter or soured in the summer, it'll be hard to at least not crack 1/2 a smile!

Thanks!

lol i figured a quick search of my past 3 years living arrangements might really make the op feel good heh heh

I try not to complain too much about my kitchen because the previous owners gutted & did it all themselves. When they moved in the house was actually being used as a school & the kitchen was literally a lab when they moved in. So I give thanks (to a degree) that I actually have a sink bigger than the lab sink to pile all of my dirty dishes from a big Sunday breakfast.

PS: I have now wheeled DH's Beermeister into a corner of the kitchen to utilize as a closer option for a refrigerator. Hey - I'm PG & he's not allowed to have a keg until I can have a beer too so I may as well put the dam! thing to good use!

alright igloo, you win!! :)

You guys are amazing. I do feel so much better. :)

Igloo, you are hilarious! I love the moose butt though. And I do see a gorgeous view out the window.

Thank you!

igloo, the metallics DR and the OK bathroom saloon take the cake. Are these all places you've owned?!

Is that sweet little boy asleep with the stuffed puppy your son? He's an angel.

igloo, I can't believe somebody else has an OK bathroom saloon, my sister and I had one forever - and ours were white . The ladies saloon. (forever as in - they were installed circa 1972 and I just got rid of them last fall - and before that they were the neighbor's kitchen doors!).

Well, here is what my living and dining room have looked like for the past couple of weeks-and will look like for awhile.

LR:

DR:

I think I mentioned my terrific son cut and installed crown molding. Well....who knew that once the stuff was on the wall you had to patch and sand and patch and sand and prime then patch and sand, oh and caulk in between patching and sanding and OH MY.

What you can't even see in these pictures are the fine layer of dust that is covering everything. On top of the tv stand you can see my gifts from my party Tuesday that my fellow moms gave me for finishing my term as president of the PTA. Guess what--I was up on a ladder sanding and, you know, when the phone rang on Tuesday. I was late for my own party because I was working on that damn crown molding!

So hey, there is plenty of ugliness, disarray and mess to go around. If I ever finish this blankety blank crown I'll take some more photos.

Ann

we just bought our current home in December. The previous owner was an older woman who had lived here since it was first built and hadnt dont anything to it since then. we have been working very hard on updating it, but due to time and money and the fact that I am now 8.5 months pregnat with our third daughter, there are still ALOT of things that need to be done. I was able to snap this picture of the downstairs half bath before my camera battery died.

all but the prison picture are the two homes i own now...most are in the townhouse we are remodeling to live in, and the subway tile and wallpaper with flowers is the rental we will remodel next, but live in now. the prison shot is actually a hospital crib and yes mt ds probably after a surgery (since he never slept that angelic without drugs lol) ...but i did have a gathering of bankers for lunch in the room so it fit lol

the saloon doors actually came down pretty quick when we moved in...gad they were annoying!!!

and beyond the mooses butt lies a big lake :) so we put up with all of that goofyness to enjoy the view :)

I don't know about anyone else but I feel better already! ;)

Susan

Igloo, what a gorgeous boy you have. Definitely an excellent decorative accessory; I like him better than the moose's butt.

DIYdevon, don't laugh, but I actually like that wallpaper! Don't get rid of all of it -- keep a wall, keep it on the upper portions of the walls, but really, it's kinda cool. (The yellow sink, though...)

I'll try later tonight to take a picture of our bathrooms, complete with rusting sinks, chipping plastic faucet handles, peeling wallpaper, and absolutely *fabulous* yellowing faux-marble vinyl-sheet floors.

u ladies made my day! its so nice to see that behind all the 'perfect' spaces there is some day to day living going on. Its very timely as I gave myself a migraine cleaning up for my neat freak BIL's first visit later this week. My problem is I don't have even one 'all done' space yet! oh well..its an ongoing process..i should be able to relax in my own home without being afraid of being judged, right??
igloo, how goes the arm? ur son looks precious. Looks he and the cat are heading out for an adventure :-)

I love this thread. It makes me feel so much better about my house, lol! Forgot to take pictures of the play room/guest room with the peeling navy plaid wallpaper and horrible chair rail (apparently using a miter box was beyond the PO's abilities). But for now, I will trump Igloo with the Fireplace from Hell, which I posted as joke in someone's fireplace inspiration thread and got a response that said, "Sarschlos, what is that???" or something to that effect, LOL!

Here's the before with the 7' X 6' mirrors. Note the mirrored trim at the top and sides. I never knewe glue-on mirrors came with crown mouldings, lol:

Here's what I've lived with since January, when I couldn't stand seeing my behind every time I bent over to pick up a toy:

Here's my kitchen. Notice the weird hole between cooktop and ovens -- that's where the country's tiniest no icemaker apartment refrigerator fits. And aren't those circa 1985 wall ovens right next to the main back door fab. Oh, and please take note of the crap pile on the raised bar. That pile is so permanent that I'm pretty sure it now qualifies as a "fixture" and must be sold with the house.

This one is a little tricky, but look at the right side of the picture. See that side door? You're thinking it's in a mudroom or laundry room. C'mon, I know you are. But you would be wrong! Our only side door goes through ... the only powder/guest bath. Guess that must be why it is strictly an exit and not an entrance! Oh, and please notice the permanent green fuzz along the aquarium. It's a turtle tank, and every time we try to get one of those bottom feeder fish to clean the place up a bit, the darned turtle eats it. Apparently he's a loner and prefers to live in murk. YUCK. I keep calling him a delicacy, but DH and the kids don't think it's funny.

We went to a good friend's open house this weekend. It was a beautiful historic Craftman bungalow. They had decorated it to the hilt with antiques and several collections of teapots, etc. (too much). I was drooling over the windows, built-ins and trimwork. One thing that was interesting to note is that there was no TV/ent. room on either the main floor or upstairs. They did have an odd shaped basement where they had an old couch and set up a TV; however, they had exposed insulation in the ceiling and concrete walls (step up from a garage really). They said this was where they were expecting their teenaged son to spend the bulk of his time and it didn't matter what he did to the furniture, etc. They really are a very nice family, but I couldn't help thinking I would not want my kids hanging out in a basement without even the insulation covered up. Who knows if it's formaldehyde free. I know when we remodeled our house they contractors wore masks when they worked with insulation. Hopefully, at the minimum they put in sheetrock. I imagine the kid is glad to have his own retreat, but sheesh....

Imagine waking up to THIS every morning...

Words cannot describe the "faux finish" paint job on the trim...

It took us more than a year to get to this room's facelift. (It looks MUCH better now.)

Here is the home we bought. How could we talk anyone into thinking this was worth buying?
That electrical panel was in the entryway, couldn't even open the door all the way. Before we gutted it they also had their W&D located there.
That small bath was the only bath for the entire 6000 sq. ft. shell of a house. We are on year 3 of total house reno with about 30 days to go.

These pictures are awsome!!

diydevon - what is going on under that cabinet? Are they handles to pull yourself up after using the potty? I can see me doing pull-ups...kill two birds with one stone - answer nature's calling and get my workout done ;O)

Valzone5

LOL, exactly what I thought. Hilarious!

This is what the room that I intend to put my first child into looked like up until a few weeks ago (I am having a scheduled c-section TODAY, talk about waiting til the last minute):

We got the wallpaper down and the carpet up and it just got worse! Water damaged floors, incredible amounts of plaster damage around the windows (more water damage from a roof issue we fixed when we first moved in). Crap, can it get any worse???

But here is the light at the end of the tunnel. A week to build a new closet. Another week to repair all of the plaster. Another week to refinish the floors. A weekend to paint. FINALLY a nice clean space for the baby to come home to. Furniture will come Thursday and my sister will be setting it all up for me while I'm in the hospital, but at least there is a nice, fresh, clean place for all of the baby crap living in my living room to move to now.

The moral of the story is, sometimes things have to get ugly - REAL ugly, before they can get pretty. Sometimes that ugly is even of your own doing. I don't have photographic evidence of those times but I've done it.

OH KWLISA! Good luck today!

When you are back up to it, be sure to check back in so we know it went well.

It looks like such a happy place for a baby to come home to. Great choice on the yellow.

Congratulations!

What a great thread!

Igloochic - You are a hoot! Your little boy is so precious! How is he doing?

Lisa - Best wishes with your new baby! What an incredible room transformation!

KWlisa -- Brightest blessings today! When you feel up to it -- please let us know how everything and everyone is doing!

And a photo of the baby's room would be nice too! (just teasing! LOL!)

Jan

kgwlisa-- good work, looks beautiful.

Blessings to you today. Sleep a lot, eat well, snuggle your babe. Thats all you need.

Kgwlisa, what a gorgeous room. Can't wait to see the gorgeous baby who will occupy it! congrats in advance to you and your family. Wishing you peace and joy (and a baby who decides to sleep through the night at three weeks)!

Lisa's baby boy was delivered this morning at 8:29am, weight 8lbs 6 oz., 21 inches long. Mother and baby are doing well. He is so cute. Wide eyed and alert.

Sorry, I'm a neat freak, so no messy rooms to post.....but I've enjoyed seeing your pictures!! :D

Wonderful news!

valzone5 - LMAO!! I do believe they are meant to place hand towels in. :) That lovely piece of "furniture" has since left our home...well actually it sits in my garage begging to be burned.

walkin yesindeed - I will gladly send you a big section framed once i get it pulled down! :)

congrats lisa!!!

Congratulations Lisa!!!

Congratulations to the whole family!

Jan

Congratulations ! Enjoy your babymoon.