Update: Apologies for the annoying recurring “out of stock” message on Amazon and B&N.com. If you’ve been trying to get our book (thank you!), you can order a signed copy directly from Fountain Bookstore (they ship to your door) or try calling or visiting a Barnes & Noble near you — they appear to have copies in some stores right now.
Happy Friday! After a busy week of checking off projects — decorating our tree, framing our bathroom mirror, and updating hardware — plus hosting several House Crashing features, sharing a DIY roundup, and reflecting on lessons learned, we wanted to pause for our usual monthly recap. Taking stock keeps us motivated and proud of progress instead of feeling like we’re running on a hamster wheel. This brief look back helps us push forward and celebrate the wins, big and small. (Insert random photo of Sherry in love with a life-size ram here.)
This November was especially hectic. We were on the road for book tour events for nearly half the month, but still managed to nearly finish a hall bathroom upgrade, refresh a buffet, add a kitchen window shade, make solid basement progress, and tackle several fall decorating projects. We also published four House Crashing posts. If you want to revisit earlier recaps from 2011 and 2012, we’ve archived many monthly roundups to make browsing easier. And yes — there’s a hint about Monday’s giveaway tucked in at the end, and it’s open worldwide.
Most Likely To Be Used Car/Stuff Salesperson: We’ve been selling a surprising amount on Craigslist, so we finally put together a post with practical tips for selling and buying on Craigslist.
Freshest Face: The buffet in our living room got a subtle refresh with carefully color-matched paint and several coats of polyurethane to seal and protect it. The result is a less-beaten, more polished version of the original piece.
Most Inspiring: Nate’s garage workshop inspired me to begin work on my own basement. Visiting his Northern Virginia home gave us the nudge we needed to start tackling that space.
Most Secretive: We built a boxy floating shelf to hide an awkward tile remnant left over after Sherry tried to remove a built-in soap dish in the hall bathroom. Problem solved, and the shelf looks great.
Juiciest: We finally shared a behind-the-scenes post about the chaos and funny moments that went into shooting the book — page-by-page stories we’d been holding on to since January.
Most Mouth-Watering: The pretzels Sherry used to prop drying acorns for a fall project. Some of the acorns molded, so next time we’ll dry them in the oven like many of you recommended. Thanks for the tip — you’re smart.
Most Welcoming: Rich and Jessie, who hosted us in Cincinnati during the tour and even picked us up from the hotel after a delayed flight. Their warmth and beautiful home made the stop extra special.
Most Granny Chic: Our hall bathroom, which we painted a muted purplish-gray inspired by the subtle lavender we used in my grandmother’s bathroom makeover last month.
Most Likely To End Up On The Weather Channel: Several stops on the New England leg of our tour, where we experienced the aftermath of a major storm in Connecticut and New Jersey and then a Nor’easter in Boston. Our hearts go out to everyone affected.
Most Faux Real: The faux Roman shade Sherry made for the kitchen from about a yard of fabric, a scrap of wood, iron-on tape, and a pile of pins. It was one of two quick window treatments she completed that month.
Most Fishy: A sailfish mounted in Lesley & Jeff’s guest room, one of many memorable pieces we found while crashing their eclectic Richmond home.
Most Non-Sensical: That awkward middle stage in a project — a point where a room or makeover doesn’t yet feel right. We wrote about pushing through that uncomfortable phase during our office makeover and how persistence paid off.
Most Chaotic: Our playroom, even after a major clean and purge for book photoshoots. The room will feel more put together once we paint over test swatches and settle on a functional furniture layout.
Most Likely To Open A Paint Store: Us — we’ve accumulated a lot of paint from photo shoots, so organizing and reusing colors became a priority. We repainted basement pegboards to make a dent in the collection.
Moose-iest: A group of enthusiastic moose costumes we encountered during our Canadian tour stop — definitely a memorable part of the visit.
Quickest Upgrade: New knobs in the hall bathroom that were installed in minutes. Frosting the window took longer but was worth the effort for the finished look.
Most Unused: We finally moved a TV into the bedroom but haven’t hooked it up yet. The Facebook poll on bedroom TVs was close, with a small lead for the “no TV in the bedroom” crowd. It was fun to read everyone’s opinions.
Most Heartwarming: A sweet post Sherry wrote for my birthday that led to a string of lovely comments from readers — the kind that made both of us smile.
Most Cringeworthy: Adapting our annual thanks jar onto a chalkboard even though I dislike the scratch of chalk. You all shared tips for better chalk art, and dipping the chalk in water actually helped — thanks for the advice.
Shadiest: A 15-minute window shade Sherry whipped up for the hall bathroom from bright ikat fabric. It might be our favorite detail in the room.
Most Serendipitous: Discovering that 5″x5″ Instagram prints fit almost perfectly inside CD jewel cases, which led to a cheap, dust-resistant photo display for the basement workshop.
Most Insightful: The many reader suggestions that rounded out our tips for what to look for — and what to overlook — when house hunting. Your comments added real value to that post.
Most Cheerful: Lesli and her bright, casual farmhouse we visited near Charlottesville. Her colorful decor and original paintings made the tour a joyful stop.
Most Potential: Our sunroom, which we started to imagine and tidy up at the end of November. Now that we’ve begun the prep work, painting and more updates are already underway.
Most Entertaining: You — the readers. The comments on our random-facts post were hilarious and among the best laughs we’ve had in a long time. Seriously, take a stroll through a page or two of the thread if you need a pick-me-up.
Most Artistic: A husband who created a humorous Beavis-style portrait of his wife inspired by a tip in our book. He showed it off at our Houston event, and it got plenty of laughs during our tour recaps.
Most Iconic: The images below — each represents a word that helps decode the prize for Monday’s giveaway. Reminder: the giveaway is open to everyone worldwide.
How was your November? Did you travel for work or pleasure, finish a big project, or simply enjoy the last calm moments before the holidays? We’d love to hear what you accomplished or enjoyed this past month.