Today I am excited to share how we painted our pool and saved thousands of dollars! Would you believe me if I told you we almost walked away from our house because there was a pool in the backyard? We have young kids and the idea of having a pool was really intimidating to me.

I am digging the rich, moody paint colors trend and am craving this design aesthetic even more as we head into Fall! I love how the perfect paint color can warm up a room and give it a cozy vibe.

Today I am sharing simple bathroom organization solutions for our cluttered master bath! After living in our master bathroom for a year, I identified a handful of areas that needed …

As school starts up again, many of our kids have to remain at home due to the COVID outbreak. When my son isn’t virtually learning online, I have tried to get him outside to explore new places around town. I have created a full list of kid-friendly places to enjoy around Toledo for any parent who needs to find an activity outside of the home!

Our master bathroom was tired, outdated, lacking function, and ready for a makeover. I embraced the retro style of the 70s and our master bathroom is now a showstopper after a few budget-friendly improvements!

The most effective way to whiten your tile grout is with a simple homemade grout cleaner made of 4 ingredients. If your tile floors were installed with white grout, there is a good chance that it is stained with dirt. Using household products that are usually stocked in your kitchen, you can whiten your tile grout without any chemicals!

Today I am sharing tips for one of my most effective renovation strategies – how to remove wallpaper! My latest home project is giving our dated master bathroom a little refresh.

Looking for a reason to decorate with vintage items in your home? Along with the thrill of the hunt, there many benefits to purchasing gently used furniture and vintage decor items for your home.

If you own a home built in the 50s or 60s, there is a good chance you have at least one retro bathroom.

Our home was built in the late ’60s and we have 3 original bathrooms! This month I am excited to tackle a budget-friendly makeover to our master bathroom! My goal is to highlight the charming aspects of our bathroom while adding more function for our family’s needs today. After living with this bathroom for the last year, I have identified a handful of quick fixes that will modernize the space and add efficiency.

Today I am sharing how to update a lamp base with spray paint.
I love the challenge of updating a space on a budget. Along with saving money, I enjoy finding new ways to use items that I already own.

This is exactly what I did when I needed a lamp for Thomas’ modern bedroom makeover. The original lamp was nice with a chrome finish, but I really wanted a black lamp in the reading nook.

Today I am excited to show you how to color block a piece of art for your home! This DIY is great for artwork that is usually passed over at …

Are you ready for the boys’ bedroom reveal for Week 8 of the One Room Challenge?! Even though my design plans changed quite a bit, I am SO happy with how Thomas’s bedroom turned out. And most importantly, Thomas is overjoyed with the new look of his bedroom!

Week 7 of the One Room Challenge and I am looking forward to wrapping up this project. There are definitely some challenges that come along with renovating a child’s bedroom …

We are in the final weeks of the One Room Challenge and I am FEELING it! Last week was heavy and to be honest, the Challenge felt a little trivial. …

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved a good DIY project, especially when I can upcycle an old item. I found an old lamp at a local thrift store and decided to give it a modern look with an easy DIY by adding plaster to the lamp base.

Last week I found an old iron arbor on the side of the road with “free” attached to the front. Aside from the arbor being my favorite price, the design was perfect for my English garden!

I have been hard at work creating my English Garden and the beds are starting to fill up! All of the perennials that I have put in my garden were given to me or transferred from another spot in my yard.

I gotta be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to finish this week 4 of the One Room Challenge! In the final minutes, I finished my Ikea Billy Bookcase hack and I am so proud of how it came out.

Welcome to week 3 of the Better Homes & Gardens One Room Challenge! This week, I added some personality into my boys’ bedroom by installing a wall mural on one wall, and LOVE how it turned out!

Whenever I begin a room makeover, I always start with paint. The wall color lays the foundation for the design and painting a room makes it feel fresh and new. Today I am going to take you through how to paint a carpeted room in 5 easy steps.

The Better Homes & Gardens Spring One Room Challenge is here and I am so excited to participate again! Over the next 8 weeks, I will be transforming my boy’s …

Designing and building an English garden in my backyard | Building Bluebird #landscaping #gardening #greenthumb

Building a compost station at your home is a great way to reduce waste and create nutrient-rich soil. My family has been composting for a few years now using a rolling bin and decided to take our composting one step further at our new home.

The Toledo flip house is COMPLETE and sold to its new owners! I am so proud that we successfully and profitably flipped our first home. Let’s get started on the tour!

I still can’t get over how amazing my freshly painted, old linoleum floors look in the laundry room! For this project, I partnered with Rust-Oleum to try out their interior paint product, Rust-Oleum HOME Floor Coating.

My $300 laundry room makeover is complete! Today I am sharing a quick and easy contact paper countertop tutorial for you to try at home. I finished this project in a few short hours and for under $25. Let’s get started with this simple tutorial!

Steve and Jan wanted a home that functioned for their family today while also fitting in with the period when the home was built in 1875. Unfortunately, because the roof had been removed for 6 years, there wasn’t much to salvage in terms of original materials.

The Bosler house was built in 1875 by Ambrose Bosler and became one of the first homes built in North Denver (now the Highlands neighborhood). This home was built right before Colorado received statehood status.

It is not uncommon to hear someone talk about wanting to get their real estate license. While it is true that anyone can buy the real estate course and take the test, becoming a successful real estate agent takes a lot of work.
Today I am answering common questions about getting a real estate license and sharing my personal experience. I was definitely naive when I first signed up for the course and have learned a lot of lessons during my first few years as a realtor.

 I am so excited to take you through my favorite project of our third house, the master bathroom renovation! Our previous house had an amazing master closet and master bathroom, so when we moved into our new house, the outdated and small master bath and closet were NOT ideal.  

The first project at our third flip house was to build a legal bedroom in the basement with an attached bathroom. I was pregnant with our second child and we made the decision to hire an au pair once our daughter arrived. Not only did the cultural aspect of this experience excite us, but it made more sense financially in terms of childcare in Denver. The basement was a blank canvas that was perfect for creating a guest suite for our au pair, Maria.

Today I am excited to take you through one of the most popular Airbnb listings in Toledo, OH – The Gas Lantern Cottage. This beauty is 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and within walking distance of downtown Sylvania.

As I slowly furnish our living room in our new home, I am on the hunt for a round table under $500. I would like to put a table in the bay window nook to serve as a place to do puzzles or play games.

Today I am sharing 10 simple ways to make your bathroom more eco-friendly! Bathroom renovations have been on my mind because the bathrooms in our new home are original to when the house was built in the 1970s. This means that they are very colorful and not very efficient.

Living in a flip house is a great strategy for beginner investors and offers many benefits. One big challenge that new real estate investors encounter is capital. This strategy is beneficial for investors who are just starting out and can only afford one property.

As a licensed realtor with Danberry in NW Ohio, I know the importance of high-quality images to sell a home. In fact, I included professional photography in my services as a listing agent because it is so important. I spoke with Mary Wyar, a professional real estate photographer, to discuss why you should hire a professional photographer to sell your home. I have summarized her insights into the top five most important reasons to have professional photos taken of your home.

Today I am sharing my 10 simple home staging tips to sell your house fast!  As a licensed real estate agent and investor, I absolutely LOVE this part of selling a home! With these tips, I know you will maximize the value of your home and stand out from the competition.

When you buy a fixer-upper, it is imperative that you prioritize and plan your home renovation projects! Renovating a home can be overwhelming and I have learned quite a bit living through renovations these last 10 years. Today I am sharing my tips for how Chris and I plan our home renovation projects and prioritize each one.

If you are looking to sell your home, one of the easiest ways to maximize its value is to create a blank slate with neutral paint colors on your walls.

Home renovation costs can add up quickly! Today I am sharing my top 5 money saving tips for your next big home project. After flipping four houses and renovating our current home, Chris and I have learned lots of ways to save money with each project we take on.

This year I want to continue to create habits and use products that are more eco-friendly. I have slowly been implementing these habits, like composting and using LED light bulbs, …

The first big project in 2020 will be my laundry room! I am excited to take you through my laundry room design plans today and give you a tour of the current space. The plan is to incorporate big design into this space on a little budget! I am looking forward to this project because I love to get thrifty and creative in with home renovation projects. My goal is to spend under $300 for this entire makeover.

Laundry rooms are one of my favorite DIY projects because they are often overlooked and left as boring and uninspiring spaces. My first big project of 2020 is to tackle our dated laundry room. I have gathered a few of my favorite laundry room design ideas that are inspiring me for this budget-friendly project.

It is so refreshing to do a not-so-fun task like laundry in a beautiful space. While kitchens and bathrooms often sell the home, I believe that beautiful laundry rooms seal the deal.

Let’s get started!

We purchased this old bed frame off of Craigslist almost 8 years ago for $100. When I bought it, I had every intention of painting it right away, but it never happened! When we moved into our new home 6 months ago, we planned to use this bed in our daughter’s bedroom.

LED light bulbs are the easiest and quickest way to make your home more energy-efficient. If you haven’t made the switch to LEDs yet, add this to your 2020 New Year’s resolution list right now! LED light bulbs have become much more affordable than they used to be and there are numerous benefits to making the switch from old CFL bulbs.

Joining a real estate team or becoming an independent agent is a big decision! When I became a realtor 1.5 years ago, I started as an independent agent at a brokerage. I recently joined the Rigali Group with Danberry Realty and am loving the benefits of working on a real estate team. Today I am sharing my tips on what to consider when deciding to join a real estate group.

Modern families today want that open concept design in their homes. The kitchen is the most common place where homeowners want that open-concept feel. It is the heart of the home where everyone wants to gather.

Today I am sharing my favorite functional kitchen ideas to maximize efficiency and organization! When a kitchen is organized well, valuable time is given back to the homeowner. In the last 10 years, I have moved 8 times and have learned a thing or two about efficiently organizing my kitchen.

Today, I am sharing five popular Victorian homes designs and their key identifiable features. These include Gothic Revival, Queen Ann, Folk Victorian, Italianate, and Second Empire styles.

Choosing the right paint sheen for your project is almost as important as getting the right paint color – ALMOST. Choosing the right paint sheen for your project is almost as important as getting the right paint color – ALMOST. 🙂 Paint comes in a variety of sheens ranging from no shine at all to very shiny paint. As a general rule of thumb, you want your walls to blend into the design of your space. When you apply a sheen that is not appropriate for the space, it can be quite distracting to the eye. Today I am breaking down how to choose the appropriate paint sheen for your next paint project!

for all beginner bloggers so they can avoid my mistakes. Starting a blog is hard and scary. For most people starting out, you have to learn an entirely new skill to create your own website. Along with learning this new skill, you have to be vulnerable and open when writing about your experiences. Learning to tell a story in your own voice is harder than it looks!

Today I am sharing 7 kid-friendly activities in Toledo to check out this winter. The cold winter months in Northwest Ohio can make you want to hibernate in your home, but these activities encourage learning, exploration and are enjoyable for both kids and parents. This winter break we visited many of these places and had a blast!

Are you someone who follows the anticipated paint color trends each year? I love when big paint brands choose a color of the year and find it fascinating the thought that is put into each decision. Last year there were mixed reviews with the Sherwin Williams choice of Cavern Clay but I feel like 2020 has all crowd-pleasers!

2019 was a big year for me personally and professionally. As I prepare to enter a new year (and decade!), I wanted to share some of my favorite projects and …

Dried orange slice garland is all the rage this holiday season and I am loving this trend! I happily hopped on this bandwagon and made some dried orange slices of my own to decorate our home.

The DIY picture ledge in our dining room has been a huge hit!

I have had so many positive responses to this piece, someone even asked if it was from Pottery Barn! How’s that for a compliment?! Building this ledge is super easy, it only takes a few hours, costs less than $30 and I am going to show YOU how to build it.

The dollhouse makeover is complete!
In the words of Pinkalicious (my daughter’s favorite show), “it’s pinkatastic!” This was such a fun project for me. I loved designing this house with my daughter in mind, you will quickly realize that she LOVES the color pink and everything girly. I can’t wait to give it to her on Christmas morning.

Let me take you through the full makeover of this sweet little dollhouse!

Installing a kitchen backsplash yourself is an easy way to refresh your space while saving money on labor costs. Whether you’re adding a pop of color, creating a sleek modern look, or going for a classic subway tile, a DIY backsplash can completely transform your kitchen.

My goal for our kitchen renovation was to create an open concept that complimented the traditional style of the home while also adding that modern vibe for our family today.

For the final week of this challenge, I am sharing the reveal of the dining room transformation AND a festive table setting designed for the holidays.

I say this all the time, but paint is so transformative! On the blog today, I am sharing a step by step tutorial on how to paint a room like a pro.

We are so close to the finish line for the One Room Challenge! This week we are getting art and decor up on the walls in our dining room.

The dining room was in need of a buffet and week 4 of the One Room Challenge was all about finding the perfect piece. When I couldn’t find the perfect buffet online, I decided to go thrifting and refinish a piece myself. We blew past the halfway point of this 6 week challenge and I love putting this room back together!

Week 3 of the One Room Challenge brought on the biggest transformation yet. I say this all the time and I will say it again…PAINT IS SO TRANSFORMATIVE!

Week 2 of the One Room Challenge is all about dining room prep! This week is all about prepping the room – making it ugly so it can look so beautiful at the end of this 6 week challenge! Specifically, I am focusing on removing wallpaper, moving the chandelier & repairing chipped paint.

The Better Homes & Gardens Fall One Room Challenge is here and I am so excited to be a guest participant! For the next 6 weeks, I will be transforming our dining room just in time for the holidays. Every Wednesday I will be posting updates on my progress and you can check out all of the behind-the-scenes fun over on Instagram.

In the last 10 years, Chris and I have moved 6 times and consider ourselves experts when moving and into a new house. We have learned lots of tips and tricks when we organize and unpack our new home and I am excited to share our top 5 tips today. These organizational tips are sure to turn your new house into a home.

I am excited to share the playroom progress and our design plans! We are in the process of decluttering the entire space and coming up with storage solutions for the …

With one dedicated weekend, we flexed our DIY skills and created a focal point and massive storage in our basement.

Our first backyard DIY project at our second home was building a swing set for Thomas. In the two years of living in this home (2013-2016), we completely transformed the backyard, including the wrap-around deck we built.

Week 1 has come and gone for this half bath challenge, and while it may not look like it, we have accomplished quite a bit!

I am so excited to show you how we doubled our outdoor living space at our second flip house.  This is by far one of my favorite renovations we have …

Week 3 of the Half Bath Renovation Challenge and we are making some good progress! This week is all about half bath paint projects! I want to apologize for missing …

Today I am so excited to share how my friend created a photography studio in her basement. Sarah is a small business owner (Sarah Renee Photography) and also a crafty DIYer who transformed her basement into a fabulous photography studio.  She wanted a space that was functional for photo shoots but also comfortable for families who spent a few hours there for newborn shoots.

It was extremely important to nail the kitchen layout at the Drummond Flip House. The kitchen is the heart of the home and can make or break the sale of …

Today I am sharing our phase 1 kitchen renovation plans at Flip 3! When we first moved into this house, I was amazed by the size of the kitchen! It …

Our second house had a tiny, closed-off kitchen. By removing half a wall in the kitchen and installing a breakfast bar, we added value to our home and achieved an …

Drum roll please! My tiny, dingy, dated half bath has had a major makeover! We extended the challenge by a week to complete the finishing touches and it was well …

Today I am sharing our next big project – installing a new roof and painting the exterior of our home! These major exterior renovations will not only add value to our home, but also improve the curb appeal.

Phase 2 of our kitchen renovation at Flip 3 is complete just in time for Friendsgiving! I don’t know about you, but hosting an event always gives me that push …

Our office needed a little love but we weren’t going to break the bank fixing it up. Today I am going to share with you our affordable office updates we …

I first learned about investing in mobile home parks through my friend Kate. We both loved learning about real estate investing and decided that this could be a great strategy to partner up and work together. We booked a three-day course in California to learn how to buy ourselves a mobile home park.

It has been almost a week since my last day at SpotX and I am continuing to adjust to my career transition.  I started SpotX when I first moved to …

This beautiful Victorian-style home was built in the late 1800s and is located in Toledo’s Historic Old West End. If you are a fan of architecture and old homes, touring the Old West End is a MUST!

Welcome to our new, temporary home for the next year in Toledo, Ohio!

For our first year in Ohio, we will be living with my in-laws. Our boxes are all unpacked and we are settling into our new routine in Ohio. We want to take our time finding the right neighborhood for us to move into as a family considering location, school district, etc. But for now, we are living in a fantastic neighborhood and have enjoyed meeting our new neighbors. Check out our temporary, Ohio digs!

Today I am excited to share styling tips to sell your house fast from local interior decorator, Debbie Jacoby! Debbie is selling her beautiful house in NW Ohio and these clever styling tips are sure to bring in multiple buyers!

I am lucky to call her my aunt and am always inspired by her designs and budget-friendly solutions to create a high-end look.

Are you ready for this super simple tutorial for how to wallpaper your staircase?! I am excited to share this fun wallpaper project with you and the best part is that it took less than 3 hours to install!

Once you identify a flip house and have it under contract, there are a few actions investors can immediately take. Along with being an active realtor in NW Ohio, I have experience with three live-in flips, one fix and flip, and as well as owning a few income properties.

Today I am sharing how to create a custom homeowner’s manual to sell your home fast! This manual is an open house cheat sheet and it allows you to share the great features of your home that may go unnoticed at an open house. What home renovations did you complete while living in the home? What upgrades are included that may not be visible to potential home buyers?

I am excited to take you on a tour of the Drummond Flip house before our renovations begin. This is our fourth flip house and our first investment in Toledo, …

Once I had my first child, I automatically started thinking about how I would pay for his college tuition! If you are like me, the idea of paying for your …

It’s demo day at the Drummond Flip House! This flip is a bigger beast than my previous 3 flips. When we lived in Denver, we were living in the homes …

Meet Woody – our first rental property in Toledo, Ohio! This is our first buy and hold investment property and we can’t wait to buy more. Today I am sharing …

Are you a new real estate investor who is looking to find their first property? I am breaking down five simple questions for you to answer that will help you move forward and find your first real estate investment property!

After renovating four homes (while living there), Chris and I have a few tips for renovating a home with young kids. Over those 10 years, we both had full-time jobs and were raising two rambunctious kiddos and still survived living through construction zones.

Thanks for tuning in to episode 6 of From the Nest Podcast! On today’s episode, Chris and I are discussing 5 different ways to finance your first investment property. 1. …

On today’s episode of From the Nest Podcast, Chris and I talk about buying an investment property site unseen! We are breaking down how we found this deal and our …

Thanks for tuning in to episode 12 of From the Nest Podcast! On today’s episode, Chris and I are discussing the kitchen design at the Drummond Flip House. Designing the …

On today’s episode of From the Nest Podcast, we discuss a year in review of my entrepreneurship journey. One year ago I left my corporate job and have been through …

Today Chris and I are discussing 8 easy and affordable ways to make your home more energy efficient. With Earth Day coming up this month, we thought this topic would …