I am a serial entrepreneur, intermittent blogger, former newspaper columnist, black-belt bargain hunter, gardener, music lover, avid party thrower, and DIY machine.
I have been “decorating” my spaces since I was 9 or 10 years old. I think ANY room can look amazing with a little time, effort and creativity. I love transforming sad rooms, rehabbing ugly used furniture and re-imagining bargains into something cool and stylish. I love prowling around flea markets and second-hand stores and I have a very hard time passing up Charlie Brown furniture with “potential”. My current style is transitioning from eclectic/vintage/bohemian/cottage to… I’m not sure what, it’s never just one thing. Always eclectic, but right now I’m obsessed with a 1970’s aesthetic.
I live in a small (1440 square feet) 1920’s house that sits on a narrow city lot in an urban neighborhood in Syracuse, NY. My goal is to make the most of the house I am in and make it uniquely mine.
I love to cook but have zero patience for fussy or complicated recipes.
I am the only person I know who does not drink coffee.
Music inspires me, but I can’t carry a tune to save my life.
Parties are my favorite thing ever, and I think they should always have live music and tons of food and interesting guests. And lots of booze.
And I make killer guacamole.
My husband (aka The Domestic Rock God)and I are the owners of The 443 Social Club, a funky, intimate live music venue focusing on original acoustic singer-songwriters, roots, blues, and jazz performers. Our industry has been decimated by COVID, and other than a brief period in the early fall of 2020, we have been closed since March 2020.
I have done a lot of different things in my life, including managing restaurants, operating a corporate gift basket service (brick & mortar shop + online) for 10 years, running a home staging business, and booking bands for a scuzzy hard rock and metal club. I was the marketing and events director for a small local chain of restaurants, the event manager for our local zoo, and I once became a realtor for about 5 minutes.
I grew up in Syracuse, NY but lived in Clarksville, TN, Bourbonnais, IL and Madison, WI before returning to my hometown.
My interests are all over the map.
Do you like budget-friendly DIY projects and decorating, easy recipes and fun cocktails?
In this blog, I write about my DIY and decorating projects and share my favorite cocktails and easy recipes.
This is not my first time around at the DIY/decor blogging rodeo – in the mid- 2000’s I was blogging at Frugal & Fabulous Design and The Cabin Chronicles. I’ve been thinking about restarting a blog for the last few years, and on January 1, 2016 I finally pulled the trigger.
Have you ever heard the Greek word “meraki”? Someone shared it with me a while back and it perfectly captures my philosophy on all things house and home.
If you have any questions, you drop me an email – I would love to hear from you.
