Top Reader Posts - February 17

My apologies for last weeks short list. I had a hugemongous (yes, I know it is humongous) headache and I could barely think straight enough to get the two links posted that I did. Lesson learned: write your Top Reader Posts post over the course of the week and not the day it should be posted. That said, I started this post on Thursday (February 11).

I really want to paint my front door. I had been thinking black, but then the more I think about it the more I think some bright bold color might just be fitting. The same principle could apply to my door that applies to my "Leave" doormat. The principle. . .People who know me will understand and people who don't evidently don't know me very well and I don't care what they think. That is the prefect statement for me. Either you like me and my quirks (random thoughts, potty talk, gutter humor, Leave doormat, etc.) and we are great friends or you don't and we aren't and I don't care. Granted those quirks may not come out here because I don't know many of you and (believe it or not) I am a little reserved until I get to know someone. So since I most likely will never meet all of you not all of those quirks will come out. Anyway, there was a point when I started out talking about the door. . .remember at the beginning when I mentioned painting my door? Well, I mention it because Freckles Chick has a post about painting her front door. She even referred to the Just a Girl post I have had bookmarked since last July. (Have I mentioned that I don't move very fast on my ideas for redoing things in my home. Okay, okay. . . .I don't move at all on those ideas. I have the same items on my walls that my friend arranged and hung for me when I moved in five years ago. I keep thinking this is all going to change very soon. Stay tuned to find out. If that actually happens, this blog would be about more than food. I don't know about you but I am excited to see that happen.)

Wendy at The Shabby Nest has posted 21 Things Your House Needs. Here is Part 1 and here is Part 2. I think I don't even meet one quarter of the requirements. That means I have some serious work to do. I like many of the ideas I have read so far. Sort of in the same vein, The Nester over at The Nesting Place, has reposted 10 Minutes to a Room You'll Love::Part 1 Family Room. Again, good information and when you think about what these ladies are writing, it makes sense (at least most of it).

Okay, this isn't in a top post but as I have read various posts about knock off this and knock off that I had the thought that if these people are seeing items to knock off then maybe I want to see if inspiration can come my way by looking at stuff too. So, I have now requested catalogs from Pottery Barn, Ballard Designs (now online), IKEA, and Restoration Hardware. Maybe I can get inspiration from them. Once you look through the catalog and find the pictures that have items of interest tear out the page and put it into a binder. Make it your Dream House binder or something like that. From what I have read this helps you accomplish things. Well, having items bookmarked on my browser hasn't helped me do anything around my house maybe the binder will. Riiiiiight. I can hope though.

This week was a gold mine for DIY projects.

• Over at The Country Chic Cottage, Angie, has tutorials for Burlap and Ribbon Pillows and a bunch of Ball tutorials. (Yes, I find it funny that she has a Post Label for Balls.)
  
• Then there is the Butterfly Wreath by Taylor over at Mary Janes and Galoshes. She also has a tutorial on how to make a Dump Truck Bank that could really be changed up to make any type of bank you would like.
  
• Then we have Kim over at The Polka Dot Thought with a Plexiglass Art tutorial.
  
• Many of you have probably seen this Patchwork Wall Art as it has been running the rounds on blogs since last year. I liked Lacy's tutorial that she posted over at Spacey Lacy so I decided to share it with you. You could change up the paper to make appropriate Patchwork Wall Art in almost any room of your house or as SS did, at her husband's office.
  

Last, I leave you with a post that just plain made me laugh. Vanessa, at V. and Co. wrote this post about F is for Fiber. I love that she wrote about this. I know many bloggers blog about their "perfect" lives and it sometimes makes people feel inept because their house doesn't always look like those "perfectly put together" houses they see on their favorite blogs, or their "hubby" isn't as "fab" as their favorite blogger's, or they can't write step-by-step "tuts" as good as their other favorite blogger. Vanessa keeps it very real and I greatly appreciate her for that. I tend to lean toward those blogs that write about every day life and not just their "perfect" life. Everyone needs to keep in mind that what you see on someone's blog is a very well edited (in most instances) snapshot of their everyday life.