The most important part of Vintage Revivals, surprisingly isnt the Merc, or my post on how to paint furniture. It’s my Real Life Story. It’s been a while since I’ve updated it and while I wasn’t initially intending this post to be part of it, I feel like it needs to be. Cause struggling and being human is way easier when someone else says “Hey girl, me too.”

I dont know what your last year has been like, but if I had a word for 2018 it would be STRESS. Like that, in all caps, screaming in your face. Over the last few years I’ve felt it compounding, but this last year it was overwhelming. I found myself paralyzed in anxiety, brimming with anger, and disconnected, jealous, and negative. (Which is very unlike my rose colored glasses way of living.) I had a few irrational outbursts, I had stress induced psoriasis patches all over my body, I very intensely thought about driving my car into a wall one night.

The crazy and most frustrating part is that I tried everything that I could think of to find relief. Hormone therapy, actual therapy, change in diet, sticking to a schedule, meditation, exercise, podcasts, books, if it was suggested to me I tried it. And nothing made it better. Every time I cut my hair my sisters were worried I was going to buzz it Britney circa 2007 style.

Have you ever been in a place like this? Where you’ve pulled your boot straps up so high that you’re wearing them like suspenders and yet, you are still there, in the garbage? GAH! It is the worst feeling like you’re letting everything and everyone around you down. Man, if you have my heart goes out to you. Maybe we should start a suspenders club?

For me, I’ve learned, is that it wasnt about the circumstances that were going on (maybe we’ll talk about those soon). What really was happening is that sometime along the way I shifted my spirituality into neutral. Spoiler alert! It seems to be when you put something in neutral, it eventually coasts to a stop and that is what happened. I had stalled out.

For those that don’t know, I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. My faith is what has rescued me from the seemingly unreachable darkness. Understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power that it has to bring grace and purpose to my life changed everything. After experiencing all of the miracles that we have over the years, you would think that I would be set on the right path and have all of the energy in the world to endure whatever ups and downs life throws at me, but man it just is not that way. I was still going to church, Court and I are still missionaries for the 12 Step Program, and still doing the “things” but trying to restart some spiritual momentum out of sheer self loathing is just not the way that it works.

In October I went to a hypnotherapy session that changed everything. It was probably the most sacred and spiritual experience that I’ve ever had. I can’t share all of it, but during the session, I had this huge weight of darkness descend on me. As I focused on it I could feel it, like a thick black mist, intertwining itself around every part of my body. My therapist had me project the feeling outside of my body and asked me what shape it took on. It was like I was staring at a mirror image of myself, but instead of skin and clothing it was a faceless shadow of tumbling black smoke staring back at me.

As I faced it, those familiar feelings of dread, stress, hatred, anger, jealousy, self-will, pride, resentments, and sadness intensified and the smoke grew larger and larger until it was no longer the shape of me, but just a huge swirling black mass of despair. My therapist had me directly ask why it was there, and with a laugh and an energy that I recognized as Satan it replied “because you allow me to be”.

That son of a #&*%$

Slowly, almost undetectably I had let all of these garbage thoughts and feelings take seed in my life and they grew  and grew and grew until I found myself in this horrible place. Never has the term enemy of my soul meant more to me.

I dont know if you know this, but when I started my blog I had never DIYed a thing in my life. I had very little confidence in anything, especially myself, and what little I did have was sucked into the dark hole of Court’s addiction. I was an absolute shell of a person. When I stumbled one day upon the world of DIY blogs, it changed everything! These wonderful, relatable, awesome women shared their knowledge with me and made me feel like I could do something scary. It unlocked a talent that had been completely undiscovered and quite literally altered the course of my life.

A few months into the blog I knew that I needed to share our struggle with addiction. At that point Court had only been sober for a few months, but he was so different than any other time he had been clean, that I didn’t hesitate to believe that this time really was different. From the moment of being willing to be vulnerable things changed for me. I learned who I was, and how God speaks to me. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the reason that I had this gift was to bring people to the blog so that I could share with them hope, and confidence, and happiness. Maybe in a thrifted dresser, maybe in a relationship, maybe in God. But always that change is real and everything can be made better. That purpose unlocked my heart.

But over the years, that perspective shifted. If you ask me point blank, that is still the answer you’ll get, but in my heart it changed. It became about me, not about you. I dont know if the content really changed all that much, but the energy and reason behind it did. I would be interested to know for those long time readers, if you’d noticed.

So for the last little while, I’ve focused on finding my Savior and my peace and my perspective again. It has become my number one priority. It never ceases to amaze me that He is always there. ALWAYS! Even when I turn away from him, even when I struggle and try to do things on my own and make a mess out of the path that he set my life on, he is still there! Through this journey I’ve dedicated more time to going to the temple and reading the Book of Mormon. I’ve cut out everything in my life that doesn’t fill me with hope and happiness (I’m looking at you Netflix) and my heart has been changed.

One of my favorite quotes by President Benson says “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.” It’s quite miraculous how that happens. I feel like I know what my Heavenly Father wants from me and as I am willing to trust him and move forward in faith that he will work the miracle for me to become whatever he intends.

And as for the enemy of my soul, whenever I am feeling frustrated or defeated I read from the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 4:18-35

18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.

19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.

20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?

27 And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?

28 Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.

30 Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

So what does all of this mean!? Hahaha man I have no idea. But I do know that Vintage Revivals always going to be about projects and paint and trips to Home Depot. But if I’m creating that content with love, awareness, and perspective-I believe that it can create a deeper connection and that is what the whole point behind all of this is. To know that none of us are alone in our bad bathroom tile, or in our imperfect lives.

If you’ve made it this far you get 10 Vintage Revivals points and a huge heartfelt thank youuuuu! Thank you for letting me share about where I’ve been cause man, what a lonely and crappy place that is. And thank you for letting me figure this whole thing out. You are wonderful!!

If you would like to learn more about the LDS 12 Step Addiction Recovery meetings, you can get more info for meetings in your area here.

If you’re interested in receiving a free copy of the Book of Mormon, I would love to send you one! Shoot me an email at mandi@vintagerevivals.com!

Love your guts guys!!

The post Real Life Story Update 2018 Edition appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Happy Tuesday you guys! How are you surviving summer? Things have been so good and crazy over here. We’ve had volleyball camp after volleyball camp for Ives, we’re getting geared up for the renovation on the Merc to start, and trying to not die from evaporation in this ridiculous heat.

As some of you know, my in-laws have been building the last (almost) year. Its been a cool process to be part of and we’ve learned so many great lessons along the way that will help us with the Merc (I can’t wait to share them with you!) They are almost done with the build and I thought it would be fun to show you guys what the house looks like right now before its cleaned up and decorated.

The style is casual modern with loads of monochromatic finishes.

Isn’t it so pretty?! My favorite part is the faux wood on the exterior. You’d never know it was metal, except that it requires zero maintenance.

The inside is just as good.

The railing for the stairs has since been installed, and the brick on the fireplace still needs to be painted.

One of my favorite parts is the master bath/closet. The tile is so good and if you can believe it I’ve got a secret source that sells it for HALF the price of most companies. HALF. I’m spilling the details tomorrow so hold on for one more daaay (Wilson Philips always!!)

The laundry room is freaking amazing.

There’s a nice big family room upstairs, perfect for all the grandkids.

All of the tile and finishes are just so good.

They’re hoping to have it move in ready in the next few weeks and I will share ever detail and source room by room once it doesn’t look like a dirty construction zone!

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The post Sneak Peek at My In-Laws Dream House! appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Hey friends!! Ok so, our house hit the market last week and I’m ready to open up and chat about everything that has gotten us to this point. Its been a whirlwind to say the least. I guess the beginning is a pretty great place to start? Buckle in, cause this is going to be a long story.

I first need to start off by saying that its been really hard to not talk about and I’m kind of over keeping things shushed. Over the next few posts you are going to get a lot of backstory to catch you up to speed and then all of my secrets will be out and we can be best friends again. I hate having to stay mum about stuff, especially stuff that is interesting and can help other people on their journey. I also want to say, this is not a Surprise! We bought a secret house! situation, its still very unresolved, raw, and up in the air. Are you ready to join me and be my support team?

I’m about to spill my guts, hope you’ve got a catchers mitt.

As backward as this sounds there is nothing more perfect to me than the potential of an unfinished space. Anticipation of the inspiration that will launch it into action, and the process of creating something new are my favorite addictions. For me, its not about the finished project, its actually not about the project at all. Its about who I become while I’m working on it. DIYing saved me in the most literal sense of the word. I am the best version of myself when I’m neck deep in a creative problem.

Last October we decided that we were ready for something different, the boy wonder was coming to join our family and I was itching for a change. Our house is wonderful and adorable and was pretty much done, and I love living in a creative construction zone (it just feels really good to my heart.)  So we started this whole moving/house hunting process, and I kept it secret for fear of something not panning out and looking wishy-washy and amateur-ish to millions of people. I didn’t want to say “We are doing this _______________” and then a week later say “Actually we are doing this __________________” and then 3 days later say “Both of those times I was lying, we are really real life doing ___________________”. But the reality of the situation is that THAT IS THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION. Its emotional and hard and extremely touch and go for everyone. No one wants to look a fool to their friends and family (let alone the entire internet) or jinx it, or spill the beans too soon. But, I should know by now that you guys are way more supportive than to judge me for that. Remember this gut spilling that happened mid Nugget reno?

p.s. As I’m typing this out it seems so lame to be scared of that.

Sidenote: I think keeping all of this stuff inside and secret from all of you was a huge contributing factor to my depression. I was in a really broken place and the potential backlash from internet strangers (that normally isn’t an issue for me) was just more than I could emotionally handle. My biggest fear was that you guys would think that I was fake and that we were moving just to continue to create content for the blog and would hate me and my house and my family and all bloggers ever for it. I’m in such a better place now and can see how skewed the fear was. So is that the case? Nope. But man, isn’t the blog a great perk? It means I have all of you to take the ride with.

Back to the story, we decided as a family that moving was a pretty great idea. So we did what most people in our situation do, we started looking at houses. I know that Southern Utah is not known for its trendsetting ways but man alive, if I see another MLS listing with beige walls, beige tile, beige stucco, and granite countertops I.AM.GOING.TO.LOSE.MY.FREAKING.MIND. Its the craziest thing, the houses all look the same whether they are $150k or $1.5 million. I mean, obviously the quality and size is different, but the finishes are all the same! Its maddening!!

I combed through every listing for months and every time felt so blah about it. I wanted something special that had soul (remember this guy I loved?!) Court wanted something that had been built in this century and had A/C.

He can be such a killjoy.

You guys know that I talk openly about everything, so though I understand its a little taboo to talk about money, I feel fine about it, hopefully you do to! To get the square footage that we wanted (3000-3500) our purchase price was going to be in the $300k-$500k range. Naturally I looked at everything from $1 million down to $200k (cause why not maybe I would find a long lost uncle that was loaded?) It was a huge bummer to see that we needed to spend $400k to hit our square footage goal but would then need to completely update everything on top of that. Travertine is NOT my friend.

The next (and obvious) option was to build. This is where the story gets really long so I’m going to end this post here and we’ll pick up at this point in the next one.

To really make this series as informative as possible, here is what I need to know from you. What things in the house selling, hunting, building, buying situation do you want to talk about? I really want this to be something that you can chime in below with your experience so that its a great reference point for anyone in the house buying/selling frame of mind. I’ve got my experience but you’ve also got your experience and that is valuable information that I would love to use my platform to share. How deep should I dive into it? Is money too weird to touch on? What about getting lending? Do you want to know my credit score? How about my blood type? Thoughts?

The post The Raw and Real Side of Moving When The Entire Internet Is Watching | Part 1 appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Hey friends!! Today we are taking a little detour off of the DIY Express to talk a little real life, hope thats ok!

I’m a talker, its how I process things. Everything from a project idea, to life experiences gets talked through. So I thought, I want to talk about this. And you’re my people, so lets talk about it.

I have Postpartum Depression. (I’m not saying it in an embarrassed way, or in a GIRL POWER HEAR ME ROAR way. Just in a state the facts simply way.)

The reason I’m sharing it is because I didn’t know what postpartum depression looked like, I don’t have anyone in my life (that I know of) that has dealt with it. All the feelings I was feeling, honestly I just thought it was me failing at life (which I’ve voiced a few times over the last 8 months). I didn’t know and maybe there are a few of you who also don’t know and need some insight and a big fat hug.

The way I picutred PPD is very different than the symptoms that I have. I thought it was the inability to connect with your baby, thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, not being able to get out of bed, crying all the time. While all of those are symptoms, there is so much more. I feel like my brain is full of fog that is as thick as peanut butter. I feel emotionally numb to a lot of situations. I have a hard time getting motivated and have a general feeling of not really caring. I am always irritated and frustrated with the girls. All of these things are very much not like me, in fact the way that I usually am is the opposite of everything that I listed. I just don’t feel like myself.

There are loads of reasons why I have grounds to feel like that. I’ve never tried to run a business with a little one. I’m older and my brain isn’t bouncing back as quickly. Mom fog doesn’t disappear after your third. I’ve got WAY MORE on my plate than I’ve ever had, so I chalked it up to a learning curve that I just wasn’t navigating well. But for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t just get my crap together!

The biggest red flag was disconnection. It feels almost spiritual, like I’m just disconnected from everything and everyone. I thought that I wasn’t praying enough. I’m sensitive to feeling spiritual because in my world, spirituality and creativity go hand in hand. If I’m not grounded spiritually my creativity is lackluster.

So basically all of these things swirled around in my head like a tornado. Why couldn’t I pull my life together? Why wasn’t I praying more? Why was I always irritated? Why didn’t I care about the things that are so important to me? I was talking to the bestie Brooke about it and she told me that I needed to call my Dr. (thank goodness for great friends right?!) So I did and guess what? Textbook Postpartum.

I’ve been on an anti-depressant for a little while and it has changed everything. I’ve started meditating (I’m using an app called Headspace) and I LOVE it. I didn’t realize how down I was until I started to feel better. Weird things, like noticing that I’m smiling or getting excited about new projects; things that are totally normal, feel normal again.

I think that its important to talk about the things that we’re struggling with, cause chances are we’re far from alone in it. Talk to your doctor (really!!) talk to your friends, you are amazing and wonderful and should feel like a better version of yourself after having a baby, not a shell of it.

And most of all if you’re struggling, its ok, cause I am too. [group hug]

The post So This Is What Postpartum Depression Looks Like appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

You guys. I just can’t take it anymore! This baby is the greatest thing that happened since canned paint.

As most of you know I am a longtime fan & partner of JOHNSON’S and I am so excited to share their newest product with you! The household staple JOHNSON’S HEAD-TO-TOE wash is expanding into a full line of bath time products and it is everything!!

My current fave is the HEAD-TO-TOE extra moisturizing baby cream. It’s a little thicker than regular baby lotion and has the sweetest, softest scent. It gives you the perfect ratio of lotion smell to baby. We’ve been loving our bath and bedtime routine, and though I’m not 100% perfect at it, it’s kind of hard to express the joy that my heart feels about it. It’s just THE BEST way to end our day. Living in Southern Utah with the wicked dry heat leaves everything parched. The HEAD-TO-TOE extra moisturizing baby cream enriches the little guy’s dry/sensitive skin to keep him buttery soft.

The post Sweet Baby Boy appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Yesterday I finally showed you guys the reveal of Durango’s, our family restaurant that Court and I almost singlehandedly overhauled over the course of a year. Renovating a public space is so so different than doing something in your own home, I thought it might be fun to count the ways!

Form over Function EVERY FREAKING MOMENT. Dudes. This was seriously so hard for me. I love things that look pretty, even if you cant actually sit on the chair or open the door. Having it look good is always my #1, but renovating Durango’s changed that little path in my brain rather quickly. The most important thing is that it has to be safe and functional, then you can worry about how it looks. I (of course) wanted Cacti everywhere. But, you’d be surprised at how many people want to reach out and touch it, just to make sure that its real. So our solution was nice plants on the ground, mean plants up high.

You teach people how to use your space. At Durango’s we LOVE when big families come in, so the idea to bolt the tables to the floor was X’ed pretty quickly because people love to group them. The only down side is that when this happens, there aren’t loads of tables left. Our solution was to add more tables especially some that sat fewer numbers of people. That way if you have 6 in your party you can grab a 4 top and a 2 top instead of 2 4 tops. Its been awesome!

Hire people who care! This seems like such a no brainer but we ran into some major issues with the designer/photographer that we originally hired not delivering what we agreed upon and it set our timeline back significantly. Luckily we found Jer, and he killed it. If you are in Southern Utah (or beyond!) he comes very highly recommended!

Your customers are more invested than you think. Ok so there is something that you should know about Court. Besides being the worlds best husband, when we are working on a project, his confidence in it is entirely dependant on mine. He’s not really a visionary and basically blindly does what I say, hoping that I’m steering the ship in the right direction. Man he’s amazing. Doing the restaurant was totally different than working on our house, cause no one sees the house, right? Comparatively, he is at the restaurant daily and gets the unfiltered critiques from customers…which wasn’t so great at first. There was one older couple in particular that were very opinionated and told him that it looked like a Tijuana Prison and we should at least add some baskets of red flowers to liven the place up. Specific right?! On the flip side, because it was such a long process, customers loved seeing the updates as they happened. The regulars would come in and comment on the new tables, or menus and it made our world knowing that they could see it coming together right along with us.

We couldn’t do everything, and that was ok. There were a few jobs that we hired out, like the Brick and the walkway divider. Let me tell you, it was AWESOME. I feel like we did a great job doing what we could confidently execute, but when it came to the walkway divider (that would have hundreds of people leaning on it, standing against it, and sitting on top of it) I just didn’t feel really happy about that pressure.

Its ok to try new things!! I will LITERALLY NEVER be a food blogger, but I had a blast taking pictures of the food for the menus. I love things that stretch you creatively and this was a good stretch!

The last thing is that it was totally worth the investment that we made. It can be scary forking out a bunch of cash, but it has been the best thing that we’ve ever done for the business.

Questions? Leave them below!!

The post Lessons I Learned DIYing a Restaurant Makeover appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

Babies, am I right?

The first question people ask when you have a new baby is how are they sleeping, and the second is how are you sleeping? I swear even the strangers at Target are concerned about how many zzzzz’s the Gubler family has been catching since The Bremlin has arrived. And rightfully so. As my 12 yr old would say, “Sleep is liiiiiife.”

Mr. Brem has been sleeping through the night for about a month (I know, he is literally perfect) so when JOHNSON’S® reached out about trying their 7-day Tonight We Sleep Challenge I was a little hesitant because, how can you improve on perfection?! So before I committed to trying it, I downloaded the new BEDTIME® Baby Sleep app and took the sleep analysis. Guess what? The boy wonder did not get a perfect 100/100 sleepscore like I thought he would, he got 69/100. After I demanded a recount (and retook the test) I could see that he in fact wasn’t the problem, I was. Challenge accepted.

JOHNSON’S® has a clinically proven 3-Step Bedtime Routine  that helps babies fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Once you download the app (you can find it here!) you’ll take a sleep analysis and it gives you a sleepscore so you know where the weak link is. The categories that Brem scored the lowest in were Falling Asleep and Sleep Routine. I am a self-professed co-sleeper. I love how easy it is to nurse him at night and I love the snuggles. The problem (at least the problem with my other 2 kiddos) is that eventually you have to get them out of your bed…which actually hasn’t happened before the age of 5. My track record is dismal. It’s like I know I’m creating a monster but he is just so squishy I can’t help it!! 

I’m weak.

We needed to work on getting him to fall asleep on his own, and I needed to work on letting that happen.
Getting into a bedtime routine is something that I always mean to do but have never known where to start. Routines are hard for me. But I’m actively working on this massive weakness, so this challenge was an awesome kick in the pants. The JOHNSON’S® 3-Step Bedtime Routine consists of 3 elements.

1. Warm Bath
2. Gentle Massage
3. Quiet Time

Little Bremlin loves a bath, and we’ve already discussed my obsession with JOHNSON’S® BEDTIME® products. It is my FAVORITE baby smell in all the land. And if you’re wondering, yes, Court has finally gotten onboard.

We start the routine at about 8:30 p.m., that way the girls can come in and say goodnight before they go to bed.

I put a squeeze of JOHNSON’S® BEDTIME® baby bubble bath (for bubbles!) and a squeeze of JOHNSON’S® BEDTIME® baby bath (for skin softening!) in the tub and let the bubbles go to town before I put the baby in.  With this type of tub, you always have a stream of water running, so there are always new bubbles popping up.

Those forehead wrinkles are my kryptonite.

After a little soak time, it’s on to step 2, a gentle massage with JOHNSON’S® BEDTIME® baby lotion.  It’s so funny because Brem is still just 3 months old so he has those massively rigid joints. You know, where it takes your full body strength to stretch out their arms to put their shirt on? After following the bedtime routine, it’s like he knows it’s coming and relaxes just a little sooner each day. Such a little sweetie!

Quiet Time is my favorite out of the 3-Step Bedtime Routine because I have this warm snuggly baby that smells like heaven and is just so happy!! I know that this is supposed to be the time that calms the baby down but it has helped me so much too. I’m usually a work-until-the-wee-hours-and-crash-mid-email type of sleeper, but having a few minutes to unwind and purposefully be calm has been wonderful.

During this time I’ll feed the boy and then swaddle him (I’ve found he sleeps way longer stretches when he’s a burrito baby) and let him just hang out.

JOHNSON’S® BEDTIME® Baby Sleep App has a whole playlist of lullabies that you’ll recognize (Shenandoah!) and one that you won’t, but trust me when I say it will quickly become a favorite. It’s called Tonight We Sleep TM and was developed by a team of scientists that studied sleep patterns and what sounds makes a little one nod off. It of course has beautiful music, but it also has some crowd favorites mixed into the background like a heartbeat, TV/radio static, an air conditioner, the ocean, forest animals, and my husband’s personal favorite…a fan. Before I heard it I was suuuuuper skeptical, how can all of those sounds + music + humming be relaxing?! But it totally is!

In the week (actually 9 days) that we’ve been rocking this new routine I wouldn’t say that I’ve seen a drastic change in Brem’s sleeping (about 10 hours a night with a sleepy feeding mixed in about hour 8) because honestly it doesn’t get much better than that. But I’ve seen a significant shift in the way that I feel at bedtime, and that he’s been falling asleep on his own without being nursed to sleep.
From one momma to another, if you’ve got a little nugget in your life, download the app and buy some JOHNSON’S® BEDTIME® products on your next Target run and give it a try! Because honestly it’s worth the effort.

I’m so happy that I partnered with them to try the Tonight We Sleep Challenge because its made my life just a little bit easier. And for a new mom that can make all the difference in the world!

The post Sleep Challenge Accepted appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

This week I found out that I am one of BHG’s Top 10 Best DIY/Decorating Blogs! (check out the other nominees and vote for your favorite here)  It is just so surreal when stuff like this happens. I look around and my house (that is a disaster right now) and want to silently mouth “who me?” because 1. this is cray, and 2. I don’t want to alert them in case its a mistake.

But in all seriousness I’m grateful for moments like this that make you stop and look back . The thing is, you just don’t ever know where you’re going to end up. When I started Vintage Revivals 5 1/2 years ago I literally knew nothing about DIY. I’d never spray painted anything, sewn a pillow, or made multiple trips to Home Depot in the same afternoon. After all, I wasn’t “creative”. I didn’t decorate or DIY because I didn’t think that I could, so attempting it wasn’t an option. I probably would have butter socked you if you told me this is where I’d be today.

The whole crazy ride started when I found All Things Thrifty. At the time, all of my friends were buying black slightly distressed living room groups from Ashley Furniture. Our money was going…other places. In my core I felt like not having a cute house, and cute things that everyone else had was just another tally mark in the “Mandi’s Life Fails” category. But All Things Thrifty was different. She wasn’t dropping loads of cash to have what everyone else had. Brooke was going to the thrift store and decorating her whole room for like $150. I was blown away. I was inspired. I wanted to be just.like.Brooke. So I went to the thrift store, and bought an end table. And then I went to Wal-Mart and bought bright yellow spray paint. I could not wait to get started. I didn’t care that it was 105 degrees outside, or that I had no clue what I was doing, I was ready to be creative!!

Looking back and knowing what I know now, the project did not turn out well. I didn’t know that you were supposed to sand after you primed, so the poor defenseless end table had the texture of Rhino Liner. *shrug*

I also didn’t know that you were supposed to put a cover down on your driveway that was bigger than the piece you were working on because there was this thing called overspray. *double shrug*

But you know what? I LOVED that table. It unearthed something in me that I didn’t know existed. It taught me that creativity isn’t something that you’re born with, its a skill that you develop. I was SO EXCITED about this new found love that I just couldn’t contain myself, so I started a blog. Let me be the first to say that for the first 6 months that thing ran on spray paint fumes because I had no idea what I was doing, nor did I have any business telling people how to do it. Thank goodness for blind enthusiasm and the fact that Pinterest didn’t exist so you could take after pictures in your driveway! This was my real life after picture of the one that started it all:

Wowza. (Court’s reaction was exactly what you’d expect it to be.)

My FAVORITE emails to get are from people who’ve just finished their first project. For some reason lately I’ve been getting less of those and more of the “I’m overwhelmed and don’t know where to start” emails. That, coupled with the fact that I haven’t done an actual project since Brem was born means that we are ALLLLLLL getting a pep talk!

Awww yeah!

I saw this video on AFV (my girls LOVE AFV so its constantly on at our house) and it made me laugh because how often do we do this in our lives? Bless the internet for making GIFs of everything.

The agony!! So much stress and anticipation for what?! Just kick the stupid ball!!

Did you know that 4 out of 10 homeowners wait 5 years to repaint in their house because they are worried they’ll get sick of the color? Of course you’ll get sick of the color! Its ok!! Your style will evolve, change isn’t a bad thing!

room reveal | tutorial

How many times have we passed up that once in a lifetime find at the thrift store because you don’t know if you can pull it off? If you love it, you will make it work! The answer to that question is once, and you’ll kick yourself forever.

How about not starting a project just because you’ve never done it before? I pinky promise if you start you’ll learn something, one way or another. Hopefully you don’t lose a finger in the process…or we might have to ring finger promise the next one.

trailer reveal | tutorial

Or my personal favorite, not doing something you’re excited about because your worried what someone else will think, especially people that don’t matter. You guys, you’ll never please everyone, so do what YOU love. It’s your house! We all know how supportive Court is in all of this. He literally lets me do whatever I want because he’s wonderful. True story. Court came home from watching a fight about a month ago. It was at a Dr’s house. Super expensive, in the nicest part of town. Basically The Dream in his mind. So he comes in and says “I finally get what you do.” This giant amazing dream house was beige and boring and was just like every other house in St. George. He could finally see the value that unbridled creativity brings to the table…after 5+ years of helping me execute it firsthand. WHAT!?! But you can bet your pudding cup that I was over the moon excited that he finally gets is.

room reveal | tutorial

As funny and cute as that video is, how different would the poor kid feel if his friend said “Whoa buddy. Chill it for a second. Let me show you. This is what I’ve learned. Do this, not this.” That is what Brooke’s blog and so many others did for me and what (I hope!) Vintage Revivals does for you! For fun, check out my top 10 WORST projects to see just how hard I’ve missed the mark. I bet you’ve never spray painted your kitchen backsplash orange. Been there, done that.

In all reality, how easy is it to feel like we’ll never kick the ball as far as some people?!! All of these perfect projects and houses and families are so shiny! But guess what?! We’re shiny too, we may just need something to shine us up a little (I have an abundance of nursing pads so of you want we can use those!)

So  lets make a pact to just kick the ball! No stressing, no melt downs, just taking a breath and realizing it for what it is. Its decorating. Its not choosing to cut the blue wire or the red wire.

For goodness sakes, send me those project pictures so I can high five your skills! And don’t forget to pop over and vote!

The post JUST KICK THE BALL!! appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

There are SO many things to buy when babies come into our lives right? And man there is so much more stuff you have to have compared to 7 years ago when I had Dyl. Its dizzying. Of all of the things to spend money one though, the best thing that I’ve bought is photography.

Around Halloween I was at a party, eating and chatting with other moms. Lots of them have had kids recently so I was picking their brains on what the latest and greatest was. One of them asked if I’d booked a newborn photo session with Chelsy from B. Couture yet (because you have to hold your spot suuuuuper far in advance). They all chimed in and the way they talked about it I felt like one of those moms that didn’t register their kid for private school when I was 4 weeks pregnant and now the rest of their life they’d be perpetually behind.  The second I got home I emailed Chelsy and asked if she could squeeze me in.  Luckily she was able to because the pictures that she got are priceless. I wasn’t planning on being in any of them (a week postpartum will do that to you) but I am so glad that I have a few.

Hold on to your ovaries.

In this day and age where everyone is a photographer, let me just say that everyone is NOT a newborn photographer. I had no idea what went into it until I was there experiencing it first hand. This girl is the real deal and while it wasn’t cheap ($375) I would do it again in a heartbeat.  If you are in Southern Utah, you can contact her here! 

Thanks again Chels!!

The post My Best Baby Investment To Date. Also, Look at My Cute Baby appeared first on Vintage Revivals.

WARNING: Embarrassing real life pictures ahead!

You guys!!! Holy moly, how has it been so long? I swear the sweet smell of a new baby makes the world spin 15X faster than it did pre-baby. Its just the greatest thing ever and so intoxicating that I don’t want to do anything but hold him and smell his little neck folds.

But good news for everyone who is not within smelling distance of The Bremlin, Court and I managed to pull off a laundry room makeover in the last 2 weeks of December annnnnnd its time to start sharing it!!

I feel like our laundry room is similar to most peoples. Its little. Its dark (no natural light). Its often overrun with crap. Its not something that a lot of people see so it’s down lower on your DIY to do list. Who’s with me?!

Our laundry room is more like a hallway that connects the garage to the house and its functionality isn’t doing anyone ANY favors.

When we moved in we bought a stackable washer and dryer and threw up some cabinets (remember this is pre-blog when DIY was not a thing in my life.) The rationale was that if you stack them, then you’ll have more space to sort laundry and store things. .

SUCH A LIE.

Do you know what it did? It left big non functional spaces on either side of the washer and dryer that basically turned into a giant junk drawer for laundry and other household treasures. It was a MESS.

Also, I’ll be the first to admit that laundry isn’t my best subject as a human being so that could have been part of the problem…

Side note: They were stacked until about 4 minutes before these pictures were taken, Court is REALLY motivated sometimes and forgets about a real before picture.

Making the space more functional was the most important thing on the list. Actually I’d say functionality was tied with making it look awesome, because lets be honest, those cupboards? Bad. That paint? Bad. The linoleum? REALLLLLL bad.

I needed new floors, better storage, a countertop, and some dang personality!

All I can say is that its a good thing that Home Depot has everything I could possibly need to make it happen.

I’m posting the full reveal tomorrow, so make sure you come back! In the meantime, I’ve got to know, what would you change about your laundry room?

Don’t miss the goods! Check out all of the posts in this series:

The post Laundry Room Makeover: Before appeared first on Vintage Revivals.