Comments on: A Good Reality Check

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sat, 01 Nov 2014 13:23:43 +0000

I appreciate your honesty and agree with your husband. You are definitely too hard on yourself. Personally, I appreciate the fact that there are other people who do things the way I do (not afraid to start over when the vision doesn’t come out right), and it’s comforting to know that you are human, too! You have good taste and an eye for design… traits that many people lack. Thanks for your honesty, thanks for showing us how much work and thought you’re putting into this project. I absolutely cannot wait to see The Nugget in all it’s glory!

By: mayra

mayra — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 00:39:20 +0000

Mandi, Mandi, Mandi. it’s easy enough to blow smoke and sing your praises but i’ve been following you since almost the beginning of your blog, before your Nate appearance and before you had such a following, when your website was ooh so diff and you had yet to find your groove. I say that all to say that I continue to follow because you sound like what’s in my head- or what I would find in my head if I found myself needing to talk out loud to myself (which I do often) … you’re like the bff everyone wished they had, cool, collective, beyond creative and juggling life much like the rest of us. The pressure is to keep up with the amazingness that we’ve put you on a pedestal for and that in and of itself will always be the struggle. Have the day that you’re going to have and know that we’re all just along for the ride. I’ve much enjoyed watching your progression and if ever you’re strolling through chicago, the coffee is on me :D.

By: Jill

Jill — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 04:55:30 +0000

A wise man (my moms boyfriend) once told me, if you are not making some bad decisions, then you aren’t making enough decisions. I try to remember that when I feel like giving up on projects! And, for what it’s worth….I don’t think it’s the cabinets. I think it is the backsplash. The cabinets would be super modern and cute, but they are competing with the backsplash. Keep on keepin’ on! You are super creative and I love what you do!

By: Kate

Kate — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 17:06:38 +0000

Mandi, I am fairly new to your blog, and have been following a few other home/diy blogs pretty regularly for a few years now. It is so interesting that you wrote this post at a point in time when other home bloggers are dealing with the difficulties of sharing your life, creativity, and home with the scary internet audience. It seems to be wearing on the “industry”, if you can call it that? I have to say, though, that I so admire your attitude and willingness to share your process, and your ideas – even if some of them don’t turn out to be what you were hoping for. Grand scale ideas and the disappointment of things not turning out as imagined are something I am sure all of us who like to be creative deal with regularly. I can’t imagine what it must be like to work those things out with an audience watching every move, but I want you to know that I GREATLY appreciate you sharing that. Your blog, along with a few other favorites, are a place of rest, comfort, and of course, inspiration for me, and although I could never blame you if you wanted to stop, I sincerely hope you don’t for a very long time.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 17:45:52 +0000

In reply to Emily.

I agree! That’s why it is fun to read design blogs vs. blogs by designers. Blogs by designers are all about the finished pics of their clients expensive houses. Design blogs (in my opinion) should be about how average people design a space – by considering a lot of options and trying to define what works and why. I love weighing in! I love seeing all the options and how you decide. This teaches me just as much as a “how to” craft post, in the end!

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 19:13:57 +0000

keep pushing forward – you’re doing a lovely job. thanks for putting your projects – failures and successes alike – on the web for all to see. it teaches me a lesson right along with you and it also makes me think of you as brave!

By: Tressa

Tressa — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 15:13:51 +0000

Lovely Mandi, I’d like to share a few lessons that I learned from a recent class at the Art Institute of Chicago called “Design Now”:
* Fail early–fail often. By requiring yourself to take chances, go out on a limb, and make mistakes, you create opportunity to learn more about your issue than is possible by playing it safe. (Bruce Mau)
* You don’t want to “Wow”–you want to design to get people thinking (that is the difference between you and all the other bloggers out there). That is your niche, relish it because it sets you apart from the pack.

Btw, The Nugget is the coolest thing ever!!!

By: Lynn A

Lynn A — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 17:27:22 +0000

Just stumbled on your blog, and of course had to look back at the cabinets. I can see that they are a bit much for the space, would have liked them better all one color. I did like the idea of the extra piece of wood, in other situations could have been perfect. But what I liked best is what so many others have already commented on, the willingness to be something other than perfect! When I look at the blogs where things are presented as perfect, I wonder if these people are in touch with reality. Just because something looks perfect doesn’t mean it is, I can allow for the perfect touch on occasion, but not a perfect existence! Have fun with that trailer!!

By: ANne

ANne — Sun, 21 Sep 2014 19:22:48 +0000

Mandi- Do not be so hard on yourself! No one has the perfect solution every time! While I’m sure it is frustrating, it makes me feel better that you do things you don’t love either. I think that it shows more guts to rip it out and start over. So many times I get so intimidated by bloggers and their perfect projects, it’s good to see you are human too! love your blog, and keep your chin up!

By: Annie

Annie — Sun, 21 Sep 2014 16:43:44 +0000

Mandi, I just finished re-doing a 40 year old Shasta, 22 ft. It took me 2 years. There were challenges every step of the way! Family and friends told me I was crazy as I had never camped in my life. But it didn’t stop me. Did I want to give up? All the time. I learned more from my mistakes than my successes. I had mechanicals and exterior painting done. But all cosmetic, inside and out, I did myself. This weekend I took “Daisy” as a pop-up to a “Charm of Farm” event. I was told it was the “showstopper” of the weekend. People loved it! So keep on keeping on, totally worth it!