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TIME is All You Need + $200 To Ace!

August 4, 2014

We believe we should all love where we live.

We’re a couple of homebodies, working to uncover the home our home wants to be. And we’re so happy to have you here. 

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Befores, afters, mood boards, plans, failures, wins. We’ve done a lot of projects, and they’re all here. 

We have a long-standing relationship with DIY, and love rolling our sleeves up and making it happen. 

Even when you don’t want to rip down a wall, you can make that space in your home better. Right now.

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One of our favorite sponsors, Ace Hardware, recently ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores” for the eighth year in a row by J.D. Power*! Ace is literally the only hardware store within a 30 minute drive–and it’s just a mile down the road. Score. We go into our store (maybe 15 times a week?!) with a list and we leave with whatwe need–and popcorn! When we were asked to be on their first blogger panel last year, it was an easy yes, but I never knew the extent our relationship and loyalty would grow over the past year while living here.

A year ago this past weekend, we moved to Idaho. It is so surreal to think it has already been a year. When I think back on last year at this time, I feel sick. It was a time of stress and uncertainty and you couldn’t pay me enough to re-live that. Also I had crazy morning sickness. Ha! But all is well that ends well, right?

We took some time over the last few days (in the midst of cleaning out the garage, installing a new garage door opener, door shopping and thrifting and going to Ace what felt like 100 times) to chat about the house. There are so many things we’re anxious to do it can be overwhelming, but exciting, too. It’s sometimes weird to do it all in front of an audience where we undoubtedly make mistakes. Progress can be slow but I understand now that sometimes rooms just have to evolve over time. They just need time. That darn great room just needs time to work itself out.

There are a few things I like to do when I feel…stuck. I love looking at photos of our last house in the same time period. For instance, we moved into this house almost 11 months ago. When we lived in our last house 11 months, our living room looked like this:

IMG_2272

And by the time we moved, we figured things out and it transformed into this:

IMG_9044

A room that feels a lot more us. So even though, our current living room has come a long way, it’s okay that it’s not there yet. We also rarely tackle 20 projects at once (although our friends tend to think we do.) We usually have about 5-10 projects on a list for the next 6 weeks or so. Right now our list looks like this:

  • Baseboards!
  • Find/DIY/Install sliding barn door
  • Finalize laundry room design
  • Refinish and hang new light in staircase
  • Maximize garage storage
  • Start Greta’s room
  • Figure out the front entry (art? hooks? a mirror?)
  • What does your list look like right now? Ace Hardware has been so pivotal to our projects in the past year and recently provided great relief to our neighbors after the big flash flood that struck our city. Now they also want to extend their helpful service to you! (See why we love them?) A $200 Ace gift card is up for grabs to help you tackle your list.

    Just leave a comment letting us know what home maintenance project you’re working on that you may need a little help with and we’ll pick a winner this Friday, August 8th. Take luck!

     

    WeAce90th copy are members of the Ace Bloggers Panel and they are providing the $200 gift card for one of you! I am compensated for my time and thisblog post. All opinions and positionsexpressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of Ace Hardware.*Disclaimer: Ace Hardware received the highest numerical score among retail stores in the proprietary J.D. Power 2007-­‐2014 Home Improvement Retail Store StudiesSM. 2014 study based on responses from 2,948 consumers measuring six stores and opinions of consumers who purchased a home improvement product or service within the previous 12 months. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed January-­‐March 2014. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com 

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    What do you think?

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    2. Jocelyn says:

      Hi Julia! I love the feel of this room :) What color paint did you use on the dark wall?

    3. lisa says:

      finishing the final details of my 13 year old daughter’s room…could DIY some shelves or maybe some cool painted frames!

    4. Kim says:

      We have several projects on our list that I still need some tools to accomplish. We don’t have a stud finder or a laser level, so I would love to get those.

    5. Sherri Howell says:

      We just found a water leak in one of our bathrooms. We have to tear out the sheetrock, some tile and insulation…what a mess. This would go towards these repairs. Thanks!!

    6. Diana says:

      Where to begin, it seems as though the list is never ending – every time I cross off one project I add another. Right now I am in the beginning stages of removing the lovely popcorn on my ceilings. I tackled the bathroom first to see how difficult it would be, not much just really messy. So I need to buy more caulk, paint for the ceilings, a bigger (try official) tool to remove the popcorn and more sanding paper to use with my hand sander. Then, it’s on to repainting most of the rooms throughout the house.

    7. Jessica P. says:

      Nursery and back yard projects!

    8. Sarah says:

      Our house is cookie cutter with all the blah builder grade paint/tile/carpet, it’s all beige and I HATE it! I want to paint, add molding in the bedrooms, get rid of this awful carpet, so many things to do!

    9. Alexis says:

      We just moved into a new place on Aug 1!!! I cannot even list all the ways this could be useful … probably most pressing is shelving/organizational stuff!

    10. Rebecca S says:

      We’ve lived here almost two years now, and as we speak we have four rooms half way to fully torn apart. One down to the studs. And we’re now at a stand-still, $ and decision wise. I’d love to have even one of the rooms fully done. I’m leaning to the dining room since it’s smaller and would make a large impact.

    11. Julianne says:

      Our next big project is to redo the closets in our house. There’s no shelving in any of them, just a bar across the top. We currently are using Book shelves to house our clothes, so it would be great to be able to re do those sooner rather than later.

    12. Jordan says:

      I’m not commenting to enter the contest– I just wanted to let you guys know that I absolutely *LOVE* your blog and you are genuine inspiration! Thanks for doing what you do! That before/after of your old living room was such a great reminder to just keep working at it until you get it (but to also enjoy the journey, amiright?). Once again, just a heartfelt thanks for what you do :)

    13. Maya says:

      We have just finished every room inside the house and are now concentrating on the outside!

    14. Laura says:

      My boyfriend and I just moved in together. We’re renting so we’re trying to make some updates to make it feel more like home (turning the alley into a cute outdoor space, hanging curtains) and hoping that our landlord will let us make some necessary updates, like a new door! There’s an Ace a few blocks away and it’s already been such a lifesaver!

    15. betsey says:

      our bedroom is currently stripped to bare bones – sub floor, closet torn out, and walls primed…hopefully we can get moving on a new closet system, paint, carpet, and trim soon!

    16. Brianne says:

      I’ll be redoing my whole bathroom – everything down to the studs!

    17. Holly says:

      Organizing our garage! :) Thank you

    18. Kate says:

      We are closing on our first house on Monday, so this comes as perfect timing. We have a lot of projects to tackle, but our first will be painting all the knotty pine, that is in the house. Which there is a lot of. :)

    19. Katie says:

      We are painting/remodeling our 3rd bedroom so we can FINALLY have a guest room(right now the 2nd bedroom serves as the music room/office) and planning our much needed kitchen remodel!

    20. Natalie says:

      Would love to redo my son’s room- Paint, Paint, Paint!

    21. abby says:

      man, what are we NOT working on! we bought our first house 5 weeks ago and the project list keeps growing :)

      I would LOVE to get our back yard in order or build solid storage shelves in our basement!

    22. ErinR. says:

      About to rip up my girls bedroom to put in a built in bunkbeds with built in drawers and wardrobe next to it. Big project, but I’m super excited!

    23. Kelly says:

      Omgosh I have so many projects to do in the fixer upper I purchased this past November. My list looks a little something like this: realign support poles holding up our second story, finish installing a paver patio, install floor molding, paint the stair risers, install a carpet runner on the stairs, refinish the fireplace wall in the family room, purchase doors that actually fit the door openings, purchase all new windows and a sliding glass door to replace our single panes that don’t currently lock, paint 3 rooms, renovate our kitchen floor so the subfloor isn’t warping causing our 12 month old to trip, get a new door jam to hold down the warped subfloor because I’ve stubbed my toe on it too many times, renovate the kitchen cabinets/drawers because the previous owner made half of them with 2×4’s so they don’t match (wish I was kidding about that), fix the leak in our exterior bathroom wall, replace the drywall that is getting moldy from the leak, fix the leak in the bathroom bathtub so it doesn’t rain in my family room below, fix the cracked drywall on the family room ceiling from the leaking bathtub above, demo the wall paneling in our family room and replace with drywall, replace the rusted plumbing connected to the leaking laundry tub, replace the leaking laundry tub, replace the leaking and cracked sink in our bathroom, get the front and backyard to resemble grass instead of the weed patch it currently is, get some form of landscaping because there isn’t any. I could go on… ha! Shoot, this list now makes me just want to sell instead! Just kidding, I know I can do this and it’ll be a beautiful home when it’s done!

    24. Jessica says:

      Work in progress is my office/kids wii play room. Trying to figure out what to do above fireplace. But my next project is the laundry room which was an old misized addition to the house. The dryer doesn’t even open all the way bc it gets stuck on the opposite wall. Well I cannot rearrange the area yet without some plumbing and venting but I am trying my hand at painting the above old cabinets. Have never done it before and while I have scoured the web on how to paint I’m still worried. Wish me luck.

    25. Courtne Huffman says:

      We are actually working on my daughter’s room, preparing for her to go into Kindergarten and her baby brother to move in.

    26. Nayla says:

      Painting bulkheads. Being made way harder thanks to a nearby wall of a small deck. *sigh
      And drywalling the garage… Fun times all around.

    27. Erin H says:

      I am working on cleaning out my garage.

    28. Whitney Jemmett says:

      We’d like to redo our bathroom – plumbing and all. (We have one of those houses where if anyone flushes while your in the shower you end up with scalding hot water – or no water). Any little bit always helps.

    29. Leslie says:

      My main project right now if fixing up our patio and yard. We have old crumbling flower pots that need to be replaced, the patio needs to be pressure washed and the lawn needs major help.

    30. JB Richards says:

      Our main bathroom is in serious need of a remodel. We’re just stuck trying to figure out what to do. The gift card would really help get things going.

    31. Kara Kieran says:

      Babies nursery!

    32. Tiffany H. says:

      We just closed on a 10 acre property, and all the money I had been saving for a Master Bedroom remodel now has to go to fence in the property for our new baby goats (soon to be born!). While I’ve come to realize that this will probably become my new norm (redecorate the living room or fence in a pasture…choices, choices), I would still very much love to fix a few non-functioning things in my bedroom (There is currently no direct entry into the master bedroom, I need to go through the office and a Jack & Jill bathroom to get into my room. Backwoods country contractors at their best!) and a $200 ACE gift card would be a huge help!

      P.S. Couldn’t help but notice the adorable new family photo. I can’t help but wonder if we might get an update on Miss. Faye. I would love to hear your perspective as a second-time mama with an older child.

    33. Beth says:

      i probably shouldn’t send you my excel sheet of projects, should i? ;) we are currently working on a for-now kitchen reno, a mini-makeover in our daughter’s bathroom, diy built-ins in our guest room, sprucing up the master bedroom (or it will never get done!) and getting our landscaping under control. that’s just what came to mind in ten seconds! phew. i’m currently on maternity leave, and i am hoping toward the end of it i will be able to get a little done in a day! :) thanks for the chance.

    34. Katie G. says:

      We have baseboards on our list too, as well as scraping a popcorn ceiling (eeps!). Thanks for hosting this great giveaway! :)

    35. Danielle says:

      We’re in the midst of installing new hardwood flooring, replacing all our trim, and adding crown moulding.

    36. Heidi B says:

      We have a long list…update/replace kitchen countertops, add backyard landscaping, new doorknobs throughout the house, install new master bathroom flooring (it’s carpet now…yuck!), but most importantly, finish our son’s big boy bedroom so he can move out of the nursery before baby #2 arrives in March 2015!! :-D

    37. we have to seal the driveway and I’ve been putting it off. bah!

    38. Adrianne D says:

      Project list? Where do I begin? Our bathroom remodel is 7 years old and could use some freshening up. Or our kitchen floor tiles are popping up :(

    39. Emily B. says:

      Currently working on the front door. I painted it green – it came out too limey – so then I went with blackberry. It’s perfect. The hardest part was reinstalling it…nicks to the paint…ugh!

    40. Danielle Ferretti says:

      We have moved into our “cookie cutter builder grade” home 7 years ago, and pretty much have only painted our daughter’s nursery/big girl room (3 times in 5 years), guest room and master bedroom. All the rest remains exactly as the day we first saw the house…. so, looking to repaint everything to more updated/current/our taste colors and install ceiling moldings ourselves ! Money (or lack of it!) is always the “stopper” of any of our projects, so maybe this would be a kick start to get on it already !

    41. Hillary D says:

      Painting the outside of our house finally!! $200 bucks sure would be nice!!!

    42. I’m working on my office now. Specifically (attempting) to build a desk.

    43. Elizabeth E says:

      We’re getting ready to do a master bath renovation!

    44. Meagan D. says:

      We’ve been in our teeny tiny 1948 house for a couple months now and we’re to the point that we’re ready to paint! Our task list includes all the walls, all the trim and maybe even ceilings!

    45. Kylee says:

      We’ve been working on finishing our basement. It’s so slow-going!

    46. Emily says:

      I’ve been slowly working on fixing the ceilings in all of my second floor rooms. I am covering the horrid decorative plaster with white-painted wood slats (like The Lettered Cottage) and adding crown molding. It will be glorious once it’s finished! I certainly could use a little boost to finish the last few rooms.

    47. Sandra says:

      I’ve been working on my deck all summer and would love to finally have it painted!

    48. Well our whole house is blue from a crazy mix up catastrophe, so I would love some help with new paint to get the grey we were going for. Blue is great, but my house looks like the sky threw up on it and called it a day. lol

    49. Lea says:

      Where to begin? The never ending DIY kitchen remodel? I dream of the day my appliances aren’t in the dining room. Or the unusable bathroom? We thought it was just the wax ring causing a small leak, turned out the previous owners installed the toilet incorrectly and the entire floor/subfloor needs to be torn out and replaced. Downstairs bathroom for now, it is!

    50. Jessie McKinley says:

      We are FINALLY under contract to sell our home & we’ve found a new fixer-upper!!! It’s a 1970’s split-entry & hasn’t been touched since it was built (the pics are pretty awesome!) I’m so excited to get started; there is so much to do!! Everything needs to be gutted. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us…this would be the perfect thing!

    51. lacey says:

      I am currently painting all the trim/doors in our house and updating the hardware. It’s been quite the undertaking!

    52. Gina says:

      We are starting a deck around our pool in a few weeks. It would be great to shop for supplies at our local Ace.

    53. Kaitlyn says:

      We moved into our 1st home last October and although we have made so many improvements to our property, our list seems to be growing by the day, lol. Since we are battling 100 plus degree temps here in Cali, our to-do list has been re-prioritized. First on our list, installing an attic fan and purchasing and installing new ceiling fans in all the bedrooms. Number two on our list, building an tree-less tree fort for our kids (thinking that if I can get these kids outside maybe I can reclaim a bit of my summer sanity :)

    54. Laura says:

      I have so many projects! But most important right now is paint and baseboards for the master bedroom. We are doing a charcoal accent wall and new laminate floors!

    55. Lauren says:

      ALL of them. Haha, almost serious. We just moved into a fixer-upper in Washington. We just finished the floors and painting one level, but next up we need to finish baseboards too and start thinking about our kitchen.

    56. Jen C says:

      Our kitchen has been on my to do list since we moved in 5 years ago. I have the hardest time picking out paint colors. I know I could just paint over it again, but that doesn’t seem to make it any easier.

    57. Alex says:

      We’re working on restoring our 111 year old wood siding and could use paint! And brushes! And drop clothes! And so on!

    58. Katie says:

      Love Ace! Trying to find motivation to paint my living room but the summer weather is too nice.

    59. Sarah says:

      Outdoor projects are on my list!! Repainting the front door, exterior trim and shutters, cleaning and repairing screens, keeping up with the weeds. At least I’ll get a tan :)

    60. Rebecca says:

      I am getting ready to pull off the band-aid and fix up my kids bathroom. I am lucky that it doesn’t need to be gutted because I reno’d the bathroom years ago when they were young but….now that I have three children that truly use their bathroom like a bathroom I need a vanity overhall, an inset cabinet installed for storage and some serious shelves installed. That is unless I want to look at everything sitting on their already uber tiny sink counter for the next 15 years. Um….nope.

    61. Lisy says:

      I want to FINALLY start painting our kitchen cabinets!

    62. Holly says:

      We have an endless list of home projects as we are starting to build a new home!

    63. Amy says:

      I love Ace! They are always helpful and have great advice. I would like to repaint my second floor. Repainting the exterior trim is also on my summer to do list and since I only have two more weeks of summer vacation before school starts again I guess I better get working on it!

    64. Rita says:

      We are currently working on a bathroom remodel.

    65. Oh, we have a few items on our list: kitchen backsplash, refreshing/adding storage to our master bathroom, new floor in the main bathroom, loft bunk in our boys’ bedroom.

      And I couldn’t agree more about ACE. It’s fantastic. Feels small-town but has such a great selection.

    66. April B. says:

      I’m trying to redesign our dining room/office. There isn’t a lot of space so it’s becoming a little tricky! Thanks for the giveaway!!

    67. Amber says:

      We just finished scrapping all the popcorn off our ceilings and pulling up the old carpet. Next on the list- refinishing the ceilings, paint, new floors & new kitchen eventually! Cant wait to get it all done!

    68. Christy says:

      Trying to put together a functional home office!

    69. Erin says:

      We built our house about a year and a half ago and have been working on projects every since we moved in. Our next big project is our laundry room. With three kids 5 and under we produce a lot of laundry and there is nothing in there but the washer/dryer and a set of plastic shelves. Hoping to bring my design to life with more storage, a sorting area, and a counter top in the next couple of months!

    70. norrey weeks says:

      We need help putting in a window in our den.

    71. Trilby C. says:

      We’ve only lived in our house for a little over a year as well, and we still have yet to tackle many rooms! Mainly all three of our bedrooms (and a fourth that serves as a spare) are in desperate need of some personal touches – i.e. color on the walls, new furniture (that we like to build ourselves!), and art. We live in a tiny Utah town that also only boasts an Ace, so we could put the $$ to good use here!

    72. Sherri says:

      Let me count the ways! I would love to update our dining room. Paint and other fun stuff. Plus I would paint our front door a new color. It has been white way too long!

    73. We’re going to be starting on our kitchen remodel soon! This would go a long way!

      Love the Brian Regan “Take Luck” shout out!

    74. Valerie says:

      We have this strange empty wall bump out at the enterance of our kitchen. My husband tried to create a cabinet, and…it didn’t’tturn out so great. Now we have a strange bump out with a jagged gaping whole, that I would love to see shelving, maybe a door or two…

    75. lisa says:

      oh, fence needs restained in a big way and the shed needs some love too.

    76. AshleyM says:

      Oooh. We are working on a few projects- painting the bottom portion of our house, removing a bunch of small trees from the yard, updating the guest room, and adding trim and caulk to the basement windows.

      I can’t wait to see Greta’s room! I LOVED her last room and I’m sure this one will be equally great!

    77. Barbara says:

      We are currently replacing all our floors and baseboards…..next up is the guest bath….so I’d love some new bathroom bling!

    78. Lisa P. says:

      Refinishing our floors, installing baseboards and painting built in bookcases. :)

    79. Laura says:

      So we are currently living in our first apartment. It’s decent enough….for the ghetto. (We are putting money into savings by living here….) Every bit of furniture we own are thrift finds. Really good thrift finds! But our kitchen table is an eye sore. Bought it for $30 at a yard sale. It’s sturdy and does what we need it to do (hold our food and school work), but it is UGLY. That orange-y oak round table with clawed feet. It has a lot of potential. I know exactly how I want to paint it. It’s not a forever table, but I can see it becoming useful in other ways after we have a space of our own (I’m thinking music room!) Thing is, though we are growing our savings account, it’s not time to spend yet. A gift that would allow us to buy sanding tools, paint and wood stain would be fantastic!

    80. Amy says:

      I’m working on updating the bathroom. Nothing major, but a new sink/vanity, paint, towel bars, etc are desperately needed!

    81. Tanja says:

      I am working on updating my office; bye bye popcorn ceiling, baseboards and crown moulding. I need to decide if I go with hardwood floors or new carpet.

    82. ofie says:

      currently working on a mini-makeover on our kitchen. painting walls, cabinets, installing new light fixture and adding door pulls.

    83. Laura Miller says:

      There are so many projects my husband and I are trying to tackle while working and chasing after our toddler! Current projects include decluttering our guest room, re-painting the interior of our home (when we moved in two years ago I made a quick decision to paint our house a Tuscan, cornmeal yellow color and now our taste has moved more towards a contemporary look so wanting to do a soft gray), updating our kitchen cabinets, and building a paver patio in the backyard.

    84. Brooke says:

      We are working on our bathroom – the pink tub and sink need to go!

    85. Lindsey says:

      We’re looking into lighting, since ours is ceiling fans from the ’80s, haha! Annnd, new trim, and baseboards, and doors….well, I don’t think home improvement lists ever end, do they? :)

    86. Betsy says:

      We trying to get several rooms painted and a desk refinished!

    87. We just moved into our first home 2 months ago. We have multiple projects going on right now, but I’d love to get a porch project moving so we can enjoy these warm summer nights! :)

    88. Sandra says:

      I recently started working from home and we’re transforming our formal living area (that we were actually using as a large dining room) into a new office/project room combo. We plan to add built-ins along the back wall and construct a project table on casters.

    89. Love this post! You’re so right! We recently moved into a house and I was getting frustrated that the rooms weren’t looking like us at all and just in the last 6 months they’re starting to developing and feel more complete even though it’s not quite there. Right now I’m working on doing some much needed painting and come up with some plans to create a fun place space for my girls.

    90. Anonymous says:

      I am currently stripping and repainting the siding on my and garage and garage door, and hopefully going to cut through the brick and add a side door as it is a 100 yr old garage and the only way is is through the big over head door.

    91. Beth says:

      Retiling our fireplace. It is this awful red orange rough tile that doesn’t match anything., we’ve got a sleek gray and white marble picked out-so excited!

    92. melissa roane says:

      We need to fix the huge hole in the wall in our laundry room. The shower sprang a leak and the hubs had to tear into the wall to fix it. That was 4 years ago! It just never seems like we have the extra $ to fix it.

    93. cp says:

      We need to paint some rooms. It’s been over 9 years since we moved in and they need it!

    94. sue says:

      We are working on trying to finish the basement…sigh…when will it be finished?!?!?:)

    95. Miranda says:

      After just buying a 1907 Victorian there are tons of new projects to do! Currently we’re wanting to touch up our kitchen…it is a cave! Dark cabinets, dark floors, dark walls. We want to paint the uppers and the walls!

    96. Sam F says:

      On my list right now is painting the living room, including ceiling, fixing the screen on a slider for my sliding glass door, and sanding and painting my coffee table and end tables!

    97. Cindy says:

      We are also working on baseboards. Oh my word, is there anything more tedious? I think not.

    98. Lauren says:

      I would LOVE to get started on adding some organization to our laundry room- shelves and a rod to hang clothes.

    99. Crystal Kinney says:

      Finish the basement bathroom!!

    100. Meagan says:

      Kitchen remodel started today with cabinet reconfiguration to incorporate new slide-in range. Later in the week, electrical and new vent hood, this weekend and next new floor tile. Ambitious? Absolutely! Crazy? Absolutely! Ace Hardware is awesome and an extra $200 towards the end goal would help.

    101. Steph Nelson says:

      My next project is fixing a tile floor in my master shower and of course the endless yardwork.

    102. Corteiga L says:

      We are gutting our upstairs bathroom – complete with a pull out step stool underneath the vanity for the kids. It’s been a big job, but it will be so worth it when it’s done. Next on the list is staining our concrete patio in the backyard (thanks for the excellent tutorial :)

    103. Rachel says:

      We need a little help with our living room! It was the first room that we painted when we moved in, but since we moved in (a little over a year ago) we haven’t done anything else to it. It needs a bit of TLC to bring it from “fine, but blah” to a room that actually feels like us!

    104. Caitlin says:

      Our most time consuming projects right now are the little upgrades– we are almost finished changing out all of the electrical receptacles and converting the can lights in our kitchen to LEDs, but next comes upgrading all of the switches– through the whole house! And repainting our fireplace. And finishing the gas conversion that the previous owners started. And putting in ceiling fans… it seems unending!

    105. Sarah says:

      We’re STILL trying to get our backyard summer ready and luckily have a long season. We’d use the gift card for new plants and decor items.

    106. Erica Boyer says:

      The current project we’re working on is re-finishing our fireplace and hearth. The tile on the hearth is broken in several places and I’d love to get it all replaced. In addition, a fresh coat of paint on the face of the fireplace would make the focal point in our living room much less sad-looking! Thanks for the opportunity!

    107. Hilary Ross says:

      We’ve lived in our 1950’s ranch for just over 3 years and it’s still too easy to look around and see the to-do list rather than all we’ve accomplished. But learning to step back and see our successes is so rewarding. Next up is finishing the baseboards and 1/4 round and painting and rehanging the closet doors. We just need a good kick to get us started!

    108. Heather says:

      We have updated nearly everything in our house, except our master bathroom, it is time it gets the attention it needs.

    109. Debbie O. says:

      We are moving in 2 weeks, back home after a year abroad. We’ll be in a sublet while we hunt for a rental. Not sure what well need yet but plants are #1 on what is sure to be a long list.

    110. Casey says:

      We are working on our shared girl’s room. We still need to paint, build some beds, and diy some built in storage in the closet. Thanks for the give away. It would be great to give our girls a finished room after 28 months in the house!

    111. Kelly says:

      What do I not have going on right now? Kitchen floors, decks, master bedroom makeover. Ace is awesome!

    112. Kate says:

      We would love to put a dent in a flooring project we need to do. Every floor in our home needs to be redone (except the bathrooms) and it weighs on me everyday!

    113. Lindsay says:

      For Mother’s Day my husband actually gave me one of those made-up coupons and it says: “GOOD FOR ONE HASSLE-FREE HOME PROJECT.” I’ve been waiting to cash it in! I’m going to ask him to take down the railing between the kitchen and family room which will require new paint, adding pergo to our kitchen floor to finish it and some bull nose trim to “finish” the step into the family room. It will open up our main living area a lot!

    114. Heidi says:

      We are currently working on our Kitchen. We previously had ugly light oak cabinets and GREEN counter tops. We have lived here for a year, and I am finally making the jump to update the whole space. I tried to live by your rule of living with a space for a while before deciding what to do with it. I now know exactly what I am going for style-wise in this room. So excited!

    115. Caprise says:

      Making a dark rental basement feel like home!

    116. Heather says:

      We just took down a bunch of trees in our backyard to open it up and make it more of a grassy space. We need to seed (maybe sod?), finish landscaping and build a DIY fireplace. If it would only stop raining long enough to begin tackling these things…

    117. Corine Pugmire says:

      We’re working on the basement. Upstairs bath: finished! Yes! The basement is literally a pile of dirt. We love ACE. She’s our go to hardware home improvement shop. (ACE is a girl right? A really capable, strong, can do it all- girl. I think so.)

    118. Laura B. says:

      We just bought our first home, so everything is on our list! Our biggest priority right now is probably our home office. Our living room looks great for now, our daughter’s room is set up, and our room and kitchen are going to have to wait. But I’d love to beef up our beautiful office even more to serve as inspiration for work (we’re both professors who write and grade papers a lot). We need bookshelves, and we were thinking of making ones like the ones in your music room. Also, I am pining over french doors to give the room a little privacy. So much potential!

    119. Kara says:

      Its time to finally move our 3 1/2 year old out of his crib and into his new room…just need to work on his new room first!

    120. Jennifer F. says:

      We literally just bought our house (like 5 days ago)! It’s a major first for the both of us — first home purchase and first time each being on our own. No kids, just us two. It’s a colonial house built in 1925, but it’s in pretty good condition. But in many ways, I don’t even know where to start or look first. I have no clue what design or decor style I want, but I do know what paint color(s) I want for the house. I think painting would be a great way to get the ball rolling and start making the house our home!

    121. Angelica says:

      Hi! Currently we are working on renovating our 1967 bathroom on a super small budget. We unexpectedly had to gut it when we discovered some pretty bad mold due to the faucet leaking for years before we bought the house. Once we tore everything out, safely removed the mold and put wet board back up and replaced the plumbing, we realized that the fixtures (lighting, sinks and faucets for vanity) are really expensive. So the $200 gift card would go towards new lights in the bathroom if I were lucky enough to win! Thank you!

    122. Charlie says:

      We’re midway through converting the front porch to a mudroom… and I CANNOT wait! Closets and storage and beadboard, yay!

    123. Angela says:

      We’re currently working to finish our bathroom on the main level. We’ve got some plumbing fixtures and lighting fixtures to move/replace, need new baseboards, and the list goes on and on. We absolutely love the Clark & Kensington paint line and can’t wait to pick out the perfect color!

    124. Katie says:

      We are at the same awkward living room stage that you managed to grow out of!!! We moved into our first home last September, and are working on filling out our home from our apartment-sized belongings. The living room is first on my list of places to makeover!!!

    125. Nichole K says:

      We’re almost done with our firstborn’s nursery (4 weeks to go!) but we’d love to get started on finishing our basement. I know, we’re crazy for even thinking about finishing a basement with a newborn, but we’re an adventurous pair! ;)

    126. mis says:

      Helping some people update and clean up the house they are renting. It needs a lot so any help would be greatly appreciated. It always amazes me what some landlords think is okay for a human being to live in. Love your blog. Keep up the great work!

    127. Melissa says:

      We are tearing up the carpet in our 1940’s Portland house and refinishing the original hardwood floors underneath + new baseboards. Also on our list is to repaint our kitchen cabinets from the boring oak colors. I love what you have done with yours and it’s given me great ideas!

    128. Dana N says:

      We found out we’re expecting in February. There’s still stuff do to on the list (built-ins in the breakfast room, custom closet, outdoor planting, etc.) but our focus is now turning an empty bedroom into a functional nursery.

    129. Tricia G says:

      It’s time to start working on our kitchen. Cabinets need painting, desperately need new countertops, and the list goes on and on.

    130. Suzi H says:

      Time to start working on the kitchen! First up – painting the cabinets. That orange wood has got to go.

    131. Elizabeth says:

      We are lucky to have an Ace store within a mile of our house as well. We find ourselves in there frequently, and lately it has been for our plans to update our mudroom and add more storage and organization! Thanks for offering such a great prize!

    132. Kim says:

      I am currently working on re-furbing my “finished basement”. Painting the already painted paneling, changing all stained wood trim/support poles to white….and then the best part – building a bedroom down there for my boyfriend’s kids when they sleep over (including carpeting over the linoleum flooring)!!. It’s a very exciting time in both family’s lives, and that $200 Ace gift card would sure help a lot!

    133. Michelle says:

      We are currently taking on two projects. A quick paint of the master bedroom and then a redo of the kid’s bathroom. It needs a ton of work including: painting the cabinets, framing the mirror, new fixtures, a new toilet and faucets, and so much more. Kinda daunting for us!

    134. Alise says:

      We are about to start re-caulking the windows — not glamorous, but a necessity of home ownership (especially before fall / winter)!

      Thanks for a great giveaway!
      ~Alise

    135. HOLY MOLEY!! There is a lot of entries for this giveaway! Im crossing my fingers extra hard for a win on this one! I could use $200 pretty quick to help with out back patio spruce up! Currently Im recovering some grundgy old cushions, then hoping to tackle staining and deck railing before we miss all the sunny weather! We use our back yard everyday and this little “sprucing up” will make it all that more enjoyable!

    136. Leah says:

      My project = everything. We just moved into our new (and first) home 1.5 months ago. So, yeah…everything.

    137. Sarah McCabe- Wiley says:

      Oh my, what project is next indeed!
      We moved into our current house, a mid century modern tri-level this past October and have been going at it (as money permits). Mostly painting nearly every surface in the house, updating light fixtures and appliances.
      So, the next two projects in the running are ripping up the carpet on the stairs, painting them a clean white and adding a neutral jute stairway runner, I think it will look very fresh and work well with the original hardwood floors, OR ripping up the carpet and old linoleum tile on the garden level (where we actually decided to put the master) to expose the concrete underneath and grinding, staining that for a great industrial touch!
      Crossing my fingers!

    138. Sarah says:

      We have so many projects we are working on. Our main projects we are working on are spiffing up our screened in porch area and tiling our kitchen floor!!! I can’t wait till both are done.

    139. Sarah says:

      We just bought our first house and their is (or was!) a drop ceiling in the kitchen. First day we moved in we tore down the panels. Now to find the time between unpacking boxes to replace those old bare fluorescents with some can lights!

    140. Joyce H. says:

      We’re rebuilding our porch because of some planks that started rotting!

    141. Abby says:

      I am just starting to get ideas and paint colors figured out to redo my master bathroom. Basically taking it from boring builder to “us.”

    142. Jackie says:

      I’m working on removing caulk that seems to have hardened to cement-like proportions in our hall bathroom, and probably re-grouting part of it while I’m at it. I’m also eyeing the popcorn ceiling in our great room, and our walls that badly need repainting. It’s a tossup as to which of those last two I’ll work on next.

    143. Jennie Andersen says:

      We have an unfinished attic space that desperately needs to become another bedroom. We’re hoping to get it started yet this summer. Can’t wait to have it all finished!

    144. Lindsay says:

      We are in the midst of redoing our finished basement – new carpet, painting, storage & organization, and a built in desk.

    145. Lorie Smith says:

      I would say our outside landscaping…we have tons of ideas, but never seem to implement them. We just really need a good kick in the rear, a giftcard and maybe some cooler temps so we don’t melt outside!

      Lorie

      P.S. We love ACE too, we live in a town with several big box home improvement stores and 9 times out of 10 my husband will drive to ACE to get what we need…our girls love the popcorn too!

    146. Jessie says:

      Continuing work on a fixer-upper we have lived in for 2.5 years now. We have put a lot of work into the architecture and building but not into the decorating as of yet. We do have a bathroom that we are finishing up remodelling and then I’m going to tackle the pretty things….need to repaint some rooms, spruce up some tulip chairs I found and buy rugs and accessories! It is always a work in progress!

      -Jessie

    147. We moved into our fixer upper (and first home) six weeks ago, and I’ve been in a panic with all of our unfinished projects — our kitchen is currently down to its studs, YIKES! And many other projects left to do.

      Thanks for putting things into perspective, and helping me breath a bit — its okay not to have everything perfect at the moment, and in due time things will get done… (my mantra for the next 6 months ;)

      Biggest priorities are tackling the electrical in our kitchen, then hanging drywall and installing cabinets and a backsplash! (Your butcherblock and subway tile kitchen from your last home is one of my biggest inspirations!

      **fingers crossed!**

      – allie.

    148. Brad says:

      I have a to do list that never ends. I have a mixture of smaller projects and bigger projects. Currently I am working on painting our garage and redo the storage in the garage. I need to vent two bathroom vents through the roof (currently they are being vented into the attic). We removed the 1980’s formal dinning room wall paper and I need to plaster the wall to match the rest of the house. I am creating a workout room in our basement and I need to insulate the walls and put up dry wall. I need to hang a new ceiling fan in our sons room. The most exciting project that I would like to start (I should probably finish some of the others first) is painting our oak cabinets white and replace the counter tops and kitchen sink. I’ve been meaning to mention that when you two went to BYU-I and taught a class, my sister was in that class. She said you guys did an awesome job.

    149. Just had an epic purge yard sale this weekend so our garages (attached and detached) are the next projects on the list! Workbenches and storage for him. Craft table and workout area for me. Can’t wait to get started.

    150. Jeanette says:

      Ripping up the carpet on our basement stairs and giving them a whole new look!

    151. Ashley Bee says:

      I have a lot of rooms that need to be painted and definitely love the BM colors that Ace carries!

    152. Phoebe says:

      We are working on updating out light fixtures, adding a garbage disposal, and new door knobs throughout the house.

    153. Stacy T says:

      We’re refacing our fireplace and need to still build a mantle, I’d like to paint our front door before the end of summer. I’m also repainting furniture for my son’s big boy room (bunk bed and dresser)

    154. Chelsea Ridge says:

      We have a room that we have used as a guest bedroom and more recently a playroom (for our 2 year old little boy, Oliver) since we moved into the house 3 years ago. It has very dark tan paint….everywhere! Doors, baseboards, ceiling, you name it, much like the rest of our house. We have been trying to get pregnant for the last 8 months and are still trying, but I am finally ready to paint the room and get it ready for a nursery or a nicer, brighter playroom! And of course like many others, we have little jobs going on everywhere. :)

    155. Katie says:

      After seeing the transformation taking place in your kitchen, I have gotten the needed inspiration and courage to tackle my kitchen cabinets. They are going white!!

    156. carrie green says:

      Gearing up to build a screen between us and the uber covenient but rather loud grocery store we live next to. Here’s to a smidge of privacy and hopefully some noise blocking as well!

    157. Kristin says:

      We live in a rental, but we’ve been there for 5 years already & don’t plan to leave anytime soon. We have a patio & little dirt backyard that we love to use, but putting some mulch or something over that dirt would be really awesome!

    158. Julie says:

      We are on the tail-end of a 7 month whole house remodel. Exhausted. Our next project is building out the master closet. You know, so we can actually hang clothes instead of living out of boxes. :p $200 would be a huge help! Ace is also the only hardware store for us in a 30 min radius, so we go often!

    159. Mariah S. says:

      We’re about half(?) done putting my bedroom and bathroom back together after stripping it all down to the studs!

    160. Heather says:

      What isn’t on my list?

      We bought a house last year and I feel so far behind! I want to switch bedrooms with my three year old, start a major bathroom overhall, and have a crazy idea to redo the orientation of our attic stairs.

    161. Jessica says:

      I’m working on grating/leveling my back patio and putting down paver stones. Yikes! I just finished a backsplash tile project. Done with one thing and on to the next!

    162. Dan says:

      We’re planning the nursery in our new home and could really use this gift card!

    163. Hilary says:

      Banishing the cream trim at our house!

    164. Jill Cote says:

      We just bought a “well loved” house (read: the previous owners beat up on it). Next on our to do list is replace 2 toilets and patch and paint the downstairs. The patching will be a huge project. To the point that I wonder if new drywall would be a better option :)

    165. Shellie says:

      Staining the deck before winter is at the top of my list

    166. Hanna says:

      Electrical and Drywall in our new basement bathroom! Tile was finished over the weekend…I feel like we’re on the homestretch now!

    167. Stefani says:

      We have two projects that we are working on now. Our bathroom and our nursery for our first child.

    168. Mel says:

      We are currently in the middle of a kitchen reno…so I’m pretty sure we could find a use for it!

    169. Deborah says:

      We NEED to finish our basement. $200 from Ace could definitely help us out!

    170. Joanna says:

      We are find out the gender of our first little one this week and will be focusing on their nursery while finishing up our master bedroom.

    171. We are starting on our office so this would be super helpful!

    172. Megan R says:

      I’m hardcore nesting right now, being pregnant with our third. I’m wanting everything to feel right before this baby comes and am dying to get some work done in our master. This would be awesome!

    173. Alison says:

      Just this weekend we started a huge undertaking. When we purchased our house it came complete with an all wood paneled 1950’s bar, not just a bar top but an entire room! Well 3 years later we finally started to demo it. It has proven to be a lot more overwhelming then most of our DIY projects and it’s only 2 days in, we all know how that goes! Anyhow, I was planning to try the ACE paint line for the walls, I’ve been so excited to try them since I’ve seen the pretty new paint displays at my local ACE store!

    174. Jessica says:

      What aren’t we working on! If it’s not flowerbeds and gardens, its sanding floors and painting!

    175. Amanda S. says:

      I don’t even know which project I would start with…though the most pressing one would be to get my daughter’s toddler room together before baby #2 arrives!

    176. Colby says:

      We are redoing our mudroom/back entry and we are in the process of installing a barn door ourselves!

    177. Kensley says:

      Where to begin?! The project I’m itching most to do is the kitchen. Concrete counter tops, new doors, paint, and hardware. In the distant future appliances and flooring. If I have to look at my orange cabinets for one second longer I might barf!

    178. Anna says:

      Like you, we are in the middle of several projects right now, and $200 would certainly help! My husband and I moved into our first home almost a year ago…it was built in the 70’s and NOTHING has been done since! Just imagine, shag carpet, wallpaper EVERYWHERE, and vinyl flooring! So, needless to say, we’ve been in reno mode since we’ve moved in! Right now, our list looks like this: paint all exterior trim, shutters, and doors; finish painting trim and install new ceiling light in dining room; new flooring, paint trim, install new ceiling light in office…and really that’s just the beginning of the list! So much more to do!! : )

    179. Susan says:

      Our dog, Boomer, cannot go play outside yet in our new-to-us place-b/c the backyard is nothing but DIRT.
      As in, no grass, trashy trees that need to come down, and oh yeah DIRT.
      UGH.
      He’s a great dog with a lot of energy who needs his play time-and while he gets two walks a day, he misses being able to lounge around outdoors protecting his family from evil squirrels and mischievous birds. He needs some grass, a deck of his own so he can do his surveillance in a dignified manor, and an outdoor doggie fountain ( we are in SoCal-it’s hot and dry here).
      He’s in the first pix here:
      http://sharingourpath.blogspot.com/

    180. Veronica says:

      You are right about time and how you need it for a house to feel like a home. It’s something I am patiently learning. That gift card would come handy to upgrade our main bathroom.

    181. adina says:

      I am mid-debate with my boyfriend about painting our living room. He doesn’t want to spend the money but I am ready to be rid of the builder beige walls!

    182. Oh, where would I even begin?? :) I think the room that needs the most attention in our house right now is the home office. It’s our house’s former dining room, and we’ve painted it but that’s about all. We want to build a window seat and some custom built-ins and a long desk along one wall so that we can stop working on our laptops on the living room couch. We have a lot of inspiration, but we’ve been diverting any extra funds to finishing our new nursery (baby is due in a few weeks!) since that deadline is not really flexible. ;) We’d love to get $200 to Ace for some home office renovation supplies!

    183. Ashlyn says:

      We just closed on our first house this week, so it feels like we have a million tiny projects. How about buying some of the 15 lightbulbs we need to replace? Or renting a pressure washer to clean the outside of the house? Or purchasing soft-close hinges for all the kitchen cabinets?

    184. Sara k says:

      We recently bought our first house, a 1930’s colonial. The entire thing needs refreshed an updated so our project list is quite overwhelming ;)

    185. Rachel Smith says:

      My list is so long! I’ve been renovating my Great Grandma’s farm house. We’ve completed a lot of work this summer so that I will hopefully move in this week! There are still a lot of projects left for the the old house though! There is wood paneling to be painted, a laundry room that needs a facelift, and a sun porch that I have some big plans for!

    186. Harper says:

      We may only be working on half a dozen projects at a time but we all know there are hundreds in our heads!

      Painting the master bedroom would definitely be near the top of my list. It’s a vanilla color now and just doesn’t have that relaxing feel that I want when in there. Unfortunately, with vaulted ceilings, the cost of paint and ladders/scaffodling make it a project that has to wait for more savings so the gift card would be a great help!

    187. Anonymous says:

      We’re working on refinishing a cedar chest and hanging pictures in our dining room for a gallery wall. But, our dream project is to finish our unfinished half story in our 1920s bungalow. Unfortunately,it’s a couple years down the road for us after we’ve saved some.

    188. Monica says:

      New counter tops, updating the stairs, installing hardwood floors, find or build a book case? Thats the short list.

    189. Britney says:

      There are so many little projects I would love to start right now. I need to paint our bathrooms, maybe a bedroom or two, and I’d love to paint our kitchen island too. :)

    190. Rachel says:

      I am just about to close on an investment property and I KNOW I am going to spending tons of time in the hardware store. Right now, patching holes and repainting are at the top of my list.

    191. Lauren R. says:

      Kitchen renovation! I’m currently getting estimates and eager to get started!

    192. Missy G. says:

      Full bathroom reno!! It’s actually been on the list for over 3 years now.

    193. Haley Y says:

      We just moved to a new place this month! Even though we’re renters, there is still a lot to be done. Luckily, Ace is the closest hardware store. One thing on our list is tricking out the garage—it’s so tiny that in its current state I’m afraid of hitting the walls!

    194. Blair says:

      so many things to do, but top of the list items include painting the laundry room cabinets, finishing up trim throughout the house, tackling the 6 closets (remove wallpaper (!?!), prime and paint walls, hang shelves or install closet systems), painting the linoleum kitchen floor and landscaping the backyard. i’ve never been to the ace hardware that is close to my new house, but i’d love to check it out!

    195. Brandilyn says:

      PAINT. I want to paint every room in my dang house! I also wouldn’t mind replacing some boob lights, at least the ones in the main living area. Dave would go nuts if I put it towards a chop saw. We freaking love ACE, and their new store front in Rexburg really is so beautiful!

    196. Jennifer R. says:

      Currently working on a nursery for our first child due in just 6 months. There is so much to do it makes my head spin!

      Oh yeah, and then baby proofing most of the house. $200 would go a long way! :)

    197. Kacee says:

      We’re throwing a little housewarming party for our new-to-us home tonight! We moved in two months ago and have a lot of work to do. We’ve added some new light fixtures and painted the living room/hallway/kitchen, but something I would love to move up the priority list is putting a shower in our master en suite. Can’t wait!!

    198. Ellen says:

      I am trying to make my foyer look more stylish and more inviting. Starting with trying to make the grout in my not-so-lovely tile look better, ala the method you used in the bathroom of your old house.

    199. Becky says:

      After moving in April right after having our third baby (literally the next day–I left the hospital from one house and took the baby home to a different house), we finally have the energy to tackle some house projects. We have landscaping on the list for the fall and garage organization.

    200. Deanna Hunt says:

      Daughter’s bedroom!

    201. Haley says:

      great giveaway! We’re looking at buying our first house so whenever we look at a house I start my own to-do list for each one. One of the top things on every list is always paint!

    202. Brooke says:

      We have so many projects on our list! We’ve recently starting painting oak trim white in the house but have 4 rooms that haven’t been painted since we’ve moved in. Our summer has been focused on our yard but it’s still got a long way to go!

    203. Jennie Dickson says:

      (Oops, posted this without my info above) Our entry way in our home is so boring! It’s a narrow space with no room for furniture. We would like to do some Wood work on the walls to make it interesting and install a shelf for artwork and hooks for function! The boob light on our vaulted ceiling In the entry’ hall needs to go too! We would love 200$ To ace to get this project finished :)

    204. Giordi Y. says:

      We desperately need new front door hardware: entry set, knocker, numbers, everything! I just painted the front door and it’s looking particularly shabby now.

    205. Anonymous says:

      Our entry way in our home is so boring! It’s a narrow space with no room for furniture. We would like to do some Wood work on the walls to make it interesting and install a shelf for artwork and hooks for function! The boob light on our vaulted ceiling In the entry’ hall needs to go too! We would love 200$ To ace to get this project finished :)

    206. Ashley says:

      I live in an apartment, so there’s not a whole lot of major changes I can do, so I’m working on smaller cosmetic things to help. My big project currently is building a massive industrial shelving unit for one wall. I never knew how expensive flanges were! Oh my goodness!!!

    207. Sasha says:

      We’re hoping to sell our house soon so I know there will be plenty of new projects to pick from in our next place. Can’t wait to get started!

    208. Bridget =) says:

      We moved into our house 7 yrs ago and have barely painted! I’d be painting! =)

    209. Jen says:

      The people who lived here before us never primed the wall, so wherever there is dry wall mudding the paint peels off. I need to peel the paint, remud some areas, and prime and paint. We also are almost done with the fauxdenza for the TV room. Plus baby number 6 is due in the next five weeks and because he is a boy reshuffling of the bedrooms will be necessary.

    210. Jen Renda says:

      I know exactly what I would do. I would like paint my bathroom vanity in a rich brown color and replace the knobs on it as well. If fund are left over, we will get the two new doorknobs that the room needs!

      I love Ace, our store has been a family staple from my infancy. My dad use to carry me in, and the owners have watched my sister and I grow up! Hope your girls have as many fond memories as my sister and I!

    211. Lindsey Hackenbracht says:

      We need to re-paint about 80% of our walls in our house. They are awful!

    212. Christina Marie interiors says:

      Would love to win so I can buy some shiplap for my playroom Reno!!

    213. Alison says:

      Could use some concrete stepping stones, working on the yard and some sewer lines.
      Cute new photo!

    214. Hannah says:

      We could use help with our bathroom. Classic 1950’s bathroom tile everywhere!

    215. Alison says:

      Since we just moved into our new house we have a list of things we still need to work on. It seems like the list just keeps getting bigger instead of shorter. Would love to finish fixing up our theater room.

    216. Laura says:

      Oh gosh, where to start? Our current list includes painting the master bedroom, touching up trim paint (in EVERY room–the past owners never used tape, it seems), tiling the mudroom, new counters in the master bath and kitchen.

      And that’s just what I can think of!

    217. VictoriaN says:

      We are considering a kitchen remodel. A gift card would really help the project get started.

    218. michelle says:

      We are having our first baby in January, so we are planning to start the nursery very soon! The Ace gift card would be a huge help!

    219. Yumi LaMarr says:

      I want to tackle the rest of the playhouse project in the backyard. Needs a bannister for the loft, paint for the ceiling, sanding and stain for the ladder/stairs, trim for the window and door, and baseboards! Lots to do before the kids can finally utilize that awesome space!

    220. On our list is priming and painting our master bath, along with new hardware to finish it off.

    221. Kate says:

      $200 to Ace would be a great bonus to what I already need to spend there to stain & paint our front entryway’s exterior, refresh our back deck, and so some serious landscaping and front yard overhaul to increase our curb appeal in Virginia! Thanks for the opportunity to win, we love watching what you guys are doing in Idaho — keep up the great work!

    222. Sayward says:

      In 32 days I’m getting married and a man is moving into my house. I feel like I’m in the middle of overhauling EVERYTHING – purging, deep cleaning, reorganizing, adding more masculine elements – so it’s ready for him and his stuff. Last night we were trying to work his xbox and all its accessories into the living room’s decor.

    223. Suzanne says:

      Like you guys, we always have more than a few projects in the works. Right now we need to finish baseboards in our upstairs hallway, paint our little girls’ room, paint the closet I remodeled this spring, and install crown moulding in our music room. And that’s not even all of it!

    224. Darlene says:

      Garage…always the garage…

    225. Emily Head says:

      Right now we are planning a complete renovation of our bathroom/laundry room downstairs. Currently they are in the same room, and our plan is to separate them and make a full functioning bathroom and a separate laundry area on the opposite side of the wall. Right now it seems overwhelming, but I can’t wait to see the finished project!

    226. Kelly says:

      I love that new family photo, your girls are gorgeous! Just like their mama! We are starting to work on organizing our garage, not the most exciting project but we also have been in our house about 11 months and just stuck in that in between rut. Hopefully that gets us going again.

    227. Emily Head says:

      Right n

    228. Karli says:

      I’m completely remodeling a small house. It is at the studs yet. This week is electrical and plumbing.

    229. Caralee says:

      With the fall on its way, I want to create an area in our backyard for a fire pit. Seems to fun to have friends and family over to roast marshmallows!

    230. Alix says:

      Biggest project would for sure be the bathroom remodel! Or maybe I should say bathroom “model,” as it’s being created in a former tiny bedroom and the current bathroom will now be a more appropriately sized closet. :)

    231. Anna Creecy says:

      My husband I are recently married and bought a new house. We still have several rooms that are being/need to be painted. I am also wanting to do some work in the back yard… pergola, deck, etc.

    232. meghanmass says:

      Working on updating kitchen hardware, need to repaint our bedroom, going to be ripping up carpet and seeing what we need to do about our floors on the main level soon, and my laundry room/mudroom is HORRENDOUS! I don’t even know where to start…

    233. Tracy says:

      We always seem to have some project we are working on but the big one I’m dying to complete is our base boards on our main floor. We put in new floors over a year ago…and still have not finished the baseboards.

    234. Justine says:

      What are we not working on?! We are finishing our back patio (put in a new paver patio) and our laundry room is in the middle of a renovation (for months now, since it was patio season). Up next is the hideous powder room that I can’t believe I’ve lived with for over a year now, a new nursery (!) and hopefully our master bedroom (which is embarrassing). Along with building an ottoman and painting trim….

    235. Rachel C says:

      We’re 14 weeks along with our first and have a nursery to start working on!

    236. Our list is long! We have small things like painting all the interior doors charcoal gray and installing some shelves in a bathroom, but our next BIG project (which has been a long time coming and is scheduled to begin this month) is fully converting our one car garage into our master bedroom–complete with a new walk in closet and stained concrete floors! This gift card would be so helpful!

    237. deb says:

      We did the ardex countertop thing….next up is restaining our cabinets!

    238. Erin Beck says:

      We actually have one bi,g ongoing, may take a decade project of finishing our basement. The previous owner ripped it out and that’s when we bought it. Then we have two smaller ones: a small bathroom remodel and we’re trying to paint our kitchen cabinents.

    239. Cara Sullenger says:

      I for sure need more storage solutions since we recently moved into a house with no storage compared to our old home! Mainly in the garage! I would also love love love to build a huge farm style kitchen table with new chairs and I’d love to decorate the back yard as well!

    240. Lynn says:

      We need to make a chicken run! Currently our chickens run free and poop all over the concrete patio. Not fun.

    241. Katie says:

      We are trying to build/DIY/contract/order a breakfast nook for our kitchen table!

    242. Kate says:

      Same – we’ve got a handful of projects on our list that we are trying to move along over the next several weeks: paint garage exterior, re-stain pool deck, add sconces to master bedroom, seed a section of our yard where we tore up 6 trees (causing issue with our pipes) last year…. and so on! Here’s to productivity! And thanks!

    243. rachel says:

      Putting in a fence!

    244. Nicole says:

      My mom and Dad are coming to visit over Labor Day weekend to help us knock out a number of projects: entryway storage, closet storage installation, building new shelves in our living room, installing a new light fixture and dimmer switch, plus some painting and yard work!
      We LOVE our local ACE Hardware. It’s closer to us than the big box stores and the staff is so much more helpful and personable! We could definitely use the gift card to help with our to-do list!

    245. Sam says:

      We’re new homeowners and are realizing how overzealous we are. We have half-started projects everywhere, from the ripped up chair rail in the dining room (that revealed hidden wallpaper), a behemoth desk project in the office, deer-resistant landscaping attempts, and a bathroom that demands more attention with every fallen tile.

      It’s comforting to read that you can feel the same way, but at a year in, it shouldn’t be all done. We want so much of this house to feel like us, and we’re approaching the one-year mark, and it’s overwhelming!

    246. Jessica Dvorscak says:

      We just finished an addition to our house, and while major construction is done, there are many, many smaller projects the still need to be completed. On our list: tile backsplash in the kitchen, build mud room/ entryway and build a deck in the backyard. Lots to do!

    247. Stephanie G. says:

      Our spare bathroom could use some love! It was previously my husband’s grandmother’s bathroom, and she had the entire room (including the ceiling, the walls, and the VANITY) painted mint green. A nice coat of paint or three could go a long way :)

    248. Mary says:

      I’ve been working on changing up my open living/dining space. I’ve swapped out the rug and pillows and today I’m hoping to get around to reupholstering the chairs. Also slowly replacing doors around the house and adding wood blinds throughout. I always have a project going on in my 60s house!

    249. Maryanne W. says:

      Next on our list is re-doing the kids bathroom!

    250. Meg says:

      Our latest to-do list is very garage focused. The complete lack of storage and organization are the first things we are going to address. Hoping to build some functional storage – that’s also easy on the eyes. Our garage is on the front of the house, so every time we open to door to go in or out, the entire street gets a view of our unpacked moving box pile ‘o shame.

    251. Alex says:

      we’re moving into our first home at the end of the month, so the list of things to tackle is loooong, but first up is probably paint!

    252. Lauren B says:

      our first child is due in just under 8 weeks so our biggest project now is to finish the nursery and instal new carpet in the guest room for our upcoming visitors. The nursery project includes building bookcases and adding shelves/a second bar to the closet. It isn’t tons of work, but certainly enough to keep us busy!

    253. Allison says:

      I’ve got a couple furniture sanding/staining projects that have been on the back burner for too long, along with some backyard upkeep. There’s an Ace one mile from my house, too- so handy!

    254. Gillian says:

      So many to choose from :) should it be the bathroom with 4 different colors of paint on the wall for a year or the bedroom that needs a much bigger ladder than I have to reach the top of the walls. I actually contemplated just painting as far as I can reach and save for the ladder, just not to look at the mustard walls anymore :)

    255. Laurene says:

      Paint, paint, paint. Oh, and then, paint. :)

    256. Karah Hunt says:

      We’ve lived in our house for 7.5 years and until I came across your website, never thought about tackling everything myself! Every day the list grows, but we are currently taking down a diagonal gate area and changing it so it’s a 90 degree angle. And painting! Our living room/dining room area has not been freshened up since the day we moved in! I’d also like to add a shelf into a bathroom that we started redoing ( 6 months ago….) and just haven’t quite finished yet.

    257. Heather says:

      Mercedes is getting married on the 8th so I need to make her bedroom into my craft space, and take my craft room into a “teen playroom”

    258. Emily H. says:

      Since I’m renting and my roommates and I just moved to a new place, I’d build some kitchen storage to make our jumble of borrowed bookshelves/microwave stand/random table into a more beautiful, useful, and uniform storage area! We’re still in the “keep all the furniture we got for free” stage, since we’re graduate students, and can’t really justify the expense of building out that area at the moment!

    259. Alli says:

      We have an Ace really close to our house. We often ride our bikes there mid-project and the employees are always so helpful! It’s very a different customer service experience from our big box store. We have a huge basement are getting ready to finish it this fall. This gift card would be help get us started :)

    260. Amber says:

      Painting, painting, painting. Just about every surface in our house (baseboards, crown, walls, door trim, doors themselves) needs a good sanding and a fresh coat.

    261. Courtney L. says:

      We are painting our kitchen cupboards using your paint recommendation!

    262. Abby J. says:

      I know how you feel. We’ve been involved in a kitchen renovation for A WHOLE YEAR. And had a baby in the middle of it. We did absolutely everything ourselves – Hubby is building the cabinets himself. We finally have cabinet doors this week, YAY!!! Hopefully, next week, drawer fronts, crown moulding, and then a whole lot of touch up painting. We could definitely use some help with finishing this up!!

    263. Jennifer says:

      After eight years of fertility difficulty, we’re finally expecting our first child. And while I’ve got a pretty good idea after that long to stew over it of what I want in a nursery, moving my husband and I into the same office has become the real challenge. Organization and efficient storage is a real challenge.

    264. Katy says:

      We are working on trimming out every window and door in our house. We were lucky enough to put in new windows…a few months back. Now, if they get trimmed out on the inside by Christmas, it’ll be a success.

    265. Lisa says:

      We just closed on our house and will move soon. Our list is long but first up is the kid’s rooms and installing new hardwoods!

    266. Lizzzy says:

      I moved into a new house that was formerly a HUD home and an investor gutted the interior, flipped it, and I moved in three months ago.

      The house is a great 1950s limestone ranch… however the living space (that was a separate living room, kitchen and dining room) is now one big open space and based on where there is now a kitchen island and a load bearing wall, there is really no way to fit my current furniture in a nice, normal living arrangement, and so I was planning on constructing a TV/storage unit to fit this odd corner of space.

      Add to that a massive overgrown garden, and I just spent about four weeks recovering from poison ivy (note: do not ever announce, “I don’t think I’m allergic to poison ivy — I’ve never had an issue with it before in my entire 36 years of life”, because you will then suffer the worst bout and look like a leper”), but there is SO much work to do in the yard which includes leaf removal, limbing all the trees so that I don’t get a concussion when I mow, and doing some heavy fall weed-and-feed.

      The final objective is to take care of the deck. The house is a side entry, and to get to the front door you need to clomp along a deck to get to the front porch. The wood needs to be treated, stained, and then have some nice greenery to break up the mundaneness color of the deck with the Bedford limestone of the house exterior.

    267. Danielle F says:

      The question really is what aren’t we working on?! The gift card would be great to get us started painting and installing a wall treatment similar to your living room in our bedroom.

    268. Maria says:

      We need to do some serious landscaping next spring!

    269. ryan says:

      i am contemplating giving my 2nd bathroom a bit of an update, so $200 would come in SUPER handy. a little paint, maybe some tile… yay!

    270. I have so much painting that I need to do! I would use this to paint.

      Also, I think you are so smart to look at your 11 month reminder photo!

    271. Jennah says:

      We’re been putting off getting a new countertop for AGES. We have actually been given the money to do it before by my parents (we just want new laminate! Our current one is gross 1970s fake butcher block laminate), and ended up using it for another more pressing project. But we just treated ourselves to a new fridge, so a new countertop (along with a new sink, faucet, etc) would be so divine!

    272. Amber says:

      What don’t we have to do? Haha- we are restoring our 1930s bungalow- that includes-
      1. Painting the outside 2. Replacing and painting trim 3. Adding a bathroom
      4. Leveling kitchen floor 5. Updating current bathroom 6. Finishing the basement.. The list goes on and on! We recently moved to a small town that has ACE and I love it!!

    273. Michelle says:

      My husband and I bought our first house 2 months before our June wedding, so we’re just now really getting to work. We have most of our furniture at this point, but we haven’t painted a thing. So painting, finally hanging some art, and possibly building some shelving is next.

    274. Kevin says:

      Trying to organize and lighten our laundry room (where we seem to spend too much time)!

    275. Tara says:

      We are remodeling a bathroom. Right now it is down to the studs except for the bathtub.

    276. Marie says:

      My list of home projects is never ending :P But to keep it simple we are also working on adding baseboards (we put in new hardwood floors that I loooove), refinishing our staircase, and removing wood paneling and replacing it with drywall.

    277. Sarah says:

      We always have so many projects going on and we LOVE Ace. Especially the rewards points on their credit card (and the popcorn). With our first little one on the way, we have a nursery to finish, some dog gates to build, and then probably a new master bath that we will do most of ourselves!

    278. Megan CC says:

      We are going to start working on installing hardwood floors on our main living areas and master bedroom. We already have the flooring, but could definitely use some help with all of the other little things we need to get it done. The little things add up quick!

    279. Courtney says:

      I am currently working on updating our kitchen (new backsplash, painting cabinets, new hardware, etc.).

    280. Kelly McK says:

      Getting ready to head back to my apartment at school- where I need to make a headboard for my bed! Our Ace is less than a mile down the road too!

    281. Kathy says:

      I’ve been wanting to tackle our bedroom for the longest time. I really need a push to actually do it!

    282. Jess says:

      We have a ton of things on our list but the main things we are focusing on now are redoing our powder room (drywall, lighting, wainscoting, painting) and our never ending war with the ivy that’s taking over our yard!

    283. Andrea says:

      I have 2 projects on my plate right now. I moved a wall, and have to reimstall the baseboards, but they don’t make them anymore. Somehow we have to take some existing baseboards and frankenstein them thicker to match my current ones. And I just got a kitten, so in a few months, I’m taking that opportunity to replace the basement door and cut a cat flap into it.

    284. Amanda says:

      We have lived in our house for three years but we’ve still got some rooms we have put off painting! I’d love to get that done soon!

    285. Adee says:

      Our kitchen floor needs a lot of help-we used the wrong kind of adhesive when laying down our cork tiles & now they’re all popping up!

    286. Katie says:

      I really need to paint our den, but I’m stuck on colors. So I’d probably use this to start the closet redo that I know exactly what I want to do (but doesn’t actually NEED to be done :)).

    287. Rosie says:

      We’re starting from scratch – building a house ourselves starting next spring. Right now we’re in the permitting/designing phases, but so excited to start building!

    288. Christie says:

      We are about to install a new mailbox post and mailbox in our front yard. This gift card would go a long way in helping us purchase the post, mailbox and some flowers to plant around the base of the post. Fingers crossed! :)

    289. Shelley says:

      Two big girl rooms :)

    290. Rebecca says:

      I’ll be tackling our exterior house trim soon, and this would help. Love how your house is turning out so far, by the way!

    291. Meredith says:

      Painting my basement is next up on the list—money for paint would help a lot!

    292. LizlovesCam says:

      On the top of our to-do list is to repaint a room that I thought was grey…but skews lavender in some lights. I’d also love to add wainscoting to our guest bathroom!

    293. Natalie says:

      We’re hoping to DIY a platform bed – our boring metal bed frame has got to go!

    294. Kathleen says:

      We have a bunch of little niggly projects – repairing some areas of our reclaimed hardwood floors (they need shoring up underneath), building some custom built-ins for the largest of our tiny three closets (it’s driving me bonkers) and maybe a shallow faudenza in our hallway for addition storage/landing pad? But I’m stuck with a long hallway that is only 36inches wide so I am not sure whether this idea is just crazy.

    295. Jenna says:

      With a baby due to arrive in the next 6 or so weeks, there are lots of things and a nursery that still needs to be set up.

    296. Jennie says:

      Our first baby (a little girl) is due in December, so we are in total nesting mode! We’re rearranging everything to fit two spare bedrooms worth of stuff into what will now be the office/guest room, and we’ve got to start working on the nursery, as well! We just finished a project in the office inspired by the chunky shelves in your reading room and I LOVE IT! For fun, we’ve also decided to add open shelving in the kitchen, re-paint the master bathroom and overhaul our main coat closet. It’ll be great to see everything checked off our list :)

    297. Kate says:

      We just moved into our new house a month ago so our weekends are filled with home improvement. I’m currently at work covered in paint from starting my boarders this weekend, but I think the yard is our biggest project. The previous owners were chronic over planters so we’re pulling out what we don’t like and trying to figure out what we can salvage.

    298. Sarah says:

      We are currently tackling our basement. It’s divided into 2 rooms – a den and an office. We are having new carpet installed tomorrow. Then we have 2 blank rooms. We are trying to upgrade our style. Shedding the post college-esque furniture and creating a real home. Ace is one of our favorite home stores – a gift card would be a huge help!!!

    299. Linda says:

      My project is interior painting of our living room, entry and dining room. I too have been to my Ace Hardware (literally 3 blocks away – I walk there, yay!) many times to try to figure out a paint color. Painting, painting and more painting!

    300. Lori Moore says:

      Oh, our garage. It has no built-in storage and crumbling floors. Not good!

      Btw, I haven’t followed your blog for long enough to have seen old house pictures, and your old living room’s “after” shots totally just gave me a light bulb moment for my master bedroom. Thanks!

    301. Laura C says:

      We’ve been in the process of “refreshing” our bathroom – small changes to allow us to live with it for another few years, until we’re ready for a full renovation. Next on the list is refinishing the chipped and stained bathtub.

    302. Mary says:

      Oh man, what are we not working on? I think topping the list would be building a fence for our yellow lab Rowdy, so that he can have some room to roam.

    303. Rachel says:

      I’m staining my white-washed oak banister to a darker walnut color! It’s a huge job!

    304. Alex says:

      So many projects! We need to re-do our deck, hopefully while its still warm, start the nursery, and re-do the guest bath that flooded when our pipes froze!

    305. lana says:

      We’re still working on our bedroom! Then kids’ room, then kitchen, and so on… It’s always something.
      Thanks for the opportunity!
      The closest ACE store is about 15 min away, but in a direction we hardly go, so I’m not there as often… But I guess I should check it out more often.

    306. Ann says:

      We’ve been working on the floors and just put in a new AC unit. ouch!

    307. Kelli says:

      Our project list is endless like so many others. Next up, is painting our entire basement and ripping up nasty carpet. Still undecided what type of flooring will go down.

    308. Liesel says:

      I have a wall and a smidge left of wallpaper to remove. I’ve removed it from most of the rest of the main level. Ugh. But i’m lacking motivation to get going on the last bit. I guess I need a little push!

    309. Carol says:

      We’re finishing up the kitchen grout and then it’s on to the laundry closet. I’m sick of looking at the hole in the drywall from the washer/dryer delivery guy’s rear end. Yeah. That happened.

      Also, LOVE your new family photo (hopefully it actually is new and I haven’t just overlooked it for weeks…)

    310. Andrea says:

      I have lots of projects to finish up. I seem to get about 95% done then never get that last 5% done. I need to add trim in the newly renovated bath, stain some woodwork on the stairs, fix some tile, regrout in another bath and touch up paint just about everywhere!

    311. Amber says:

      Refreshing the front yard/entry of our house has been a big one on our list since we moved in almost a year ago. There’s a wild patch of mismatched plants and weeds right in the front that we want to clean up and replant with lavender and rich, dark mulch. We also have a rusty (and dangerous!) old railing leading up the front steps that needs to GO. Lastly, I’d like to paint our currently powder blue shutters a pale, neutral gray to coordinate with our black front door.

    312. Marcelle says:

      We are just starting a patio project and are feeling a little overwhelmed.

    313. I’ve been dreading/ avoiding painting the exterior trim, although it could SERIOUSLY use it.

    314. Andrea says:

      I have finally started working on my almost 13 year old daughter’s room (is she really almost a teenager?!) after living in our current house for 2 years! She is long overdue for her bedroom makeover.

    315. Afton says:

      we are currently working on our guest room. it needs new drywall, trim, new light fixtures, paint – the works! the room is so embarrassing that i just pull the door shut!

    316. Liz M says:

      We have sooo many little projects to knock off our list, Plants for the back yard, trim in the bathroom, closet shelves in our sons room and the list goes on.

    317. Lindsey says:

      We just found out that we are EXPECTING our first child! As excited as we are, it was a SHOCK. So, needless to say… what was once going to be a man-cave/baseball room for my husband – now needs to be turned into a lovely nursery. We love maps and travel (that globe mobile you shared for a boys room = LOVE IT). We would love to transform this little room into a sanctuary of love and fun for our future Franson :)

      • Built-in bookcases! We installed the bases of them almost a year and a half ago, and they have just been sitting unfinished since then. It’s driving me CRAZY! We’re hoping to get started back on them in a couple weeks because my husband is hoping to start on his doctorate in the spring!

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