Update: Sorry about that recurring “out of stock” notice on Amazon/B&N. For anyone asking about the book (thanks for the enthusiasm!), you can order a signed copy here — they’ll ship it to your door — or try calling or visiting a local Barnes & Noble (we’re hearing stores have it more readily available right now).
Happy Friday! We wrapped up a lot this month — decorating our tree, framing the bathroom mirror, swapping out hardware finishes, plus several House Crashing features, a DIY link roundup, and a reflective post about mistakes we’ve made along the way. Since we also spent nearly half of November traveling for book tour events, we wanted to pause for our usual monthly roundup. Taking stock keeps momentum and morale high, and after five years of blogging, that small habit has helped us actually finish projects instead of feeling like we’re endlessly treading water. (Also: random photo of Sherry in love with a life-sized ram.)
This November was busy: we were on the road for 14 days of the month for book events, yet still managed a near-complete hall bathroom refresh, a buffet makeover, a new kitchen shade, steady basement progress, and a few seasonal decorating projects. We also published four House Crashing posts. If you want to dig into earlier roundups, we’ve compiled past monthly recaps that make it easy to browse instead of scrolling through hundreds of individual posts. And heads-up: there’s a clue about Monday’s giveaway at the bottom — it’s open worldwide.
Most Likely To Be a Used Stuff Salesperson: Both of us — we were surprised by how many things we sell on Craigslist. We put together a post with our tips for selling and buying there.
Freshest Face: Sherry refreshed our rustic living room buffet with carefully color-matched paint and sealed it with polyurethane — a small project that made a big difference.
Most Inspiring: Nate’s garage workshop inspired me to finally start on my own basement. We were grateful to crash his and Michelle’s Northern Virginia home and come away with new ideas.
Most Secretive: We built a simple box-like floating shelf to conceal a leftover tile eyesore in the hall bathroom — a neat, practical cover-up after an attempt to remove a built-in soap dish went sideways.
Juiciest: Our behind-the-scenes post about the book revealed page-by-page stories and photo shoot chaos we’d been saving since January — it was fun to finally share those moments.
Most Mouth-Watering: Some pretzels that Sherry used as supports while drying acorns for a fall craft. They looked tempting enough to eat, though the acorn experiment ended up a little moldy — next time we’ll follow readers’ advice and slowly oven-dry them.
Most Welcoming: Rich and Jessie in Cincinnati — they invited us to tour their home and picked us up from the hotel after a delayed flight. Wonderful hosts with a beautiful, warm home.
Most Granny Chic: Our hall bathroom, which we painted a muted purplish-gray inspired by the lavender tones used in Granny’s bathroom makeover.
Most Likely to Appear on the Weather Channel: Cities on our New England book tour leg — we experienced Sandy’s aftermath in Connecticut and New Jersey and then a Nor’easter in Boston. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the storm.
Most Faux Real: A quick faux roman shade Sherry made for the kitchen using about a yard of fabric, some iron-on tape, a scrap of wood, and pins — the first of two fast window treatments she tackled this month.
Most Fishy: A sailfish in Lesley and Jeff’s guest room — one of many standout items in their eclectic Richmond house we visited during House Crashing.
Most Non-Sensical: The awkward middle of a project, like the halfway point of our office makeover when things don’t yet look right — but pushing through usually leads to a satisfying result.
Most Chaotic: Our playroom, even after a major cleanout following book photoshoots. It still needs painting and a sensible furniture plan before it feels finished.
Most Likely to Open a Paint Store: Us — after organizing our paint stash during basement work, we reused one of the colors to refresh the pegboards and make progress on storage and organization.
…and we used that same paint to update pegboards in the basement workshop.
Moose-iest: A shout-out to the moose-themed moments from our Toronto stop — a quirky highlight from the tour recap of Richmond, Chicago, and Toronto.
Quickest Upgrade: New Hobby Lobby knobs in the hall bathroom — an instant improvement that took almost no time to install. We also frosted the bathroom window for privacy, which took a bit longer but was worth it.
Most Unused: The TV we moved into the bedroom — we haven’t hooked it up yet, so it’s been more of a placeholder. A recent Facebook poll showed readers split almost evenly on bedroom TVs.
Most Heartwarming: A birthday post Sherry wrote about me that left both of us blushing. Favorite reader comment: “Great. Now I’m in love with John.”
Most Cringeworthy: Our chalkboard “thanks jar” adaptation pushed me past my chalk-on-board aversion. Reader tips helped — dipping chalk in water made writing smoother on my next try.
Shadiest: A bright ikat 15-minute window shade Sherry made for the hall bathroom — a fast, inexpensive way to add personality and privacy.
Most Serendipitous: Discovering that 5″x5″ Instagram prints fit perfectly in CD jewel cases, which inspired a cheap, sawdust-proof photo display for the basement workshop.
Most Insightful: Our readers, who contributed helpful suggestions when we shared tips on what to look for (and what to overlook) while house hunting.
Most Cheerful: Lesli’s bright, casual farmhouse near Charlottesville, filled with colorful decor and her own paintings — a joyful house crash favorite.
Most Potential: The sunroom, which we started to tidy at month’s end. We’ve dipped our toe in and are ready to dive — some painting may already be underway.
Most Entertaining: You — the comments on our random-fact post were some of the funniest we’ve read. Thousands of comments later, you all still crack us up.
Most Artistic: A husband who drew a playful, Beavis-style portrait of his wife inspired by a tip from our book — it was shared at our Houston tour stop and gave everyone a good laugh.
Most Iconic: The images below each hint at a word that can help you decode the prize for Monday’s global giveaway — a little teaser for readers everywhere.
How was your November? Did you travel for work or pleasure, finish big projects, or enjoy the quieter weeks before the holiday rush? We’d love to hear what you tackled or enjoyed this month.