We asked Melissa from Polished Habitat 16 quirky questions! Melissa takes organization, home decor, and office supplies to a whole new level, and today she’s answering some of our questions including her biggest DIY fail, and words of wisdom for someone remodeling on a budget. Head to Polished Habitat for some great projects, and to read the rest of this interview!
What’s your DIY weapon of choice? A can of spray paint – it’s like magic fairy dust! I have spray painted glass vases, metal lamps, wood centerpieces, and most recently, even fabric curtains!
What are 3 words to describe your blog? Fresh, helpful, and hopefully a little funny! You may recognize my blog as A Prudent Life, but I just announced a huge rebranding. Starting in October, my blog and Etsy shop will be named Polished Habitat!
Tell us about a time when you had a DIY fail (we’ve all had them!) Remember those gorgeous curtains I just showed you? If you look at the rod, we didn’t attach the decorative finials to the ends because they didn’t match the sleeker look I was going for in the space. Well, for 7 days, I CAREFULLY pulled the curtains open in morning to make sure the rod was stable without the finials. Then one morning I woke up earlier, got a big glass of iced coffee and was feeling chipper and ready to start my day. Left side of the curtains open, right side of the curtains…..oh no. FAIL. Before I knew it, the left side of the curtains were on the floor, and somehow I was holding onto most of the right side. And 118” is ALOT of fabric to hold on to. I looked up in awe that the rod hadn’t fallen all the way and knocked me out. But then it got worse. Something shifted and I’m still not even sure what happened, but the top WHITE section of my BRAND NEW curtains took a swim in the iced coffee, knocking it over into my laptop, notebook and everything else in a 50 mile radius. It was pouring off the desk, through the drawer, hitting the fabric cushion of the chair and then making it’s way to the carpet. All the while, I’m still holding onto the bottom 70 inches of fabric, probably with my mouth gapping open. SO…I’ve always known design should be SECOND to function. Clearly, the finial situation was a big warning to make sure I never bend that rule! I got a lot of the coffee stain out and miraculously, the laptop survived with no injury, but I considered this incident a pretty big fail! And yes. The ugly finials are now installed until I can buy some replacements!
Words of wisdom for someone remodeling on a budget? Most importantly, don’t be discouraged by the budget. I went through a phase this year of being frustrated I couldn’t do everything I wanted right now, and it was a total waste of energy to think like that! When I got over my pity party, I remembered how much I COULD do with a little money and time. I actually ended up doing a three part (so far!) series on the topic!
How did you become interested in blogging? I knew about blogs from following Collin from Hip2Save.com, and I loved that she was helping people save money AND she was pretty entertaining! As I watched her blog blossom into more and more opportunities, I was intrigued by the possibilities. I’ve wanted to have my own business for as long as I could remember, but couldn’t ever decide what that looked like. I was pretty excited when I learned I could combine all the things I love, share them with others, and after a ton of work and continuous learning, I could turn it into a business!
Strangest decoration in your house? Well, WE don’t think it’s strange, BUT, sometimes people are very confused by our huge typography gallery wall. A common comment is “what’s with the G’s???” For us, it makes total sense because my husband is a graphic designer, so deals with typeface all the time and our last name starts with a G. It’s the perfect way to highlight how creative typeface designers are in their vision of the same letter. And we’re okay with people thinking it’s strange 🙂
Hardest part about blogging? It’s hard to complain publicly when there is so much goodness that has come from being a blogger, but some days it is hard. Like most small business owners, you are wearing more hats than you ever knew were possible and working like crazy to produce the best and more helpful content for your readers. And then something amazing will happen and you’ll get some amazing publicity that makes you dance around the house with joy. Until you look back at that same publicity and read mean comment after mean comment tearing you down. Somedays I’m great at letting them go and understanding that those people don’t know me. Other days they just stab you in the heart. Or I’ll get frustrated for the person who’s only joy seems to come from being hateful online. What a waste of a life that could be used for good!
Just to lighten it up, I did have a REALLY funny negative comment about my pantry last week. My husband created a great chalk art piece on our pantry wall when I was making the space over last fall. So a lady commented that the room was NOT a pantry because pantries are by definition for food storage and that pig wasn’t going to feed my family. Um..WHAT??? Eating that pig was my emergency plan! What are we going to do??? If you click over to the pantry tour, you’ll see we actually have more than enough food storage, including freezer space for things like actual pork.
Best part about blogging? The best AND most surprising part has been the friendships I have formed. Not just virtual friendships, but real, meaningful, lasting relationships with people I never would have met, but now can’t imagine my life without.
Head on over to Polished Habitat to read the rest of this interview!
Are you a blogger? Apply to the Porch Blogger Program, we can’t wait to hear from you!
