CharlieHolder.com

Due to some recent changes in my professional life, I’ve decided to try my hand at staging homes and interior design. I graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in architectural design, and I have a real passion for interior design and photography. On top of that, I’ve always prided myself at being able to design on a tiny budget. So this weekend, I traveled up to Virgina to visit my amazing friend, Jenna, who let me make some changes to the house she and her fiancé bought back in October.

Because I was only going to be there for three days, I chose to focus on a few key rooms instead of taking on the whole house. I decided on the half bath, guest bath and bedroom, dining room and living room. It was a lot of work but we were able to get all rooms to about 90% complete except for the guest bath. Pictures and figures of the guest bath will be coming soon.

1/2 Bath: $79

Before                                                              After

The half bath was a lot of fun. It was very plain and had dated brass fixtures and accessories. I chose a nice tan color to give the room a little warmth and oil rubbed bronze fixtures to replace the brass. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a bronze faucet that was within the budget, so I told Jenna to search online for a better deal. For the mirror,  I chose a dark frame that complimented the fixtures and had a lot more presence than the frameless oval one. I also wanted to update the light fixture, but didn’t want to spend a lot of money so I spray painted it. When I was done, it looked like a completely new fixture.

-Paint: $12
-Spray paint: $7
-Mirror: $30
-Accessories: $30

Guest Bedroom: $45

Before

After

Updating this room was really simple. I just painted the bookshelf black, decluttered, and added some accessories. A lot of rooms have everything you need to make them look really great with minimal work. It’s just a matter of decluttering and finding potential in the items you already have.

-Paint for bookcase: $9
-Mirror: $24
-Flowers: $12

Dining Room: $198

Before

After

The dining room was one of the most dramatic before and afters. It was also one of the more challenging rooms because of the house’s open floor plan. There really is nothing that separates it from the rest of the house beside the wall between it and the kitchen. I really wanted to make it stand out, so I added  chair rail, crown moulding, and the tan paint from the half bath. I also  picked out a new chandelier, but due to the ceiling height, we weren’t able to install it ourselves.

- Crown Moulding: $39
-Chair Rail Moulding: $23
-Paint: $23
-Chandelier: $89,  (coming soon)
-Flowers and vase: $24

Living Room: $24

Before

After

The living room was one of the easiest rooms to update. I painted the fireplace to make it pop, rearranged the furniture to make it feel bigger, and added accessories they already had. That’s about it.

-Paint: $4
-Flowers and container: $20

Cost of Supplies: $80

Total Cost: $426

Now that’s a deal!

I’ve been a little self-conscious about some unwanted changes in my physique I’ve been noticing lately. I attributed it to the parade of different tasty treats that came through my office during the holiday season. I figured that cutting down on sweets would fix the problem.

Then yesterday, a pair of pants that I’ve had since high school felt a little too snug. After work, I broke down and pulled out the old workout DVD. I just figured that I was getting to the age where eating whatever I wanted and not exercising wasn’t going to cut it anymore. I mean they say you are supposed to gain an extra 10 lbs in your first year of marriage, right?

This morning when I was getting ready for work, I couldn’t even button a pair of pants I’d just bought. I mentioned it to Charlie and told him I thought I was getting fat. He got this “Oh crap!” look on his face.  When he ran out of the room, I didn’t know what to think. When he came back in, he told me that he’d accidentally washed them in hot water and shrunk all my pants.

So good news is I’m not fat, but now I have nothing to wear. This would normally be awesome news. Shopping Spree!! Unfortunately we are saving money right now. Looks like I’m just going to have to keep working out to fit into my clothes.

Charlie and I were driving downtown for dinner last night. I was telling him about an epsiode of road rage I had earlier that day and how ashamed I was for the way I reacted. As I was finishing the story, we pulled behind a car that was going really slow in the far left lane of 75. I’m sure you can imagine what happened next. Charlie flashed his lights, but the car refused to get over. So deceiding to teach the driver a lesson, he pulls around him and then proceeds to drive slowing in front of his vehicle.

The driver didn’t react, but a car driving in the HOV lane to our left pulled passed us, and the passenger craned her neck to look at us. She was trying to make it very clear that she saw what we did and didn’t approve. So, I waved at her. I mean she obviously thought she knew us, right? Why else would she be trying so hard to look at us?

She did not appreciate this at all. In fact, she disliked it so much that she thought she’d show me how much she disliked my waving by waving a middle finger of her own. Now I know what you’re thinking; this is Atlanta, having someone flick you off is part of the charm of this city. Oh but it gets better.

Now I’m ashamed to say this, but instead of being the bigger person and letting it go, I decided to egg her on and continued to wave. At this point, I’m pretty sure she lost it. Either that or she was already nuts to begin with because they pulled up next to our car, and she rolled down her window. I thought she was going to yell at us but instead she attempts to spit on our car.

I don’t know if you ever tried to spit out of a car going 70 mph, but it’s not an easy task. Most of the time you end up spitting on your own car or back in your face. What an idiot?!? Who tries to spit on someone’s car? Now that’s classy!

Charlie and I started to write thank you notes today and I signed Amanda Holder for the first time. Weirdest feeling ever! I mean I’ve been doodling Amanda Holder since we got engaged… or maybe longer, but this was different. I’m actually Amanda Holder now.

Does anyone else think that’s insane? I’m like married now. When did this happen? I mean Charlie and I have been dating for what seems like forever now. I never doubted for a minute that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. But being married, a wife? That’s so… heavy. Sounds so old. Is it official? Am I finally an adult now?

I went to Publix the other day and bought a salad for lunch. When I got back to work, I realized they overcharged me. I went back and forth on whether it was worth it to drive all the way back there for a mere 80 cents. In the end, my frugality won out. I mean I called SunTrust and sat on the phone for ten minutes for 37 cents. Compared to that, this is huge! Not only did I get back the 80 cents, she refunded me for the entire salad.

Totally worth it, but that’s not even the best part. She had to ask the other clerk what the code for a refund of this type was. He responded ’1337.’

At first it didn’t click. Why did that number sound familar? Then it hit me, and I thought, “DARN YOU, CHARLIE!!”

I may have invaded your precious website, but you’ve totally taken over my mind.