Am I outside???

It's a good thing I resolved to make no resolutions this year, because always high on my list is "be on time!" Well, my last post said I'd be back on Monday, January 2nd with fresh, new ideas and, guess what? I totally forgot yesterday was Monday! So, let's pretend today is the day I said I'd start fresh, new, incredibly interesting ideas, okay? Actually, one of my plans this year with Hechtips (now FOUR YEARS OLD) is to evolve this blog into a more cohesive, structured website that's easier to navigate, more fun to read, and more unique, like me! I started this blog four years ago when Joe and I were in the throws of an incredibly expensive renovation with a terribly low budget. How did we manage to finish? Well, we did it ourselves. Joe, admittedly, is kind of a lumberjack where I am more like lumberJane...or at least I was until I met Mr. Do-It-Yourself! While working as an Interior Designer in Los Angeles I collaborated with carpenters, painters, architects and other artists to transform my crazy design ideas into reality. When working with a private client, I'd pick out bath tiles and my carpenter would work his magic to make my ideas look beautiful in person. On set, art directors often fluffed my work to make it shine on camera. In our home, however, the fluffers and art directors were nowhere to be found, so we had to learn to do it ourselves. From hanging drywall to tiling a shower, installing a toilet to hammering cedar shakes on the second story addition of our home. At the end of the day we were exhausted, but walked away with new found energy knowing we'd done it ourselves. So, I decided to put it all in writing because I was shocked that, yes you can do it yourself!! But just like your kids want a bigger bike or the newest iPad, your husband wants to trade in his Ford for a BMW and you want to breath new life into your old house by painting it, I want to make this blog more ME. So, I'm working on it. While a January 2/3 launch would have been great, I'd rather not rush it. Now, don't expect something like Oprah.com or Martha Stewarts website because, unlike those rich bitches, I'm a poor dog just trying to scratch out a living here. Hopefully, at the very least, it will continue to interest you, make you laugh and possibly give you a few ideas...like this one...We live in the woods and every morning take Canyon on a walk (actually, she walks us) and when we return inevitably we leave traces of our walk everywhere. To make our shoe-stop a little more interesting, I added pebbles from our property to the bottom of plastic boot trays I found at the Home Depot for $5/each. Not only do they look interesting, if we've walked through rain or snow, the pebbles help absorb the water and make less mess!
TIME TO COMPLETE TASK: Five minutes
COST: Pebbles were free but you can find at any hardware or garden store. Plastic boot trays were $5 at Home Depot
STRESS LEVEL: Low