Parade Of Homes!

Have you ever been to the Parade Of Homes? If you have, you are probably just as excited as I am right now! If you have never participated in the parade of homes, you are missing out, and you need to mark a day on your calendar and go to the parade!

The Parade Of Homes is an event that spans from March 2nd to the 24th. During this time, home builders throughout the Twin Cities will have their model homes open to view! All newly built model homes are open Thursday - Sunday from noon to 6pm. The Parade Of Homes also features remodeled homes. These will be open on Friday from 1pm - 7pm and Sat/Sun from noon to 6pm.

Look at different types of homes made by all of the different builders. Shop for your next home! Check out the different areas of the metro. Discover trending styles and decor. Make it a cheap date!

Ready to get started? Grab a directory for the parade, you can find them at any Holiday Stationstore! What are you waiting for!? Get out there and check out some homes! More info here

Painting Tips

Painting can be a fun and inexpensive D.I.Y. project. Here are some tips to ensure that it is done perfectly!

Getting Started

• Chose a lighter color then expected.  The paint swatch may not seem very dark, but once you paint a whole room it will be overwhelming. If you do not like the color, the worst thing that will happen is having to repaint.
• The celling does not need to stay white.
• Make sure to use painter’s tape along the edges. It gives you room to make mistakes. Do not remove the tape until the paint is fully dry.
• If any of your walls have holes or cracks, do not paint over it. Spackle over any imperfections before you paint.
• Many paint stores will offer sample sizes, so you are able to try out different colors rather then buying a gallon.
• Once you have your rollers, wrap your painter’s tape around it and peel it off. This gets rid of the loose fluff, and keeps it off your paint!
• Remove all furniture from the room that you are painting (or at least cover it). Mistakes happen. 

Painting Tips

•  Dip the brush an inch in the paint, and scrape one side off on the side of the paint can. This will avoid paint runs.
• Paint in long strokes.
• Always paint two coats! It will cover up any mistakes you made during the first coat, it will also brighten your color.
• Let the paint fully dry before the second coat.
• Scrape of paint drips on windows, tile or glass with a straight razor blade. It will remove them cleanly. 

My DIY Project- Creating a Playroom

My husband and I are converting a little used room in our home to a playroom for our daughter.  At 15 months old, our very active little girl's "stuff" has taken over every corner of our home.  She has learned to put away her things with some prompting so the time may be right to give her an organized space to contain some of her fun. 

Due to our crazy schedules, we had one day last weekend to get started and now this upcoming weekend to finish.  The room is a carpeted 11 x 12 room with no closet or overhead lighting.  It has two windows and French doors opening up to the hallway. 

First, we (I am using the term we loosely, as my husband did all of this part of the project) emptied the room and pulled up the carpet and the baseboard trim.  We sealed the subfloor to take care of any residual effects from our pets.  Below is a picture of the room right now. 

After a couple of days of shopping around, we purchased new flooring.  Just three or four arguments later, we decided to go with a wood laminate flooring. This is an inexpensive option that is should be easy to clean up spills.  For under $300 for the materials, we would be fine upgrading in the future as our needs for the room change.   

I'll let you know how it goes this weekend with pictures of the finished room.

Renovation Savings with Remodel Card

I was fortunate to have a chance to sit down with the owners of the Remodel Card to find out if my clients could benefit from their service. Olov Strole and Chad Commers provide contractor-style discounts on home improvement products for homeowners using their Remodel Card. As this article in the Star Tribune mentions, tough economic times mean more homeowners are interested in remodeling projects but have less access to credit or home equity. I also find many of my clients purchasing vacant or foreclosed homes have projects they want to do right after purchasing the home.


Olov and Chad explained that their buying service called Remodel Card allows members to purchase products at reduced prices from two dozen retailers. Many of my clients are doing just one project at a time, such as new flooring or new appliances. They explained that the average savings on projects so far has been an average of 29%. Here is our conversation on YouTube.  They have a discount right now on the membership so if you ae considering a project, check it out now.