3 days of junking and shopping.
A country road that took us through 5 states.
A lot of coffee
and laughter
and hard work
with a group of pretty amazing folks.
And the Habitat for Humanity house with GMC
was a wrap.
This is the 3rd time I have been able to join in the GMC Yard Sale trip.
And seriously.
I would go every.single.year. if they would let me.
It is a trip that always makes me feel so blessed to be a part of.
To answer your questions:
It is exhausting in the BEST way.
It is a lot of driving-5 states in 3 days in some of the most gorgeous countryside.
It is working on furniture, fixing broken pieces, repurposing & painting things,
cleaning things
staying up until the wee hours of the morning
and then hitting the ground running full speed ahead early the next morning
and setting everything up in a house that was
bare just 5 minutes before.
It is a journey that starts with a vision.
That inspires and asks you to think outside the box
and decorate a space with a limited budget.
A house for a family you have never met
in a home and room you have never seen in person.
And it is a total surprise for them.
If you aren’t familiar with Habitat for Humanity
it helps families get into their own house.
They are required to work physically on the house while it is being built
and have a good job to pay the mortgage.
And they often times don’t have more than that when they move in.
And that is where GMC and 6 bloggers come in.
Each blogger had a room
and a goal-
decorate for the family-
and provide them with a great start in their new home.
It isn’t about staging and creating a house that looks like a magazine.
The budget challenges you to get creative and resourceful and provide
things the family needs such as a comfortable bed, places for clothing, appliances and dishes, etc.
It is about designing and creating a home that is beautiful and comfortable.
Christy from Confessions of a Serial DIYer had the boys room
and rocked it with a sports theme.
and the small bathroom
There were a few issues with the hardware- so it wasn’t totally finished
but we made it work.
Allison from Two Thirty Five Designs had the moms bedroom- and she was my partner.
I seriously laughed so much with her on this trip – she is amazing.
And have to give her a huge knuckles and THANK YOU for helping me schlep my luggage up flights up stairs and driving and overall just putting up with me. 😉
Artsy Chicks Rule had the girls bedroom-
this room came together beautifully.
Nick and Sarah from Nestrs had the living room
and the family room.
A lofty goal to furnish 2 rooms- but they tackled them
and managed to get the family a television as well.
Fadra had the Kitchen and dining room-
and created a pretty place for the family to sit together and eat
Since I was the mentor- I didn’t really have a ‘room’ to do but
I had budget to share if needed for the other rooms to help them out.
Or I could use it toward a request for the family if everyone
had enough for their rooms and there was anything leftover.
And as we arrived in Atlanta,
I was excited to be able to get the family something on their wishlist for their new home-
a washer and dryer.
I kept the decor simple since the room is teeny tiny
and the washer and dryer were really all it needed to make the space.
Basic laundry room needs
such as a basket for clothes
bins for storage
a rug underfoot
and a place to hang clothes to air dry
were perfect.
And coming over from Las Vegas Market where I had been inspired by botanical prints
I saw these prints at Ikea-
and added those for a little fresh artwork interest on the wall.
And I always buy flowers as a French Country Cottage
gift to welcome the family to their new home
and yes, even the laundry room deserves a little bit of oomph
with some fresh blooms.
Once again, this trip was such an incredible event to be a part of
It is such a treasure to be able to join in and do something for someone
that you know makes such an incredible difference in their world
and we were all proud and happy to be able to give something like this to
this family.
You can watch the reveal
and yes, it is long- but after just a couple minutes
you can see how touched the family is
when they discover that a group of bloggers
and the generous folks at GMC came together to surprise them
and welcome them to their new home.
You can also catch up on other posts about the 3 days of junking and planning HERE
and a little more about the previous trips I went on with GMC HERE
disclosure: My trip to join GMC on the Yard Sale Trip with Habitat for Humanity was not compensated but my trip was provided.
Yeah for Habitat for Humanity! What a great organization.
The house look so great!! All are truly Blessed!!
Kudos to GMC and Habitat for Humanity and your team!
What a great job. Well done and it is such a treat to see the faces of the recipients. How great was it to make someone so happy..Judy
Such a great recap…enjoyed reliving it all over again! And yes…exhausting but in the best way! Thanks for your help! ????
It was clear when I was there how important this room was to Crystal. I'm glad you could make it both beautiful and functional for her!
Wow! You guys did such an amazing job. I can feel how much the family loves it. Beautiful! xx
This is too sweet and amazing! Great work guys and I can defiantly feel the emotion and love in that video!