Guest Blogger: Five Days… 5 Ways

I’m so excited Allison was nice enough to leave her blogging backdoor unlocked for me so I could slip in and introduce myself today. But first things first: I thought you might want to know that I’m hosting a giveaway for Lindsey of The Pleated Poppy and you can find out all of the details here.

See? I have my priorities straight!

And now that you’re back…Hi there! So, here I am…introducing myself (feel free to imagine me doing a stiff little wave and a half-curtsy because that’s what I just did…at my own computer screen…while I was typing…what a doofus!):

So, hi there! I’m Abbie. Like many of you, I wear so many hats that sometimes I walk out the door with the wrong one on. I’m a follower of Jesus, a mama to three children: Ezra (5), Simon (3 1/2), and Adelaide (9 mos.), a wife to one (no polygamy here…though sometimes I do feel like a blogamist), a fitness instructor, a writer, a DIY fanatic, and a thrifting junkie.

Oh yeah. And I run not one but two blogs (hence the blogamy): Five days…5 ways, which is kind of like my everyday house, and Secondhand or Bare Bottom—a little more like a vacation house, with a closetful of killer thrifted finds.

At Five days…5 ways, I have a theme for each day of the work-week: 1) Move-it Monday (fitness), 2) Try-it Tuesday (DIY + tutorials), Wardrobe Wednesday (where I showcase my “cheat outfits”—which just means that they’re not 100% thrifted), Five Things Thursday (a picture diary of five things on my mind), and Feature Friday (could be anything from my life or others’ as long as I feel like featuring it).

Here’s a taste of what’s been going down at my everyday pad, Five days…5 ways:

• A master closet makeover (that Allison was kind enough to feature a couple of weeks back!) which transformed a sadly underutilized space with lots of potential into my dream dressing room:

^{Some detail shots to whet your appetite for more. : )}

• A tufted ottoman that I made from a $40 craigslist coffee table (tutorial included):

You can find updated pictures of my entire living room (I’ll even tell you where I bought that fabulous rug…can you tell I get that question a lot?) and other rooms on my blog’s “Our House” tab.

Speaking of our house, we built 95% of it ourselves (framing, painting, plumbing, electrical, sheetrock, built-ins, flooring…practically everything) because when I say DIY fanatic…I mean fan-a-tic!

• My daughter, Della’s, nursery:

• A push-up tutorial (which is the best all-around fitness move out there, I think):

• My Apple Almond Crostata recipe (why do you think I do push-ups?!)

• A taste of my Wardrobe Wednesday style:

^{I promise I’m not snooty. The turned-up nose is genetic. (Thanks, Mom, but I would have preferred inheriting your ability to get a tan instead of my current constant state of two shades lighter than pasty).}

And speaking of clothes, Secondhand or Bare Bottom is a 100% thrifted style blog—my creative outlet for my Goodwill obsession finds and my smart-mouthed tendencies (I write a “bit”—part sarcasm, part silliness—to go with each outfit post). What makes this blog unique is that literally every. single. item. (bags, shoes, jewelry, everything) I wear or carry is thrifted or gifted. Here’s a peek at what I wore last week (my style might be best described as Little House on the Prairie meets boho chic):

And that’s all she wrote, folks! (Ha! If you read my blog, you’ll find out soon enough that it’s never all she wrote!).

Allison, you are a very gracious and brave woman for letting me stop by to blather about my blogs, and I thank you. I hope I’ve behaved myself well enough that you’ll still let me participate in your linkies and ogle your fun projects!

And thank YOU too, House of Hepworth readers. It’s been a pleasure sharing a bit of my corner of the blogosphere with you today. I hope you come by for a visit at either/both of my blogs.

In fact, I’ve got quite the welcome present for you waiting at Five days…5 ways:

I’m hosting a giveaway for a $25 shop credit to…wait for it…!!! You know you love Lindsey’s ridiculously cute wares! Check out the giveaway button in my sidebar for all the details!