Exciting Updates from The Ugly Duckling House: New Beginnings, DIY Projects, and Heartfelt Moments!
Hello, wonderful readers! It feels like a whirlwind since my last update, where I mentioned gearing up for a significant woodworking conference. Well, hold onto your saw blades, because a lot has happened!
That conference was an absolute blur of creativity, hard work, and rewarding connections! I managed to get the Rust-Oleum booth design built and set up just in the nick of time. Designing and constructing a functional yet eye-catching display for such a prominent event was an incredible experience, testing my skills and pushing my limits. The collaborative spirit with the Rust-Oleum team was fantastic, and I was genuinely thrilled by how well my booth was received. It was a true honor to even receive an “attagirl” from the legendaryBen Uyedahimself! I’ll be sharing a comprehensive recap of the entire WorkbenchCon journey in a future post, including a fantastic IKEA hack project that came out of the build. You can expect all the usual twists and turns of a typical Ugly Duckling House design process, even a curious incident involving the rather inexplicable “theft” of half my booth by the conference’s end (yes, really!). But before diving into all those details, there are some truly exciting personal updates here at the UDH that I simply couldn’t wait to share.
(Heads up: this post contains a few affiliate links to products I genuinely love and use, which means I might earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase.)
A New Chapter Begins: Welcoming K and Stella to The UDH!
No need for prolonged suspense! The biggest news, and one that marks a truly exciting new chapter for the Ugly Duckling House, is this: K and his wonderful pup, Stella, are officially moving in!
Starting next month, the UDH will be a bustling household of four – if you count Charlie and Stella, which, of course, I absolutely do! You might expect me to be bubbling with excitement, doing cartwheels, or feeling a flurry of butterflies. But honestly, it all feels incredibly natural, calm, and simply *right*. K and Stella have been such a constant, welcome presence in my home for so long that this official transition feels more like a gentle settling into what was always meant to be.
K and I have been building a strong relationship for quite some time, and naturally, we’ve had many candid conversations about our life plans, both individually and together. The decision to merge our households simply became the most logical and heartwarming next step. I imagine this comes as no surprise to many of you, especially if you’ve been following our joint DIY endeavors or noticed my subtle shifts in project planning – like my ambition to redesign the master closet or the ingenious Murphy bed design for the guest bedroom, which will cleverly transform it into a flexible office space. These changes have been quietly paving the way for a more collaborative and shared future.
Beyond the joy of sharing our lives, there’s also a significant practical benefit: consolidating our expenses by saving on separate rents means we can accelerate our savings for the long-awaited vintage camper renovation! Speaking of which, she now has a name, and I’ll be spilling all the details in an upcoming dedicated post. Stay tuned for that adventure!
Designing Our Dream Sleep Space: The King Bed Project
This past weekend marked the beginning of K’s move, as he brought over his initial essentials – a process that mercifully excluded our combined garage full of tools (that will be an organizational project of epic proportions!). As I type this, a king-sized mattress currently occupies a significant portion of my living room, signaling the start of our next exciting DIY venture: designing and building a brand-new bed together. Let me tell you, this bed is going to be incredibly cool – I can barely contain my excitement to finish it and share all the intricate details!
The decision to upgrade to a king-sized bed was born out of a very relatable problem for pet owners. If you’ve ever shared your bed with furry friends, you’ll understand how two relatively small dogs can somehow command every single square inch of sleeping space, leaving their human companions with surprisingly little room. This new, larger bed is our ultimate solution to ensure a more restful and comfortable night’s sleep for everyone involved, humans and canines alike.
As you can imagine, the initial stages of moving in and furniture building inevitably bring a degree of enjoyable chaos and clutter. With my attention recently divided by the intense WorkbenchCon project, navigating this temporary mess has been an interesting challenge. However, we’ve successfully moved past the most disruptive phase, and soon, all our living spaces will be clear and ready for their new arrangements.
Our canine companions, Charlie and Stella, have also been navigating their own adjustments to living together. Like many new roommates, they’ve had their moments – particularly around food, where some possessive behaviors emerged. This led us to redouble our efforts in their training, and I’m happy to report that both pups have shown remarkable improvement. It seems they’ve reached a delightful truce, concluding that they are both undeniably in love with K and me, and at the very least, have developed a reluctant affection for each other. We couldn’t be happier with their progress and the growing harmony in the house. A significant bonus, which they both seem to appreciate greatly, is the comfort of no longer being alone if we ever need to leave them at home. They now have each other for companionship, making the UDH truly feel like a full, loving home.
Valentine’s Day: Rooftop Romance, Creative Gifts, and LEGO Adventures!
On the topic of K and making our house a home, I also wanted to share a glimpse into our recent Valentine’s Day celebrations (prepare for a touch of sappiness!). We enjoyed a wonderful evening, combining a delicious dinner with a thoughtful gift exchange. Our date began at one of my absolute favorite rooftop spots in Atlanta, offering stunning views and a perfect romantic ambiance. For those of you who might be planning a visit to the city, would you be interested in a curated list of my top date night recommendations? I’ve been secretly snapping photos from our various outings and plan to compile a “Top Ten Atlanta Date Spots” guide this summer!
As a personal stress reliever and creative outlet, I often turn to watercolor painting when I can’t sleep. So, a few nights before Valentine’s Day, I crafted a heartfelt, homemade card for K, complete with a personalized piece of art that held special meaning for us.
You might also get a kick out of the gift I surprised him with:
It’s none other than the magnificent LEGO Saturn V Rocket! You should have seen K’s eyes light up and the huge grin spread across his face when he opened it and immediately began meticulously organizing all the pieces. Yes, I’m happily living with a certified super-nerd! Since then, any free evening we’ve had – which has been rare with the demands of WorkbenchCon – has been dedicated to assembling this incredible model. This is just part one, so we have many more exciting hours of building ahead!
via GIPHY
This shared building experience has truly reawakened the inner LEGO enthusiast in both of us. For me, it taps into the same satisfaction I get from solving complex puzzles – the more I think about it, the more I realize Ron Swanson and I share more in common than just a passion for building! Discovering the vast world of intricate LEGO kits for adults has opened up a whole new realm of collaborative hobbies. We’ve since found other incredible sets we might tackle, like this architectural marvel, this challenging creation, this iconic structure, and this historical masterpiece. And if that wasn’t enough, I’ve also learned about the amazing LEGO House in Denmark (not the Ed Sheeran song!). Knowing my penchant for spontaneous, adventurous trips, it wouldn’t be entirely out of character for me to decide to travel across the world to explore a house filled with such imaginative toys!
K, in turn, showered me with beautiful flowers and a few thoughtful gifts. However, I think my absolute favorite gift this month has to be the charming duckling logo he had cut out for me at his office. Using a scrap piece of Corian and a CNC machine, he created a perfect little replica of the Ugly Duckling House emblem. While I dream of having my own CNC machine at home one day, I doubt I’ll find the space for it until the shed is finally built in the backyard! And speaking of delightful green things, those succulent buds you see on the right hint at an upcoming tutorial I’ve been diligently working on this winter. Propagating these beauties is surprisingly easy, so expect a detailed video and step-by-step photo guide soon!
So, there you have it: a flurry of personal updates and exciting new beginnings here at The Ugly Duckling House. This week, it’s back to our grand bed-building project! Did you have any special Valentine’s Day plans or unique gifts you exchanged? I’ve often covered Valentine’s Day in past posts, whether I was single or not, so if you’re curious, you can check out this one and this other one. And of course, I’d love to hear your thoughts on all the big news! Hopefully, you’re as happy for me as I am, but as you know from reading my blog, I’m pretty determined to do what I want anyway, ha! I sincerely hope you’re all having a truly wonderful week!
P.S. If you caught a glimpse of my hair in the first picture and thought something looked different, you’re absolutely right! While it felt a bit odd to dedicate an entire post to it, here are a few more photos of it down. I’m completely in love with the change and am always on the hunt for the best advice on how to maintain it, especially when it comes to color care, so please share any wisdom you have!