HGTV's Color Splash/Twilight Home Make Over....It's A Long One

Good morning, I always love how when you go on vacation and come home you can't see straight because you are too busy catching up. That's exactly what I've been doing.

Now, on to our home make over news. I know it is a bit of a surprise and it is for us as well. Here's how it all went down. Quite a while ago I entered a contest for HGTV. At the time we were up to our necks in construction (still are, Ha!) and when I read the contest we were a perfect match! It is a contest for Color Splash Miami with David Bromstad and Twilight/Summit Entertainment for the biggest Twilight fans who want a Twilight inspired makeover. I do wish we had been chosen before the house was near complete, but since everything is recycled from our old house we are wide open to the change;) Here was our entry form with personal info edited out. We were among a group of about 4 families and were chosen as the family to win this A-MAZ-ING makeover prize. I don't normally get in to too many details about our life and story but I thought it might help people to understand how we were considered for this makeover in the first place, in spite of our beautiful home that we've been sharing with you along the way.

Tell us why you love Twilight and HGTV, and why YOU deserve this makeover: 

I Now Know That I’m A Cougar, Or Am I?

Let me start by saying, this couldn’t be more PERFECT for us. As everyone knows, I’ve had an obsession with Twilight that was extremely unexpected after I caught a glimpse of if in Las Vegas. Once I got home I watched the full movie and was immediately taken and transported to my fantasy world. Not being much of a reader, I poured through page after page of each and every book in the series, twice!

                I had moments where I thought I might be a looney tune!  I took my books everywhere with me, I watched Twilight nightly to go to sleep with (as opposed to House Hunters International), I waited in line until all hours of the night to get my tickets to the next premier, I went to those damn stores in the mall where I might catch a glimpse of one of the movies characters, and even hatched a plan with my friend to somehow some way figure ourselves in to the LA premier of New Moon when it came out. Fail! I have a daughter who wasn’t in to it and there I was locking my family out of the bathroom so that I could bathe and read my book.  I now know why I was so captivated, and I’m not as crazy as I thought…or at least totally crazy. The series was written so well and the Twilight movie are done in a way that really draws you in. Heck, what woman wouldn’t want a man who’s gorgeous, mysterious, dangerous, wealthy, intelligent, and downright obsessed with me…er Bella.  Apparently I am a bit of a cougar in my old age (wink wink)

                I have seen every one of the movies in the Twilight series more times than I can count, and can’t wait for the next one to come out. Keep in mind that I am a responsible and normal person so I know how this must sound coming from a 30 year old woman who by the way had a life size poster of Edward Cullen in my closet until the day we moved, but there’s a bit of fantasy to it and I think everyone needs that in some way or another. Life is short and often boring, so live well and immerse yourself in to your inner fantasies and make sure to have some zest for life. That’s what Twilight did for me.

Now on to the fun stuff.  I am a huge fan of HGTV and David Bromstad, I am also a huge fan of design overall. I have a blog http://thecubaninmycoffee.blogspot.com where I chronicle everything from ideas and inspirations, to our current remodeling projects, to budget friendly and DIY projects. It’s kind of something I never knew I had in me and now can’t get enough of. HGTV is full of talent, ideas and inspiring designers.  I love the creativity that each show presents. I also LOVE David Bromstad and his design style. He is just adorable and has a quirky personality that comes through in his designs. There are always unexpected elements and visual surprise and the results are breathtaking. I think he would be great for us to work with is exactly what we need- if he’ll have us that is.

I feel that we deserve this makeover because we are a young family who are getting our second chance in life right now. When I met my husband he had been married before and lost his wife to cancer. So it was him and our 2 young daughters. We fell in love and got married and bought ourselves what we thought was our dream home, and it was. We became a family and had a chance to grow together, myself, Robert, Amanda and Isabella…and Lola our dog. Unfortunately, a few years later as business fell, we found ourselves up to our neck with financial responsibilities and had to make the heartbreaking decision to sell our home before it was too late. We moved to a rental a week before Christmas. Around that time my father was diagnosed terminal with cancer. It was a very dark and awful time for us. I know how important it is to have a home and that is wherever you make it. I also know that in hindsight, putting things in perspective, there are far worse things that can happen then needing to sell your big “dream” home. Since all of that happened we’ve been lucky enough to turn a rental house that my husband Robert purchased years ago into our home. It has been a creative outlet for me, an inspiration for us and a blessing in disguise. It was the breath of fresh air that I needed to remember the beauty that is always around us in life even if we may not see it for a moment. 

                I would love the opportunity to have HGTV and David Bromstad be a part of our journey and help us get our house one step closer to being our home.        

What aspect of the movies is your inspiration for the design?

I absolutely love the Cullen House specifically. I love that it is set in the woods and has a sort of allure to it. The clean lines and wide open windows are its best features. I love that outside and nature are brought inside through the expansive windows which would be a true dream. I love that there is so much greenery there and that those natural elements offset the modern feel of the home. I also love that the house itself has a mix of textures such as the concrete stairs, the wood paneling, and the glass windows framed in black. I love that from every room you have a view of the forest. The most inspiring room for me is Edward Cullen's room specifically. The ability to open those huge window doors to go right outside would be a dream come true. I am specifically inspired by the scene in Twilight when Edward takes Bella to his house and they leap out of his bedroom window in to the forest. How unexpected to have a house full of vampires living in a glass house;) I guess that's what I like about design, the unexpected. I included a couple of pictures of this as well.



Well, there you have our story in a nut shell. Things have been going well for us, and I am finding inspiration and beauty all around me which I can honestly say was missing for a while. I started this blog as an outlet for my passion and it has evolved in to me doing projects for people and in me loving my home again and our family having a place to call our own. Though, not everything is turned around and there are still all the trials that life throws at you, we are extremely grateful and excited to be a part of this contest. I should know in about a week what things I will be selling, and have some truly amazing designer pieces in here (though you should pick quick since we have friends who are putting dibbs all over stuff). I'll surely keep you posted along the way, and I will also give you updates on all our current house projects which are again in full swing.


P.S. I will have more pictures after the makeover and am not allowed to share a whole lot about it until later on. Here's all I have for now~