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Feature Friday: Victoria Elizabeth Barnes

August 16, 2013 By Rhoda 31 Comments

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I love finding fresh talent and energizing home blogs that capture the spirit of home renovation so perfectly.

In April, 2012, a witty girl named Victoria started a home renovation blog, naming it after herself.  I just found Victoria about a month ago, when a viral post was traveling around the internet. A post about shopping on Craigslist that made me howl with laughter.  Who can’t relate to shopping on Craigslist and finding treasures to bring home and talking her husband into helping with her addictions to said treasures.  And to further draw readers in, Victoria is hilariously funny in how she tells a story in every single post.  I wish I had her wit in writing and sharing all the funny things in life.  Victoria certainly has a gift of writing and drawing people in and she drew me right in as well.  I sent her an email telling her I’d love to show off her house that she and her hubby, Paul, are currently renovating and she was pretty excited about that.  She wants to get famous in blogland and I have a feeling she might get her wish. Smile

She and her hubby bought their 1890 Victorian home near Philadelphia about 4 or so years ago, moving out of a totally renovated Craftsman home that was perfect.  Isn’t that the way old houses work though? They draw people in and make them take on things that otherwise sane people would never tackle.  They have been working day by day on their projects, completing one room at a time.  I’ve really enjoyed seeing what all they’ve accomplished and reading Victoria’s posts about how hard it is to renovate and live in a house made me cackle. She’s a funny, funny girl and you’re going to love seeing what they’ve accomplished and half the fun is reading about it too, from Victoria’s hilarious perspective.

front exterior

The 1890’s Victorian house and captured Victoria’s heart from the beginning. She had NO idea the amount of work it would take to renovate this beauty until they got in there.

front of Victorian house

It’s so quaint and pretty and I can see why she fell for it.

Wrap-around-Victorian-front-porch

The front porch is one area that has been renovated and I think it’s beautiful.

front door

How about the front door, how gorgeous is this?

Restoring-an-old-Victorian-house

Victoria writes that the hinges are what sold her on the house. Dreamy hinges were all she could think about, hardly noticing that the house was about to fall down.

Restoring-our-Victorian-home.-Fixing-up-an-old-house-with-my-husband-has-been-challenging-for-our-marriage-because-it’s-hard-to-agree-on-design-decisions.-

There’s Victoria, learning how to renovate from her handy husband.

Old-house-renovation-beginning-with-insulating-the-attic.-Restoring-our-Victorian-house.

This is the agony they started with and there’s still plenty of projects to do. They’ve only fully completed a few rooms in the house.

Small-custom-bath-and-shower-with-black-and-white-tile.-An-unusual-design-for-a-bathroom.

The bathroom beginnings.

A-story-about-a-giant-Victorian-mirror-and-Craigslist-and-how-I-started-a-blog.

But, here are some afters that will have you all sighing with relief for Victoria and I think we would all be drawn in by this one.

A-story-about-a-giant-mirror-and-Craigslist-and-how-much-I-LOVE-you-people.

And the post that launched thousands of clicks and made me a fan of Victoria’s blog, the kingdom mirror , found on Craigslist.  You definitely need to read that one, it’s hysterical!

bathroom after

The bathroom that she spent hours dissecting and doing internet shopping for.  She did tons of posts just on this bathroom project and doing all her internet research is what propelled Victoria into starting a blog.  Yes, along with all 9 million other home bloggers out there. Seems like it, at least!  She found out that the internet is now saturated with folks renovating and talking about it online.

bath medicine cabinet

The medicine cabinet that her hubby built her, really turned out pretty.

kitchen in progress

And the kitchen that they live with now, but I hear that plans are in the works to start renovating this too. Can’t wait to see what Victoria will come up with on this. She loves planning things out and coming up with ideas for her husband to implement.  I have so enjoyed reading her plans and ideas and I know I’ll be clicking over there periodically to see what they are up to next.

I hope you’ll go over and say hello to Victoria, she gets excited to meet new people!  She’s a hoot, that girl, you will find out what I mean when you go over there.  I told her she needs to come to Haven next year.

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Filed Under: Decorating Ideas, Feature Fri. 31 Comments

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dawn Sanchez says

    August 17, 2013 at 1:10 am

    OMG! I’m dying…”Sucker”. Classic!

    Reply
  2. Carrie says

    August 17, 2013 at 9:28 pm

    Victoria is a fellow Philly girl, she’s a HOOT! Did you read her post about the built-in wardrobe (that leads to either Narnia or Downton Abbey?) It’s perfection! So glad you featured her, she’s truly a talent.

    Reply
  3. Deborah J says

    August 18, 2013 at 8:53 am

    Thanks Rhoda. I knew I could trust you so I followed the link and…hysterical!

    Reply
  4. Nancy Vecchione says

    August 19, 2013 at 10:37 am

    Victoria’s blog is one of my favorites. So glad she’s being picked up and read by more and more people. If you haven’t read through all her blog yet, read the post about the rock, it …rocks! and you’ll be rocking w/laughter over that one too. Love this blog!

    Reply
  5. tammigirl says

    August 21, 2013 at 10:22 am

    She really is amazing. And lovely. And funny!

    Reply
  6. Ann Marie @ Twice Lovely says

    August 21, 2013 at 10:30 am

    I’m a big, crazy Victoria fan! Love that girl!! Glad everyone else is hoping on board her train. 🙂

    Reply
  7. nancy says

    August 21, 2013 at 2:26 pm

    thanks for the link. her blog is hysterical.

    Reply
  8. Garden, Home and Party says

    August 21, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    Victoria’s one of my must-read sites. Besides being entertaining, their home is amazing (at least all of the parts they’ve refurbished are), it’s fun to watch their progress and the hilarious tales she shares.
    Karen

    Reply
  9. Kathryn Cain says

    August 21, 2013 at 7:39 pm

    I found her when she did the post on her mirror and Craigs
    list. I read ever post and laughed myself silly. The storybook wedding, the first apartment, all the stories. I see a sitcom lol. She easily will become a star in blogland, on her shear wit and writing ability and a few posts of her and the hub dancing. So fun

    Reply
  10. Velia says

    September 6, 2013 at 8:02 pm

    Ronda, you certainly were right, Victoria is hilarious and a most gifted writer. Thank you for featuring her on you blog today and for the much needed laughter.

    Reply
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  1. Vacation... Stone Harbor & Cape May NJ. - Victoria Elizabeth Barnes says:
    August 21, 2013 at 10:04 am

    […] Aside from beach stuff and houses we cannot afford, I had another notable happening last week: Rhoda at Southern Hospitality blog featured me. […]

    Reply

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Thanks for stopping by! I’m Rhoda, from Atlanta, GA and I love decorating and DIY projects. Decorating a home doesn’t have to cost a fortune and I’ve spent years thrifting at antiques markets and yard sales, finding those treasures that make a home unique. I’m here to inspire and encourage other women to find their own inner creativity. Won’t you join me?

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