Meet the Holladays

I am originally from the Chicago suburbs and spent 4 years living in the city. One of my Chicago apartments was featured in Apartment Therapy. You can check that out here – Apartment Therapy House Tour. I took a little detour through the Philadelphia area for two years, where I met Colin. I landed back home in the Chicago suburbs and purchased my first home in December 2019. Colin moved in with me and we have loved updating the house and sharing our projects!

While I have always been creative throughout my life, I am not professionally trained in interior design, gardening, decorating, etc. This blog was started as a way to share what I learn and encourage others to build their dream homes, no matter what that may look like. Our houses may not end up on the cover of Architecture Digest, but they will be unique, fun, and inviting! Want to chat? Reach out to me through the contact link – I’d love to hear from you!

I grew up in South Jersey and spent my mid 20’s and early 30’s in the Philadelphia area. I spent 10 years in College, starting with an Associates in Business, working as a painter, carpenter, and at Morgan Stanley in between, then finally obtaining my BS in Engineering Technology from Drexel. My love for wood working started when I was in high school. I took four years of wood shop and I was always working ahead in class so that I could make additional projects – the biggest being a BMX ramp in my mom’s backyard.

I have always wanted a wood shop of my own. After moving to Chicago I was fortunate enough to have space to setup a shop with all the tools I have acquired over the years. I love learning how to do something new and the thrill of figuring out how to make it work. I have been working on building up the shop for several years now, so don’t worry if you don’t have every tool. You can do most projects with a circular saw and drill! Feel free to reach out with any woodworking or construction questions you may have!