I was catching up on some of my blog reading today.  The problem is that I'll never be caught up.  I'm still over 1000 posts behind, and it seems like every time I catch up on one blog, when I'm reading the next one, I follow a link to another one, and it just snowballs from there.  I'm trying to pare down which blogs I really like and want to follow consistently, but I seem to add more than I delete.  It's crazy out there in blogworld, people!

Anyway, one of the blogs I was reading today is Hooked on Houses.  Julia posts about crazy MLS photos, before and after shots, celebrity homes, homes seen in TV and movies, and just homes that inspire her in general.  One thing I like is that she shows us both the inside and the outside.

My favorite in the Television & Movie Houses category is the beach house in "Something's Gotta Give" .  I fell in love with this house when I first saw the movie.  Luckily I was watching it on TV, so I was able to pause and rewind a few times so I could drool.  I'm most smitten with the kitchen and living room.  And, of course, the outside with the cedar shakes.





This is my absolute favorite from Hooked on Houses' Bad MLS Photos category.  Dolly gives a house tour, showing up not as an accident, but in every photo.  Creepy ... and whaaaaaattt???


And there's this master bath / office combo.  I guess when the hubby says he's going to his "office," he may actually be sitting at a computer working.  Hmm.


Here's an amazing Before & After that makes me want to go out and flip houses.  The Mr. and I talk about flipping now and then, but with the bad housing market and the unfortunate fact that neither of us are particularly handy, we just dream.

Outside before and after:


 A couple cute inside shots.  Got crabs?  They do.





Want an inside peek at celebrity houses?  I like the sleek kitchen and master bath in the Beverly Hills home of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.  (These photos are actually from the MLS listing before they moved in.)



Have you ever wondered what is reality and what is made-for-TV when you watch HGTV?  I've noticed that on makeover shows, the designer and homeowners can be seen rolling paint on a wall, but it seemed obvious to me that someone on the crew comes behind and actually does the trim work and finishes up the painting.  After all, anybody who has painted a room knows that you're supposed to trim (or "cut in") first, before you roll.  And that's my painting soapbox for the day.


Hooked on Houses shares some good, some bad, and some ugly scoop for you about some popular HGTV shows and/or personalities.  Warning:  spoiler alert!

Designed to Sell
Candice Olson
House Hunters
Suzanne Whang (has anyone else noticed the faux-Whang voiceover lately?)

If you're so inspired, go check out the Hooked on Houses site.  Good stuff.

(No, I am not being paid for this endorsement.  Just thought I'd share the wealth!)