We are 2 boys customizing our 1972 ranch house in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas Texas.
This blog, which began as a way to keep friends and family updated on the purchase of our first house together, has become a way to showcase all those changes we have made…..and still want to make.
James is a creative manager for a major retail store and self-proclaimed “organized hoarder”. Jamie is a regional sales manager for a San Francisco based software company. With sawdust in our hair and paint under our finger nails, we have begun to customize this house to truly make it Our Home. We both travel constantly for work, have a limited budget, and have absolutely no idea what we are doing most of the time.
Stick around and see how it turns out.
It should be a fun ride.
(All of our work is overseen by Harley Davidson, our rescued Doberman)
If you would like to contact us, and we would LOVE to hear from you …..
James Angus: james@thecavenderdiary.com Creative Director
Jamie Bolton: jamie@thecavenderdiary.com Operations Manager
I’m following you!
love you!
This is so fun! I feel like I have been invited over for a cocktail….Thank you for sharing! The house is as I would have imagined…Gorgeous!
Cathy Shields!!!! You are always welcome for cocktails!!! Next time you’re in Dallas come by and we’ll even let you see the parts that don’t get photographed…
Hey I found this Blog looking at things on Pintrest and I love your home.
I was wondering if you could tell me where you bought the huge print of the Indian chief.
LOve love love. I have a home in Idaho. And always looking for a painting or print and I just fell in love with cowboy and native american decor!
Great Job!!!!
Kristen, we are so glad that you found us. That’s Chief Sitting Bear by the photographer Edward “Sherif” Curtis. It’s actually printed on a thin scrim, I had to build a frame and cover it in canvas to strech him over. I picked him up at Ikea about 4 years ago, before we even had wall space to put him. Sadly, Ikea doesn’t sell them anymore, but you can by his photos online (Ebay has some) or buy a book (Amazon has plenty) and frame a few of the pages.
I found a PFD of the photo on line and took it to Staples and had it printed as an Engineeing print. Total $4.99 !
saw your blog listed on the Homies List… decided to stop by!
You guys are amazing… I love your DIY style & attention to details. All your “stuff” is soooo interesting! I would imagine friends who visit just wander around looking in all the nooks & crannies (my grandmother used to say that) of each room. Could you show more of your kitchen sometime. I’m always interested in what people do to change their kitchen up with little $$$ & a lot of pizzazz!
You two are the bomb!
Christine, I am so thrilled that you found us, and “over the moon” that you like what you found. We do have a LOT of stuff, I’m a stylist, so I don’t part with anything….you should see the garage. Oy! We are currently updating our kitchen, still working on the posts…..it looks VERY different.
I love your site, a couple dear friends of mine are from Peru, they swear Machu Picchu will change your life..Jealous here
And Pinterest rocks!….
my surname is cavender too!! and i am from the uk!! nice house!! cheers Lee.
Hey guys! I am loving your home, style and projects. I just went crazy pinning stuff. I want to subscribe to your blog, but I only see the “subscribe via email” option. Do you have the RSS button somewhere that I’m missing or is that the only way via email? Thanks!
Becca
Becca, I think that I have added the RSS Feed to the blog. Please check it out again and let me know if its working. I was able to subscribe to it thru Google. Jamie
you have a new follower… great design! can’t wait to see what you guys come up with next.
Welcome Nichole, we’re glad to have you!! We have lots of plans for this shack…stay tuned and watch all the fun!
Well yall are just too cool!! I stumbled across you from the HOUZZ site while lapping the screen at ideas for our home. My partner and I just moved out of “Big D” proper and up the road a bit to “disturbia” (suburbia). Its really not too bad…. We have a son and the schools are stellar up yonder!! Anyway.. love your house!!! I wish I could send you some pics of our lil shanty so you could help us bring it out of the 80′s.
Keep up the good work!!
Seth, you are just too sweet!!! We’re so glad that you found us AND that you like what you found! Our child is permanently furry, so schools aren’t an issue….. But we certainly understand the importance. Send some pics of your place. I LOVE telling (I mean advising ) people how to decorate.
All our best
J&J
Love that dog and love your new kitchen!!
Thanks Marya, we are in LOVE with both as well….so glad that you found us!
Good evening! I stumbled across your bedroom’s focal wall on Pinterest…AND NOW I’M HOOKED ON YOUR BLOG! Your home is ah-mazing! I love your relaxed, put-together style. I’m your newest follower…thanks for sharing your home.
Tina
Tina,
What a treat to return from vacation ( almost, we are still in Puerto Rico ) and find that you have discovered us! Welcome aboard!!!
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I just became totally obsessed with this!! I will be stalking this blog everyday now. I am loving some of the ideas. Our 57 Lake Highlands home needs help, so I am always looking for ideas!
Trisha,
You are so sweet !!!! We’d love to have y’all over sometime when you’re in Dallas !!!
I was looking up photos of different colored fence stains and saw we have a similar horizontal fence. I like your choice in color and love your website. I ordered soap from Judy too. Thanks for the updates, photos are beautiful. xoxo, Illinois
Aww thanks Jennifer, we’re so glad that you like our little place on the web. Our stain is “russett” but we only added 1/4 of the colorant….When we build the deck it will be that same color as well. Keep watchin’!
I am officially obsessed with your home and style. And so thrilled to see your follow back on Pinterest. My “Potter House” board is the home my fiance and I just bought (a 6 month long ordeal of a short sale) near Santa Cruz, Ca. I’d been struggling to find a style that fit us and our large puppy (120-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback) but I love your use of colors and textures and can’t wait to start putting some of the ideas in place, especially in our family room with the big rock fireplace. We need to redo the kitchen and master bath but those will have to wait until our bank accounts recover from the home purchase. I grew up in Phoenix so the Southwestern/Native American influence makes me feel nostalgic and you do such a great job bringing it all together.
I would so love your advice/input as we start our own journey…and a long journey it will be!
Nicole,
You are so sweet, I wanted to respond immediately, but our internet has been down all weekend. So now I can tell you how glad we are to have inspired you. Our house is just a mix of “US”. We both grew up in small Texas towns; Jamie showing horses and me rearanging my bed room monthly. Our style is hard to pinpoint, Western-Modern-Lodge-Ranch…and we are NOT minimalists. Arizona is one of my favorite states…also New Mexico, Colorado, and of course, Texas. I’m so jealous of your beautiful house (stalked you on Facebook), and a big, rock fireplace! Be still my heart.
We’d love to give “pointers” in any way we can. It takes time. I’m amazed at how much we have done in 2.5 years……at this rate our place will be perfect in about 2 more…or maybe not,
(I won’t have anything to blog about if we finish)
Welcome aboard…I hope we give you lots more ideas….
Love your front door paint color of red/orangey — do you know what brand/exact paint color it is?
Need to paint mine this shade; recently I painted it a shade of turquoise but I think red/orange will compliment the house paint better.
thanks – let me know if you can soon
Hi Amy,
Let me run to the garage and check….(sound of footsteps jogging) …Ok,…there were 2 oranges, took us 2 tries to get the color just right , but Jamie says it’s Behr Sweet Mandarin…..We’d love to see a picture of your finished door
Love all the ideas you both have come up with.So amazing!! I also love to decorate rustic ranch, vintage ranch and lodge look. Thanks for the inspiration. I used to work retail also in Western Wear .
Thanks again..
Thanks Joanie!!!
We’re glad you’ve been scoping us out. We are just a couple of Texas boys doing the best we can with what we have. I promise to stalk your site tonight ….and steal a little inspiration from you !
James
Hi guys, I just discovered your blog because of the Houzz feature, I have to say I’m pretty much infatuated with the whole package. I love your style (even though it isn’t quite my style, I completely relate) and attention to detail, and how you explain how you do all your cool ideas (like all your fabulous Christmas decorating).
I lived in the Houston area for about 30 years before moving to the Pacific Northwest. I had to drop the y’all’s right away because people up here don’t get it. But after 12 years, Texas is still in my blood.
I’m an artist (www.joanteedart.com) and avid DIYer… thanks so much for the inspiration!
Hi Joan,
We’re so glad that you did discover us. We do have a pretty unique style….not everyone gets it.
Your art is just stunning!! You understand color…..How anybody can wear all black and live in a white box is beyond me. Colors evoke emotions…love, love, love your pieces.
I don’t think I have any Texan accent until I travel and I have to over-pronunciate some words for Yankees….Sheesh.
Love the new picture!..can’t wait to see what you guys have in the works for 2013..
A bathroom and a deck…hopefully..Happy New Year, Sweetie!!!!
Warm fuzzies each time I find fellow eclectic enthusiasts! Been dreaming for a ranch-style home to call my own… just not in the stars, yet. I will just have to live vicariously through your creative & inspirational blog!
AAWwww Rachael…aren’t you just the sweetest. How nice to find your comment. We’d love to have you share in or mis-adventures of home ownership. So glad that you found us.
James and Jamie, I found your blog through an email from Houzz on 26 Dec. I then spent the next day and a half of my Christmas vacation laying on my Mother’s couch in East Texas reading your entire blog. Suffice it to say, I really enjoy reading about your projects and now try to catch up with you every few days. Y’all are awesome!
Ann, Thank you for letting us know that you’re here. We never tire of hearing from people that we’ve reached. (sometimes, we wonder if anyone is out there at all) …Stay tuned, we have w-a-yyy more to blog about…
Hello J and J… just wanted to let you know I’ve only today discovered your blog (thanks to Mrs. Limestone’s pic of your paintbrush organizer). I am now an excited follower! Your projects are so inspiring (I mean the wood holder, the star, wow), and I love your writing style. Thanks for making me feel better on an otherwise dreary (sick-with-the-flu) day. Opening your blog is like unwrapping a late Christmas present that I’m fairly certain will keep on giving through the year.
“Unwrapping a late Christmas present” is the best metaphor I’ve ever read describing our blog. Hands down. We’re so lucky that Mrs Limestone sent you our way…… And we promise to not disappoint in the years to come,
Welcome aboard!
Hi Guys,
Just found your website, thanks to my son! He sent me the link to the paint brush holder and soup cans! So cool! And you are in Dallas!! We are out here in West Texas, trying to organize our garage and our workshop barn, sure could use your help! Did I mention Jim makes a mean green chili stew!? Just saying, in case you are out this way! I signed up for e-mail alerts. Looking forward to your next project.
Christine
Hi Christine!! We LOVE green chili! OOOHH but how we wish that we had a barn. I went to Texas Tech, so I’m familar with West Texas….and your son obviously has great taste.
So glad that you are here watching us, hope we keep you entertained with the rest of our home remodel.
I am officially in love… While getting ready to re-do our basement family room I have been trying to describe to my husband the style I’m going for. White antlers, arrows, i have a few vintage globes, thinking about a chalkboard ‘wall’ for my boys. Then I discovered your blog.
It has helped me fill in the gaps! Pendleton blankets and pillows, yes please! (my dad owns every pendleton shirt ever made) And your pictures have helped me show my honey what the look is that I love. I also have a love of English Pyrex and Catherineholm, but that’s for upstairs.
Thanks for sharing your home! Love from Minnesota. :0)
xo~jen
Awwww Thanks Jen for the love, and for pointing Catherineholm out to me – how cheery all that vintage stuff is. I’m sure I’ve seen it before…but it just never registered.
We’d love to see how your family room turns out…Pendleton all the way…I can never have enough. And it should keep all of y’all warm on those Minnesota winter nights.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE EVERY ROOM ! Thanks for the pictures and updates. What a BEAUTIFUL HOME.
Thanks Krystal, It’s alway so nice to hear that from people…..We “put ourselves out there” and hope someone likes it….Great to know that it worked…welcome aboard
I thought you guys might like some of these things that are on sale! The acrylic cowboy hat is either fantastic or ridiculous… I can’t decide which!! http://fab.com/sale/19379/?navEmail=1&utm_source=Triggermail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=friday_nightly_sale_list&utm_campaign=nightly_sales_mailer&email_user=anne_hiney%40mac.com
Thanks Anne, we are always late for a Fab.com sale. Lots of things I like……The acrylic cowboy hat is an ice bucket, trust me, I have been to dozens of parties where that thing is full of ice,
Kinda want one now,
An ice bucket!!!! Now I NEED one! Love it.
I feel the same way, found a small version on Amazon
Grainware Party Small Cowboy Hat Dip Bowl
Great blog from what I’ve looked at so far. I’m Maple from Hart, Austria and I was so thankful to have seen
this blog. Actually, I’d really like to get in contact with you. Perhaps we could exchange emails?