Because of all of the craziness of the holiday season that is currently upon us, we have one special lady who will be our Blogger of the Month for the rest of the year.  Introducing Jackie Hausler from Haus 2 Home!  She is an amazing DIY blogger who loves to reuse and upcycle different materials.  Make sure to follow her over on Instagram to see what kind of projects she’s working on!

How long have you been blogging? I have been blogging for about 5 years or so. At first my hope was just to share our updates with family and friends, but then after a while haus2home.com took on a life of its own.

What made you want to start blogging? When my husband and I moved into our first home, we realized we didn’t have furnishings to fill it and the rooms looked quite lonely. As many young homeowners can relate to, a limited budget was an obstacle; the furniture stores we could afford had poorly made furniture, and nicer quality furniture was out of the budget. I’ve always loved going antiquing and finding ways to be more eco-friendly, so I started the process of making our house a home by re-finishing a pair of old dressers. After I saw how fun it was to give old items a new chance at life, it became a new passion of mine and haus2home was born. Now, I have the pleasure of teaching my followers and visitors more about reclaiming, reusing, upcycling, DIY, interior design and living an eco-friendly lifestyle.

What’s your favorite thing about being a blogger? Being a blogger allows me to be creative in a way that I can express myself with both words and photos while educating others about my passions. Blogging has opened up amazing doors for me to have my interior design work featured in Buffalo Spree Magazine, Buffalo News Buffalo Magazine, and to be a presenter at the Buffalo Home Show. It’s so much fun to be able to interact with others, get feedback, and teach readers the tips and tricks I’m learning along the way.

How did you decide on your blog name?
Our last name is Hausler. Since haus2home is a home and DIY blog, we decided to use our German last name as a play on words since “haus” in German means house.

What do you love most about living in Buffalo?
I have three favorite things about living in Buffalo: the people, the architecture and those Buffalo Bills. All the best people I know are either living here or are originally from Buffalo. We truly are the City of Good Neighbors. The architecture in Buffalo is equally as beautiful as the spirit of the people Buffalo. It makes me so happy to see so many incredible buildings getting restored all around the area. Go Bills!

What are your favorite local restaurants?
I absolutely love going anywhere where we can eat Italian outside; whether it’s Tappo so we can head up to the rooftop bar, or Cecelia’s on Elmwood, or Bacchus on Chippewa, if there is an opportunity to marry Italian with the outdoors, you’ll find me there. When I’m in a hurry, I’m also a frequent flyer at Natalie’s Mediterranean Eatery for a quick bite. The Vegetarian Kibby wrap is sooo delicious!

What are your favorite seasonal activities? We love to explore the outdoors as much as possible in all the different seasons. When the weather is nice, we love to go hiking at the Niagara Gorge and kayaking wherever we can find a good spot to launch. (Clarification, NOT over the Falls LOL!) When the snow comes, we like to take advantage of it by using our cross-country skis in Delaware Park and Chestnut Ridge Park.

What is your favorite neighborhood in the city? The Hertel Ave area is such an awesome part of the city bustling with activity. One of my favorite things to do in December is to eat dinner at Romeo and Juliet’s, grab some hot chocolate from Spot Coffee, and head out on an adventure to do some Christmas shopping at all the local shops.

What are a few of your favorite Instagram accounts that you follow?
I love following other local bloggers and local personalities. It’s so hard to pick favorites, but I absolutely love following Vanessa Fermani at @nighroadfarmhouse because she and I share a similar love of all things pretty for the home, including antique furniture. I also love following Ginny at @zerowastebuffalo because with all of her stories and posts, she continues inspiring me to find more ways to live an eco-friendly and zero-waste life.

What advice would you give to people who would like to start a blog?
Starting and maintaining a blog takes a lot of effort, so make sure it’s something you love and are passionate about! If you’re into it, do it…and then join the Buffalo Bloggers group