Since Memorial Day is the unofficial kickoff to summer, this edition of the Weekend Guide is great for two things. First, there are plenty of sales to help you finish up your home decorating projects while saving some money. Second, it's your guide to the outdoor events that are starting to pop up across the country.Check it all out in the Weekend Guide, pass it on and be sure to send us your own sale or event.

Name: Andi Forker
Type of Project: Kitchen Renovation — full gut remodel
Location: San Francisco, California
Type of building: 1890's Victorian condo

After a lot of hard work (and a few unexpected surprises), Andi's kitchen renovation is finally complete, and the results are truly stunning. We've been there every step of the way, watching the cramped, outdated old kitchen being transformed into a beautiful, light-filled oasis. In this final installment of their Renovation Diary, Andi (and bf Dean) share what they've learned along the way. 

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Name:

Tommy

Location:

San Francisco, CA

Square Feet:

374

Division:

Teeny-Tiny

What I Love About My Small Home:

I'm in love with the windows. With 6 of them (one is 11' wide) there is a ton of natural light, and the space feels much larger than it actually is. I'm centrally located in SF and on the top of a hill. The view is great, overlooking Golden Gate park on the west side and looking up to Twin Peaks/Sutro Tower to the south. You can see all the way out to Ocean Beach on a clear day, and every night I look forward to coming home to a beautiful sunset! My 2 kitties love the windows too, and you can usually find them sitting on one of the ledges.

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Name:

Hollyanne

Location:

San Francisco, CA

Square Feet:

765

Division:

Little

What I Love About My Small Home:

We LOVE the big windows that let in lots of natural light, and the built-ins in the the kitchen are gorgeous. We fell in love at first sight. We also love the French doors leading into every room.

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Name:

Amal

Location:

San Francisco, CA

Square Feet:

419

Division:

Tiny

What I Love About My Small Home:

The openness of the space with the tall ceilings, as well as all the natural light that comes in through my main windows. I also love the old Victorian details with the original molding around the archways and windows. Every once in a while I have to pinch myself to remind me that, yes, this is actually my wonderful home!

We're plenty familiar with Derek Chen and his work. In addition to being profiled on Apartment Therapy, he was also one of our Fall Color Judges back in 2007. While he's making the rounds to promote his newest project in collaboration with Newton Vineyard, he sat down to answer our Meet the Maker survey.

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Name:

Luz

Location:

San Francisco, CA

Square Feet:

600

Division:

Tiny

What I Love About My Small Home:

We love that we're right by Fisherman's Wharf! Our apartment has everything we need, and the lack of space actually helps us keep tidy and not obsess over material things (that we know we wouldn't be able to store). The apartment itself has a great fireplace and an open layout that's perfect for cooking and hanging out with the hubby, all while watching our favorite shows. And we have two skylights! One over the kitchen and one in the bathroom.

Wherever you are in the country, there's a sale or shopping event to get you out of the house this weekend. From the Modernica Factory Sale in LA to the Renegade Craft Fair in Austin to a host of Design Week events in New York, there are plenty of reasons to get out and freshen up your home. Check it all out in the Weekend Guide, pass it on and be sure to send us your own sale or event.

Name: Beth Cook, a personal and professional coach, and writer of a weekly dating column for The Daily Dot
Location: San Francisco, California
Size: about 900 square feet
Years lived in: 1.5 years; Rented

Beth is proud to be the latest in a line of lively ladies to grace this ground floor rental residence in San Francisco. When a friend of hers (who had found the rental initially through a friend of hers) couldn’t turn down the opportunity to move one floor up in the building, Beth jumped right in to transform this space into the living/working/entertaining center of her busy life.