June 3, 2009

Photo by Will Kamin

Splish, splash! Life after the Chicago Tribune

Some things you can only ponder for so long. And then you just have to dive in.

Well, it’s that time for me. So here I go!

Welcome to The Snoopster, a place I have been dreaming about since leaving the Chicago Tribune in April.  A place for those of us who delight in creating surprise, interest, warmth and beauty in our homes.

The Snoopster will offer some of the things I worked on in my 14 years as editor of the Trib’s House & Homes section — virtual peeks to see how celebrities live in their homes (Snooping with the Stars), looks into homes we pass and wonder “What does it look like inside???” (Knock, Knock). And more.

If you’re looking for great deals and home-related events, check out the Sales + Events page.

I’ll post photos of projects by area interior designers in the Galleria. And if you’ve got a problem you haven’t been able to solve about design, home care or repair, send me your challenge and I’ll tackle it (often with help from the pros) in Stump Me.

That’s the plan for now. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Come back and check it out, OK? And let me hear from you too. I’d really like that. I miss you all!

~ Elaine Matsushita

P.S. Much thanks to the brilliant and multi-talented Will Kamin for photographing The Snoopster. He gives me such hope for the future of our world.

Elaine Matsushita is the former editor of the Chicago Tribune’s House & Homes  (a/k/a Home&Garden a/k/a Home) section. She worked in the Trib’s glorious Gothic tower for 18-plus years, starting in the now-defunct Style section, just after she’d found out she was pregnant for the first time. Her beautiful baby, Josh, is, as of this writing, now days away from graduating from Glenbrook South High School.

When she took over the helm of the Trib’s Home section, she was weeks away from delivering Sam, her second baby boy. Sam – who, these days, is either glued to his skateboard or his computer where he’s editing videos — will be graduating from middle school in two days.

Before the boys were twinkles in her eye, Elaine reported and edited for The Miami Herald and The Press of Atlantic City.  Now and then, she misses the ocean — and Lucy the Elephant.