Wednesday, January 1, 2014

My 2013 Favorite Projects!

Well, Happy 2014 everyone!!!!

I must say that I am extremely excited for a new year to start! 2013 was a good year full of a lot of blessings, but it was also an extremely trying year. Justin and I learned a lot about ourselves and each other, and I am excited to see 2014 here and bringing with it a fresh, new start!!

One of my New Years Resolutions for 2013 was to blog more, and I definitely did better in 2013 than I did in 2012. I fell off the bandwagon towards the end of 2013, but I took a hiatus from most social media accounts. It was a much needed cleanse and I feel much better starting off 2014 on the right foot!

So, I decided that in order to invite 2014 to start I wanted to make a re-cap of my favorite projects of 2013! I hope that you enjoy!!!





  1. This little buffet table is one of my favorite pieces that I have ever bought. 90% of the furniture in our house is re-used; either it was handed down to us by our family members, or bought at an antique or thrift store. I found this little table at an antique store in town and paid only $70 for it. It was one of those things that I didn't know I was looking for until I found it. I have a very large wall in my kitchen that I had been struggling to fill, and this just fits perfect! It makes me so happy! If you want to read more about it, HERE is the blogpost.
  2. I added some color and character to our entry-way in our home.  I did it on a very tight budget and it took me almost no time at all! I love how simple it is, and that it is the first thing my guests see when they come in! Find out more about it HERE
  3. Our house was built in the 60's and with that comes small closets, but we are blessed to have a lot of them! In the main hallway to our bedrooms, we have a fairly decent size closet. I didn't have a good home for all of my gift wrapping supplies, so I spruced it up a little bit and gave it all a great home! Get the details from the post HERE



  1. Another one of the closets I changed in my house is our linen closet. It is pretty small, but it has great shelving in it. I knew that I wanted it to be a little more daring and bold, so I added some brown zebra/chevron shelf paper to the back of it. I absolutely loved the way it turned out, and I'm proud to say with the organization I added we have been able to keep it tidy! HERE are the details on the blog!
  2. One of my favorite addictions this year has been vinyl. I have loved finding new ways to add color to all kinds of things. I found THESE MIXER DECALS over at one of my most favorite blogs http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com and every time that I use my Kitchen-Aid mixer I am so happy!!!
  3. I added some new storage to my desk in our office. When I moved into our house after we got married in 2012 I started working on my own space for crafting and sewing. Finally, this year I was able to finish it. In one of our extra bedrooms I decided to add a desk (aka glass console table) that I found at a yard sale for $10. It was bronze, but I just spray painted it black to update it. I added some organization supplies, and matching storage boxes at the top of the closet for all of my supplies and fabric. 


  1. This is my favorite wreath to date that I have made! I love it for spring-time and it wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be! HERE is the tutorial if you want to make one for yourself or for a friend!
  2. I have a bit of a earring and necklace obsession, and I wanted to find a way to store and display my earrings. I put together THIS quick earring hanger that I love! It is super easy, cheap, and cute!
  3. Since I don't have a large, walk-in closet in my master bedroom I decided that I needed a little bit of a change in my very standard, boring closet. I painted the inside and added some awesome vinyl polka-dots! I added some new storage and organization as well! Read more about it HERE
  4. I transformed a piece of furniture that was my mom's when she was in college! I took it with me to college as well, and I really the size of it, because it can store a lot of stuff and is super slim and doesn't take up much room. I have it in our laundry room right now and I love it. You can check out more about the transformation HERE


  1. I have a favorite wall in my house. It is hands down the large wall in my dining/living room that has beautiful, large windows that look outside to the front of our house. I love the amount of light it lets in, and I love how large the room is. I have wanted to add some different, homemade curtains in there and I couldn't ever commit to anything because I wasn't sure what I wanted. I finally decided to make these, and they are my favorite curtains in my house! They are very cheap to make, and you can customize them to any room! HERE is the tutorial on how to make some of your own!
  2. I added a dry-erase command center on the side of my fridge. I love the color it adds to my cream  colored fridge! You can see details about it HERE
  3. Our guest bathroom didn't need a lot of major changes when we moved in, but it turned out to be a huge labor of love that was full of set backs and surprises. It is the only room in our house that we have completely finished with no more to-do list items! See more about it HERE


1. Painting our front door was probably the boldest move I made this year. I didn't stress as much about indoor changes, because if it was too much we were the only ones to see it, and I could change it without anyone even knowing or seeing it when they drive by!! I sucked it up, and covered the door's dingy black paint with some high gloss blue. I love it, but it is bold. I am going to do a post soon on it!
2. When we got married my mother-in-law gave me her dining room furniture. I updated it with some fabric backing and my white dishes. You can see the details HERE
3. My first gallery wall! This was part of my living/dining room update that I did this past fall. I added some black and white pictures, some chalk art, and matching fabric that I used in other places of the room. I absolutely love it and how classy it turned out!
1. I gave my jewelry organization a little upgrade later on in the year. My dad and I made a shelf with hooks to hold all of my necklaces, and I painted my old earring hanger to match! I love having my jewelry out where I can see it, and not stuffed in a jewelry box. You can get the details on the post HERE
2. So, remember earlier how I said I have a favorite wall in my house? Well, here it is! The vision that I had in my head wasn't nearly as beautiful as it turned out to be! The little side table is one that I got from a yard sale for $8 before I even moved into our house, and I did my first chalk paint project to transform it! I found those two gray and white chevron chairs on target.com for a great deal! It was under $100 for both of them including shipping!
3. This year we got a new king size bed for our master bedroom and it is one of the best decisions we have ever made! My parents made this awesome headboard for us, and we added some bronze pendent lights. I wanted our bedroom to be calming, and almost hotel-like and these changes really helped make that happen.
4. This Christmas I made a lot of home-made gifts; and these gold polka dot dishes were my favorite. I made salt and pepper shakers, casserole dishes, teapots, and plates. I just used a gold sharpie to make the polka-dots and I love the way they all turned out! I gave this teapot to my mom! I got all of the white pieces at Old Time Pottery which is great because they always have good prices!


Well, there you have it!!! 2013 was a great and busy year for us updating our first home! Looking back at all of it, I really can't believe how much work we have done and how much it has changed! We have had some project fails, and some that have started and are STILL not finished a few months later, but I have to always remind myself that there is no reason to rush! I hope that you have enjoyed reading my updates as much as I have had sharing them! Here's to a great 2014 for you and your family!

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