Top 10 Posts of 2014 (and a bit of sad news).

Hey ya'll! Happy 2015! I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and a wonderful new year. 

Our vacation was wonderful (more on that at the end of the post), and I thought that before I shared any new projects or updates on the house, I should take a moment to recap all that happened in 2014. 

2015 begins my 4th year of blogging, and I'm so thankful for where this journey has taken me. It's been unexpected, incredibly fulfilling, and it's taught me more than I ever thought possible. And rather than celebrate with an elaborate blog anniversary celebration, I'll just do a quick happy cry on your shoulder, and then we'll call it a day. 

Maybe we'll throw in a quick booty shake, too. I don't know. TBD.

2014 was a busy year filled with tons of projects and an entire renovation of the upstairs of our house. Here are the 10 most popular posts of 2014, as chosen by you.

1. 50 Budget Decorating Tips. This post was a culmination of three years of projects, all rolled into one. It makes me sweat just thinking about it.

2. 10 thrift store shopping secrets. I never get tired of thrift store shopping, and it's been one of the most fun topics to discuss on this blog, mostly thanks to you guys sharing your finds with me. 

3. 10 Things You Should Know About Spray Paint. 

I get more questions about spray paint than almost anything else, so I finally put all the info in one place. 

Your questions help me SO much when it comes to knowing what topics to address in future posts. And sometimes I get overwhelmed with the sheer volume of them and end up watching Friends reruns on TBS instead. 

But either way, don't stop. :)

4. 10 Tips for Choosing a Paint Color. This post addressed another common set of questions, as well as listed the paint colors in our house.

5. DIY Thumbtack Art. This little DIY project was definitely my favorite of the year, and I love that tons of you made your own versions and shared them with me. 10 points to those of you who had the idea to make monograms out of thumbtacks, too. Smarties.

6. DIY Gold Leaf Art. This one was a pretty recent project and definitely one of my faves, too. 

I'll probably make 100 more things with gold leaf. 

I'm so sorry.

7. How To Paint Furniture With Chalk Paint

Just a simple tutorial about using chalk paint...except for the fact that it took me 4 different tries to get it right on this one (but still, so many lessons learned).

8. Knocking Down Walls. The most harrowing yet rewarding part of my year was renovating the upstairs of the house. It was nearly more than my brain could handle, but the upside was that it became a really fun thing to share with you guys.

9. My Biggest Flooring Mistake. This part of the renovation was absolutely cringe-worthy for me, but it made for a good post, and it taught me some invaluable lessons that I can apply towards any future renovations.

10. The Dining Room Makeover. I feel like the upstairs renovation kinda culminated in this post, when it eventually all came together, nearly 8 months later. 

Plus, it's my personal favorite post of the year, as it reminds me that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel...even if the tunnel seems determined to destroy you. 

And those are the top 10 posts of 2014!

Before I go, I have a bit of sad news. 

My little Cheese passed away a few days before Christmas from a rare, untreatable cat disease. It was sudden and completely unexpected, and it broke both of our hearts. For the past 8 years, this little girl has been my constant companion, and a source of such love and joy. I still get sad being in our house and seeing all of the little spots she use to inhabit, but I know that this is simply a reflection of what a special animal she was. 

 I'm so thankful to have been able to share her sweet personality with you guys over the past 3 years. It's truly meant so much to me.

And because laughter is good for a sad soul, here are some of my sweet memories with Cheese, as captured by Instagram screenshots, because who knows where the original pictures are in the abyss that is my iphone.

 We'll miss you, sweet bug. You were a good one.

Thank you guys for being a part of this blog over the past year.  2014 was one of the more challenging years I've experienced, but as I've come to learn, a challenge is merely an opportunity to grow. So, while I'm thankful for all that 2014 has taught me, I welcome 2015 with an open heart and open arms. We just got back from spending time with family in Florida, followed by a mini vacation in Savannah to celebrate the new year, and it was just the break I needed.

 I have some very exciting things on the horizon for this year, and I can't wait to share them with you as they unfold. I will likely unfold them at my typical snail's pace, although now that I'm feeling rejuvenated from a long vacation, maybe I can bump it up to a caffeinated-snail. 

Thanks for being here, ya'll. 

'Til next time!

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