What I Learned From My First Year Of Blogging

I started this blog one year ago today, on January 3rd, 2012. I began with this very simple post. Along the course of a year, I learned so much about myself; much more than I would have ever expected. So, in celebration of my first blogiversary, I'm just going to share a little of what I learned in the past year, and then leave you with a couple of my favorite posts. Not necessarily the most popular posts I've done (I shared those here earlier), but just my personal favorites.

So, what did I learn?

Here are the top 5.

1. I learned to believe in myself. No matter what. There are plenty of people who will tell you you can't do something or that you shouldn't. Choose to ignore the naysayers. Instead, surround yourself with those who think you can. Blogging has taught me to apply this same principle to every aspect of my life.

2. I learned people are good. There are so many kind, supportive, generous, and appreciative people out there. I never expected for people to be so nice. I fully expected to put on my crash helmet and brace for impact. But the mean comments never came. Quite the opposite happened. I met so many amazing readers who genuinely appreciated what I did, and were always so sweet and supportive of my (sometimes failed) attempts to hotglue stuff together. As of this day, there are tons of readers that I actually know by name because of their constant support.  

3. I learned to be myself. The first 4 months of my blogging were a hot mess. It took me awhile to find my own style. My decorating was sometimes bad, and my writing was often bad, too. I spent a lot of time learning and improving. Eventually, I kinda found my voice and realized that no matter what, the learning will never stop. 

4. I've learned that you have to start somewhere. It's so easy to get overwhelmed by life's imperfections. But things will never be perfect. Start where you are, and make the best of what you have. 


5. Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle or end. I learned that this is my journey, and the only person I need to compare myself to is the person I was yesterday. Everyone's path will be different.

And now, before I go, I'll leave you with my favorite posts from the year. These posts aren't the most beautiful, or even eloquent. They're just the ones where I share my life, and maybe a funny story or two. 

Our Story

Our Living Room: 2 years of design flops

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Thank you for your support, kindness, and constant encouragement! And most of all, thanks for celebrating with me! 
I'm doing a toe touch in your honor.

(This was my sibling Christmas picture. It's a time-honored tradition.)

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Top 10 Projects of 2012

2012 will be over soon, and I can't believe my blog will be one year old on January 3rd! This year has been such a crazy year full of new beginnings, and as the year comes to an end today, I've been reflecting a lot on all of the little wonderful experiences I've enjoyed since starting this blog.

So, I thought I would share the top 10 projects on my blog from the first year.

Here are my most my most popular projects, in order, from 2012.

#1. Master Bedroom Makeover. This was by far my most popular post in the last year. I'm not really sure why, but I would guess it was due to the drastic before pictures. :)

#2. The Striped Guest Bathroom: The picture below is the most pinned picture from my blog. When I was re-doing this room back in January, I had a wild idea to paint stripes on the little half wall, and I'm so glad I did!

#3. How To Paint Trim: My tutorial for painting trim has been one of my most popular posts to date, and I'm so glad. I remember how daunting painting my house seemed at first (when I had never even touched a paintbrush before), and it makes me happy to know I've been able to help others with what I learned along the way. I also included before and afters of all the rooms in the house in this post, so it's a fun read even if you have no intention of wielding a paintbrush anytime soon.

#4. Our Kitchen Cabinet Chalkboard Paint: This was simply just one of my favorite ideas, so it makes me so happy to know how much you liked it. 

 #5. Christmas Ornament Wreath: This was by far the most popular small project I've done, and one of the most recent! I had over 30 of you send me your own versions, and I cannot even express how wonderful that made me feel! Thank you!

#6: The Office Makeover: This was one of my personal favorites, as it's a room I get so much use out of. Updating this room gave me a great place to focus and create. It's also one of the only rooms that I've done and then totally left alone. I haven't changed a single thing about the decor since I finished it back in early February.

#7: The Guest Bedroom: This little room was one of your favorites also. The funniest part is that this room has undergone more changes than any room in the house. I think it's because it's rarely used, and I can experiment with it without inconveniencing our day-to-day activities. This was the version 1.0 of the guest bedroom done in January 2012.

#8. Guest Bedroom Version 2.0: After taking most of the decor in this room and using it in other rooms, it got kinda bare, so I redid it again in May. The stripes lasted about 6 months, as it is currently under construction once again. I already have stripes in the bathroom, and frankly I decided that one room was enough. So, the stripes are now gone, and you'll see version 3.0 soon. Although short-lived, this room was still one of your faves. :)

#9. Our 2012 Christmas Tree: I loved that this post made it into the top 10, as I truly put my heart and soul into it! With a little thrift store tree, and hundreds of homemade ornaments, I was able to create a tree that I loved. 

#10. The Dresser Makeover: Last, but certainly not least is the dresser. When I first laid eyes upon this $50 Craigslist dresser, I knew it could be amazing with a little TLC. However, I could have never predicted how well-loved it would be by you! Nearly a year later, and it's still my favorite furniture redo!

So, that's it! The top ten of 2012! 

It was crazy year, full of ups and downs, but I love knowing that through all of it, I was able to bit-by-bit make our house a home! I so look forward to what 2013 has to bring.

Make sure to stop by Thursday, January 3rd (my blogiversary!) where I'll show you a few of my favorite posts from this year (they might surprise you!), and talk about some of the things I've learned in my first year of blogging. I hope you'll join me!!

Most of all, have a happy and safe New Year, and I'll see ya NEXT YEAR!

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How To Make Your Own Christmas Ornaments (Part 3)

I recently made my own crystal ornaments to put all over the tree. And I even gave a few away as gifts. I used some simple supplies from the dollar store, and the entire process was easy and fun! 

So, today I'm sharing a short and sweet tutorial about how to make these little fellas!

Christmas Ornament Wreaths - Reader Versions

After I showed ya'll the ornament wreath I made last week (seen here)...

I received tons of pictures of wreaths made by readers!
I have to tell you, there are few things sweeter than knowing a little blog post of mine inspired you to create something. I am absolutely humbled by that. Thank you!

 There were so many beautiful versions, and I absolutely loved seeing them all.

Here are just a few of my favorites that I've seen so far.

This gorgeous blue and brown wreath was created by a reader named Carrie Ann, who made her version by using hundreds of ornaments, some jingle bells, and a 3-ring wire wreath base. 
I love this wreath. 

This next one was created by a reader named Siohban.
Girl, I love it.

And I love the greens and reds chosen by Mariangeles in the below wreath. 

This next one is from reader Jennifer, and she chose a few of my fave colors. 

This next one was submitted by Carrie, and I'm totally in love with it. 

And that's all for today! Thank you so much for sharing your wreaths with me this year! I can't wait to make next year's!!
(P.S. Come see the reader wreath's post from the following year. It's nuts.) 

If you missed any of my other Christmas posts, you can catch up below:

Where I found my tree for $40.

I barely spent a dime.

My own $10 version of the ornament wreath.
Version 2.0

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DIY Beaded Snowflake Garland

Yesterday I went to the craft store, got tons of beads, came home and spent the next 4 hours making snowflake garland.

It wasn't very difficult, but I will admit that it took forever. 
Forrrrrrever.

After I finished, my fingers packed up their bags and moved away. 

I've loved beading since I was a teenager. I remember having an entire tackle box full of a million types of beads. This snowflake garland was next level for me though. It was so tedious that I nearly gave up several times. 

When I finally finished it, I hung it over the mirror that hangs above our fireplace.
You won't believe what I eventually ended up doing to this fireplace. 

I love the way it reflects the lights of the Christmas tree and adds a little extra sparkle to the room!

  

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I'm pretty pleased with my teeny-tiny bead accomplishment, even though it will be my last. :)

If you want to test your patience and make some snowflake garland, here is the tutorial I used.

 I followed their tutorial almost exactly except for a few minor changes. They say to use a wire snowflake form, but I just made my own using simple beading wire. I also put little hoops at the ends of my garland strands just in case I ever wanted to use it on my tree.

And that's all for today!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
You can see the rest of this year's Christmas posts here:
$10 well spent.

THE thrift store trip

How I saved tons of money this Christmas

My favorite Christmas project ever. EVER.

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DIY Christmas Ornaments Part 2

Yesterday when I shared this picture of my DIY ornaments, you may have noticed a couple in the picture that I didn't mention in the post.

So, today I'll show you the rest! 
One of my fave DIY ornament ideas involves the ornaments I made using glass beads from the dollar store. All I did was loop a piece of ribbon over an ornament hook, and then hotglue the glass beads to each other, with the ribbon in the middle. It creates a beautiful glass bead ornament that captures all of the lights on the tree!




I love ornaments that reflect the lights on the tree and make the room sparkle, so I also made some DIY mirror ornaments by hotgluing some small craft mirrors to ribbon and attaching it to an ornament hook. I love the way they turned out!

Aren't those cute?

To see more Christmas ideas, please check out these posts:
A favorite Christmas project.
DIY Christmas Ornaments: Part 1
Our thrift store tree
The best $10 I've ever spent.

'Til next time!

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