Celebrating 15 Years of Running a blog With My Favourite DIYs! | Thrifty Decor Chick
Celebrating 15 years of running a blog with my DIY and decor favorites!
I can hardly imagine it, however final week marked 15 years of running a blog at Thrifty Decor Chick!! I began this web site in Might of 2008 and would have by no means fathomed in 1,000,000 years that it will develop into what it has.
I’m past grateful!
I began this weblog when our son was only a 12 months and a half — I had give up my full time public relations profession to remain at house half time. I labored half time as an inside decorator once I began writing about DIY and decor, and fewer than a 12 months into running a blog I give up my adorning job to work from home.
Running a blog is the proper mixture of my two loves — writing and DIY/adorning.
Writing TDC has created so many wonderful alternatives, from being revealed in print, TV and on-line to being featured on the Nate Berkus present.
I used to be supposed to look reside on his present so many occasions, however the scheduling at all times acquired tousled. I am keen on Nate and am so grateful for his staff’s help!
Years later, a bunch of my weblog pals and I created the Haven running a blog convention for DIY and decor bloggers. It grew to become an unbelievable success and I am SO pleased with that occasion. It’s now beneath new possession, however these had been a number of the finest (and tiring!) weeks of my life.
Running a blog continues to take me out of my consolation zone, and I am actually, actually pleased with what I’ve created!
OK sufficient about that stuff, let’s take a look at some tasks we could? I gathered what I contemplate to be the highest 15 tasks I’ve accomplished previously 15 years. I am positive I’ve left one thing out from all these years in our two homes, however I really feel like it is a fairly good listing!
1. Eating room turned library constructed ins
Our eating room at our final home was a terrific, open house that was hardly used.
My Dad got here up with the good thought to make use of UPPER wall cupboards because the bases to those constructed ins. This protects SO a lot effort and time:
This is a have a look at that eating room house earlier than the makeover:
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This was my pink and gold part. 🙂
Utilizing the wall cupboards makes the bookcases a regular 12 inches as an alternative of the 24 inch depth of base cupboards. Base cupboards even have drawers that look extra like a kitchen or lavatory arrange.
2. First household room
This room noticed SO many modifications through the years!
Earlier than the largest transformation, we had a clumsy structure with a nook hearth. There was nowhere to comfortably place a TV and nonetheless have house within the room.
That is the nook hearth structure we began with:
3. Closet turned guide nook
This little closet redo is one among my all time favourite makeovers!
It was a easy linen closet earlier than, however we had loads of room for this stuff elsewhere:
This can be a actually cheap mission (particularly once you use scrap wooden like me). You probably have sufficient storage and do not want the closet house, a guide nook is such a terrific addition.
It was one factor everybody commented on after they visited our house. The nook was such a candy house for our son when he was youthful. 💙
4. Mud/laundry room combo
I nonetheless ADORE this house! I used to be hesitant to do a laundry and dirt room mixture as a result of that room at our first home was at all times a catastrophe (keep tuned for that!).
However as quickly as we realized how large this room was, I used to be all in! Now we LOVE having all of this performance in a single spot:
This room began with nice bones:
5. Laundry room turned mudroom
This was a HUGE transformation and by far among the finest we made in our first home!
Particularly contemplating what it used to seem like! Yikes!:
This photograph was not an exaggeration — it was at all times a catastrophe.
6. DIY TV leisure middle constructed ins
It packs tons of operate — with storage all alongside the underside, the bench we use as further seating and the added lighting above. And naturally, the cabinets are a terrific spot to show some fairly gadgets:
We began with a clean wall 19 toes lengthy! I knew from the second we moved in that I might construct one thing to fill this house:
Our basement has seen many DIY tasks since then, together with tons of image body molding and our darkish inexperienced DIY hearth as properly:
7. Our first kitchen
Once I took on this kitchen renovation at our first home, it was by far my largest transformation but!
Check out how this kitchen began out!:
Taking down the wall in our household room allowed us to shift all the things and opened up the areas tremendously! I used to be so pleased with how this kitchen turned out.
8. From carpet to wooden stairs
After the carpet was gone, I eliminated all of the tack strips and staples, then after a superb sanding, I stained the treads and painted the risers white:
This was a labor intensive job however I am so glad I did it! It was SO price all of the work.
This is the one photograph I’ve of the carpeted steps earlier than the redo:
We liked the wooden steps a lot, we had the steps stained in our present house as properly. (Fortunately I did not must do the work this time!)
By the way in which, I get requested on a regular basis if wooden steps are slippery.
I nonetheless say that wooden stairs are manner much less slippery than carpeted stairs. I can not inform you what number of occasions I slipped down ours earlier than I took the carpet off.
9. Two room lavatory opened up
This was one other one I am tremendous pleased with. And in addition one other instance of creating your areas give you the results you want and the way your loved ones makes use of them!
Just about instantly after we moved into that home, I regretted going with the 2 room lavatory structure. …those with the vainness within the first half and the bathroom and bathe within the second room:
It at all times felt so darkish and cramped. My dream for years was to take that wall down, and in the future I did simply that! It was AWESOME. 😂
10. Moody workplace constructed ins
The construct went manner faster this time, and now I’ve my course of down pat:
My moody bookcases (Classic Vogue by Benjamin Moore) add a lot character to my workplace! And naturally the added storage is very vital in a piece house.
My workplace is spacious and stuffed with pure gentle, however it wanted some colour and heat after we moved in:
Take a look at how I constructed a large upholstered bulletin board on the opposite facet of the room as properly. 🙂
11. My closet transformation
In our final home my husband and I shared a closet, so I used to be fairly excited to get my very own house once we moved in right here. It had loads of room, however I knew instantly that I might must make some modifications ultimately.
The wire cabinets lined many of the partitions, however they weren’t very useful for folded garments. This was the norm (regardless of how I attempted to maintain issues organized):
This closet mission in all probability made an even bigger impression than any others I’ve tackled through the years. I felt pressured and disorganized each morning once I walked into the previous room.
The brand new closet has a spot for all the things, and the group calms my soul! 🙂 I completely find it irresistible!
12. Fairly powder room
Oh how I am keen on this little house!
I LOVE including extra daring touches in smaller areas like hallways, loos and laundry rooms. Why not have some enjoyable?
After we moved on this room was easy and plain:
13. Patio with spherical hearth pit
Now…I did not do the largest a part of this addition myself (I might have if I knew how one can pour cement! 😁), however I’ve carried out many of the modifications since!
Opening up our house to household and pals fills my soul, so this house has been such a blessing. It is our little oasis and we’re so grateful for it!
The most effective half is the spherical hearth pit space:
That is how the patio appeared proper after we had it poured:
Since then I’ve added tons of vegetation (I am doing a backyard tour quickly!), constructed that fireside pit and added the string lights throughout the patio (undoubtedly test this tutorial out if you do not have bushes to your lights!) as properly.
We find it irresistible!!
14. Model new basement kitchenette
We’re completely spoiled with it now and use it on a regular basis:
The earlier than is fairly underwhelming, however it does present how far this house has come:
15. Profiting from our pantry
The earlier than was nice, however I knew it might operate so significantly better!
I at all times imagined extra of a “butler’s pantry” the place we might preserve home equipment and prep meals. The melamine cabinets we had earlier than saved lots, however something under waist degree at all times ended up piled excessive and unorganized:
Whew!!! It was arduous to give you solely 15 tasks, however I really feel like these are undoubtedly on the high for me. Did I neglect any you may consider? Please let me know when you have any questions.
All of this is able to not be doable with out you all — I am so extremely grateful to you for following together with my DIY escapades through the years! Running a blog is a dream come true for me, I couldn’t ask for extra.
Thanks for a enjoyable 15 years and this is to a different 15 extra! 😍
