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 website in Could of 2008 and would have by no means fathomed in 1,000,000 years that it will grow to be what it has.
I’m past grateful!
I began this weblog when our son was only a yr 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 yr 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 seem stay on his present so many occasions, however the scheduling all the time obtained tousled. I am keen on Nate and am so grateful for his workforce’s assist!
Years later, a bunch of my weblog buddies and I created the Haven running a blog convention for DIY and decor bloggers. It turned an unbelievable success and I am SO pleased with that occasion. It’s now underneath 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 lets? I gathered what I take into account to be the highest 15 tasks I’ve accomplished prior to now 15 years. I am certain I’ve left one thing out from all these years in our two homes, however I really feel like this can be a fairly good checklist!
1. Eating room turned library constructed ins
Our eating room at our final home was a fantastic, open area that was hardly used.
My Dad got here up with the sensible concept to make use of UPPER wall cupboards because the bases to those constructed ins. This protects SO a lot effort and time:
Here is a take a look at that eating room area earlier than the makeover:
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This was my purple and gold section. 🙂
Utilizing the wall cupboards makes the bookcases a normal 12 inches as a substitute of the 24 inch depth of base cupboards. Base cupboards even have drawers that look extra like a kitchen or rest room arrange.
2. First household room
This room noticed SO many modifications through the years!
Earlier than the most important transformation, we had an ungainly format with a nook fire. There was nowhere to comfortably place a TV and nonetheless have area within the room.
That is the nook fire format we began with:
3. Closet turned e book nook
This little closet redo is certainly one of 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 undertaking (particularly if you use scrap wooden like me). You probably have sufficient storage and do not want the closet area, a e book nook is such a fantastic addition.
It was one factor everybody commented on once they visited our house. The nook was such a candy area for our son when he was youthful. 💙
4. Mud/laundry room combo
I nonetheless ADORE this area! I used to be hesitant to do a laundry and dust room mixture as a result of that room at our first home was all the time a catastrophe (keep tuned for that!).
However as quickly as we realized how massive 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 all the time 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 fantastic 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 area:
Our basement has seen many DIY tasks since then, together with tons of image body molding and our darkish inexperienced DIY fire as effectively:
7. Our first kitchen
Once I took on this kitchen renovation at our first home, it was by far my greatest transformation but!
Check out how this kitchen began out!:
Taking down the wall in our household room allowed us to shift every little thing 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 an excellent 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.
Here 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 effectively. (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 approach 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 rest room opened up
This was one other one I am tremendous pleased with. And likewise one other instance of constructing 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 rest room format. You recognize…those with the self-importance within the first half and the bathroom and bathe within the second room:
It all the time 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 approach 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 particularly necessary in a piece area.
My workplace is spacious and filled with pure mild, but it surely wanted some colour and heat after we moved in:
Try how I constructed a big upholstered bulletin board on the opposite facet of the room as effectively. 🙂
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 area after we moved in right here. It had loads of room, however I knew instantly that I would must make some modifications ultimately.
The wire cabinets lined a lot of the partitions, however they weren’t very purposeful for folded garments. This was the norm (irrespective of how I attempted to maintain issues organized):
This closet undertaking in all probability made an even bigger influence than any others I’ve tackled through the years. I felt burdened and disorganized each morning once I walked into the outdated room.
The brand new closet has a spot for every little thing, and the group calms my soul! 🙂 I completely find it irresistible!
12. Fairly powder room
Oh how I am keen on this little area!
I LOVE including extra daring touches in smaller areas like hallways, bogs and laundry rooms. Why not have some enjoyable?
Once we moved on this room was easy and plain:
13. Patio with spherical fireplace pit
Now…I did not do the most important a part of this addition myself (I might have if I knew the way to pour cement! 😁), however I’ve executed a lot of the modifications since!
Opening up our house to household and buddies fills my soul, so this area has been such a blessing. It is our little oasis and we’re so grateful for it!
The very best half is the spherical fireplace pit space:
That is how the patio appeared proper after we had it poured:
Since then I’ve added tons of crops (I am doing a backyard tour quickly!), constructed that fireside pit and added the string lights throughout the patio (undoubtedly examine this tutorial out if you do not have timber to your lights!) as effectively.
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, but it surely does present how far this area has come:
15. Benefiting from our pantry
The earlier than was nice, however I knew it may operate so significantly better!
I all the time imagined extra of a “butler’s pantry” the place we may maintain home equipment and prep meals. The melamine cabinets we had earlier than saved lots, however something under waist stage all the time ended up piled excessive and unorganized:
Whew!!! It was exhausting to give you solely 15 tasks, however I really feel like these are undoubtedly on the high for me. Did I neglect any you’ll be able to consider? Please let me know if in case you have any questions.
All of this may not be attainable 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! 😍
