Celebrating 15 Years of Running a blog With My Favourite DIYs! | Thrifty Decor Chick

Celebrating Situs Judi Slot Terbaik dan Terpercaya No 1 15 years of running a blog with my DIY and decor favorites!

I can hardly consider it, however final week marked 15 years of running a blog at Thrifty Decor Chick!! I began this web site in Could of 2008 and would have by no means fathomed in 1,000,000 years that it could turn out 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 dwelling half time. I labored half time as an inside decorator after 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 right mixture of my two loves — writing and DIY/adorning.

Writing TDC has created so many superb alternatives, from being printed in print, TV and on-line to being featured on the Nate Berkus present.

I used to be supposed to seem dwell on his present so many occasions, however the scheduling all the time received tousled. I am keen on Nate and am so grateful for his crew’s assist!

Years later, a bunch of my weblog pals and I created the Haven running a blog convention for DIY and decor bloggers. It turned an unimaginable success and I am SO happy with that occasion. It’s now below new possession, however these have been a few of the greatest (and tiring!) weeks of my life.

I’ve additionally labored with lots of of great manufacturers through the years, and was so excited to win the La-Z-Boy Design Sprint just a few years again.

Running a blog continues to take me out of my consolation zone, and I am actually, actually happy with what I’ve created!

OK sufficient about that stuff, let’s take a look at some initiatives lets? I gathered what I contemplate to be the highest 15 initiatives I’ve accomplished previously 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 record!

1. Eating room turned library constructed ins

Our eating room at our final home was an excellent, open area that was hardly used.

Little did I do know that these DIY bookcases utilizing kitchen cupboards in our first home could be replicated so many occasions through the years! Since then I’ve seen numerous initiatives utilizing my tutorial.

My Dad got here up with the sensible thought to make use of UPPER wall cupboards because the bases to those constructed ins. This protects SO a lot effort and time:

white bookcases blue backgroud

This is a take a look at that eating room area earlier than the makeover:

gold and red dining room

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This was my crimson 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 rest room 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 area within the room.

So after residing on this dwelling for greater than ten years, we determined to knock down a wall between this lounge and the nook workplace. We repositioned the fuel hearth towards the wall (as an alternative of angled), and the ultimate end result was a MUCH extra open and cozy area!:
peppercorn gray fireplace

That is the nook hearth structure we began with:

family room with corner fireplace

 

I hate to not embody our present household room as a result of I like it so — it will get an honorable point out as nicely:
couches facing each other

 

3. Closet turned ebook nook

This little closet redo is one among my all time favourite makeovers!

white shiplap walls
closet turned book nook

It was a easy linen closet earlier than, however we had loads of room for this stuff elsewhere:

linen closet with wire shelves

It is a actually cheap venture (particularly whenever you use scrap wooden like me). In case you have sufficient storage and do not want the closet area, a ebook nook is such an excellent addition.

It was one factor everybody commented on once they visited our dwelling. 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 huge this room was, I used to be all in! Now we LOVE having all of this performance in a single spot:

 

mud room bench with cubbies

This room began with nice bones:

fake marble large tiles

 

laundry room with folding table

 

5. Laundry room turned mudroom

This was a HUGE transformation and by far among the finest we made in our first home!

beadboard mud room

Particularly contemplating what it used to appear like! Yikes!:

black and yellow laundry room

This picture 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 additional seating and the added lighting above. And naturally, the cabinets are an excellent spot to show some fairly objects:

dark gray TV built in wall

We began with a clean wall 19 toes lengthy! I knew from the second we moved in that I’d construct one thing to fill this area:

long wall before bookcases

Our basement has seen many DIY initiatives since then, together with tons of image body molding and our darkish inexperienced DIY hearth as nicely:

dark green electric fireplace build

7. Our first kitchen

Once I took on this kitchen renovation at our first home, it was by far my largest transformation but!

two toned gray white kitchen

Check out how this kitchen began out!:

dark maple cabinets kitchen

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 happy 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 very good sanding, I stained the treads and painted the risers white:

wood and white stairs

This was a labor intensive job however I am so glad I did it! It was SO value all of the work.

This is the one picture I’ve of the carpeted steps earlier than the redo:

carpeted stairs gallery wall

We beloved the wooden steps a lot, we had the steps stained in our present dwelling as nicely. (Fortunately I did not need to 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 am unable to let you know what number of occasions I slipped down ours earlier than I took the carpet off.

Knock on wooden…I do not assume we have ever fallen down our wooden steps.

9. Two room rest room opened up

This was one other one I am tremendous happy with. And likewise one other instance of constructing your areas be just right for you and the way your loved ones makes use of them!

Our son’s rest room renovation in our final home was a labor of affection… goodness, I labored so onerous on this room. It was SO value it although — we completely LOVED the end result:
farmhouse bathroom with wood vanity

Just about instantly after we moved into that home, I regretted going with the 2 room rest room structure. You already know…those with the vainness within the first half and the bathroom and bathe within the second room:

two room bathroom before

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:

dark green office bookcases

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 gentle, however it 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 nicely. 🙂

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 once we moved in right here. It had loads of room, however I knew instantly that I would need to make some modifications finally.

The wire cabinets lined a lot of the partitions, however they weren’t very practical for folded garments. This was the norm (irrespective of how I attempted to maintain issues organized):

messy closet wire shelves
IKEA pax hers closet makeover

This closet venture most likely made a much bigger affect than any others I’ve tackled through the years. I felt careworn and disorganized each morning after 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 like it!

 

12. Fairly powder room

Oh how I am keen on this little area!

dark blue floral wallpaper bathroom

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:

powder room with gray vanity

13. Patio with spherical hearth pit

Now…I did not do the largest a part of this addition myself (I’d have if I knew the best way to pour cement! 😁), however I’ve performed a lot of the modifications since!

patio with string lights above

Opening up our dwelling to household and pals fills my soul, so this area 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:

round fire pit patio with chairs

That is how the patio seemed proper after we had it poured:

cement patio with round firepit

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 (positively test this tutorial out if you do not have timber in your lights!) as nicely.

We like it!!

14. Model new basement kitchenette

I nonetheless have not shared the ultimate reveal of our basement kitchenette, however it’s one other area I am tremendous happy with! It was an empty spot earlier than, and now we’ve got a beautiful mini kitchen down there.

We’re completely spoiled with it now and use it on a regular basis:

bookcases on kitchen counters
long shelf above sink

The earlier than is fairly underwhelming, however it does present how far this area has come:

empty basement kitchenette

15. Profiting from our pantry

pantry with countertop space

 

framed recipes in kitchen pantry

The earlier than was nice, however I knew it might operate so a lot better!

I all the time imagined extra of a “butler’s pantry” the place we might hold home equipment and prep meals. The melamine cabinets we had earlier than saved loads, however something under waist degree all the time ended up piled excessive and unorganized:

melamine shelves in pantry

 

Now that we’ve got the tall cupboards filled with pull out drawers, we retailer all of our meals plus most of our home equipment on this room. It is superb how nicely you possibly can make the most of the area whenever you add some customized touches!

Whew!!! It was onerous to give you solely 15 initiatives, however I really feel like these are positively on the prime for me. Did I overlook any you possibly can consider? Please let me know when you have any questions.

All of this could 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 here is to a different 15 extra! 😍