14 Most Viewed Posts in 2014 {A Year In Review}

Hello Everyone, I hope you had a joyous and memorable Christmas!  As the year draws to a close I am taking time to reflect on the blessings, friendships, opportunities, successes and learning curves this little blog has provided in 2014.  I appreciate each and every one of you who follow, visit, comment and share my little corner of the blogosphere.

So on this New Years Eve as I look back with a smile on my face, I thought I'd share the 14 Most Viewed Posts in 2014 {A Year In Review}.

I have to say some of the projects that made this list surprised me.  It just goes to show that I don't always know what project will resonate with others!

DIY Patio Water Wall

If I knew then what I know now, I would have prepared "proper" diagrams and instructions on how to build this.  It has been my most popular post!

Old Louvered Doors Repurposed

I have to thank my neighbor once again for giving us her old bi-fold doors when she replaced hers with new ones!

DIY Raised Garden Greenhouses

These are not difficult to make and they worked great for our tomato plants!

Mom's Stool Got A Makeover

This stool sits in our kitchen and always conjures up memories of my Mom sitting at the sink washing dishes or peeling potatoes.

Adirondack Fire Bowl Table

We used this fire bowl more than our back yard fire pit last summer. Throw in a fire log (not wood) and it kept us cozy warm as we relaxed on the deck on those cooler summer evenings.

Outdoor Living Space Expansion

This patio expansion was a lot of back breaking work but so worth it in the end.  I can't believe how much livable space it added to our back yard.  The moss between each slab flourished over the summer and tripled in size.

Small Armoire

I had this bedroom hutch since moving out of my parent's home in 1978. It was tough parting with it but we no longer had room for it after expanding our closet space (see project up next).  I'm glad it sold quickly otherwise I may have changed my mind about selling it.

Closet Expansion

There is never enough closet space in these circa 1960's homes and so we stole a narrow space beside the original closet to create floor to ceiling shelving and concealed it behind matching bi-fold doors. I absolutely love the added storage this closet provided!

Birds of Paradise Table

This was definitely one of my favorite makeovers in 2014.  It sold very quickly and I was thrilled to get the opportunity several months later to see it in it's new home.

Queen Anne End Table

Another fun furniture makeover that sold rather quickly.

Kid's Chalkboard Table

I had so much fun with this makeover.  At the time I wished I had grandchildren to pass it down to. Six months after selling it we found out we have a little grandson on the way.  A good excuse to find another set to makeover.

Queen Anne Headboard

I fell in love with this piece and wished we had room for it in our guest room. It's another piece I'm glad sold rather quickly or I may have kept it.

Old Violet {A 70 Year Old Sideboard}

This piece had been in the same family for over 70 years! I named it "Old Violet" after the paint color I used on it's interior. I spent a lot of time on this piece because it needed some serious TLC. Later I gave it's matching table and chairs a makeover. This piece is currently for sale and I hope it finds a great home!

Thrift Store Jewelry Box

This pretty little gal was donated to a Silent Auction for the Alberta Make A Wish Foundation.  I hope a little princess was the recipient of this jewelry box!

As a fresh new year begins tonight at the stroke of midnight I welcome it with excitement, anticipation, and a list of goals.

Every New Year's Eve I have a ritual where I carve out some quiet time to prepare a Vision Board for the upcoming year.  As my eyes wander over the board from the previous year, it never ceases to amaze me how I am blessed with most of which I envision on that little 4" x 6" card!

Vision Board 2014

Thank You to each and every one of you for your friendship, support and encouragement in 2014.

Wishing you all A Happy, Healthy, Creative, and Prosperous New Year!

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DIY Sunday Showcase Party and Features {December 27, 2014}

Just a quick note to let you know we're taking a brief break from the party this week to enjoy all the holiday festivities.

The party and features will be back in full swing on January 3rd!
We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wishing you a

 Happy New Year

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DIY Sunday Showcase Party and Features {December 20, 2014}

Wow you guys are awesome!  We had 416 fabulous links at the party last week.  Talk about it being challenging narrowing down a favorite.

This being the last party before the holidays I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a

Very Merry Christmas!

Now it's time to get 

another DIY Sunday Showcase Party started!

You guys are a talented bunch and every week it's so hard to pick our favorites. If you didn't make our TOP 6 Features here at the party then be sure to check out our DIY SUNDAY SHOWCASE TALENT BOARD on Pinterest because you may be featured there!

COME JOIN US AND SHARE YOUR FAVORITE DIY PROJECTS, CRAFTS OR RECIPES !

The party goes Live every Saturday at 5:00pm CST and runs until the following Wednesday

Meet the Hosts:

                 

MARIE'S PICK:

SNOWMAN CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT by Let It Shine
I love the creativity in transforming these nail polish bottles into adorable Frosty Snowmen!

JEN'S PICK:

MERRY AND BRIGHT CHRISTMAS SIGN by Craving Some Creativity

MEGIN'S PICK:

DIY CHALKBOARD FIREPLACE by Addison Meadows Lane

SHELLY'S PICK:

GRANDMA'S SLED by Scavenger Chic

KATIE'S PICK:

DIY DEER ART by Salt and Pepper Moms

ERIN'S PICK:

CHRISTMAS STAINED GLASS SUGAR COOKIES by Homegrown & Healthy

PARTY RULES:

1. Follow your party hosts.
2. Post a maximum of 3 of your newest DIY's.
3. Linking to the party allows the hosts to possibly PIN your project to our DIY Showcase Pinterest Board, use your project in a round-up post (with direct links to your post), as well as Feature your project in the next DIY Sunday Showcase!
4. Please Do Not Pin from the party, instead go to the original blog post.
5. In order to be featured you need to grab the button or link and copy it onto your post or in your link party page!

An InLinkz Link-up



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Festive Mini Crockpot Cover, A Potpourri Recipe, and A Holiday Message From Me To You!

Every year during the holidays I love to have festive potpourri brewing in a mini crockpot.  I love how it wafts throughout the house and it's the first thing guests smell when walking in the house.  I've used the same mini crockpot for decades but seriously, the thing is kind of ugly.  This year I got smart and took 15 minutes out of my busy schedule to make a Festive Mini Crockpot Cover!

I've upgraded to a more sophisticated mini crockpot but it's usually filled with yummy goodies like baked brie during the holidays.  

All I needed was leftover burlap ribbon, velcro, my sewing machine and 15 minutes later voila, a festive sleeve that can be removed after the holidays!

Step 1:  I had two scrap pieces of burlap ribbon leftover from another project so I simply sewed them together to get the length I needed.

Step 2:  Fold over the raw edges so the ribbon is the same size as the crockpot and stitch.

Step 3:  Sew a band of decorative ribbon along the top edge.

Step 4:  Add velcro on each end and you're done!

Now it's time to crank up the Christmas music, turn the lights on the tree, brew some fresh coffee and maybe add some Baileys, put on my apron and start cooking up a storm!  This will be my last post of 2014 because this girl needs some serious chill'n, laughter, celebration, and time spent with family and friends...in "real time".  

May the spirit of Christmas

fill your home with joy,

your heart with love,

and your life with laughter.

Thank you so much for your kind support, encouragement, and friendship during this past year!

*** Cheers ***
I look forward to catching up with you in January!

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Even the birds need some Christmas {Bird Seed Ornaments}

One of the perks of living in a mature neighborhood is having large trees. We back onto a green belt so having little creatures (and sometimes large) pay us a visit is commonplace.  One year I found a baby bunny hiding in our ferns. Another year while having a BBQ we saw a moose run through the field. We're not in the country so this big fella created quite a scene!

Besides squirrels (which I feed peanuts) flocks of birds are plentiful and every Christmas I like to leave them a special treat. This year I made Bird Seed Ornaments.  I got the idea from Jessi, the very talented blogger behind Practically Functional who recently published a book entitled 12 Easy Handmade Christmas Ornaments.  This is not a sponsored post nor have I been compensated for promoting it, I'm just sharing the love because I enjoyed making this project from her book.

There's a funny story behind this project. I made the mistake of doubling the recipe and so I ran out of cookie cutters before dough seed mixture so I poured the extra into a take-out container and left them on the counter overnight to solidify.

Early the next morning I woke up to the sight of a motion sensor going on and off on the panel of our security system. My heart was racing as I quietly opened the bedroom door and slowly tip toed my way down the hall. With adrenaline coursing through my veins I was ready to kick some serious intruder butt.  Then I heard a thump.  Lets just say Mr. Sexy Rexy, our feline child, will be pooping sunflower seeds for weeks!

Trekking through the deep snow with my ancient Sorel boots I hung the ornaments on our spruce trees using a piece of dowling rigged with an L hook on the end.  It was -20°C outside people!  I hope the birds appreciate the fact that I froze my butt off for them.

How ironic that while writing this post I went into the kitchen to grab another coffee and what did I see, a little chickadee pecking at one of the ornaments.  I ran and grabbed my camera and just as I was about to hit the shutter button it flew away...honest...this isn't like one of those fishing tales!

It's been a week since hanging the ornaments and every single one of them, including the tray of seed, have been devoured.  As for Rex, I didn't check!

If you want the recipe for these tastey treats that the birds, and your cat, will be sure to enjoy press the picture below to link to Jessi's book.  She has loads of easy peasy Christmas Ornament ideas - a few of which I still plan to make.

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DIY Sunday Showcase Party and Features {December 13, 2014}

It's time to party

another DIY Sunday Showcase Party!
You guys are a talented bunch and every week it's so hard to pick our favorites. If you didn't make our TOP 6 Features here at the party then be sure to check out our DIY SUNDAY SHOWCASE TALENT BOARD on Pinterest because you may be featured there!

COME JOIN US AND SHARE YOUR FAVORITE DIY PROJECTS, CRAFTS OR RECIPES !

The party goes Live every Saturday at 5:00pm CST and runs until the following Wednesday

Meet the Hosts:

                 

MARIE'S PICK:

BUNDLED BOTTLE CAP SNOWMEN by Crafty Lumberjacks
I think these felt and bottle cap snowmen are so adorable but the glitter took them to perfect!

JEN'S PICK:

PERSONALIZED SNOWMAN MUGS by Almost Supermom

MEGIN'S PICK:

  

RUSTIC PINECONE AND WOOD CHRISTMAS GARLANDS by Dwelling Happiness

SHELLY'S PICK:

CORK CHRISTMAS CARD TREES by Love Create Celebrate

KATIE'S PICK:

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN CASE by Bohemian Junktion

ERIN'S PICK:

HOLIDAY CHALKBOARD SUGAR COOKIES by A Turtle's Life For Me

PARTY RULES:

1. Follow your party hosts.
2. Post a maximum of 3 of your newest DIY's.
3. Linking to the party allows the hosts to possibly PIN your project to our DIY Showcase Pinterest Board, use your project in a round-up post (with direct links to your post), as well as Feature your project in the next DIY Sunday Showcase!
4. Please Do Not Pin from the party, instead go to the original blog post.
5. In order to be featured you need to grab the button or link and copy it onto your post or in your link party page!

An InLinkz Link-up



Read More