2013 Rewind

As 2013 draws to a close, I am taking a look back at all of the progress we have made on our new-construction home since October of 2012.  Here are some highlights of my favorite projects so far.  We still have a long way to go, but we have definitely seen a lot of progress in one year.

1. The DIY Pantry Spice Shelves were our (my dads) very first project.  Nice little shelves that he whipped up in about an hour to store all of my little spice bottles right in our pantry.

2. My first "all-by-myself" project was my DIY Fabric Nailhead Trim Headboard.  I was thrilled with how it turned out.  We still have a long way to go on the master suite, but at least we have a soft place to lean while reading in bed.  I also made an empty frame gallery wall for the master bedroom from some old frames that I freshened up with spray paint and I made-over an old bench that I took from my dad's house for the foot of the bed.

3. Greg built us an awesome fenced-in garden!  We enjoyed peppers, zucchini, broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes, basil, and carrots all summer!  Next year we're going to expand and try some new crops like corn.

4.  After receiving a bunch of awesome wedding canvas prints from my sis-in-law for Christmas last year, I created a Gallary Wall in the family room to display the canvases and some other memorabilia from our wedding and honeymoon.  That spot looks awesome now that I finally got my chairs!

5.  Another major addition to the family room were my No-Sew Burlap Curtains and Galvanized Steel Pipe Rods.  These were so easy to make and only cost about $20 per set (including the rods).  You can check out the complete family room transformation here.

6. My DIY Coasters from Flooring and Paint Samples were a little 15 minute project.  These are completely free (just need samples from Home Depot and some sort of clear sealant). 

7.  I built some shelves for the powder room.  That room is just about complete.  I want to add some trim work, then it will be done!

8. I made-over an old chair that I inherited from my grandmother with some fabric and spray paint for our guest room.

9. I recently jazzed up the kitchen with my DIY Painted Backsplash.  It makes me smile looking at those bright and cheery colors every morning :).

And the DIY project I am most proud of is...

10. The Deck!  After a 6 month wait and 3 months of hard work (we took off over the winter), we finally completed our bi-level, TimberTech XML deck with waterproofed storage underneath.  The deck has become my favorite part of the house.  I can't wait for spring so we can use it again!

Even though we still have a long way to go with the house, it makes me happy looking back to see that we have actually made a good bit of progress.  Now I need to make a plan for what I hope to accomplish in 2014.  Stay tuned!!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!