2020 favorite projects

2020 sure was a year, wasn’t it? We had no idea going into the year last January what the year held, but thankful I know One who did! While there were projects I wasn’t able to complete, there were also a lot of things that got accomplished – especially when I look back at all of them in one place. So let’s take a tour through all the projects and blog posts of 2020.

January began with decluttering and redecorating for winter. I always love to incorporate some of my after-Christmas clearance finds into my winter decor – like that cypress wreath, and cuddle weather pillow snagged for 75 and 90% off. See my entire winter living room here.

We had cut cable a few months earlier and I finally gathered all the info on the how, why, how to still watch live tv, even have a DVR without paying the massive cable bills in this very informative post. A year later and we are still VERY thankful we did this and very happy with the options we have to watch (and some of the ones we didn’t have access to watch in 2020 – the news – thank goodness!), and very happy with the very low bill.

I took an old thrift store bar stool and turned into 2 plant stands! Oh if I only knew the plant addiction that was to come that spring. 😉 And I think I have transformed 3-4 bar stools now too into smaller little stools for various room.! I have another idea of what I want to do to one this year – so stay tuned for that.

Spring was on the horizon in early March and I jumped on the terra cotta pot train and shared an easy way to give them an aged look with paint.

I also had picked up this nighstand for $15 at a thrift store and finally got around to giving it a makeover to make it fit more with my style and home. Here was the before…

And here’s the after! I also detailed very well in that post exactly how I did it, products I use, etc. If you are wanting to makeover a piece of furniture this year definitely check out this post!

March also brought staying at home more than we ever had before… luckily there are always projects to be done! I rounded up 15+ easy projects that could be done while staying home.

In March I also gathered up some thrift store finds and gave them all a makeover with… spray paint! Can you believe the difference? I used some textured and chalk paint spray paint I hadn’t tried before… you’ll definitely have to check out the post to see!

Working on our master bedroom is definitely on the list for 2021. I have done bits and pieces but not completed the whole room.

In April we were all becoming plant crazy and planting gardens while we stayed at home. 😉 I had already built 2 raised beds the previous spring, but I added another one and did a tutorial on how to build your own easy and inexpensive raised bed! We planted more than we had before! I so enjoyed the bounty from our garden all summer long – can’t wait for fresh tomatoes, herbs and Caprese salads again this year!

I also built this easy hook rack to help with organization and storage in my little girl’s room. This project is so easy and so useful in so many areas! I have hook racks like this in both bathrooms, laundry room, storage closet, her room, and more!

We spent so much time outside last year and I hope we continue to do that! I gave our back patio a spring refresh with a new rug (linked here)

We spent so many days out here – it was our lunch spot March – May with the prettiest spring weather either – such a gift!

I had always wanted to fill this blank wall with something and created this DIY hanging plant wall – even as I write this in January months later, my succulents are still going great! Hope them make it through the whole winter.

I also refreshed some outdoor stuff I had with spray paint – that stuff is a miracle worker on metal outdoor things! And spruced up our front porch for spring.

I had always wanted something to fill this spot in our back patio that would serve double purpose – allow me a space to work on potted plants and also double as a serving station for when we do BBQ’s and dinners on our back porch. So I built this potting bench that serves both purposes! And right now during the winter months it has become a log holder for our bonfire too.

We bought this house as a fixer-upper 4 years ago and the yard has required a LOT of work. I did a huge before/after post of our front and back yard – it has come so far! Here was just one before picture…

And how it looks now!

I love working in the yard and all the beautiful flowers we’ve added. You’ll have to check out the post to see lots more pictures.

I created this easy DIY hanging front door basket and dressed it up for the summer patriotic holidays.

I have developed such a love for building and have lots more I want to accomplish in 2021! I rounded up 15+ DIY projects you can build for your home – some easy beginner projects to a bit more advanced. But honestly building is just like following a recipe – if you have a good plan – you just take it step by step and it’s easy!

I shared my summer patriotic mantel and sumer home tour – I loved this look!

Summer brought lots of time spent in the pool and I built these DIY planter boxes for flowers but also to hold tiki torches to keep the southern bugs away! I have a feeling I’ll be building a few more of these this year.

I updated our living room with a new rug (linked here) and it made such a huge difference!

I loved this mantel look too and have a feeling I may be doing something similar for winter!

But then it was time to move into fall and I found another thrifted mirror to add to my mantel. The black one was only $5 and the brown wood one only $8.00! I’m still looking for one more so I can layer a 3rd one. See my fall living room and home tour here.

I used hay on my front porch for the first time for fall and loved the cozy look.

We had enjoyed the outdoors so much in the spring and summer that we wanted to continue to use it into the fall and winter… this firepit has been on the list to do for a few years and we finally completed it early fall. We LOVE it and it was such a simple and easy build that I wish we hadn’t put it off for so long. See all the details and links to the materials we used in this post.