Top 10 Projects of 2011

Is it really December 30th??

So much has happened this past year both personally and in the blog world. We have done a number of projects in the past 12 months that I'm truly proud of. This past year we took on several projects and crafts we've never done before - reupholstering furniture, making my own hand painted art, oh and having a baby.

I thought it would be a little fun Friday post to look back at some of the top projects we tackled in 2011. 

#10 ANTHRO INSPIRED LAMP

This was a fun little upgrade I did to a lamp and was completely impromptu (as most of my projects and DIY ideas tend to be). The idea of seeing something I like and being able to recreate it myself for a fraction of the price rather than purchasing it is certainly a motivator for future projects.

#9 - REUPHOLSTERED DINING ROOM CHAIRS

I had never tackled reupholstering any furniture before so this project itself was a little personal victory since it was my first. Even though the furniture itself was short-lived after the transformation, I was so pleased and satisfied with the results. I know that in the future this is a project I can tackle and hope to challenge myself with harder, more complex reupholstering tasks.

#8 - PHOTO BOOTH ART

Sometimes my best ideas are completely unplanned, impromptu projects and this photo booth art is no exception. I had completely different plans for these frames, but as soon as I had the idea of framing our photo booth pictures from a wedding we went to, I ran with it.

As a result we have a little personal touch in our dining room that Jordan and I both love and acts as a bit of a conversation starter when we have guests over.

Read how to make one here.

#7 - PAINTING A STRIPED WALL

I think I'm proud of this project mostly because it's one that I completely took on and taught myself. I did a lot of research and read up on a number of tutorials, but in the end I sort of made it up as I went along. The wall came out even better (and surprisingly easier) than I had imagined.

Read my tutorial of how to paint your own striped wall here.

#6 - WOOD STAINED ART

For our anniversary, I made this wood stained art featuring the lyrics from our wedding song (Van Morrison's Crazy Love). This project is one of my personal favorites since I have a fondness for sentimental art. This was also my first time working with wood stain and I am very pleased with the results. Look for more stained wood projects in 2012!

#5 - LUCY'S NURSERY

Lucy's nursery was the first room that I tackled start to finish and was able to completely plan from scratch. I taught myself how to paint stripes on the wall, made my fabric poms poms, and added a ton of sentimental, DIY touches. I truly love how her room turned out and hope that when she grows older (and actually starts sleeping in her own room) Lucy will appreciate the hard work and attention to detail that went into designing her bedroom.

#4 - NEW LIVING ROOM FLOOR

Before:

After:

I think the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. 

I love this floor. Need I say more?

#3 - SUBWAY WALL ART

This was a time consuming, but very fun project to tackle. So much fun that I recently created another one for a friend of Jordan's. This is another project that I'm specifically proud because I created my own way of making this sign after reading up on how others have done this before. 

Read how to make your own subway sign here.

#2 - FABRIC POM POMS

Based on Pinterest popularity, the #2 project of 2011 has to be the fabric pom poms I made for Lucy's nursery. I love these pom poms so much and am really proud of how they turned out. They added the perfect feminine, whimsical touch that I wanted in Lucy's room. Learn how to make them here. 

And for the number one project of 2011

#1 - LUCY JAMES DEMAIO

By far the best and proudest DIY project we took on this year was a beautiful little girl.

Our life has been completely turned upside down and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Jordan and I are both so in love and smitten in a way that we never thought imaginable.

There is truly no better feeling than being a parent.

There you have it - my top 10 projects of 2011.

It's very satisfying to look back at all the progress we've had on the house in the past year, and even more exciting for the ones we plan to take on in 2012.

My hope for 2012 is to challenge myself with bigger, more complex projects than we have done before. 

I'd love to revamp a thrifted piece of furniture, build something from scratch, and learn to sew something from scratch.

Hope you all have a safe and Happy New Year.

Here's to a creative 2012!