Can you believe it’s already the end of the year? I can’t! To celebrate the past 12 months, I want to share the 10 posts that my readers loved the most, and a few that you liked the least. Here are the top 10 blog posts of 2019!
🎉Top 10 Blog Posts of 2019
You guys, how is it almost 2020 already?! This year was a very full year, to say the least.
To start off, I want to say thank you. If it wasn’t for you, my readers, I wouldn’t be here! Honestly, I can’t express how grateful I am to each of you for following along as I renovate and DIY my house into my dream home.
So, in honor of everyone reading (oh hey, that’s you again!), let’s take a look back on what you liked the most and the least! Let’s start with the top 10 from the year.
#10 Naming Our Home
Coming in hot at #10 was naming our home. Honestly, I’ve never been one to name my home. But when we moved in, I realized how much it meant to me to finally have a house of my own, just for my family. Plus, the place needed so much love! So, naming it just felt like one small step toward making this my dream home. We named her Fairview Cottage and got a little plaque with the name and established date.
And I wasn’t alone! This was one of your favorite blog posts this year. And I’m so glad you also found it a useful guide for how to name your house, too.
#9 How to Paint a Piano
Next, we have the time where I painted this piano. Actually, it’s the piano I grew up with in my childhood home. But now it’s at my older sister Katy’s house. And as you see in the before, it really needed some paint. Like, really bad.
So, after doing some research I found out that it’s totally fine for the sound of a piano if you paint it! I would call this another chalk paint win.
If you have an older piano with an outdated wood color, post #9 can help you spruce it up and look like new.
#8 How to Install a Shiplap Ceiling
Another one of your favorite posts was about installing a shiplap ceiling. And I’m glad you liked it so much because installing these ceilings made such a big difference to the look of the room.
It’s actually really easy to install a shiplap ceiling! And with the character it adds to a room, it’s a great weekend project.
#7 Laundry Room Reveal
Everyone always loves a good One Room Challenge, and the laundry room was no exception! Since it was full of tons of surprises (finding an entirely rotting wall and having to rebuild it, moving the water heater last minute…), we were all kept on our toes!
But the intense six-week makeover was definitely worth it. And I still get lots of love and comments from you on this reveal.
#6 What to Do When Your House Tests Positive for Meth
Well, this one coming in the top 10 actually surprised me! If you’ve been following along for a while, you know that my house tested positive for meth when we were closing on it. Since I like to share every part of my home renovation journey with you, this less-than-pretty part was no exception!
And the reason why this post was so popular is because meth houses are sadly common in the US, yet not that many people talk about how to handle it. So, I’m glad that this post has been helping a lot of readers. And it’s still the post I get emailed about the most!
#5 The Best Places to Buy Affordable Wallpaper
As a huge lover of wallpaper, I’ve had a lot of experience putting it up in all my homes throughout the years. So, I’m glad that you were all as excited about this post as I was!
One of my favorite things is being able to share affordable design sources with you, so I’m glad that you’ve found this one helpful. In case you missed it, it’s basically a huge resource page for all the best (and cutest!) wallpapers I could find! Including removable and permanent options.
#4 How to Paint a Fridge
Well, I’m glad to know I’m not the only one with a fridge in desperate need of a makeover lol! Another reader favorite, this post shows how to make an ordinary fridge look a lot more fun.
If you’re like me, an entire kitchen remodel just isn’t in the budget at the moment. So, I love sharing how I’ve made my kitchen as pretty as possible on a budget. And if you’re feeling a little wild, this post shows how I painted my latest fridge rainbow striped!
#3 Chinoiserie Removable Wallpaper
Another one of my greatest loves of all time, chinoiserie wallpaper. The delicate vines, the floral patterns, swoon!
Readers also appreciated this post with all the sources to buy the prettiest chinoiserie wallpaper. Since chinoiserie became very trendy last year, this post made its spot near the top of the most-loved list.
#2 DIY Rainbow Wall Hanging
Sliding into the second spot, this post about how to DIY a rainbow wall hanging was a hit! Which makes me so happy because I love rainbows so much.
Wall hangings were a big trend this past year, but they tend to be pricey if you want them ready-made. So, this was a fun alternative that didn’t cost very much. Once you have all the materials, you can turn on Netflix and make it pretty easily! And if you want an oversized version, I’ve got you.😉
#1 DIY Peel and Stick Backsplash Tile
Drumroll please…! Here is the most-loved blog post of the year! Reader’s couldn’t get enough of this huge resource list slash full-on tutorial about all things peel and stick backsplashes. And I totally get it! It transformed my beige, outdated backsplash into this .👆
It’s such a good way to update your kitchen on a budget. Since it’s temporary, it’s also renter-friendly. So, if your backsplash doesn’t make you happy, check out this post to see how easy and inexpensive it is to make your backsplash look dazzling.
The Least-Loved Posts
One of the posts that readers weren’t so into was this patina end table. And I get it! I actually didn’t like it much either (it looks kind of dirty). I posted about it on social media and we all agreed it was a flop. Oh well, you win some and you lose some!
Another project that didn’t do well was the Rainbow Easter egg tree. Maybe if I hadn’t used the shiny plastic eggs? I still like the idea, but the execution wasn’t the best. This was probably my least viewed blog post of 2019- lol!
Lastly, let’s talk about my biggest social media failure of the year. Just as an FYI talking about things that didn’t go well isn’t that fun for me, but I like to grow and I feel like reflecting on what I didn’t do so well helps too.
Anyway, if you remember this bathroom, it was from my first house years ago. While scrolling on Pinterest, I found a bathroom that was super similar to it. I saved it, but moved on. Then I kept thinking about it- the bathroom seemed so close in design to mine- same wallpaper, floors, mirror, etc. I showed my husband and we both thought it was too similar.
Then, I shared the bathroom on my Instagram stories and asked what my readers there thought. I tried to keep who the designer was a secret- I wasn’t trying to call her out, but honestly wondered if anyone else thought it was too similar. Well, the stories were shared by tons of people and the designer contacted me and it turned into a huge mess.
In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t said anything. One of my goals with being online is to spread joy, but this was a mistake. I hurt someone else and I still feel bad about it. I apologized on my stories and apologized privately to the designer. It was hard feeling like I made such a mess of things in front of so many people. But, like one of my favorite sayings goes- when you know better, you do better. And I promise to do better.
Sheesh- that was a lot! Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading and doing projects with me. And thank you for sticking with me through my ups and downs. I’m pretty determined to make 2020 the best year yet. I have big plans and I can’t wait to take you along with me.
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Angela says
Hi! So I am a newish 2019 follower, and let me start off by saying that I find so much inspiration through your Instagram and blog and am still a happy follower. With that said I had only been following u for a few short months before the bathroom debacle and that was hard to have to be apart of but I am a firm believer in giving everyone the benefit of the doubt and second (and third and fourth and many more chances;) ) but here is what I’ve learned, we all make mistakes and just because someone is on here doesn’t mean they r perfect and infact it’s refreshing to see that sometimes! What spoke volumes is not what went down, but how u delt with it and how u were so open sharing your failures, owned up to them and apologized! It’s a beautiful thing to see this in the online world! You are a beautiful person and have beautiful ideas! Anywayz, good luck with 2020 and keep doing what you do bc I love it!:) And don’t forget to forgive and love yourself (I’m sure you already have) just wanted to give u reassurance!:);)
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Thanks so much Angela! Moments like that aren’t the easiest to look back on, but it’s so important to improve and grow. So, thanks for following along and being a part of it! 😘