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Tag: top do it yourself projects

2013 Year in Review + {Link Up}

What a year it’s been.  I don’t know about you, but for me, it’s gone by in a blink of an eye.  Seriously.  I don’t think a year has ever gone by so fast.  Anyway, the past year has been filled with many unexpected and rewarding opportunities – I can’t be more thankful.  As always, it’s fun to look back on all the DIY creations and projects that have been accomplished around the ole’ homestead.  Let’s head down memory lane for 2013…

Year in Review

January started out with revamping my central command center with a new chalkboard wall behind.  Who knew at the time that it would be chosen to be featured in a national magazine, Better Homes and Gardens (on stands now).  Crazy.  This 30″ spot in our home is incredibly functional and truly keeps our family on track so we know where we’re going when.

I will mention, since a year ago, this spot has changed once again (as our needs have changed) and it’s one of the first projects I’ll be sharing with you in 2014.

Central Command Center

Along with this fun + functional wall, January was also filled with inspiration on starting a blog, fixing unaligned furniture, and turning trash into treasure (lamp to vase).

As we headed into February, the focus was on designing my new office / family room and all the new details that went into creating it like the striped window treatments using paint, the modern to industrial-style coffee table, and the creation of my GIANT inspiration board.  The backstory of how the room evolved over the years is quite interesting…

Newly design home office + family room

What a busy month!

March was another busy month around my neck of the woods, along with a few client projects.  The MEGA craft room with bright + vibrant colors that I had finished was finally ready to be revealed…

Craft Room Reveal

…as well as a newly renovated client kitchen. Both were such rewarding projects (and both were photographed for BHG and will be featured later this year). Pinch me again.

Kitchen Makeover

April was another exciting month with the start of my powder room makeover. And still to this day, I just LOVE it.  The renovation started with removing the existing toilet and sink, then the following month I moved on to wallpapering the space, and installing the new toilet, sink, and accessories.

Also in April, I shared inspiring Spring porches + entryways, ideas for infusing color into the home, and superb Spring mantels.  So much INSPIRATION to go around.  The biggest project in April though was definitely the creation of the Vertical Garden Pallet for my front porch.

Vertical Pallet Garden

Spring was one of my favorite seasons on the blog because I hosted a beautiful blog series about Creating a Meaningful Home.  Many of my blog friends contributed and opened up their homes to share how they’ve created a meaningful home.  If you want to see the entire series, this link will take you there.

Creating a Meaningful Home blog series

On the DIY front, May was a big month because we finally tackled the staining of our exterior wood deck.  Looking back at the before picture makes me simply shake my head.  I can’t believe how desperate it needed some TLC.  It was a big project to tackle, but so worth it in the end!

How to Stain a Wood Deck

In June, the Creating a Meaningful Home blog series continued, but it was also a month filled with making cute mason jar terrariums with the kids, sharing inspiration on 5 upgrades for a killer kitchen, and my new entry drop space.  The entry upgrade has made the foyer space so much more user-friendly and even though it’s not a huge area, extra room for coats and bags has been wonderful.

Simple Foyer Entry Upgrade

As the summer rolled around, the powder room kept me busy throughout the month of July.  Once it was finally finished near the end of the month, I was able to share the big reveal. What a CHANGE!

Powder Room Reveal

During the Summer, I was also asked to become apart of the Apartments.com team as a Brand Ambassador.  Through my partnership with Apartments.com I have been able to share ideas + inspiration about living in an apartment and/or a small space.  We’re all looking for strategic ways to maximize our space and often with a little planning and outside-of-the-box thinking, a better use of space is possible. As a Brand Ambassador for Apts.com, over the past few months I have shared many easy-to-create DIY projects, like these rope wrapped vases and glasses.

August was a slow month on the DIY homefront, but it was a busy month in general because my family and I hit the road for the biggest roadtrip we’ve ever taken.  We headed to Atlanta for the Haven Conference in a 2300+ total mile trip.  The trip truly changed my life.  I finally got to meet so many friends that I had only known thus far through the computer.  It’s amazing how blogging has made such an impact on my life.

Haven Conference in Atlanta 2013

Once I returned from Haven, I was still a busy DIY girl!  I kept myself occupied with revamping my bookcase backs, sharing inspiration on ideas for open kitchen shelving, and my latest DIY creation – a new pallet gardening table.

DIY: Vertical Garden Table

Also in late Summer, I became a covergirl by having a space I designed featured on the cover.  I had worked with a local magazine called, Saratoga Mama, and their Fall magazine featured a Kids Corner Craft area that I designed.  It was such a fun project to be apart of!

Saratoga Mama magazine Fall 2013

As Fall rolled around, and we welcomed September + my 3 year blog anniversary, ideas for a foyer revamp started to fill my head.  And when I set my mind to something, I usually can’t let it go. The best part of the foyer makeover was definitely the addition of wide horizontal stripes.  Of course, I shared a few tips + tricks I learned to achieve the most perfect stripes

Creating Perfect horizontal stripes

A few other favorite projects + posts in September were how I created drop cloth curtain panels with a leading edge (one of my most favorite projects to date), my unique Fall wreath with plums + peacock, and ideas + solutions for the wall BEHIND the TV.

In October, I tackled quite a few fun and easy DIY projects like the creation of the stained yellow coffee table with dipped legs, the chevron patterned pillow, and how to bring the outdoors in with Fern Art

How to Make Fern Art

October was also an exciting month because I got to share the final foyer reveal with you.  The space has had quite the evolution of styles over the years!

Foyer Remodel

November brought the start of the Christmas decorating season.  We started early this year!  But before I began showing you all things Christmas around the house, I opened up a secret door in the house.  One that is often not revealed to anyone.  What am I talking about??  The inside of the kitchen cabinets, of course.  But I was okay with opening them up because I reorganized them and they looked fab.

Kitchen cabinet organization

As December rolled on in, the house transformed into a seasonal wonderland.  I was honored to be apart of the Jennifer Rizzo Holiday Housewalk Tour and opened my home for Christmas Tour.  I was blessed to be apart of this well-known blogland tour and had a great time showing you around my holiday decorated home.

Christmas Home Tour

And to round out this blessed year, my kids and I are currently featured in the I Did It section of the Better Homes and Gardens January issue – which is on stands now.  I shared all about the behind the scenes of the day just a few weeks ago.

@Jenna_Burger featured in the I Did It section of Better Homes and Gardens January 2014

What a year it’s been.  To be honest, not until putting this post together did I realize how much we’ve tackled and accomplished this past year.  Like I’ve said so many times, it’s been an incredibly surprising and rewarding year.  I can’t wait to see what 2014 brings…

A few of my friends and I are hosting a link up for you to share your “Best of 2013” or “Year in Review” posts.  These types of posts are great because they give a fantastic recap into the biggest accomplishments throughout the year.

2013 Year in Review

After you’ve linked up, head on over to Beth, Carrie, and Jessica’s blog where they are sharing their recaps + your “Best of 2013” posts will be seen on their blogs too.

Beth, Unskinny Boppy

Carrie, Making Lemonade

Jessica, Decor Adventures

The only party guidelines: Visit the co-hosts and if you link up, perhaps publicize the party on Facebook or Twitter so others can find out about it as well.  The more the merrier!