I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! We’ve all been taking it pretty easy this week but I was able to recruit help from Wes, Madison and Madison’s friend yesterday and we made fast progress of the demo that needed to happen. Celebrate -good -times! Since my last update, I changed up my design plan a […]
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Every year I like to share a little recap highlighting favorite projects and posts. It gives you an opportunity to catch up on posts you might have missed, and it allows me to look back at my progress from the past year, which motivates me to set more goals for the coming year. Plus, sometimes it’s fun to take a walk down memory lane.
I took a look at my analytics, and my most popular/frequently visited post for 5 years straight has been my furniture painting tutorial. This is remarkable to me simply because when I wrote it, I hadn’t been blogging long and I thought for sure no one would ever read it.
How to Paint Furniture: A Beginner’s Guide
And in no particular order, here are my top 10 favorite/most frequently visited posts from 2016.
That Time We Rented a Herd of Goats for Ivy Removal (Including answers to all of your questions about the process.) They also came back a second time and brought babies!
Closet Makeover Reveal: I gave our closet a fun, glam makeover which involved making regular wallpaper easily removable and a DIY light fixture.
DIY LEGO Table {IKEA Baby Changing Table Hack}: I took part in a fun challenge in which a handful of bloggers were sent a basic IKEA baby changing table and we had to turn it into something else. I opted to transform mine into a LEGO table which my kids use daily. It was even featured in Parents Magazine, which was exciting!
Side Table Makeover with FolkArt Milk Paint: One of the things I love about being a brand ambassador for Plaid® is that I’m able to try out all sorts of fun new products. This past year, I tried out FolkArt’s new line of milk paint when I made over this old side table.
Master Bedroom Makeover {One Room Challenge Reveal}: You have to see the “before.” It was sad. Really, really sad.
DIY Faux Concrete Planter : This was another project I did for Plaid® using FolkArt Painted Finishes. You can pretty much make anything look like concrete with this product, so I opted to build a simple succulent planter and I gave it a concrete look.
IKEA TARVA Hack: For our master bedroom makeover, I wanted a unique nightstand but I didn’t want to spend a fortune. I purchased a basic IKEA chest and customized it.
Stenciled Canvas Instagram Photo Display: This canvas hangs above my desk in the “mom cave,” and I love that I can swap out the photos anytime I want.
Family Room Makeover: This room has evolved a lot since we moved into our home 3 years ago. I finally focused on making it over this past year, including a fireplace makeover.
Coffee Bar Makeover Reveal {One Room Challenge}: We transformed our 80s butler’s pantry/wet bar room into a modern coffee bar for this fall’s One Room Challenge. The “before” was just plain embarrassing, but we love the outcome. It took some blood, sweat, and tears to whip this little space into shape, but I think the work paid off in the end.
I also had a couple of travel posts this year.
We had an amazing time in Edisto, SC which I shared here: Our Trip to Edisto Island & My 5 Beach Must-Haves.
Chris and I also headed to Charleston for our 10th anniversary, and I shared some of my recommendations if you happen to be traveling there: Travel Guide: Things to Do in Charleston, SC
For more of my posts, be sure to check out my project gallery or home tour.
I hope you all have a very happy New Year!
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The post Favorite Projects of 2016 appeared first on Erin Spain.
I recently went to Dallas to visit with Shelby and help her build a small project for her new home. Shelby’s home was one of the 1009 homes Lowe’s helped Habitat for Humanity build or repair this year! I first met Shelby in May, when I went out to help frame her house with Lowe’s and Habitat […]
The post Kindness Moves Mountains appeared first on Sawdust Girl®.
Our garage lights are in constant use throughout the day. From moving our car in and out of the garage, to needing the lights when we use the garage as a workshop. We’ve replaced the halogen bulbs with CFLs, which save a lot on energy, but more often than not we would always leave the lights on instead of turning them off—mostly because we are lazy. We recently installed Lutron’s occupancy sensor switch that turns the lights on and off for you, and we no longer live without the guilt of leaving lights on and we also save money each month on our electric bill.
A couple years ago we replaced our standard garage light switch with a timed light switch, that we could set at 5, 10, 30, and 60 minute intervals. This switch ensured that the light would always turn off after the time expired but it has it downsides. Because it doesn’t have a sensor, the light would switch off after an hour and I’d need to stop what I was doing and set the light back on again. This became extremely inconvenient at night and when I would be in the middle of a project. Finding my way in the dark in the garage is a risky proposition.
With our new Lutron Sensor light, it will stay on as long as it senses motion in the room and you can set the timer to turn off the light after 1, 5, 15, or 30 minutes of inactivity. The sensor can also be adjusted for auto-on and off or manual-on and auto-off, or auto-on daylight and auto-off. This many features makes this switch valuable for a variety of applications. We’re considering adding another switch to our bathroom and kitchen since it’s so convenient.
The installation was simple. The Lutron sensor comes with screw nuts and screws. You can use your existing wall plate which will fit directly over the sensor.
It should take roughly 15-20 minutes to install the new switch and the only tool you need is a screwdriver. We’ve neglected to make some drywall repairs around our switch because the switch is in the garage and appearance isn’t as important, but our fancy new Lutron light is just begging for a better looking wall.
We use our sensor to control our garage lights which are a mix of CFLs and LEDs. The sensor can work with any bulb type.
If you’re seeking a hands-free lighting solution that is both convenient and money-saving, then look no further than the Lutron occupancy sensing light switches.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of LUTRON. The opinions and text are all mine.
I started the Jack-and-Jill bathroom remodel this week! It’s as much a surprise to me as it is you. Haha-seriouslythough. When we live in a house while I remodel it, I have to continually rearrange my “project priority list” based on our current life needs. Right now our needs require me to divert my project energy away from my studio (once […]
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I am honored to be participating in the “Welcome Home” blog tour hosted by Chris from Just a Girl, where throughout the week a group of amazing bloggers (and also me) will be sharing their porches and entryways all decked out for the holidays. (You can see this week’s full lineup at the end of this post.) If you’re visiting from Decor Gold, welcome! I’m Erin, a mom of 3 sweet little boys living in the suburbs of Atlanta and figuring out this whole DIY thing as I go along. Sadly, we usually don’t do a whole lot to the outside of our house for Christmas. We just toss a fresh wreath on the front door and call it a day. (Also, ignore the moss. We should probably do something about that.)
I actually love our wreath. Every year our church preschool has a fundraiser selling fresh greenery, and I always buy the same wreath (even the years that I don’t have a child attending the school). This year, I decided to add two little pre-lit mini trees flanking the front door. They’re much more attractive than the pots of dead mums that had been there since late summer. (#BlackThumbsUnite).
Since our porch is small and we don’t have a whole lot going on, I thought I would share a peek inside too. Our entryway (or foyer) is one of my favorite spots to decorate for Christmas since it’s the first thing our guests see when they arrive. (This post contains affiliate links.)
Living in Georgia, Magnolia trees are plentiful and we are lucky enough to have a couple of large ones in our yard. I cut a few branches to display on the console table.
I built the bench a couple years ago when I was 8 months pregnant and nesting like crazy. I decided we were going to have lots of guests visiting the new baby and our entryway was empty, and therefore needed a bench right this second. So out to the garage I waddled and threw together a very simple-to-build bench using scrap wood. I also built the coat rack on the wall above it.
Blanket Scarf (Similar) | Boots | Polka Dot Gift Wrap | Striped Gift Wrap
I always include a mirror shot in my holiday tours because they’re my favorite.
I like to snag a couple of fresh boxwood wreaths from Trader Joe’s at the beginning of the season. I’m not great at keeping them looking fresh, but I do love them and they’re inexpensive! I know the preserved boxwoods are quite pricey, so I’m happy to go this route instead.
I love fresh garland too (also from Trader Joe’s). Since we have artificial Christmas trees (3 of them, actually!), this is how we get our fresh greenery fix. I usually add battery-powered LED string lights, and do the same on the banister. I used floral wire from the craft store to attach it. I actually use it for a lot of things—it’s a handy craft supply to keep in your stash.
If you glance to the right when you walk in the front door, you’ll see my “mom cave” where we have one of our 3 Christmas trees (this year, it’s colorful!).
Turn on your JavaScript to view contentIf you missed my other tours, here are a couple of shots from those.
Here’s the mom cave all decked out in colorful Christmas decor.
Turn on your JavaScript to view contentAnd here’s a shot of our family room, where it’s all about a “Blue Christmas.”
Turn on your JavaScript to view contentYou can see our entire holiday home tour which I’ve split into two parts here and here, if you’re interested.
Be sure to head over to Honey We’re Home next, and you can find the entire week’s lineup below!
Monday
Just a Girl
A Thoughtful Place
Yellow Prairie Interiors
Haneen’s Haven
Tuesday
Hi Sugarplum
Brooklyn Limestone
320 Sycamore
Southern Hospitality
Wednesday
Sunny Side Up
Marie Flanigan Interiors
The House of Silver Lining
Bower Power
Thursday
Erin Spain
Honey We’re Home
Beneath My Heart
Home Made By Carmona
Decor Gold Designs
Friday
Centsational Girl
Thrifty Decor Chick
Tatertots and Jello
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The post Our Christmas Porch & Entryway {Welcome Home Blog Tour} appeared first on Erin Spain.
