Top Posts of 2011

It was not until I started looking back through my posts that I realized just how much we have accomplished this year! Our house is definitely well on the way to becoming the home we have always dreamed of.
According to the pageviews for my blog, the following were the most viewed posts from this year:

1.Architectural Art
This project consumed most of my year as I was very busy making these for several family members, co-workers, every wedding/shower we attended and even a few anniversaries.

I changed it up a little bit at the end of the year by creating similiar pieces using photographs of different tools, which I gifted to my nephews for Christmas.


2.Thomas Train Birthday Party
This was one of the most fun projects I did all year. It is absolutely ridiculous the amount of money you could spend in decorating for a party and feeding the guests. I think that it is so much more fun and personal, not to mention cheaper, to be able to create the decorations myself.


3.Curb Appeal
Since moving into our current home, I have been less than thrilled with the curb appeal. I had contemplated painting the exterior of our home this summer to freshen up the curb appeal and also camouflage some of the flaws. Fortunately, we were able to update the curb appeal with brand new vinyl siding and a new roof! This is one of the most amazing transformations that our home has undergone in the 2 years that we have owned it!


4.Living Room Changes
A change to the curtains in our living room resulted in painting it for the 3rd time in the past two years! We also bought 2 new sofas! The room has come a long way since we first moved in!


5. Dramatic Dining Room Color
Finding a gallon of "oops" paint prompted a drastic color change in our dining room!


6. Landscaping
After 2 years in our current house, we finally spent some time working on cleaning up the landscaping around our house. A large bush on our lot was replaced with a much cleaner looking rock garden. We also trimmed several trees and cleaned up the flower beds in front of our house.


7. Gallery Wall I have wanted a gallery wall for awhile and this year I found a perfect spot to put one in our basement stairwell. My mom was over recently and said that it took her 10 minutes to get up the stairs. I remarked that it was because of her recent knee surgery and difficulty getting up the stairs. She immediately responded, "No, I was busy taking in all of the photos on the stairs!"


8. Fall Topiary Update
I loved the pumpkin topiary that I created last year, but this one was even better!


9. Safari Themed Baby Shower
Planning my sister-in-laws baby shower was a jumpstart to my creativity after taking several weeks off! Here you can see some of the fun shower games and decor ideas that could be used for a baby girl or boy!


10. Little Mermaid Birthday Party
Check out how I made everything from invitations to decor and a cake for my little girls' Little Mermaid themed birthday party.