Top 10 Posts of 2015

Hi Everyone! So glad to be back with you all. After enjoying some time with friends and family over the holidays, I am eager to start doing more projects around the home again. While on break, I also realized just how much I missed sharing a piece of myself, my life, with all of you. After all, crafting or styling a home is a deeply personal process. Anytime any one of us spends time designing and creating, we produce something that comes as much from our hearts as it does our hands. Like an artists’ painting, our home is our canvas, and our crafts, DIY’s and even our decorating projects are a reflection of our personalities, our passions, and our current state of mind. It is a snapshot of where our lives are with a hint of where we hope we can be.

So as I look forward to all I have planned for this year – including plenty of crafts, DIYs, and decorating projects – I wanted to take a moment to look back on the most popular posts from last year.  I hope you find this a fun look back, maybe catch a project or two that you may have missed or forgotten, and pin or share with others. And if your favourite project did not make the list, or if you’ve taken a crack at one of the projects listed, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section at the bottom of this post.

So without further ado, here are the top 10 posts of 2015, in no particular order:

1.  An Introduction to Weaving (Part 1 & 2)

This was one of my favourite posts to put together. You can check out part 1 here, An Introduction to Weaving, I and part 2 here, An Introduction to Weaving, II.  Weaving is so much fun and incredibly relaxing. I think it’s because it takes time! And the results are uniquely yours 🙂  The wall weaving pictured above is still hanging in our den/guest room and I still love it.

2.  Yarn-Wrapped Bracelet

This is the only jewelry post that I’ve done so far, but it seems to have caught a bit of attention. I was not sure how it would be received as it was a little off the beaten path. I distinctly remember feeling relief that I had such a positive response to it. I hope to do some more jewelry posts in the future, so stay tuned. In the meantime, you can find the tutorial here:  Yarn-Wrapped Bracelet.

3.  DIY Cubby Wall Display

This was one of those projects that filled both a practical and aesthetic need. With a nine-foot long half wall in the middle of the room, it was the one area in our Great Room that was difficult to ignore. It could not be camouflaged in any way nor could we put a piece of furniture against it without it feeling out of place somehow. This cubby wall display was a great way to add both style and solve a practical design dilemma without spending a whole whack of money.

It’s a great wall display that can be changed out with the seasons and the inserts are interchangeable too. To see how to create this cubby wall display, click here:  DIY Cubby Wall Display.  (To see what I did with the display for Christmas, click here:  Christmas Home Tour)

4.  DIY Yarn Wall Hanging

This was one of the earliest posts I did and the first yarn wall hanging in our house. It still hangs in our bedroom reading nook and seems to fit the space quite nicely.  What I love about textured wall art is that it can be adapted to suit any style of home – and the colour possibilities are endless. Check out the tutorial here:  DIY Yarn Wall Hanging.

5.  DIY Mini Tassel Fringe

This project turned a tired old lap throw into a cute and trendy living room accessory. Once hidden in a storage basket in our Great Room, now this chic throw is displayed prominently on our blanket storage ladder. Even our cat Napoleon loves lying on top of it whenever it’s left out 🙂

See the tutorial here:  DIY Mini Tassel Fringe.

6.  3 Steps to Styling a Sofa

One of my favourite things to do is to change things up in my home in subtle ways. I am always moving accessories around or restyling an area using the same objects. Whether it’s styling surfaces, walls or furniture, I can’t seem to get enough. And I loved doing this post for you all.

You can check it out here:  3 Steps to Styling Sofa.

7.  Our Patio in Progress:  5 Takeaways For Your Home

This was another enjoyable styling post to create. In part because shopping for decor is one of my favourite pastimes 😉 ; in part because playing around with brightly-coloured accessories was a nice change to the soothing palette I have inside my home; and, in part, because it meant that we were ready to finally invite guests over to enjoy our new patio set – which we did just a few short weeks later.

To see all the pictures and takeaways, click here:  Our Patio in Progress: 5 Takeaways for Your Home.

8.  Chic & Crafty Hand-Painted Candles

Fast, easy and inexpensive (the candles are from Walmart), this craft project has so many applications from candles to ornaments and everything in between. I did this on a whim and never expected the shares and likes on it.

To see how to create your own, check out the tutorial here:  Chic & Crafty Hand-Painted Candles.

9.  How to Make a Boxwood Wreath

This was yet another simple DIY (and one of my personal favourites) that others seemed to enjoy here and in the blogosphere. It’s been over a  month now and the wreath is still hanging on our front door. Not quite as fresh, but still workin’ it!

No glue or floral wire was required to create this wreath. See the tutorial here:  How to Make a Boxwood Wreath.

10.  Yarn-Wrapped Pinecones

And last, but certainly not least, this little project made me smile when I first came across it over at the blog Family Chic. I just knew I had to try it myself. As most of you know, I am a big fan of pinecones and love using them in both their raw and embellished form. Definitely a fun and easy project to do and one you can duplicate with the kiddos all year round.

See it here:  Yarn-Wrapped Pinecones.

So, there you have it – the top 10 posts of 2015.  Thanks so much for stopping by. I can’t wait to share more of what’s to come 🙂