While January always seems like a great time to dive in and tackle all of those projects that went by the way-side at the end of the year when the holidays came roaring in, I like to take some time to reflect back on the previous year. I did jump in head-first into a big kitchen revamp project for the New Year, New Room Refresh Challenge a couple weeks ago, but I’m pausing today to share my top 10 posts of 2017 [yes, the ones you loved and viewed the most!!] as well as some personal highlights from last year.
Let’s take a quick stroll down memory lane!
I’ve rounded up the most popular posts published in 2017 starting with #10 and working my way down to the number #1 most viewed of the year!
Not pictured is the actual pale pink vanity I painted as party of this $100 Room Challenge! Last September I decided to zhush up our main floor Powder Room, with, yep that’s right, a $100 budget! Click on the link above this photo to see the Reveal or you can start here with the Before photos & mood board and work your way to the reveal at the end of the 4 weeks. It truly was a challenge to get creative, shop your house, scour clearance sections and take on some DIY projects, but at the end, I had a finished budget-friendly space!!
Do you want me to take on another room in our home with $100?
Power to the throw pillows!! In this post, I showed you how to shuffle some pillows, switch out a throw blanket and change up the coffee table decor to bring two entirely different looks to my living room sofa. I was working with items I already owned so it was fun to see what a few minutes and very little effort could do to bring a new look to a space. Don’t we all crave a change every now and then?!
I loved how you guys really got into my Dollar Store DIY projects last year! With a Dollar Tree 5 minutes from our house and the incredible variety of functional, practical items you can grab there, I tend to frequent the aisles here. These Faux Succulent-filled Gold Orbs were a simple 5 minute DIY and truly something anyone can make. These cute little guys are still sitting on my living room bookcase 🙂
There’s no denying my love for holiday decor and the warmth and joy that fills our home during the month of December. This past Christmas I shared a peek into our Christmas Bedroom, Living Room, Dining Room and our Simply Red Christmas Family Room was the 7th most popular post published in 2017! While I enjoy the amped up lighting, decor and knick-knacks, I am always equally [if not more] excited to see it all go!
You’ve seen my kitchen plans for the New Year, New Room Refresh Challenge going on this month, but last year, I tackled the boys’ Playroom and gave it a much needed face-lift. After a thorough toy cleanse & de-cluttering sesh, new wall storage and organization, lighting, a family “hang out” wall decor and floating bookshelves, we now have a play space that is still working for us one year later. Although it’s ready for it’s 3rd toy clean-out in the last month!!
These large-scale hallway photos were one of my favorite projects / gallery walls in this home. I know so often, after professional family photos are taken, those digital images sit. They just sit on our computers and never make it past a Facebook or Instagram post. I decided to fill our big blank upstairs hallway wall with my five favorite shots from our most recent family photo shoot and have them printed and hung! You can see the full details on this wall here.
Now to decide when to change out the photos or let them be. They truly are some of my all-time favorites – especially that shot on the left of the boys snuggled up next to each other!
Another Christmas Tour made it to the top 10 – this favorite was our Christmas Living Room all jazzed up with classic red plaid and lots and lots of metallic! You know I can’t ever get enough gold!!
Everyone always seems to go ga-ga for IKEA hacks! This was a simple Billy Bookcase that I made-over to give it a bright, bold and modern look! You can see the DIY details and how it looks in our back entryway / mudroom.
A little organization never hurt anyone 🙂 We need all the help we can get in this house!
Our home all spruced up for summer was you guys’ 2nd most loved post! I shared a glimpse of the front porch, living room, dining room and our guest room last June and it was filled with pink, green, pink and more pink! If only the days of sunshine and brightly colored flowers were on their way. Sigh. Unfortunately we won’t be seeing this anytime soon here in Chicagoland. I tell myself I live in the Midwest and should embrace the joy and wonder of the four seasons, but it’s so hard to look at pictures like this and then look out the window. Only a few short months to go ha!
And now, for the #1 most viewed post of 2017…drumroll please!… My 5 Minute Holiday Hostess Gift – another My Dollar Store DIY post! I’m glad to know everyone is a fan of these ideas put into action with a few simple, inexpensive items from Dollar Tree! I whipped up 3 of these guys to have on hand for all of the holiday festivities we’d be partaking in all throughout the month of December. I would grab one of the mit gift packages and a bottle of wine and head out the door! It was a simple, thoughtful and most importantly, USEFUL gift! Head here to see what I put inside and how I packaged it up to get ready to gift!
And there you have it! While those were my most viewed posts of the year, I always like to take a peek and share what the most popular posts of all-time were. They continue to be the oldies, but goodies!
My 3 year Blog-iversary was at the beginning of March – so yes, I’m still plugging away at this little ol’ thing which is well into it’s 4th year now
T and I vacationed in Maui with my parents and grandparents last March
The boys and I hopped on a plane to visit my parents in Arizona in March and again in October [T joined us for the Fall trip ;)]
My baby turned 3 in May and started pre-school 5 days per week… he even rides the bus like such a big boy! You can read more about his program here.
The biggest turned 5 in July and then shortly after started FULL DAY Kindergarten – oh, the tears that were shed!
I attended my 3rd Haven Blogger’s conference in Atlanta in July
We celebrated 6 years of marriage on July 30th
Was invited to and attended my first Better Homes & Gardens Stylemaker Event in NYC [yes, a fabulous getaway and another fun-filled girl’s trip!!] in the Fall – most definitely a “pinch-me” kind of experience
The blog got a face-lift to make the site more visually appealing and easier to navigate – yay!
2 more exciting events took place at the end of the year, but you’ll have to wait for the details. I just simply cannot tell you yet! Stay tuned for more scoop 😉
While I sit here typing out some of the most important events and milestones my family and I experienced last year, I realize that hardly any of them are documented on the blog. While it’s true the blog started as a place to chronicle house projects and serve as a creative outlet for me, the more time that passes by and the more blood, sweat and tears I pour into this thing, I’m faced with a dilemma.
How much / how much more do I want to pour into the blog?
Do I want to share more personal experiences and be more real with you? ya know… mom-life, kiddos, normal day-to-day dilemmas that we all face!?
Do you want to see more of this side of me? What we’re doing, where we’re going, what I’m wearing…yes, I’ve dabbled in the style space and do have fun with it, but do you all want more?
As the new year has arrived, all of these real-life blogger questions have circled back again as well. Just what do I want my little space of the blog-osphere to look like? I would be more than grateful if you shared with me in the comments what you love, what you want to see more of and if more of the personal side of our life, home and family would be of interest to you. I’m all ears!!
Thanks for hanging with me through this unintentionally long post, but like I said, it’s always therapeutic to take time to reflect on our past in order to make well-thought out plans and goals for the year ahead. I’ve got a 2018 Plans & Projects post drafted so I’m anxious to hear from all of you because I’m hoping to add in a little bit about my blog direction and personal plans for the year, too!
You all are wonderful. Thank you for your love, support and loyalty. You truly mean the world to me.
Nathalie Larner
January 15, 2018 at 6:14 PMGorgeous! Love the colors & accents. Great ideas.