Happy New Year!
I absolutely love the time of year between Christmas and New Years when I hibernate, take time off, and generally loaf around without any deadlines, commitments or expectations beyond wearing pajama-like clothes all day, every day. We’ve been doing puzzles and science experiments, watching movies, playing board games, letting the boys have playdates and sleepovers. I had planned on getting a few projects done, but neither Jeff nor I felt like cutting, measuring, or installing anything, which would all have been required. The house is a bit messy, the snacks have been thoroughly raided, and the Christmas decorations are still up.
In the midst of all of the planned downtime, though, I had some rich and productive creative time. I spent the time I had to myself in my studio writing, painting, studying, drawing plans, taking notes and I can already see and feel the benefits of letting myself rest and I have a growing excitement for all that 2019 may hold.
I’ll share more with you in another post, but today, I am sharing my top ten blog posts from 2018. These aren’t my favorite posts necessarily or even all posts that I wrote and published in 2018, but they are the posts that received the most page views according to Google Analytics this year…
TEN
Makeover of the Paisley Chairs
I found some red paisley chairs on craigslist when we first moved to MN and this summer, I finally got around to putting my stamp on them in this post…
NINE
We did a lot of home improvement this year and getting new kitchen counters was one of my favorite upgrades! This post shows the reveal after they were installed.
EIGHT
I transformed an orange-ish, over-shellacked craigslist table to use in my dining room in this post…
SEVEN
When my mom came to visit last January, she convinced me that we should make as many curtain panels as we could to knock them off of my to-do list. I can sew, but it’s not my favorite thing to do, so I drag my feet. We managed to sew the curtain panels for the bedroom, living room, kitchen eating area, and three linen panels for my studio!
SIX
Bulter’s Pantry Preview & Free Mrs. Meyers
I’m not sure that it was the butler’s pantry preview or the free Mrs. Meyers products that landed this one on the list, but I’d like to think it was the butler’s pantry! That project was definitely a highlight for me this year.
FIVE
Repainting the Primitive Blue Cabinet
I took a deep breath and repainted my beloved antique hutch in a softer shade, so the color would work better in our new dining room. I later painted the interior as well, because it was looking like a black hole in the room!
FOUR
I’m so glad this made it to the top of the list, because I love how our tree and this entire room looked all decorated for Christmas. (Actually, it still looks this way, because I haven’t taken our decorations down, yet!)
THREE
This post went up January 2 of this year, so it’s the most popular post of this year that I actually wrote and published in 2018. It’s interesting how some of the simplest posts do so well! I was just sharing which color I selected for our master bedroom walls – Stonington Gray by Benjamin Moore.
TWO
This was a tutorial I wrote for Cottages & Bungalows years ago that I published on my blog after the issue was no longer available. This tutorial has been circulated on Pinterest and has consistently been one of my tops posts.
ONE
Pinterest is also responsible for this being my most popular post this year! And, of course, it was one of my posts without any pretty pictures in it. That seems to be how it goes. I wrote this tutorial a couple of years ago when I was making new cushions for some inherited deck chairs. It’s a simple tutorial that could work for any sofa, chair, daybed, etc. cushions that need to be replaced.
And those are my top 10 posts from 2018!
Here are some of the other top 10 DIY/Home blog posts from around the internet…
TIDBITS | Miss Mustard Seed | Farmhouse on Boone | Maison De Pax | A Burst of Beautiful
Simply Designing | Bless’er House | Taryn Whiteaker Designs | Designthusiasm | Unskinny Boppy
Live Laugh Rowe | Kendra John Designs | House by Hoff | So Much Better With Age | Life On Virginia Street
ZDesign At Home | Town and Country Living | Shabbyfufu | Happy Happy Nester | Stacy Risenmay
Cherished bliss | Clean and Scentsible | anderson + grant | The Happy Housie | Summer Adams
I still love the Stonington Gray color. I’m thinking about using it in the new house in a couple of months. Thanks for sharing so many great projects! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
Always love seeing all the bloggers Top 10 Posts from the previous year. I enjoy the projects such as painting, furniture make-overs and home tours the most. Sponsored posts are my least favorite among bloggers and the majority of the time I don’t read them especially for the higher-end products. Every room starts to look like one big commercial. I do my own research on a product because for me its my own pocketbook and the majority of the time you will never get a true unbiased long term review of the item.
I completely agree that you should research what you purchase. Sponsored posts can be a great way to learn about products you might like, but it is a paid endorsement. I only endorse products and services I genuinely like, but we don’t know each other personally, so some healthy skepticism is a good thing in this case. 🙂
Thank you i enjoyed each and every one of them and am looking forward to what might come to 2019.
I started guessing at #1 halfway through the list. Alas, I was wrong! I thought for sure your laundry room makeover would win. I loved that, even though it didn’t make the top 10.
I agree about the laundry room but would have thought thr kitchen counters would have been further down the list !
Marian , what’s the trick in getting Christmas tree ribbon to run vertical and look so pretty ?
I loved them all!!!! BUT!!!!! What about the dining room mural!!!!!! It had to up there…and the laundry room too???
Enjoyed them ALL and can’t wait to see whats coming next!!!
Happy New Year to you and all your extended family!!!! God Bless!!!
(love-love-love that butlers pantry make over!!!)
I know! Those three will definitely make my list of favorites. 🙂
I also think the laundry room is my favorite!! I loved what you did in there! So impressive!! But I enjoy all your post ?
I know! I was surprised that one didn’t make it!
Agree… I think the kitchen counters and the butler’s pantry would have been much higher on your list. The mural too. Those are my favorites. I might try Stonington Gray on a dresser I recently got. The room is gray – but a darker shade. Hmmmm… wish you lived much closer. 🙂 ha!
I know! These aren’t my favorites, though, just the ones that received the most page views, which is usually dictated by Pinterest. I’ll share a post with my favorites and the mural and butler’s pantry will definitely make that list!
I just love your whole house and everything about it. You have so much room and such good taste. You are so talented and smart. Thank you for sharing everything with us.
Thank you! What a lovely compliment!
Oh I hear ya! I live for that break after Christmas. It’s absolutely divine. I loved seeing all your best posts . . . except they are all great! Thank you so much for joining me for this Marian!
Or do I mean further up the list ? Well never mind . I loved the reveal .
Sweet Marion,
Over the years I have been blesses by your posts. You are so real and very gifted.
The post that made me smile the most was you and your family singing to us! What a gift!
Thank you for all you do. Be Blessed. Jill
Marion,
I love all your posts but the furniture makeovers are usually my favorite! (And the ones you’ve written about doing markets too – I love seeing all the photos of your pieces displayed together and learning more about the business side of things also.) You’ve been an inspiration to me for years, so thank you! Happy 2019 🙂
Jen, Girl in the Garage
Thank you, Jen!