A Look Back at 2010

At the end of the year, it's fun to look back at what we've been up to.  Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality is hosting a Best of 2010 party as is Kim at Savvy Southern Style.  These are some of my favorite projects from this past year.  I only started blogging this autumn, so some of these projects were undocumented and I only have the After photos.

Laundry Room Doors.

I took the existing doors and flipped them upside down, removed the upper slats, cut plexiglass to fit, installed the plexiglass with some quarter round molding to hold it in place, frosted the glass, and installed new handles.  It was a toss up between "Laundry Room - drop your pants here" or what I ended up using - "It all comes out in the Wash."  I felt like the latter, while not as funny, read better for all guests and since we're huge card players had additional "inside" meaning.  "The Wash" is what it's called when the dealer spreads the cards out and moves them around vs a traditional shuffle.  One of the best things about this change is that now morning light floods the stairwell opposite these doors.

Finished Backsplash.

This counts as a 2010 project, because it was drawn out for so long.  I actually installed the tile before Thanksgiving 2009, but didn't grout until Spring 2010.  Our kitchen was one of those DIY projects that stretches out way beyond when you'd kick a contractor to the curb for not finishing in a reasonable amount of time.  The problem with DIY is once the room is usable, there's no big push to finish.  The backsplash is a mix of carrera marble, grey porcelain, ceramic tile in various shades of grey, and my favorite glass tile, Interstyle Barcode in Dragonfish.

Dining Room Chairs Redo.

This project was easy to do and could be broken up into small chunks.  Any time I had a spare 1/2 hour, I could quickly bang out a chair.

Re-Covered Outdoor Patio Set.

Indoor furniture isn't the only stuff worthy of a re-do.  I love the turquoise and orange paisley fabric I used on these chairs.  It's cheerfully bright and fun without being overly cutesy.

Snuggle Bunny's Room Makeover.

This project was spread out over the entire year.  Just like with the kitchen project, I tackled small chunks whenever I had the time to finish one small step.  The quilt actually stretched out over a couple of months, cutting a dozen squares at a time, and sewing at 20 minute intervals.  The big push to finish this was when CG was out of town for a week and I had the whole house to myself.

DIY Silhouette Artwork.

This was a fun project, that used up some of the paint leftover from SB's room makeover, and commemorated one of the best camping trips of the year.  We still exchange stories about this camping trip when we get together with our friends who camped with us.

I need to give some love to some of my holiday projects, too.

We can't forget the Halloween Party.

CG and I had so much fun decorating for this party and the kids had a blast.

My favorite Christmas project:  The Photo Wreath.

It was so much fun going through all the old photos to put this project together.

This was a fun trip down memory lane.  I can't wait to get started on some new projects for the new year.  I've got tons of ideas brewing for 2011.  Also check out the other neat projects at The DIY Showoff.