To celebrate I joined up with a bunch of other bloggers and we gave away a Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer.
But FIRST I had to get a little sappy and sentimental..Blogging is a strange creative format. I spend most of the time creating a project without any feedback. I may put hours and hours into something and have no idea if it is crazy or absurd or actually useful. Just because I like it doesn’t mean anyone else will. You have no idea how many times I write up a post and I think “this is pretty cool.. I hope someone out there likes it..”
And sure, as this blog has grown and been featured, it has meant that haters come out of the woodwork too.. but it is all worthwhile when I hear back from someone who was inspired by something they read here. As much as the page views and ad revenue delight me, the thing that means the most is when I find out a reader has tried something they didn’t think they could do because I posted about it.
Most of that type of feedback comes from posts on things like painting your kitchen cabinets. Big projects where people spend a lot of time researching how to do it and they finally get up the nerve:
But sometimes it is the smaller projects that grab a readers attention. It can even be a simple tip, like using Clorox Wipes instead of a tack cloth after sanding, but it still makes me so happy to know I made someone’s project a little easier:
Last winter I featured a reader who knocked off my reclaimed lumber christmas sign. I loved Amy’s version so much and the idea that she did it because she saw it on my blog boggled my mind.
Hers:
The Original:
Well, since that time, i have had a few other readers share their success stories with me, and today I thought I would round them all up into one giant post. I don’t want anyone to ever think that I have some sort of ‘skill’ that other people don’t have. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. I may be a little more daring to try something funky (or even a little bit crazy), but as these reader projects prove, I am not any more talented than the next guy.
If you read a tutorial on this blog.. you should NOT be too intimidated to try it. I am pretty sure you can do just as good a job as me.. if not better.
For example, Katie shared this fantastic version of my mudroom built-ins from Ikea bookcases. I love her version more than the original, and when I shared it on my Facebook page, everyone else did too.
Hers:
The Original:
The “How to Paint Upholstery” post was also a big inspiration for readers. It may sound a little crazy, but it really does work, and I heard back from a couple people about their successes:
Lynda did an entire sofa.
Before:
After:
And Shelia (from House Of Highlands) kicked it up a notch with this radiant makeover:
Before:
After:
Their finished products are beautiful! They put my original to shame:
Another (more recent) reader knock off was this icky cockroach pumpkin created by Jen and her daughters:
After seeing my creepy crawly version on Facebook:
Danielle, from Fallen Branch Designs, also inspired by my Dollar Store Pumpkin Week, got in the halloween spirit as well and transformed a dollar store SKULL into this awesome wreath:
Little does she know I ALSO have big plans for a dollar store skull too! (See, obviously I am not anymore creative than the next person… )
I just want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who takes time out of your day to swing by and read my blog. Especially some of my long term ‘regulars’ who are my biggest cheerleaders.
Seriously.. I love you all more than you realize (even if I suck at responding to comments.. I am reading them I promise!)
