Six Year Blogiversary!

Thanks to good ol’ Facebook, I was informed this morning that today is my blogiversary! Yes, six years ago, sitting on my laptop on my giant navy sectional, in a family room that looked oh-so- different than it does today, I sat down and began typing my first post. Never did I EVER imagine I’d have over 13,000 followers one day, or get to meet SO MANY amazing, inspiring people. Or get diagnosed with a life changing disease and some scary health issues that has allowed me to use this blog for even bigger things. I never imagined you and I would go through parenting together – not just decorating. And guide each other through the bittersweet milestones that come along with it.

Yes, a lot has happened in six years.

I thought it would be fun to take a stroll down Memory Lane and share some “Then And Now” photos. Not only have I as a person, gone through a LOT of changes in six years, but our house sure has as well!

For example, we went from black furniture and gold walls in the dining room…

DR

…to white shiplap, seagrass rug, a rearranged painted table and china cabinet, and metal chairs! (And some other new stuff;)

dining room

And man, has the kitchen gone through some changes as well.

Here’s what it used to be…

old kitchen

…and now!

kitchen

 

Same cabinets, just removed the fronts on some, added molding to the others to give them a Shaker style look, and still the same floor and countertops…though I’m hoping those will change in the near future;) And I’ve got some big plans for the cabinets if I can talk Mr. ND into it! Stay tuned for that…

We can’t forget about the family room!

old family room

Wow! And now

shop your home

summer family room

Those chairs sit where the wall with all those frames once was.

And check out that cherry red banister and wood by the steps in the family room shot! That got an update as well:

banister makeover

Let’s head on upstairs to see the bedrooms…

But first, the hallway!

Hall

And now:

hallway makeover

And our bedroom then:

old bedroom

And a new layout and a makeover later:

bedroom3

Still one of my favorite rooms in the house.

The master bath was probably the most dramatic. This was what it looked like 6 years ago:

DSC_0849

And I did what I could to live with it until we had the funds to demo it:

DSC_0379

The happy day came in 2014 when we finally got to say goodbye to the yellow toilet!!

Bathroom makeover

Ok, THAT might be my favorite;)

Hard to believe, but back then, we still had a baby in a crib…

N1

And gave him a big boy makeover:

big boy room

We had one girl with a purple room:

r23

Who now has the scalloped wall!

scalloped wall

And the other girl with a bright blue and pink garden-y rooom…

r

…now has a more mature look:

diy sign

Oh! And can’t forget about the basement. Back then, it was a Ravens theme…

basement before

And we gave it a brighter new look a couple years ago!

basement makeover

You know, I used to cringe a bit when I’d see old photos of my house before…but I remember reading a post of Thrifty Decor Chick‘s when she talked about her taste evolving. She said that even though her taste and decor had changed – at the time, she loved it. That really spoke to me. There are no regrets, because back then, I was very happy with how everything looked. Our house has always felt like my happy place – at every stage in my life. And I’m sure it’ll change again, because we’re always evolving, and I’ll look back at the current photos and be surprised – but I’ll never stop feeling thankful and remembering the happiness each room brought me at the time. (By the way – crazy ironic that I mentioned TDC in this post because she is the very first blog I ever started reading – I didn’t even know what a blog was before her! I followed her daily back then and was (and still am!) so inspired by her).

And I’ll never stop being thankful for each and every single one of YOU – whether you’ve been with me from the beginning, or just started reading today – you’ll never know how much it means to me that you clicked on this little blog of mine and are reading these words I’m typing. I have so much fun doing what I do, and sharing ideas with you. I hope I inspire you to want to make your home your favorite place to be. Because at the end of the day…

me

That sign says it all.

Thank you for joining me on this trip down Memory Lane! So fun. I love you guys! Here’s to many more years!

XO, Liz

Comments

  1. Tiziana Revell says:

    How inspiring!! You’re home is oh so lovely!! Our family moved into our newly built house a year ago today and I am currently in a love hate relationship with our home. It doesn’t speak to me or feel like home. This post gives me hope!

  2. Anne Lepczyk says:

    I think I speak for many of your followers that YOU inspire us!! Love ya, Liz!!

  3. Wow!!love all transformation you made…very nice n bright…Your house is lovely
    …happy Anniversary!!

  4. I love reading your blog and I love your style! Very warm and classy.

  5. Liz, I have been following you for a looong time. Maybe not 6 years, but at least 5! You have inspired me to shop my home, be a little craftier, think outside the lines and embrace my older home. We have never met but I feel like I know you. I relate to you. Your blogs have brought me smiles and tears. You are an inspiration and I am so thankful I found your blog! Love all the way from South Carolina!

  6. Dear Liz, I am Alex from OOSilk, could you tell me if you are interested in doing product review for our 100% mulberry silk products? Please contact me through e-mail. This is my e-mail address: wangyuanok@outlook.com. Looking forward to hear from you soon. 🙂

  7. Deena Cate says:

    Love seeing what you decide to tackle be it big or small! I have even gone to a friends house for one of your craft nights, a home sign with the crab… my oldest daughter quickly snatched it up for her room! Thanks for all the inspiration, can’t wait to see what comes next! 😊

  8. Wow! Great makeovers Liz! ….AND that TV cabinet might be my favorite too! 🙂 🙂

  9. 6 years! I’ve been following you almost from the beginning. When I started reading your blog we were just renting a little house, dreaming about the day that I would own my own home. I often felt discouraged because I was operating on such a tight budget, and didn’t feel like I could make any of the changes I wanted to within my home. Then I found your blog! You inspired me so much to “shop my home” and work with what I had. I became obsessed with all your thrifty diy ideas that I could ACTUALLY achieve! It encouraged me so much. I have loved watching the transformation of your home over the years, and feeling like I know you, even though we’ve never met. I appreciate your heartfelt sentiments about your family and the vulnerability when you share about your health struggles. I have sincerely enjoyed following along with you on this journey. Not only are you an amazing decorator, but you have a knack for connecting with people and pulling at their heartstrings. SO happy for all the success you’ve had and will continue to enjoy seeing what “Liz is up to now!” <3 God Bless you friend! Thanks for 6 years of fun and encouragement!

    • Carli! You brought tears to my eyes, thank you for these incredibly kind, moving words. I can’t tell you how much it means to me. Your name is one I always recognize when it pops up – I feel like we go way back as well! 🙂 Anytime I feel discouraged, I think I’ll pull this comment up and I know I’ll feel lifted up and ready to get back in the game! Thank you so very much.

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