Best of 2014

Happy New years eve everyone! If you’re scrambling to get ready for a last minute party- you should check out my super quick sparkly garland, the free printable napkin wraps Pommel Lane made for us, and the DIY Balloon Memory wall I put together for The Little Umbrella… all NYE and all ready in less than 20 minutes. You’re welcome :)

I was so excited to have a full year of posts to go through and see what was the most popular with you. I have to say I was SO surprised! The most popular post is one that I never would have expected (and I’m sure you didn’t either). But before I get to that… I have put together 3 top 5’s… the top 5 most viewed posts, top 5 most discussed (commented on) posts, and my favourite five underdog posts (posts that didn’t show up in the other categories). If you’re new to Lemon Thistle… this post is for you! I’m sharing the best of the best, the most loved things I’ve crafted, constructed, and cooked (haha, yep- cooked) in 2014.

Top 5 Most Viewed Posts

5. DIY Kitchen Renovation: Before and After

I’m so glad you all liked this one! This is the biggest project we’ve tackled (ever) as a couple- let alone on the blog. When I shared with you the Before of our New Home, I’m sure some of you thought we were crazy (my mom did). But to see how the kitchen came out is SO worth it for us. We did this renovation almost completely on our own and I share a bit about how we did that in this post.

4. How to Disassemble a Pallet without Killing Yourself

Woo! One of my videos with Shaw TV made the list- that makes me so happy. This post gives you step by step instructions on how I pull apart pallets without killing myself. It’s one of the things I get asked the most often (probably because I do so many projects with the free wood!).

3. Free Printable 2015 Calendar (3 ways)

Seriously, guys!? I posted this like a week ago… maybe two. And it’s almost topping page views for all posts (going back to last January!). You make me do a happy dance. If you haven’t already- you can hop over and grab this calendar in three variations for free. There’s a list version (great for budgeting! and I teach you how I do it), a perpetual list version (great for birthdays), and a classic grid calendar (with room for notes and goals).

2. DIY Open Shelving for our Kitchen

So when I started looking at my list I told Shane that he made the list almost as much as I did… this one (although I dreamed up the crazy ideas) was all him. I took photos. I love that our kitchen made this list twice- so rewarding considering how much sweat we put into that room! This post shares how we made open shelving in our kitchen for CHEAP using Ikea brackets but rustic looking planks. If you’re super observant- you’ll notice that between this post and my full kitchen reveal I upped my shelf styling game.

1. Happy PB Day! And a Quick Brekkie

Seriously, guys. Seriously. The top of the list is a peanut butter sandwich (and by a lot… it tripled every other top post). I felt foolish posting this ‘recipe’ because it has such simple ingredients! But there’s a twist… so it is worth a read. And it’s every bit of delicious that it sounds. So I guess it deserves to be up here? Oh man, does this mean you want more recipes!?

Top 5 Most Commented on Posts

5. DIY Holiday Lyric Wood-burned Wood Slice

Another recent one that’s also a video! This is my Grandma’s favourite of my DIYs (she only sees the ones on TV- she doesn’t have a computer). So I’m thrilled to tell her it was one of your favourites too! I’ve got it on my to do list to make one of these that can be out year round- but for instructions (holiday or not) the video is your best friend!

4. DIY Embroider Hoop Mirror

This was my first ever ‘Knock off”. I’m in love with the way it turned out and it’s one of my favourite DIYs of the year. I actually made this one on a whim when I saw a knock-off challenge. I showed Shane a few ideas of things I wanted to ‘knock off’ and he chose this. I’m so glad he did!

3. DIY Tree Stamped Pillow Slipcover

Woohoo! Another recent one. This guy was originally made for Christmas decor but I recently saw the sweetest little girls bedroom with a pillow that looks a lot like this one and it worked so well as every-decor that I’m going to leave it out year round. I just need to pick a pillow I don’t like as much to stuff inside the slip cover! This DIY totally speaks to me- I love the black on neutral aesthetic and hope to do more things like this in the new year!

 

2.  DIY Kitchen Renovation: Before and After

Same post as the most viewed, I just chose a different image. Again, guys, SO thrilled you loved our kitchen! It was a labor of love- so thank you!!

1. DIY Open Shelving for our Kitchen

Also same post as most viewed… Woohoo! It’s fun to see that you all not only looked at our kitchen (and the shelves we made for it) but left some love and questions as well. This category was my favourite to count down because every one of your comments bring me joy. Thank you for taking the time to comment, ask questions, and support me in this adventure!

My Top 8 Underdogs

Okay, there were a few I was surprised not to see up there! I thought I should pick a few that aren’t showing up in the stats so you can really see all of the best Lemon Thistle had to offer in 2014. But I couldn’t choose just five… so here’s 8. Really, these aren’t in any order- but we’ll count them down anyways :)

8. 10 Minute DIY Leather and Cork Chalkboard

I originally created this chalkboard as a guest post but after breaking it (sob!) I decided to make a new one for us and post it here. I love how simple it is and it’s one of Shane’s favourites. Totally my style (plus ten minutes and a few bucks- you can’t beat that!).

7. DIY Translucent Confetti Packets

So this blog is not just about home decor… although that’s what the stats tell me are the most loved. But I post a lot about parties… I LOVE parties. And I couldn’t let you see the best of Lemon Thistle without seeing some party posts. These confetti packets make any gathering a party- I’ve got the free template and instructions. And, well… confetti.

6. DIY Pastel Marbled Easter Eggs

Okay, so rewind to last Easter… marbling was new and not talked about and I was in LOVE with it. I’m still so happy with these eggs that they’ve made my list. If you were paying attention during the holiday hustle and bustle, I reworked the marbling technique I used to make some holiday ornaments.

5. Cheaters Naked Cake

Aren’t you glad I gave you 8 and not just 5? You would have missed CONFETTI! Haha, anyways. This is another party DIY… NOT a recipe! I fell head over heels for the Naked Cake trend but baking is not high on my to-do list. I cheated my way to this Naked Cake for my 25th Birthday and I share how you can too!

4. DIY Giant Party Chalkboard

This is another party-ish DIY… I made these massive chalkboards for a friend’s one year olds’ birthday, then got so sick I didn’t even attend. I took a photo of it ready to go to another party as well as the process of my making a second one for this post. I LOVE these things. They get so much use- Christmas parties, baby showers, birthdays, and weddings. But you could also mount it to your wall as home decor or let your little ones at it as their personal artistic chalkboard. It’s pretty fool proof. Did I mention you can make it for $10?

3. DIY Collected Driftwood Garland

This is another video DIY and it almost made the most commented list (it was number 6). We have this baby hung over our bed and get lots of compliments on it. I love the neutral gray colour of the wood… it’s perfect, friends! And despite the bugs eating us alive while we collected the driftwood- it’s still near the top of my favourites list.

2. DIY Salvaged Copper Curtain Rods

These curtain rods make me a happy camper. We salvaged copper when we upgraded plumbing in our house and these curtain rods display what would have been hauled away. I love the beat-up look of the copper (although shiny can be pretty too!). There’s so many reasons we love these- and you can read all about it on the post.

1. We’ve Moved Free Printable Post Cards

Only the Free Calendar made any of the lists when it comes to printables! I couldn’t believe it… I love printables. And I like to think I’ve had a few good ones on here this year. Out of them all, this one is my favourite (although the Table Topics was a close second). So I had to share it at the top of my underdogs list. I actually have a stack of them sitting on my desk to gift to my sister-in-law who’s building a house.

Woohoo! If you made it all the way down to the bottom of this monster post, you deserve a pat on the back… and a big thank you. You rock! Now I want to hear from you… did you have a favourite post of 2014? I’d love to hear!