10 Simple Crafts and DIYs

Today, as I started to compile my annual list of the year's most popular posts, I found myself lost in nostalgic thoughts about how this Exquisitely Unremarkable journey began.

It was a cold and dreary March morning, way back in 2013.

I was in the middle of some tough times and my nephew suggested I share some of my DIYs and decorating projects with the world to cultivate a little joy inside my own.


Of course, I had no idea what a blog was at that time.

I wasn't on Facebook or any social media platforms, and while I shopped online, I didn't spend much time clicking around.

And I certainly knew nothing about coding.

Yet, I dove in headfirst, and published my first post, not knowing what I didn't know. My only purpose was to find a simple distraction, but my oh my, what I found was so much more.

Over the last 10+ years, while you've allowed me pop into your inboxes, to share my silly makeovers and crazy DIYs, I've found community, been inspired by the creativity of others and found friends - dear, dear friends - some of whom I've been lucky enough to meet in person.

An unanticipated treat for sure.

And as my nephew predicted, I found joy.

It's all been so much more than I ever expected and I have you to thank for that. So thank you...for the visits, the emails, the comments and the time you spend with me. What a gift, and one I'll never take for granted. 💕

And now, without further ado, for the 12th time since 2013, I'd like to share, the 10 most popular posts of the year. 

10. Dollar Tree Cake Stand For All Seasons

Dollar Tree has some great dishes. I often pick up their seasonal plates and bowls. This year, I combined two of them to make an adorable and functional cake plate.

9. Cottage Style Thrift Store Finds


I shared a lot of my thrift finds this year, but this group was super popular. I guess we all love cottage style finds.

8. The Simplest Closet Door Update


I didn't want to remove my closet doors or that sweet, original trim above it, but something had to change. An inexpensive update did the trick...and resonated with many of you since it landed on the most popular list.

7. Decorating My Empty Nest For Christmas

With the kids out of the house this year, we wanted to spend more time out of the house, traveling, visiting with friends and family...and less time unpacking boxes of stuff.

6. Gift Bag Christmas Sign


I love decorating with gift bags. I've made tons of seasonal signs with them and in December, Santa finally found his place in the sun. And made a darling addition to my holiday house.

5. Trash Can Organizer


Apparently, there are a lot of people out there, like me, who don't have built in trash drawers. Here's my easy fix.

4. Ceramic Shade Makeover


Thrift store makeovers are my all time favorite kind of craft. Reimagining items brings me great joy and I think it keeps this middle age brain a bit younger. Hopefully. Anyway, this one was a big hit...which made me smile, since I really like it, too.

3. Chandelier Makeover


This makeover started with a plain chandelier from the clearance aisle. Combined with some pieces from a curbside find and some creative thinking on my husband's part, I ended up with a charming new addition for my beach cottage bedroom.

2. Muffin Tin Makeover

Ok, so when I got ready to hit the publish button on this post, I was wondering how crazy people would think I was...turns out, not so crazy. It was the second most popular craft or DIY of the year. I was astonished by amount of people who took a peek. Clearly, I've found my people. 

And now the drumroll for the number one post of the year...

1. Vintage Handkerchief Angels


These vintage angels were a quick DIY and one I was happy to finally tackle. These handkerchiefs from my mother and grandmother had been sitting in a drawer for years...maybe even decades. I wanted to display them, but didn't want to cut them up or damage them in any way.

These angels were the perfect fixed that and turned out to be the number one most popular post of the year.

And that sounds just about right to me.

Happy New Year, Friends!