Design Improvised Best of 2013

Goodbye 2013, hello 2014! Not sure where 2013 went, but looking back it was a great year! Here is a recap of your favorite projects – the DIYs that received the most views overall in 2013:

1. Pom Pom Balloons

These may well be Design Improvised’s biggest hit of all time! Who knew you could hot glue pom poms onto balloons? They have been featured on Daily Candy, Buzz Feed, Babble, and in Simply Crochet magazine. I had come up with these for our moving party in May, and recreated them for Stella’s 4th birthday party.

Photo by Annie Sturgis Photography

2. Pumpkin Garland

This simple yarn garland was the result of a crafting accident of sorts. I had originally tried making pumpkins out of pom-poms but they didn’t look quite right. I realized however that they looked a lot like pumpkins right before you cut them into pom-poms!

3. File Cabinet Makeover

This was my first real foray into furniture refurnishing. I turned an old file cabinet into fun craft supply storage for my office using chalkboard paint and adding some thick white borders. I’m glad you were as excited about how it turned out as I was! It was also a great opportunity to get the word out about the Habitat for Humanity ReStores (where I got the cabinet):

4. Cinder Block Planters

This was another project using items from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore – this time recycled cinder blocks for only 75 cents a piece. I gave them a stenciled treatment and transformed them into outdoor vases for our patio:

Photo by Candice Stringham Photography

5. Canvas Wall Art

Sometimes simple is best. I came up with this wall art that requires no artistic ability – just a palette of paints in complementary colors.

6. Pom Pom Monogram Art

I experimented with pom-poms in a lot of different ways this year, including this colorful art for my daughters’ playroom:

7. Pantry Makeover

This post only went live a little over a week ago, but already made my top 10 posts for 2013! Apparently you all are in the mood to get organized! I gave my top 10 tips for tackling your pantry:

8. Bunny Garland

I have a thing for making simple garlands for the holidays. This garland is about as easy as it gets. I will be pulling this out again for this coming Easter!

9. Corn Husk Wreath

This wreath I made for Thanksgiving using corn husks, feathers, and a touch of glitter is my favorite wreath to date (and I’ve made a lot of them!). I wish I would find a place to keep it up year round.

10. Easter Egg Bouquet

Coming in at #10 was this bouquet I made from plastic Easter Eggs. This was such a fun experiment that I tried making a similar bouquet using ornaments for Christmas!

Curious to see what my top 10 projects were in 2012? Check them out here!