Month in review and the Blog Squad!

Howdy all! I’m back with a wrap up with the projects from the month of May. I like to pull everything into one post in case you’re new around these parts or a regular reader that just missed an oh-so-important post. Can’t have that. ;)

I started off the month with the May Before and After Party, where you showed off about 375 ahhhmazing projects!

Next up, I shared one of my all time favorite projects – the closet turned book nook:

You guys liked it a little bit too. :) Thank you SO much for the wonderful comments, emails and mentions! I truly appreciate it.

One of my sweet readers sent me an email not long after telling me she had something that would be a perfect addition to the nook:

It’s metal pirate and it’s the COOLEST! She found it in an old barn and that makes it even cooler in my eyes. ;) I absolutely love it Michelle, thank you so much!

Next up I highlighted the very talented Cassity and her blog Remodelaholic:

If you haven’t checked it out, you need to! You’ll be hooked!

I was a part of my friend Camila’s In Her Shoes series, and you can see a day in my exciting life in this post:

Thanks for having me Camila!

I showed you the how-to of the book nook in this post:

If you asked me a question in the comments, I think I’ve gotten back to all of them!

Next up I showed you how we started sprucing up the front of the house when the weather got warm:

We’re still working on a very, very long list of outdoor projects. I believe we’ll be working on it till November or so. :)

In mid-May I shared how I organize the inspiration I find in magazines and online:

And yes, I’m still obsessed with Pinterest! I sent invites to everyone who shared an email, but if you’d like to join without an invite, check out the link to Beth’s site at the end of that post. You can get in right away!

The Spray Paint Party was pumpin’ – you linked up nearly 500 projects! I showed you how I took some ginormous silverware from blah to bling:

I love you spray paint. Double pound to the chest. Yo.

I am SO excited about our garden – it’s our first year and it’s doing fantastic!:

I showed you how I planted it here. It makes me giddy -- we’ve already enjoyed a bunch of sweet strawberries. :)

And in only two weeks, it’s grown to this:

Wowza! It’s insane!

Many of you mentioned the cucumbers and watermelons will grow out of control, but I’m building a trellis that’s supposed to make growing them possible. I’ll let you know it works out!

Because my herbs are out. of. control, I’ve been in basil heaven lately. I showed you a few of my old and new basil favorites:

Including a basil cocktail which is surprisingly yummy!

Next up, I hit the spray paint cans again, and changed the black chairs at our island from black to white:

I LOVE THEM. I shared the prep and paint process here.

Then I finally changed up our family room mantel, for the first time in forever:

You can read how I went against one of my own “rules” here.

And finally, this week I shared how I take my OK pictures and make them beautiful with the help of Picnik.com:

I couldn’t blog without it! Well, I could, but I wouldn’t look nearly as good. :)

And that is the month of May in a nutshell. (“This is me in a nutshell. Help! I’m in a nutshell!” Name that movie!)

I’m SO pleased to announce that I’m one of the lucky bloggers to participate in the True Value Blog Squad again this year!:

Whoo hoo! I am so excited!

The True Value I visit most often is fantastic:

 

For you locals, it’s in Pendleton Indiana.

I’ve shown you the spray paint mecca inside:

Sheesh. This aisle makes me weak in the knees. Haven’t found a selection to match it yet!

I’ve also fallen in love with their nursery:

They have a beautiful selection and I’ve already found a couple plants I’ve been looking for for YEARS.

I’ll show you those beauties soon!

I’m joined by so many amazing DIY blogs -- the returning bloggers include:

- Katie at Bower Power
- Josh at Bungalow 23
- Kate at Centsational Girl
- Brian and Paul with Handyguys Podcast
- Layla and Kevin at The Lettered Cottage
- Roeshel with The DIY Showoff

And the newbies:

- Bruno with Manmade DIY
- Taylor with Mary Janes and Galoshes
- Marian at Miss Mustard Seed

It’s going to be a great year! I can’t wait to see what everyone has up their sleeves!

You can hook up with True Value and keep up with our projects by following them on Facebook or Twitter.

Whew…another month down, so much good stuff to come! Thanks for going along for the ride.  :)