Dream Green DIY Celebrates 14 Years

Fourteen years…Wow! I know it’s cliche to say, but it literally feels like it was just last week that I hit “publish” on my very first blog post, and yet it also feels like a lifetime ago. I am so, so grateful for my impulsive nature because without it I wouldn’t be where I am today: nearly 15 years into my dream career writing every single day and teaching all of you how to build a home of your dreams.

All this time later, and I still crave the same outcome from each post that I share: conversation. I got into this business of sharing do-it-yourself home design tutorials and renovation stories because I want to talk about the ups and downs with you guys. I ask questions every day, and am always blown away by the responses I get. The comments sections of my social media and these blog posts have always been the most rewarding aspect of the stories I share from our home. I’ve heard from you that our home has paved the way for your own renovation journey, and that is the ultimate form of validation for me.

My business isn’t really centered on how we’re crafting our home to be perfect for us—it’s about teaching others how to find their own joy at home through action, and when I hear personal accounts of that actually happening in the comments of my posts, that’s when I feel like I’ve done my job. So, thank you for continuing this conversation all these years later. I wouldn’t be here without you!

To celebrate this milestone, I’ve put together a list of my favorite blog posts from the archives, one from each of my 14 years in business (please forgive the embarrassing look of those first few years worth of posts!). Keep scrolling to take a walk down memory lane, and let me know if you have a favorite DGD post that didn’t make it onto my list!

My Top 14 Posts From The DGD Archives:

1. DIY Framed Polaroid Photos Display

2. Handmade Wooden Gallery Wall Grid

3. Dual Purpose Party + Potting Table

4. DIY Mod Painted Headboard

5. DIY Carved Pumpkin Face Party Cups

6. 10 Alternative Uses For An Over-The-Door Shoe Holder

7. DIY Pressed Flower Wine Bottle Labels

8. DIY Faux Mid-Century Paneling Using Paint

9. How To Turn An IKEA Work Bench Into A Kitchen Island

10. Make Your Own Plant Propagation Stations

11. DIY Board And Batten Feature Wall

12. Staining Our DIY Wood Platform Deck

13. Peel-And-Stick Wallpapered Cat Litter Closet

14. “Perfect Pairs” Bridal Shower Gift Idea

BONUS: Click here to read the very personal story behind Dream Green DIY’s name

It was actually pretty emotional picking my way through those archives. I forgot how energetic and motivated I was back in my 20s to DIY and craft every single day (even after I got home from my full-time office job in those first few years before the blog supported me on its own). I feel sort of bad that I haven’t kept up with that type of content, but the truth is that my priorities have changed. Now that I’m one year away from my 40s, I just don’t have the drive to craft my own home décor. I’ve shifted my focus to investing in more long-term solutions when it comes to decorating our home, and I guess there’s really nothing wrong with that. People evolve and a person has different motivators as they age. It’s especially interesting to see that shift happen in real time when looking back through the DGD archives.

I hope you’ll take a moment to click back to those old stories I linked to above! Like I said, it was emotional to revisit them, but it’s also kindled a small fire underneath me to try harder to get back to that level of action. Things might look different as I head into my 40s as a homemaker, but I’m never, ever going to lose my drive to make our house feel extra special and so deeply us. That has always been a core part of my personality (even as a little kid—my mom can attest to how often I asked to make over my childhood bedroom to suit my whims!). Homemaking is a blast, and I’m so excited that I have this space to document every single step of the way. Thanks for getting me to year 14, and I’m excited to see what you and I each come up with in the new year ahead.

By the way, if you’d like to dive into the DGD archives yourself, all you have to do is scroll to the bottom of my righthand sidebar, and you’ll find the archives broken down by year. Again, please forgive my terrible photography and writing skills those first few years…