And just like that, another year has come and gone. Come with me and Iet us reminisce on the DIY accomplishments of 2018. January started out strong with 5 posts that month! I did a post about a new-to-me company that I had just discovered, Canadel. That was not my typical blog post but I was just so enthused about how the company worked that I just had to share with my readers. Other than the typical 'year in review' post and 'plans for the next year' post, I blogged about the change of wall color for my kitchen/dining/entry and the paint I used. Before & AfterIn February, I did a post describing my two go-to methods of furniture/cabinet painting. March brought a post giving more detail about the Sico paint I used in my kitchen and its cool features. April & May were pretty quiet. In June, I posted about deck prep and the easy cleaning solution I found. I prepped (with my husband's help) and stained the gazebo floor. I did an out-of-the-ordinary post at the end of September that talked about how I, personally, was 'under construction'. Little did I know what was about to really happen. My life fell apart the very next month. I cannot talk about it as it is very painful. If any of you readers are praying people, I would very much appreciate your prayers. I do believe in miracles. I blogged in October, about work done during the summer. I stained the concrete patio blocks out back by the gazebo and we built/stained/installed shutters on the back windows, making the back of the house so cute and cozy looking. The other blog post in October, my last blog post of the year, was also about work done in the summer. We replaced the two front windows in the living room, I stained the patio blocks that form the pathway to the front door, and we fixed the landscaping out front. My husband did the major bulk of the work involving the window replacing and landscaping. The front exterior upgrades look amazing! Other things DID get accomplished in 2018. I just didn't get around to making blog posts about them. Here are the highlights: In June, I bought these flower boxes at the Kent Building Supplies store in Petitcodiac, NB, where I worked. I stained and painted them and then added flowers that I had also bought at Kent's. Marigolds are my favourite 'outdoor flower'. I bought the wheelbarrow from a local buy & sell group for only $10 and filled it with marigolds and set it on the back patio. It is so pretty. Also in June, we replaced all the trim in our daughter's room and painted her walls & ceiling. I used Sico Muse Soft Matte paint. The ceiling color is Sico's Paris Sky 6155-21 (or the shade darker, Paris 6155-41, I can't remember now which I went with)) and the walls are Sico's Diaphanous Sky 6176-21. The light fixture was originally oil-rubbed bronze so I spray painted it gold. Isn't it pretty how the light fixture creates pretty shadowing on the ceiling and walls? The room isn't completely finished yet (paint doors, caulk trim, etc) so I didn't take a finished product photo. The trim, paint, and light fixture all came from Kent Building Supplies. In August with the help of my Mom and my youngest daughter, we removed the wall mural from the living room. Although I loved it, it was creating a design conflict. It created a completely different look from the other main area of the house, the kitchen/dining/entry. My boss at Kent Building Supplies, donated a gallon of Sico Muse Soft Matte paint in exchange for blog post advertising. I chose the PPG color, Onyx PPG1011-7, which is very dark grey. I sold my green Wayfair rug and found a new rug at my local Walmart on clearance for less money than I sold my green rug for! Yay, me! The colours in the rug PERFECTLY match the two wall colours! A total win-win! The white you see to the left of the couch is a huge stack of trim boards waiting to be installed. The new windows were slightly different in size, just enough to require new blinds. I bought these white blinds at . . . Kent Building Supplies! Are you surprised? LOL. I will be using the the other blinds in the kid's bedrooms.
The biggest news of 2018 for A Fresh Perspective DIY happened during August - October! In August, I received an email from Amara Interior Blog Awards letting me know that I had been anonymously nominated for best blog in the category of Best DIY & Home Improvement Blog, asking me if I would like to participate. I was over-the-moon excited and accepted, of course! The general public cast votes and there was a panel of judges who also voted. For each category, it was subdivided down to three regions: UK, US, and International. I was notified in September that I had made the shortlist in the International division! The shortlist was the top 5 of the highest votes in each category in each subdivision. I was incredibly excited! I was invited to the awards gala in London where they would reveal the final winner for each category, each division. I was unable to attend but what an amazing honor! Although I didn't ultimately win, I am still very proud that I made the shortlist. Thank you, my readers, for allowing me this privilege! And that, my dear readers, completes the 2018 Year in Review!
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