Tag: new year

Christmas, Holiday

Happy New Year!

Jessica Smith

Holy smokes — it’s been almost a month since I’ve posted on my blog! Every time I went to do a blog post in December, I realized I was blogging about a gift for someone who would probably see it. #itshardtobeablogger

I finished up a leadership program I was doing at work on Dec. 18 and have been off work since the 19th — it has been a whirlwind of holiday activities, but now that 2015 is here and I have a few more days off, I have great plans! First, I need to catch up on the blog. It will take me all of January to show you what I made folks for Christmas gifts! (I’m only half kidding.)

Once I’m all caught up, I am getting started on my next project: a master bedroom refresh!

So before I show you the fun projects I did as gifts, here are some of my favorite family photos from the holidays.

I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday and that 2015 is a happy and healthy year for you.

Craft Projects, Home Improvement

A year in review

Jessica Smith

Happy New Year, all!

I disappeared there for a bit and took a much-needed vacation from any and all forms of work for the Christmas holiday. It was a blast. I visited with my family and just had an amazing holiday break. Luckily my break isn’t quite over yet — the hubby and I don’t go back to work until Jan. 7! Sweet! But it’s time to get back to blogging, and I’ve got lots of neat things to share.

First, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at 2012 for A Smith of All Trades. My 1-year blogging anniversary is Jan. 16, so I’ve almost been blogging for a whole year now. It’s been a really rewarding experience and I’ve done some really cool projects in 2012. Here are some of my favorites:

Canvas Art: This was one of my most popular posts from the year and is a really simple way to to make decor for any room in your house. All you need is fun fabric, a few canvases and a staple gun. It’s that easy!

DIY Device-Charging Station: I was always super pumped about this project. In a few hours I turned a cheap-o tray from a thrift store into a totally sweet place to charge all of my devices.

Device Charging Station CGOur home improvement projects were definitely some of the highlights of my 2012, particularly our family room and our bathroom makeovers.

We started our family room almost immediately after moving into our house. Remember this beauty of a room?

Before fireplace

Ohhh yeah, it was something else. Welp, after a few weeks we turned that monstrosity into our favorite room in the house.

We seriously live in this room, so it was awesome to get to redo the whole thing before we settled down too much in our house.

And then there was the bathroom attached to the family room. The fixtures, vanity and toilet were way outdated and gnarly, but otherwise the bathroom was in good shape. I painted it and the hubby and my step dad installed a new toilet and vanity. Now it is the prettiest bathroom in the whole house.

Last, but certainly not least, are my pallet projects. I think these are some of my favorite. My bar sign was a huge hit with the hubby and my ottoman is basically the best thing ever. I use it all of the time.

And here’s the ottoman…

OK, that’s it! That’s my year in review. There are a bajillion more things on the blog, so go forth and read your hearts out 🙂

Happy New Year, and a new craft project tomorrow!