Back in 2013 I had this crazy idea to start a blog. A friend of mine had a blog at the time, and I thought it would be a great way to sell some of my painted furniture.
I remember thinking back then that it probably wouldn’t last for more than a few years, five years tops. After all, let’s face it, most blogs come and go.
On my three year blogiversary, I took some time to reflect on whether or not I felt that my blog was a success. By year three I hadn’t really met my goal of selling my furniture via my blog. Sure, I occasionally sold a piece to a reader, but that was more the exception than the rule. I was still mainly relying on Craigslist for furniture sales.
But I still kept going. As it turned out, I really just loved blogging for the sake of blogging. I loved the writing and the photography that goes into creating a blog post, and I also loved revamping vintage things to give them a new life and then sharing those projects with all of you. And I still do.
And here I am, seven years in and I only just recently realized that these days I actually am selling quite a few pieces via the blog. It happened so gradually over time that I didn’t even notice it. So, yes, it took nearly 7 years to meet my original goal for my blog. However, along the way, I realized that my original goal didn’t really even matter.
But what I’ve also realized over time is that I don’t necessarily love all aspects of social media. For example, I really don’t like the inevitable tendency to compare myself to others. There are so many bloggers out there who are more talented, more prolific, more popular, more creative and overall way more successful than I am. I often feel like I’m always running to try and catch up with the competition.
I also don’t like the constant pressure to do more. Add Instagram, add Facebook Live posts, add TikTok, add YouTube videos, increase your number of followers. All of which matters not one bit to me.
Recently Dixie Belle Paint Co contacted me and wanted to know what my social media goals were for 2021. Uh. Well. Honestly? I don’t have any. I suspect that means I’m not going to be invited back as a Dixie Belle Content Creator in 2021.
So here I am after seven years wondering where to go from here.
As you all know, I have a full-time day job. I also want to resume having a social life after this COVID thing is over. So I have to pick and choose the things I spend my time on wisely. I’ve realized that I need to re-focus on what I enjoy and ignore all of the other stuff.
In other words, don’t expect to see me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube or any of the other various social media platforms out there. And don’t expect to see my number of followers growing in leaps and bounds, because that’s unlikely to happen if I’m not playing the social media game.
But you can expect to see me continuing to provide what I hope is good content right here on my blog. Going forward I am planning to focus a little more on that and let all of the other social media stuff go. I’m going to take a little bit of a furniture break over the next month so that I can relax a bit and enjoy the holidays, but I plan to bring you some awesome furniture makeovers in 2021.
In the meantime, that brings me to my blogiversary giveaway!
Before Dixie Belle gives me the boot, I’ve ordered up some of my favorite products to give away. This prize includes 16 oz. of each of my two favorite neutrals.
Midnight Sky …
and Drop Cloth …
I’ve also included 16 oz. each of my two favorite holiday colors, Honky Tonk Red and Evergreen.
To top things off I’ve included a 10 oz. clear wax and an 8 oz. Easy Peasy Spray Wax.
Thank you to Dixie Belle for sponsoring this giveaway by providing the products, and thank you to all of you for continuing to support my blog by leaving comments, following me, or just plain checking out what I have to say every now and then!
The rules: to be eligible to win today’s prize I’m going to ask you to do me a favor. Please leave a comment on this blog post telling me what kind of content you enjoy seeing most on my blog. Are you just here for the furniture makeovers? Or do you enjoy seeing the smaller projects as well? Maybe you like the travel posts? Or the gardening posts? How about the garage sale finds posts? Or the thrift store hauls?
Your comment must be left on this blog post, not on Facebook or Instagram. You are not required to follow my blog, although it would be awesome if you did!
I will randomly draw the name of a winner for today’s prize from all of the comments left on this post by Friday, December 4, 2020 at the stroke of midnight (U.S. Central time).
The fine print: no purchase necessary, you must be 18 years of age or older to win, void where prohibited by law, the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning, approximate retail value of prize is $150, if the prize is not claimed by Friday, December 11, 2020 another name will be drawn at random to win, blah, blah, blah.
Good luck!
q is for quandie 
I absolutely love your blog and am continually amazed by your furniture transformations. Those types of posts are my favorite but I also like the posts of small item remakes.
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Linda I look forward to reading your blogs daily. I especially like your garage sale finds and before and after photos. Have a warm Thanksgiving
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I love your blog, everything! You have a fun writing style, your furniture redos and smaller projects are wonderful and so inspiring and sharing your thrift store and garage sale finds really helps me to improve my picking skills. I look forward to every issue! Thank you for sharing.
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As I read your post, I began to worry that you were giving up blogging altogether! I am so happy that you are not! I love everything that you do-the furniture, the smalls, the garage sale hunting, even the trip blogs. I feel like it all works together. I really look forward to your posts and am not at all sad that your are not doing the other social medias. because I don’t do/follow any of those anyway. Who has time for all of it?! Thank you for all that you are doing and sharing.
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I think you were one of the first blogs I followed. I’ll follow you here and wherever else you decide to post. You’ve always been my “fav” and I have Pinterest boards and Instagram saves that are simply “Q is for Quandie” because I know I’ll be able to find inspiration from your posts. Thanks for sharing. Hope Dixie Belle doesn’t “kick you to the curb”! 🙄
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Your blog is an inspiration to me, a retired lady who enjoys the hunt for cool junk and the challenge of trying to transforming a few of those old pieces into something new. I started out loving your furniture makeovers and I still enjoy those. I truly enjoy the transformations of your small treasures from garage sales and thrift stores – I find myself thinking – I can do that! ( not always, but you give such good instructions too!) Reading has been one of my favorite activities my entire life and I can tell you that you also have a gift for writing. Thanks for sharing your talents — keep blogging! I have started using Dixie Belle products because of you – I hope they appreciate a great advocate when they have one. Also, I am not a gardener nor big on traveling outside the US, but your blog is richer for sharing your hobbies because it makes you a person we feel we know.
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Your blog rocks! I’m fairly new to furniture painting and your projects are inspiring. Your “style” works for me and I enjoy seeing the smalls, too. I’m envious that you have a Ken. I wish I had a handy Ken to help with the carpentry projects. If DB drops you, consider it to be a blessing in disguise. May I suggest giving Farmhouse Paint a tryout. No waxing needed and there are loads of beautiful colors. I’ve tried a few different brands and Farmhouse is my favorite. As far as your content, it’s great as is, and I look forward to all of it, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
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I “accidentally” came across your blog when looking something up pertaining to diy projects. So glad I did. I truly enjoy all aspects of your blog, from unpretentious story telling, to project reveals to background stories that touch on your other interests and just life. Both your blogs and your taste in furniture make me feel “at home”, as if cozying up with a cup of hot cocoa in front of a crackling fireplace on a cold winter day. Thank you for that. I am loving what you do.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Janna
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Good for you choosing to not get on the crazy train of social media. Your blog is perfect and it is nice to see a “normal” person here.
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I love that you don’t go all social media! My favorite posts other than the furniture makeovers are the garage sale and thrift store finds. I love to see what you can find in your area, and what you do with them. I also love that you don’t really collect things!😁 Ha ha!
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I love your blog and check it out every day 🙂 Whether it is small items or large furniture I find it all very inspiring!
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I love your furniture makeovers and your smalls.
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I totally understand your feeling with social media outlets..it sure is overwhelming to keep up! I have to say I love your blog and its content..you inspire me..I really want to do a piece of furniture with transfers..soon! I love hearing about your yard sale finds and thrift store hauls! Enjoy your time off..Happy Thanksgiving!!
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WELL YOU GO Girl !!! Dont’tja just hate when someone tells you how to run your life??!! Do your own thang…you are damn good at it!! Don’t change a thing!
This time of year always reminds me of my great-grandmother. She always sat at the head of of our holiday table. She was blind and We told her where all the food on her plate was “by the clock”. Thanksgiving she always recited a poem called “When Father Carved the Turk”. For Christmas she always recited “Rastas Johnson’s Sunday Pants”. We have passed this tradition on to our kids and grandkids. The poems are quite fun. Just wanted to share with you some down on the farm memories. Hope you have a lovely day .
Keeping my fingers crossed for the drawing!
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I never miss your posts. While I love your furniture redos, the smalls makeovers inspire me to branch out and find little things to improve. And any time you drag home furniture I love seeing the deals you achieved, no matter from where…but I do love garage sale posts as it helps get me out of the house and shopping the garages.
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I pretty much enjoy all your posts, furniture makeovers, garage sale finds, small items. Please continue on- no need to change a thing! Thanks
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Love your blog! Why? The furniture make-overs spur my own creativity. You see beyond the dirt and the broken and understand by adding paint, stencils, or new “jewelry” (as in new hardware), the old becomes new. The “smalls” are great too. While I attempt to paint all kinds of things, Its the smalls I usually pick up at the thrift store and try to find a use for them. Seeing your ideas and techniques are so helpful. The Dixie Belle paints have been a wonderful discovery and so easy to use. Enjoy your R & R for the next month and have a “Happy Thanksgiving!”
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I absolutely love your “blog style” and your photographs are gorgeous, they are crisp and clear and capture the colors and transfers perfectly! I am happy to hear that you have been making sales, your pieces are beautiful.
Being 60, 2 years away from retirement, keeping up with my stepmom’s needs (my Dad passed in 2018), my husband, our family, grandchildren etc., I can truly appreciate your honesty with Dixie Belle about your social media aspirations. I “hid” my Etsy Store in 2018 when my Dad became ill and I had hoped to get it back up fir the 2020 holiday season but, alas, time ran out so…I’ll try for 2021.
I personally enjoy your smaller items just as much, if not more as your furniture rehabs. I really look forward to your posts, I’ve even made a folder so I can save them!
Wishing you and yours a very Happy & Healthy Thanksgiving!
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I absolutely love your “blog style”, your content is helpful, your stories of yard/estate sale adventures are delightful and your photographs are gorgeous! Your staging is beautiful and your photos capture the paint colors & transfers perfectly!
I can truly appreciate your honesty with Dixie Belle about your social media aspirations. I’m 60, married, working full time, managing my stepmom’s needs ( my Dad passed in 2018), family etc.. I “hid” my Etsy store in 2018 when my Dad became very ill, I hoped to get it back up for the 2020 holiday season but….time ran out so, I’ll shoot for 2021.
Honestly, I enjoy your smaller items as much if not more as your furniture pieces. I enjoy your blog so much, I’ve created a folder so I can save them.
Thank you for all you share with us. Wishing you and your a Happy, Healthy Thanksgiving!
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Congrats on the realization that goals change and that they aren’t always needed! And on your 7 year blogiversary! I will have you know, since you are the only blog that I follow, you are the most prolific, successful, creative (etc) blog to me!
I enjoy seeing all of your creative endeavors. You gave me the inspiration, advice, and product recommendations so I was able to turn an old dresser into a bathroom vanity.
PS. I planned to comment this even before I got to the part of the blog where you announced the giveaway 🙂
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Happy Thanksgiving! I love your blog and to be honest, yours is the only one I always read, always! Your style is perfectly matched to my taste. I always wish I lived in your area so I could buy buy buy your items!
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Love your blog. You are Uber talented. Your furniture makeovers are my favorites.
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Please don’t leave us. I agree with a lot of the previous comments. I absolutely love your blog. It is so inspiring and I look forward to each new post.. You are absolutely amazing. I am so grateful to you that you will share your ideas and your creativity and you always have an interesting story to tell about each find.
I’ve followed a lot of other blogs I use to like but so many have become cookie cutter, lost their uniqueness in trying sell “their look” but in reality they’ve become a “big box store showroom”.
You are a great example for others to follow. Be thru to thine own self.
That’s my two cents.
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I love your Blog, I enjoy everything you do but I guess mostly the furniture large and small. I never go on Instagram, Facebook and whatever else you call those other sites. I’m too busy to spend my life on the internet. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Actually I find that I delete almost all of my e-mails. While deleting i stop short when I see yours. Yours is the only one I look at, then continue deleting.(but never yours). Keep up the good work.
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Dixie Belle would be foolish to give you the boot! :). I love your furniture makeovers and your garage sale/thrift store finds. I love thrifting too!
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I love your posts, all. But for myself I love the smalls makeovers, thrift hauls garage sales. I like the furniture makeovers also. Just keep doing what you are doing.
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Hi Linda! I love everything you do, but if i really need to put it in order, then smalls would be my absolute favorites! I’m always amazed by the way you look at things and how you see them in different light!!. So i learn from you – thank you! It gives me so much inspiration, and i always look forward to the new posts. Not to mention your archive – it’s a Klondike! When i was stacked home during first covid wave, i was reading your blog from the beginning – one by one – and it was much needed colorful therapy!
#2 – furniture posts. i still dont have guts to paint anything bigger than a trunk, but i;m getting there. Those pieces in MMS Typewriter are on my list!
#3 would be the posts where you share the products you use. i started ordering from Mason de Stencil, IOD and Prima after reading your blog. I love your q-tips! And posts where you share that not every item turned perfect – love them too.
#4 – garage sales finds!
#5 – travel posts – oh yes, i enjoy them a lot – especially the colors of the places you visit. Green and blue from Europe – yummy!
I can go on and on 🙂 Love your blog – thank you so much for sharing with us!
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By FAR You are the BEST! I read EVERYTHING you post ! I’m thankful your page isn’t covered with “stuff” that takes away from your art. You are very gifted and ANY co. should be proud to have you represent them. I love your travel, “picking” & your wonderful wood. Tell Ken we love him too!
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I applaud your decision to continue to be you! It would be foolish for Dixie Belle to stop sponsoring you as many people take the knowledge you share and apply it to their own pieces. I bought Sawmill Gravy after seeing you do a piece with it but I never would have chosen it on my own. I love that you started using IOD transfers! I have been hoarding them and now I have some ideas from you on ways to use them.
Keep being you! Your blog reflects that aspect and makes it successful! Many thanks for all the creativity you share and all the tips I have picked up from you.
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I am not sure how I came across your blog, but you ended up being my inspiration to start doing my own furniture makeovers. I’ve even been lucky enough to get to one of your sales and buy a few things! I love finding your work at Reclaiming Beautiful and have gotten a few things there as well! Love your blog posts and would love to keep seeing projects of any size!
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First, thank you for the blog. It brings such joy into my life. I enjoy everything from the smalls, to the furniture, to your vacation posts, the thrifting and garage sales, and anything about your life. I love it all. I was so afraid you were going to say you were going to quit this great adventure you’ve taken us all on! As for all the social media aspects. I don’t have the time, nor the inclination, to follow FB, Instagram, or any of the others. I may occasionally peek into those spaces on a rare occasion for just a second, but I get little joy there. I like you here, right at home. Continue doing what you love because that joy reflects in your work and your posts. Enjoy life rather than being pushed into something that doesn’t bring you happiness.
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I have no desire to win this prize package, since I don’t do messy crafts, but I wanted to let you know what my favorite posts are. I really enjoy your garage sale finds and your posts on your vacations. I like seeing your beautiful photos, whether they are travel pictures or your lovely vignettes. Thank you for sharing your talents.
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Yours was one of the first blogs I started reading when I bought my farmhouse and started fixing it up. Then I got overwhelmed with the number of blogs I was trying to keep up with. Now yours is the one of the few I always read.
Love your style, creativity and humor. I also love the variety of topics. Sure, your furniture and smalls makeovers are the best, but we all live vicariously through you and your search & rescues, travels, and childhood memories.
Thank you and keep up the great work!
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I always come to your blog first. I’m started following you a few years ago because I love you furniture, you wonderful Q tips and just thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog. I have an IG account for my painted furniture as well but the pressure to compete with all these professional looking accounts is so daunting. I will scroll and get inspiration but with 4 kids and a full time job, I can’t afford to spend the time on capturing the perfect pictures. I do the best I can with my hobby and live vicariously thru your blog. It’s my absolute favorite thing to read first thing in the morning! Here’s to many more years of blogging!
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I very much enjoy your furniture makeovers. I love seeing how a discarded or unwanted piece of furniture can turn into something amazing.
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I think I have pretty much been following since the first week you started. Found your blog thru that friend of yours that had a blog. First off I love your authenticity. I truly enjoy your voice. Obviously I enjoy the content you are producing. Probably my favorites are furniture especially the large pieces you’ve acquired like the Welsh dresser in the dining room. And the Specimens piece in the piano room and that English cupboard omg! That said I also love the boxes, buckets, watering cans and anything gardening. And you have mad styling skills. I detest blogs covered with ads. But I love hearing your reviews of the products you use because that is helpful and useful information. Social media is highly overrated in my humble opinion.
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Hi Linda, i wrote a long poem yesterday, but i dont see it posted, not sure why. My computer was glitching a lot recently. Anyway, i was saying that i really love your blog – especially smalls. and i really like those educational posts of yours – i discovered many new products thanks to you! Overall, i love the mix of everything you blog about!!!
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I posted comments 2 days ago but I don’t see it, so I am reposting.
Please don’t give up on your blog. You are so talented. I wanted to thank you for sharing your creativity with us.
I love the furniture updates and the smalls. You unselfishly share with us the sources and provide links. I love how
you always weave an entertaining story in how you obtained your finds.
Recently, I’ve noticed a lot of the bloggers I have followed for years are all beginning to look the same. They all
decorate their homes the same and look like a “big box store” showroom.
You are unique. Please don’t change. I love that you don’t follow the crowd.
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Several comments went into my spam folder for some reason. I tried to catch them all, but sounds like I missed yours (I’ll have to make another sweep of that today). So thanks for re-commenting. And thanks for all of your kind words Linda 🙂
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I like pretty much everything you post, the furniture, Ken, travel, sister & niece, to name a few. And tell Dixie Bell paint that this reader would not know about their product if it hadn’t been featured on your blog! I have purchased transfers inspired by your work. Thanks
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My favorites are before and after posts, large furniture or smaller. I love garage sale and thrift store finds too though I do feel a little envy over the great things you pick up.
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I LOVE IT ALL!! You do whatever makes you happy and I’ll continue tuning in every week😎
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I love your blog! As a fan of your occasional sales that you used to have (I live in the neighborhood) I love that I can still follow what you do. I use Facebook to connect with family and that is all. The rest of the social media stuff is not part of my daily life. I love your projects, your style of writing and how you explain what you do. I hope you keep up the good work!
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I enjoy the enjoyment you get from your projects,I picture your neighbor helping putting things back together, I have to admit I’m not a fan of stencils
So my favorite part of blog is travel documents
Surely hope you & mr will be blessed with many more travels sincerely S.
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Thank you for inviting us into your life! I found your blog from a Pinterest post of the headboard in your blog banner and have been following you ever since. I only follow a few blogs and all of them have a mix of inspiration and day to day life! I hope you and Mr. Q enjoy your holidays! 🙂
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I find most of my furniture at auctions and/or estate sales. Unfortunately, since Covid they have been few and far between. Thrift stores and The Restore are other good sources, especially for smalls. Consignment stores are usually too high. I look forward to all your posts. I very seldom go on other social media and it’s just to look at what my family or people I know have posted. The other bloggers I follow post the same things on their Instagram and Facebook posts as their emails so what’s the point? And who has time!!!!
I have had to sign up to follow people or companies in order to enter a giveaway and then I am INUNDATED with their posts. Instagram is the worst. Keep on doing what you’re doing if it works for you and you enjoy it!
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I enjoy the blog and all you share! It is always a welcomed breath of fresh air! I save and star my favorites to eagerly reread at a later date! Keep up the good work!
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I love your garage sale finds and then seeing what you do with them!
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Congratulations on 7 years! Your blog is my hands down favorite! I subscribe to a lot of blogs, but don’t have a lot of time to read the posts. Your posts are the only ones I never miss reading. I have about 200 back posts on one of the “more popular” bloggers out there which I will probably just delete without reading when I do my New Year’s mailbox clean-out.
Your projects are inspiring without being overwhelming…well except for maybe the bed turned bench projects. I have Quandie-ized so many pieces I should give you a commission.
Thank you for all that you share…and I love the tag sale, travel, house tour posts. Here’s to the next 7 years!
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Love reading your blog and although I like seeing your posts about furniture, my favorites are the up-cycling projects. I am an avid thrifter and love making something old “new” again. Thank you for the inspiration.
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Finally getting around to reading this…Happy blogaversary! I think what I like most about your blog is that it’s always a surprise…I of course love the furniture makeovers….being a frugal yankee, I can’t easily just throw something away cuz I don’t have a use for it. I also enjoy how you use things differently than what they were intended for. And oh the garden views…yummy! I had to battle all kinds of critters and a drought this year, so I lived thru your garden photos! Thank you for the giveaway!
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