My Favorites from 2011

Happy New Years, friends!  I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that this New Years Eve was the first I can remember where I actually didn't even pay attention to the time, and realized it was a new year when our movie ended around 12:30.  Is that a sign that I'm getting old, or just boring???  Don't answer that...

It dawned on me after I realized that I had missed the ball drop, the kiss, the excitement of the New Year that I am so happy to be where I am in my life.  I certainly enjoyed my single and even married but without kids years, but I don't miss the constant feeling of being let down after setting such high expectations for holidays like New Years in particular.  It was a great feeling to know that I am so content where I am in my life right now.  I am blessed with an incredible and loving husband, a hilarious and tender hearted little boy, wonderful friends and supportive neighbors.  Who could ask for more? 

So, I thought it would be fun to take a walk down memory lane and share some of my favorite projects from this past year. 

Hands down the biggest and possibly craziest project I undertook was our Master Bedroom Makeover. I did this entire makeover in about two weeks time in order to enter it into a design contest, and thanks to the support of so many wonderful readers and fellow bloggers I took second place in the contest.

We did a LOT of work in a short amount of time, but I am absolutely smitten with the end result.  It quickly became my favorite room in the house.

The matching Faux Mirrored Metallic Nightstands from my Master Bedroom were a project and a half themselves, but also worth the effort and mistakes learned along the way.

I shared some fun baby shower ideas from this Nautical Themed Baby Shower that I hosted for one of my good friends.

I feel like my biggest growth this year in the project world has been in reupholstery.  I've learned a lot, and continue to get better with practice and experience.  My Reupholstery series shares some of the tips and tricks I have learned for those who are interested in tackling upholstery projects themselves.

This Chevron Chair was another crowd pleaser and one that I really enjoyed doing.

Another insane project for me was the Dining Room Set that I transformed for my own kitchen.  It also required a ridiculous amount of time and elbow grease, but I am so in love with how it turned out. 

This Antique Dresser that I refinished was a great learning experience for me and turned out to be beautiful and timeless.

I did several different dressers this year, but my personal favorite by far was this Heavily Distressed Desk.  It was a quick and experimental one day project that turned out to be one of the hardest pieces for me to let go of when it sold.  I'm still a little bit sad that I didn't keep it for myself...

And for the foodies like me out there a few of my favorite recipes I shared are Peanut Curried Chicken,

Easter Bunny Shortbread Cookies,

and the BEST Salsa ever,

So there you have it my friends.  It was a fun filled year for me with lots of projects.  I have big plans for next year and will share some of my goals with you this week.  Bring it on, 2012.  I'm ready for you...

XO

~Penny Wenny

The DIY Showoff

Southern Hospitality