My first year of blogging, I had no idea what to expect. What I learned is that it comes with a lot of perks, like having your work featured in major publications and by other bloggers, receiving awards and very best of all, making friends. It's been a wonderful holiday season here at Exquisitely Unremarkable complete with merry wishes from blogging friends. Plus a feature at Craft Gossip and not one, but two peer awards bestowed upon little old me! Wow, talk about unexpected gifts. I feel like I should be making a speech. I'd like to thank the academy ...ok, ok, I'd actually like to thank my friends . The lovely Scarlett over at  Scarlett's Excellent Adventures  has awarded me with a Liebster. Scarlett blogs about food and since I'm not an accomplished chef (at all), so I love reading her blog to gain inspiration. Then the very sweet Angi over at Can't Buy Me Love has awarded me with a Sunshine award. Angi is a twenty-something blogging about her life and a

It was a busy year full of DIY fun. Come see what was the most popular with readers this year. In 2013 I started blogging. If you had told me in February of this past year that I would become a blogger I would have laughed. Before my first post, I had never even visited a blog, I didn't know what I was getting myself into!

I wish you all a wonderful week filled with family, friends, love and the true spirit of the season! I would also like to thank you for coming by every now and again to read my little blog. Each visit and comment is truly a gift that makes my everyday sparkle! ~Kim

Puzzle piece Christmas ornaments and gift tags are easy and elegant crafty accents for the holidays. Create unique accessories for gifts and table settings and more in minutes with these step by step directions. And trust me, they're not just for kids! So back in October, I welcomed fall into my home with a puzzle piece pumpkin frame and it was a big hit. I showed how this simple preschool craft could accent a photo or a phrase and become a whimsical home décor accent.

Looking for a super simple craft to use up your old yarn? Check out these simple yarn wrapped Christmas trees. They're a timeless holiday craft. Elegant and festive, yet easy enough for the whole family to do. I just love crafting at Christmastime . To me, it's just another fun way to celebrate the season.

This is my first Christmas with a blog and I understand that it is customary to post a holiday home tour. However, what I'm going to share is really more of a targeted home décor tour than a full house extravaganza. Oh, I decorate and I enjoy all the homes I've seen online. I love all the colors and the lights, but as the years go by, I find that I spend less time filling every corner of every room with stuff and I only put out what I really, really love.

Make a festive wooden sign for Christmas with a sticker. Earlier this fall, I made a sign celebrating the season with a cheap wall art sticker. I just placed it on a painted pine board and I had a custom sign. It was a quick, easy and inexpensive DIY project with rock star results.

Make an easy, DIY triple wreath door hanger, in minutes, to dress your front door for Christmas. Or use this technique to make one for any season. Use boxwoods or floral bases and let your imagination run wild! It's time for another super simple decor project. And this one's for Christmas. The most wonderful time of the year!  I adore everything Christmas and I really enjoy decorating for the holidays. However. I don't like complicated projects and, as much as I want the house to look fabulous, I refuse to spend a lot of dough.

Whip up an easy kid friendly advent calendar using treat bags from the dollar store to make a fun garland you can hang anywhere. This morning I hung up my new advent calendar and it looks great! I'm thrilled with the way it turned out. In true Exquisitely Unremarkable form, it was super cheap and super easy. This year, I wanted to shake up our advent routine a bit and these goody bags from the dollar store proved to be just the ticket. Now I have a fabulous countdown calendar and a cute new garland for my family room, all in one.

Here's a super easy stuffed pepper recipe...it's from my mom, so you know it's good! When I was growing up, my mom was always offering us food. I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the fact that she was raised during the depression, when food was scarce, or if it grew out of the old adage about the way to a man's heart being through his stomach, but whatever the reason, our fridge was always full and my mom was always pushing seconds.  To my mom, food was love .

Just because the kids are getting older doesn't mean you have to abandon your favorite holiday traditions. Here's how ours have adapted as our kids have moved from toddlers to teens. Holiday traditions are very personal and I hold many near and dear to my heart. They're the things I did with my family growing up, the things that made Christmas so special. When my husband and I started a family of our own, we wanted the holidays to be as magical a time for them as it was for us. And for many years, everything went according to plan. Then everyone grew up.

Puzzle piece Thanksgiving place cards are a fabulous DIY way to dress up your holiday table for fall. They're also a great way to upcycle those old puzzles with missing pieces.  It's a win-win for sure! About a month ago, I made this pretty puzzle piece pumpkin and used it as part of my fall home décor. I mentioned that in addition to a fall sign or a picture frame, it could be employed in many other ways. Today I'm sharing one such example. I simply printed up my guest's name on a piece of card stock and voila, now I have another pretty Thanksgiving place card .

Spiders are scary, unless they're funny. This time, it was actaully both. And I don't know if I'll ever live this story down. I Don't Like You... So from time to time, I like to take a break from the home décor to share one of my  ridiculous stories .  I'm not sure why I feel compelled to completely embarrass myself over and over again. But hey, if you can't laugh at yourself...

I love my bedroom.  Like my kitchen , it was decorated on a budget and has remained pretty much the same for almost a decade. I love the color of the walls, our antique rock maple bedroom set and our king size bed, which is the clear focal point of the room. The bedding is always white.

I have stated before, many, many times, that I live in the sweetest little beach neighborhood.  It was originally settled as summer community almost 100 years ago and was peppered with the tiniest cottages, designed for a weekend at the shore.   Over the last century however, as people found it harder and harder to leave the beach during the off season, the neighborhood has morphed into a fulltime residential area. 

Come check out these crafts and decor tips for fall. Easy and inspirational! October was a very busy month, it just flew by! November is upon us, leaving no doubt that it's fall. There is a definite chill in the air, the leaves have turned all sorts of bold and eye catching colors and have begun to tumble, Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving is a mere twenty four days away.

Halloween is not my favorite holiday. There, I said it. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Halloween! The day has finally arrived and I am ready for it! I have a cute witch canvas hanging on my front door and a few pumpkins on the stoop. Ten bags of candy are at the ready, as we have a very active trick or treating neighborhood, complete with a tractor hay ride and a roving spooky storyteller. My kids even painted these mini pumpkins on their own to add to the festive nature of the day! Isn't Halloween wonderful?

Make something truly unique for your Thanksgiving front door with a thrift store frame and a few dollar store supplies. It's a fun way to welcome guests instead of hanging a traditional wreath. And an quick and crafty home decor DIY. I have tons of great front door décor for October and Halloween and even more fabulous options for Christmas, but in between, when November rolls around, I am always at a loss. Thanks to Pinterest and the super creative world of blogging, I'm no longer excited by the prospect of yet another wreath on my front door . This year, I wanted something different, something truly unique and really creative. But what exactly? I had no idea.

Whip up an Oreo banana milkshake smoothie for a fun treat. Easy to make and so delicious. Just grab a few ingredients and go! As the leaves begin to turn colors and fall and the temperatures start to drop,  Pinterest becomes flooded with lovely pictures of and recipes for hot, comforting drinks ~ 'tis the season!

When we moved into our home, the kitchen was old and tiny and basically unusable. We knew it needed a major makeover from the minute we walked through the door. A country cottage kitchen makeover to suit the style of the house.  Come take the tour. Although I have featured the different areas of my kitchen, as background for other projects or posts, I have never displayed my kitchen as a whole. I figured after seven months of blogging, perhaps it was time.

Apparently, I have been crafting forever!  This year while digging out my Halloween decorations I came across this little number and I couldn't believe the date on the bottom.  I have been a crafty DIYer for a very, very long time!

Candles~ they are a home décor staple for good reason.  They add a warmth and ambiance to a room that cannot be achieved in any other way. A lit candle adds life to a space and it's just more inviting somehow.  While I enjoy their beauty all year long, in fall and winter, I crave their glow even more. As the sun sets earlier and there's a chill in the air, the glow provided by candlelight romanticizes the weather and makes me happy to be tucked into our cozy home.

Make a super easy decorative wall sign for fall with a vinyl sticker. It's an easy, inexpensive way to a fabulous accessory. Are you ready for the easiest project ever?  I have another decorating cheat to share and it will make you look like a DIY superstar! 

Sometimes ordinary items gain meaning in the most meaningless ways. I would like to introduce you to my Frankenpot. I figured that the timing was apropos since Halloween is just around the corner, but honestly, it's a story for any time.  It's also the perfect example of the old saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and since Exquisitely Unremarkable is all about finding beauty in the everyday, I thought I would share. I mean, honestly, what could be more everyday than a broken pot?

This was my dad's favorite saying! A small wooden sign used to hang in his workshop as a reminder to all of us~ I don't know who came up with these pithy old sayings, but they never seem to go out of style!

My lovely little home was built during the 1920's in a summer beach neighborhood.  Most of the surrounding homes were used purely as summer vacation residences and while our home was the first year round home built in the area, when we moved in, it was still very small and in need of major renovation to accommodate a modern family.

Make a puzzle piece pumpkin to usher in fall with style. It's an easy DIY craft that upcycles those old pieces. There is finally a chill in the air around here and even though fall is still technically a few days away, I'm ready to jump on the seasonal bandwagon and decorate for autumn.   This puzzle piece pumpkin has always been one of my favorites.   It is a super easy and very inexpensive craft that can be used as part of a seasonal home décor vignette or made for or by kids as a holiday photo frame. 

Organize your bathroom in a way that works for you with dollar store bins. Better yet, throw what you don't need away...   I'm not usually a huge dollar store fan. Don't get me wrong, I love a bargain, unfortunately, the dollar stores in my area are just not that great. I see the items that some other bloggers pick up at their shops and wow, but here, eh, nothing great. I can say, however, that my store does have a super selection of baskets and when I get the organizing bug, the dollar store is always my first stop.

Yup. Even my shoes are red!

Crock pot meatballs and sauce is a crowd pleasing, super easy meal for busy nights, a family favorite. Check out the super easy recipe and let's eat! The idea of making a traditionally time consuming dish, like spaghetti and meatballs, does not normally appeal to me. I do not love the fact that I have to stay home for hours, babysitting a bubbling pot, frankly, nor do I have the time. There's always an errand or carpool calling me, unfortunately, even on a Sunday.

Grandparents Day is a real holiday. Who knew? Can we still celebrate with my mom in a nursing home? The card stores and blogosphere always seem to make a huge deal of the littlest “holidays”….and yes, those quotation marks do represent sarcasm.    I'm sorry, I love holidays just as much as the next guy and I try to get into the spirit, but celebrations touting National S’mores Day just don’t do it for me.

I painted a curbside find and added a little bit of fabric to make it really stand out. Check out my results! When it comes to the home décor game, I would classify myself as more of a decorator, than a DIYer.  Yes, I absolutely do things myself. I've written about many of my projects on the blog as a matter of fact, and honestly, there is not one room in my house that has been spared of my efforts. When I can't find what I want in the store, I often make it.

I have a confession to make and as confessions go, it's a pretty big one. I hope you can still respect me and my so-called expertise after I come clean. My fingers are crossed.

Sometimes, I forget that happiness is a choice and I need to remind myself that I can choose to be happy in just about any situation.  Looking at this exquisitely unremarkable bloom in my garden makes me happy.  I hope it has made you happy, too!

Popcorn rice is a super easy side dish recipe that goes with almost anything. It has a light buttery flavor, takes just minutes to prepare and is very kid friendly. Hello folks! Today, I have another ridiculously easy, but tasty, recipe to share with you. It was a fan favorite in my house growing up and remains one the most requested dishes in my own home today.

I'm taking the easy way out again ~ this time in my garden!  My signature "I want it done now, super cheap and super easy" decorating method employed in every inch of my home, extends to my garden as well.   Who wouldn't want a lush, flower filled space to relax in ?

Super easy homemade chicken nuggets...kids love them. And so will you. My kids are not toddlers, actually they are far from it, but last night, we ate chicken nuggets.  It was highly unusual, since when they were small, we ate so many nuggets that they now gag at the mention of them. I must admit that I am not a big fan either.

Modern cottage style garden tour for inspiration and ideas. Normally, I am pretty verbose; spoken or written, I like words.  My grandmother used to call me a chiacchierone...it means chatterbox. Apparently, I started speaking in full sentences at eighteen months or so and I haven't come up for air since! However, today, I have decided to let my photos do the majority of the talking, as I feature part of my backyard.

I'm kind of a boring decorator.  While I do enjoy changing up accessories and rearranging furniture, once I find a look I like, I tend to stick with it for the long haul.  I agonize over fabric and wall colors, trying to create the perfect room and when I finally get a space to look just right, I find myself sitting in it and staring peacefully, enjoying it like artwork, with my cup of hot water (yes, plain hot water) in hand.

A few years ago, for Lent, while everyone around me was giving up chewing gum and chocolate, I gave up gossip.   One day, when trying to discuss the deadlocked presidential election with friends, I realized that no one was interested.   A neighbor was getting divorced and that was all that mattered.  

Why I don't follow decorating trends and you shouldn't either. Me In Our Orange, Brown and Avocado Colored Kitchen, 1974 Growing up, if you asked my mother if she was interested in home interiors, she would say definitely not, which is funny, because we had a lovely home and she redecorated often. In the sixties, she installed an entire wall of mirrors in the living room, ornate fringed drapes framed the windows and a mural of ancient Rome was plastered to the round wall in the entryway. Perfectly on trend.

I have stated before that I am not a gourmet cook .  I like simple, easy recipes and they don't get any easier than this.  It's so easy, I'm not even sure it can be called a recipe! 

Box pleat valances are usually mounted to a board, but you can make a box pleat valance on a rod, too and it's super easy. Follow my step by step tutorial with pictures. Whether you sew or you don't, you can get a custom look, on a budget. It's really all about the ironing. Last week I updated my master bathroom with a few small accessories, this box pleat valance being one of them. Today I am sharing how I made it.

Update a bathroom with a few quick accessory swaps. Two summers ago, we finally renovated our master bathroom.  When we moved into our home, the necessary renovations were so extensive that I needed one construction free room in the house to escape to each day.  My bedroom and small attached bath became my sanctuary.

Don't toss that torn chair. Make an easy slipcover for the seat to cover it up instead. This sew or no sew repair can be done in minutes and bring your old furniture back to life. So today I have a little story for you about a chair. It's a lovely little chair and it resides in my kitchen. It's relatively new and until about an hour ago, it had a big tear right in the seat. Oh boy. Not good. Especially since, like I said, it is pretty new. You see, I've always loved the look of upholstered furniture in the kitchen. It gives the space such a warm and cozy feeling. If possible, I would put a sofa in there , but I don't have the room.

Have an old spring wreath that is ready for the trash? Don't throw it away, just add a few new flowers and it can be as good as new! I am a sucker for a pretty spring wreath, which is funny, because I really do not like fake flowers. At all. I strongly prefer the real thing and if, for some reason, I cannot have them in my home, then my centerpieces generally feature fruit or food . Unfortunately, neither of these items lend themselves readily to long term displays, so if I want color and softness on my walls and doors, then fake flowers it is ~ although the idea of a cupcake wreath is very, very tempting!

Do you make a bucket list for summer? Do you fill it with activities, trips and lists of things you just must see and do? We used to, but now we do this instead. There's a lot of talk, now, about summer bucket lists.  It's a tradition long honored in my family that started years ago with inspiration from an episode of Arthur, the cartoon aardvark featured on PBS. Each June we get out pencil and paper and dream big, including trips to the beach, zoos, parks and vacations.