This year has been one for the books…..literally! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined I would be able to say I was a published author, BUT here we are! It is truly a dream come true and I appreciate all of you being here to support me more than you know. I have had immense growth this year and I want to thank you all for sticking around as I navigate my way through turning Nailgun Nelly into what it is today!
When this year started I was smack dab in the middle of a huge project. Not only was I renovating Archie, the vintage trailer but I was also writing a book. It was such a unique experience that had me constantly questioning what I got myself into. Looking back I am so happy I stuck it out and created something that can be used as a great resource for you all! I wanted to recap all of the main projects completed this year, so let’s break it down month by month.
January - Archie Exterior and Family Room
In January 2024, I was knee deep in our 1970 Vintage Camper renovation, Archie. We got the exterior painted and looking brand new again. After that, I headed back inside the RV and completed the arches and microcement throughout the interior. At the time, you all didn’t know that I was simultaneously photographing and writing all of the tutorials for our book during this renovation! It was definitely a busy, BUSY start to the new year!
February - HGTV, Family Room & more Archie
Amid all of this, I found out I was going to be featured on HGTV Handmade for a home tour and DIY tutorial. This was such an epic experience to have a film crew come to my little house and shoot an episode for their series. Prior to their arrival I revamped my family room with a fresh board & batten wall treatment and furniture upgrade.
When the HGTV crew was here they filmed me creating my between-the-studs storage DIY project.
March - Completed Archie
The month of March I completed Archie! Not only was the vintage camper renovation done but I also turned in my final transcript for the book DIY Camper & RV Reno! We did our first photoshoot with the talented Sefra Kay Photography and began working on the layout and tech edits. Writing a book is quite the process and it was a one of kind experience to be given the opportunity to do. Below are the different project that tied up the renovation.
April/May - Curated Tile Line, Bathroom Refresh
This past April Tile Club and I released a curated tile line together. It has the most beautiful selection of tiles and it was also when I started the plan for my dining room built ins. I created custom pull out desks for my boys and added the Sultana tile from the curated line.
During this time I also did a quick weekend refresh to a bathroom vanity at my sister-in-laws house. It was a low budget, high impact refresh that turned out so great!
June - Mobile Bar
If you know me at all, you know that I absolutely love going to the lake in the summer. So to make the back porch up there a little more fun, I created a mobile bar. It can either be closed up into a hightop table or opened up to turn into an 8ft long bar. I used another tile on the front from my tile collection with Tile Club.
July - Front Yard Fence & Mailbox
Within the summer months we finally installed a fence in the front yard. This is something we have wanted for years! We had our oak trees trimmed and added drought tolerant landscaping to the front. After that we needed to address the mailbox that was looking pretty sad in comparison. I gave it a huge facelift and made it much more modern.
August - Backyard Path & Spa Steps
It had been almost 2 years since we finished the backyard deck and hot tub project. Yet we still never completed the path that connected our back bedroom porch with the main deck. I added the final steps needed and a stone path and the back was finally completed!
September - Umbrella, Rugs & Max's Room
To add a little shade to our deck, I built quick and easy umbrella holders that were attached to my deck railing. They were discreet and I can easily add an umbrella to them if needed. I also made stair tread coir mats using flex seal in a checkered pattern.
Indoors I created faux cement walls for my son’s room along with an upgraded bed and decor that will grow with him.
October - Wood Plank Ceiling
If I said I wasn’t nervous for this DIY it would be a lie. Yet it is one of my favorite we completed! It brought so much warmth to our family room and was seriously such a simple install.
November - Fountain & A New Project!
The arrival of our next big vintage camper renovation made it’s debut. I still have not decided on the design plan yet but it is going to be a huge part of this coming year!
I also created a fountain using yet another tile sample form the Tile Club. This Japandi tile is so gorgeous and also is in my curated tile line with them!
December - Little Library
In my efforts of using up scraps before starting my next big project, I finally built a little neighborhood library! I have wanted to have one of these for years and had so much fun creating it that I even built a second one for a family member!
What's to come in 2025?
I have no intention on slowing down through this next year with a couple huge projects on the horizon, along with the release of my book DIY Camper & RV Reno! It is going to be yet another epic year filled with tons of unique projects and I can’t wait to share them all with you!
