New DIYear Resolutions

It’s hard to believe we’re almost in mid-January already, I’m still getting over the excitement of Christmas and New Years!  But with a new year, come new resolutions of course.

We moved into our house late in 2008, so much of 2009 was spent just furnishing it and getting situated.  Once we were moved in, we tackled a few big projects like painting most of the house and our backyard makeover.  But now that most of the “basics” are out of the way, we can really focus on refining our home design and customizing our spaces.

Here are some of the things I hope to accomplish in 2010, otherwise known as my New DIYear Resolutions!

Get Organized:  My messy closets and drawers have to go.  I'd like to tackle these areas throughout the year so that everything has it's place and I can get organized and stay organized.

Finish Updating our Kitchen:  We started updating our kitchen last month and the project is already in full-swing so I’m confident it will be completed within the next few weeks.  I’ll be sharing the latest progress soon, but you can check out our kitchen upgrade plan in the meanwhile.

New Fireplace Mantle:  As you can see by my Christmas mantle photos, we have a pretty standard builder’s mantle that you may have seen in other homes.  I’d like to update the mantle to add some style and function (we need a larger mantle to prevent our lovely tv from getting too hot while the fire is on).

Front Yard Landscaping: Last year we worked on our backyard, so this year we’re focusing on our front yard.  We have a small front yard with a tight walkway up to our front steps.  We’d like to expand the walkway and add some prettier plants and shrubs to spruce up our landscaping.

Home Office Update:  We have a pretty plain home office which doesn’t get as much use as it could.  I’d like to make the room more stylish and functional, maybe even with a craft area.  I don’t know if I’ll get the room to look as swoon-worthy as one of these inspirations, but I would like to add some craft space for myself. 

 

Photos from Apartment Therapy and BHG.

Basement Improvement:  While we don’t have the plans, or deep pockets, to finish our basement this year, I would like to make it more accessible in its unfinished state.  Currently, we have a gym, pool table, and storage shelves in our unfinished basement.  This year, I’d like to enhance the storage area and maybe even come up with some creative solutions to make the space look more finished without actually finishing it (with paint, fabrics, etc).  Any suggestions?

Looks like we’re cooking up another busy year in the Newlyweds household.  Do you have any projects, or DIYear Resolutions, planned for 2010?  Any tips for the ones I’d like to tackle?