I think the seed to be a DIYer was planted early. As a child, I was always in our basement painting, cutting, or coloring something. I still remember my sister helping me create a little art nook with my easel and some towels to create a wall so that I had a special little corner to create in. I worked on a paint-by-number project in that little corner for a long time and then gave it to my grandparents for Christmas. The first time I visited their new home, I saw my painting framed and hung on the wall in their kitchen. I still remember that moment like it was yesterday, of seeing something I created on their wall.
When I was in high school, I remember one fall sitting down and deciding to make all of my Christmas presents for friends and family. I covered photo albums and boxes in fabric and added trim and ribbon. I made myself one of those boxes that year and I still have it filled with cards and notes from my childhood. It still makes me smile when I look at it.
I know now that being a “maker” was just part of who I was, but I just was not aware of it. I am not a talented painter and I couldn’t draw my way out of a box, so I decided I wasn’t “creative.” The maker in me kept trying to come out and would tug at me, but I kept pushing it down. Slowly, I began to realize that I could be creative in ways other than the textbook versions. I found that decorating my home and the homes of friends and family was a new way I could be creative. I started a decorating business and years later I started a blog, Finding Home. I was learning to accept a new version of what it means to be creative, but in my mind, I still was not a DIYer. That was for the more talented and creative people.
They say necessity is the greatest form of invention, and my journey to becoming a DIYer started with a deadline. With a deadline looming, my husband and I started out to make a project—in fact, it was the first version of the Three-Tiered Outdoor Planter featured in Chapter 5 of this book. One project led to another, and before we knew it, we were comfortable with taking on DIY projects.
And one day I realized I was a DIYer.
And guess what?
So are you!
I’ve been lucky enough to turn my love of DIY into something much bigger. And, in much the same way that I never thought of myself as a DIYer just because I like crafting, when I began writing a blog, I never expected to become a “blogger.” It has always been, and will likely always be, such a strange concept to me. I really wanted to just hold myself accountable for a handful of goals I had set for myself in my decorating business. Over time, I found I loved the interaction with readers and the push to be creative on a weekly basis. When I look back now, I am amazed at how much I have learned by pushing myself. It truly seems like just yesterday I almost gave up on blogging because I could not figure out how to correctly upload pictures.
Today, my blog has become our family business. We have branched out the Finding Home brand to our handcrafted maple syrup and specialty food line. We have an online store, a wholesale line for retailers, and now a book. You never know the journey life is going to take you on. When I first started my blog, the tag line read, “The stories of the journey we are on to Finding Home.” What a beautiful journey it has been so far.