Hello Friends!
Before we had a home decor blog I remember reading and enjoying Blog Hops. They were a great opportunity to be introduced to other interesting DIY and home decor blogs and bloggers. Needless to say, when Jamala of VivaLaVintageforyourhome.com asked me to join in on the Punch Bowl Social Blog Hop, I was really excited.
It’s been so inspiring to discover and meet other bloggers in the home decor niche. I’m honored to be a part of this blog hop where we all introduce ourselves and share a little about our blogs! Be sure to check out the other bloggers in the Punch Bowl Social Blog Hop and see what makes them each so special.
I’m Maria, a homeschooling mama and abstract artist with a degree in Music, and a love of interior design. Jeremy and I are high school sweethearts turned parents to five kids, one in college and the youngest in Kindergarten. I know, it’s a whole lot, but God’s ways are mysterious and they keep us young at heart.
Why I Blog
Life goes by so fast and documenting moments both big and small helps me hold onto them and revisit them. I love everything home and we always try to keep our DIY budget low. Sharing the creative ways we save money makes me really happy. I want others to give it a try then splurge or invest elsewhere with the money they’ve saved.
Our blog, Pure Happy Home, started this past April. My husband Jeremy and I have been renovating our home for many years. As our family grew to five children, they became part of the home improvement team. I document our home here as well as some of our family milestones. Working together on projects can be crazy sometimes. Allowing the kids to make design choices and choose projects, can be more than challenging, but it is so much fun.
We’ve been DIYing our builder grade house into a home we love full of vintage finds. Learning when to be frugal and when to splurge has helped us all understand what is most important to us when designing a home. If I don’t eventually get an architect, a builder or an interior designer out of this bunch I’d be shocked!
Here are a few of my favorite projects we accomplished as a family.
Installing Plywood Plank Flooring
Plywood plank flooring is an amazingly cost effective flooring solution. You can read how we did it here.
DIYing our own Inground Trampoline
At the very beginning of the pandemic our boys were getting antsy and asked if they could dig a hole to put our trampoline in. At first I said a big NO, but after a couple of weeks I realized this could be a great project for them. They were determined to do it themselves and they did it one shovel of dirt at a time. Jeremy helped them secure it and make it safe. Read all about this project here Part 1 and here Part 2.
Our Budget Kitchen Renovation
You can renovate your kitchen and get the kitchen you always dreamed of while saving thousands of dollars. Here I share the seven clever tricks we used to stay on our tight budget during our kitchen renovation. Use these ideas and get the biggest bang for your buck. This is a must read for anyone thinking of renovating their kitchen.
Sanding Down Our Wood Floors
‘After years of wear and tear our solid woods floors needed refinishing, but we were ready for a change. Instead of refinishing them we sanded our maple floors down and fell in love. After getting a couple of incredibly high quotes we decided to try it ourselves. We rented the equipment and all learned a new skill saving thousands of dollars. Huge job, huge reward!
See the finished product here Part 2
Now you know a little about me and my love of interior design and DIY. Are you a homebody like as well?
Tell me about yourself. I’d love to hear about you!
xo Maria
Make sure to check out the other talented designers on the Punch Bowl Social Blog Hop, and see all their amazing projects.
Jamala – Viva La Vintage For Your Home
Nikki – 4th House On the Right
Maggie – Maggie Overby Studios
Maria, you have such a beautiful family! It’s so special how you work together as a team to DIY. The ingenuity of the in ground trampoline was super fun! Thanks for sharing your home. P.S.: Your kitchen article is FANTASTIC!!!!!
Thank you for your kind words Felicia! I love sharing how we save money has a family while creating a home we use and love.
Glad to learn something more about you. I’m one of four girls and my mom and dad were always working at some home improvement or design project. It does get in your blood.
That’s good to hear! I hope we’re teaching them to learn new and valuable skills they can use as adults.
I tip my hat off to you – a college and kindergartner lol… wow.. never a dull moment. I love that your family are able to work on projects as a team..(that’s a true blessing). I’m sure they love telling their friends-i helped do that! I found you through the orc and became a follower because i love what i saw. Thank you so much for participating and sharing your story. I look forward to seeing more of your posts. Ps..my husband and I were hs sweethearts too..
The kids do take pride in what they’ve been able to accomplish. Although they now say we can’t ever, ever move! Thank you for asking me to join in on this blog hop full of talented women and so much inspiration. Oh and I looove that you and your hubby were HS sweethearts!
Maria, what a beautiful family you have! Your kitchen makeover is gorgeous. And how fun to have the whole family involved with the projects you all tackle. Love your design aesthetic and I’m delighted this blog hop connected us.
I’m really glad we connected as well Linda! As far as the family doing projects together, my hope is to work for my kids someday if they’re builders or interior designers. Fingers crossed! 🙂
A pure happy home really is a good reflection of what I see when I glimpse into your home and see you and your family. I love seeing your family all get stuck in projects together it’s so beautiful
Thanks Chantelle, so sweet of you. Jeremy and I try hard to make things fun around here, especially the work we do together.
To keep the kids energized to help with projects is no easy feat. CONGRATS!!
Came over from Jamala’s blog and will be back to read more. . .
That’s true Neti! 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting!