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Introducing Ditto DIY {Inspired Design for the Rest of Us}

by | Apr 22, 2013 | Decorating Inspiration, DIY

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Introducing Ditto DIY {Inspired Design for the Rest of Us}

Happy Monday to you! I have a very new fun monthly DIY series to introduce to you today I think you are really going to enjoy! I know I am super excited about this!!

I just got back from the SNAP conference where I spoke on a panel with my BFF’s and amazingly talented ladies, Kate from Centsational Girl and Mandi from Vintage Revivals. I adore them both for so many reasons.

Our session was on bloggers working with brands, but you all probably know those girls can whip out amazing jaw dropping DIY projects in their sleep. RIGHT? How do they do that? Honestly, I stand in awe at their DIY brilliance and skill. Literally. I stand frozen. Jaw on the floor.

And that is why I’m excited about this new monthly DIY series “for the rest of us.”

What I love about decorating is figuring out how to be inspired by something I love and make it work for my house on my budget, with my limited DIY skills. The DIY part is my biggest weakness.

You know how you look at a blog or a home decorating magazine or watch a design show on HGTV and wish you could make your own rooms look that good? Design is not always about expertise or even an unlimited budget, but more about taking inspiration and making it work for your own space.

That is the philosophy behind this new monthly series called Ditto DiY.

Once a month, beginning in May, nine very different bloggers will attempt to recreate in their own homes a project or design element inspired by a photo selected by my amazing designing friend Darlene Weir of Fieldstone Hill Design.

Introducing Ditto DIY {Inspired Design for the Rest of Us}

I think if I had to give my home’s style a name, I would narrow it down to eclectic northwest coastal style, which I suppose means I combined natural warmth and texture, nods to the sea and a bit of old world mixed with some modern touches.

Basically, let’s be honest. I got confused a lot along the way because I just LOVE so many things, but that NW coastal style seems to be what I landed on. If you are new here and want to see what I mean by that style, you can check out my home tour.

In addition to my friend Darlene who will be giving us the inspiration pictures for our ditto projects, the participating bloggers include:

Ruth @ Living Well Spending Less
Cindy @ Skip to My Lou
Jen @ Balancing Beauty & Bedlam
Edie @ Life in Grace
Rachel @ Surviving the Stores
Karin @ Trophy Mom Diaries
Lauren @ I am THAT Lady
Kelly @ View Along The Way
Melissa @ The Inspired Room

Be sure to pop over to each of these fabulous ladies’ sites to find out more about their personal style, as well as to discover their own decorating strengths & weaknesses! See how much fun this will be? New friends, all with our own unique challenges and styles, coming together to try something new each month! And you can join us!

Introducing Ditto DIY {Inspired Design for the Rest of Us}

So here’s what happens next month: Monday, May 6th, all nine of us will share our inspired DiY projects, while Darlene will provide expert design tips on incorporating the featured design element into your own space. She will then also present our inspiration photograph for the following month. The truly fun part will be seeing what different interpretations of the same photograph this incredibly eclectic group comes up with!

After you’ve had a month to see what Ditto DiY is all about, we will be inviting you ALL to participate! Beginning in the first Monday in June (and every first Monday of the month after that), all you with blogs will be able to link up. (Non-bloggers can share your pictures on our Ditto DiY Facebook Page!)

Be sure to tune in Monday, May 6th to check out our first Ditto DiY projects. And now, without further ado, here is this month’s inspiration:

Introducing Ditto DIY {Inspired Design for the Rest of Us}

{ditto} DIY
This month’s Inspiration:

A chic painted tray and vanity vignette, from the home of nina bergsten, photography by marcus lawett.

The {ditto} DIY Challenge:

Create your own painted tray and vanity vignette.

Designer Thoughts:

“Study the image above, and be inspired by the sophistication and simplicity of this design. The attention to each detail adds up to a beautiful vignette. “

Now I am going to go find a tray to paint! We’ll see how this goes!
Check back next month to see how it turns out! Heh.heh.
What is  your biggest decorating challenge?

19 Comments

  1. Katie

    Great Idea…Love this! I always appreciate how each blogger interprets their own style into the projects, great idea. I’ll be checking back to see how these progress!

    Reply
  2. Cottage Katie

    I am soo excited about this new series for your blog! It is great that you are opening it up to all of us to participate and I am eager to get involved!

    Reply
  3. Anne

    My biggest challenge is budget! I have learned so much carpentry in the last year that I am feeling confident tackling anything but plumbing and electrical (other than switching out lights). Love the new challenge, can’t wait to see the results!

    Reply
  4. Jennifer

    I am SO excited about this!! How fun! What a great group of ladies. :)

    Reply
  5. Kelly

    So excited to be doing this fun challenge with you! I can’t wait to see how everyone interprets the inspiration differently. I’m REALLY excited about the DIY part, but really nervous about the styling. Eek! Two more weeks to figure this out!

    Reply
  6. Calista

    This sounds really fun and can’t wait to see all the great ideas! I guess my biggest challenge is confidence working with the electric tools, i.e. saw, sander, etc. There are many more things I would tackle with a bit more experience in this area. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  7. Stacey

    How fun!
    My biggest challenge is styling vignettes. I don’t want to just pick random things, I want each item to be meaningful and pretty too. So I tend to be slow at that area.

    Reply
  8. Sara Silver

    I love this idea! The hardest part of DIY projects for me is finding the time to do them. Working full time and raising children doesn’t leave much time for creativity but that’s really what my blog’s all about..or what I strive for anyway. Great ideas and then finding time to implement them. I’m so excited about this series!

    Reply
  9. tara

    looking forward to this series each moth….I’ll definitely participate. my favorite way to decorate is to look at inspirational pics and try to make them my own by adding my own flare.

    Reply
  10. Holly

    How neat! I’m definitely excited to see how this turns out!

    Reply
  11. Nicki

    Great Idea! I am definitely going to be linking up!!

    Reply
  12. Christie

    Wow! I’m in love with this idea. For starters, my biggest challenge would be making a vanity vignette when I don’t have a vanity. = ) Okay, seriously, my biggest challenges are my complete and total lack of any diy skill whatsoever (so why do I want to do it so badly then?) and finding the energy to tackle something after my four little girls are in bed. Or better yet, involving them while I try something during the day. Can’t wait to read more!!

    Reply
  13. Leslie Stewart

    Wow! This is exciting! What a great idea. I can’t wait to see all the fabulous ditto DYIs!
    Leslie

    Reply
  14. MarieRoxanne

    I was at a standstill in my decoration, DIY my condo. Now i am inspired to start creating. Liking the facebook page will get me motivated. Thank you!

    Reply
  15. Nicole

    Great idea – can’t wait to see the ideas. I love the DIY projects, but sadly mine don’t always turn out like the photos.

    Reply
  16. Kayla

    I read about this over at Fieldstone Hill and I am so excited about it!!!

    Reply
  17. Tried&Twisted

    What a clever idea! I can’t wait to see how different everyone’s interpretation is next month.
    Sara

    Reply
  18. Mimi

    Sounds like great fun Melissa. Can’t wait to visit the other blogs. What’s SNAP stand for?

    Reply

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