March is almost here, but before we rush into spring, let’s take a moment to look back at February. Slowing down to celebrate small wins keeps momentum going, and February delivered travel decompression, hallway upgrades, and several “big girl” room projects. Below is a month-in-review presented as playful yearbook-style superlatives. If you’d like more throwback recaps, we’ve summarized each month of the past two years in a single post (25 summaries total).
Thriftiest: This award goes to all of you—especially the 200+ readers who joined our Macklemore Thrift Shop Challenge and shared hilarious finds from twenty-dollar thrift runs. Your creativity made this one of the month’s most entertaining activities.
Most Well-Trained: Clara earned this one. She helped pick the fabric for her room curtains, so we turned her choice into curtains for her new big-girl space—proof that kids can have great taste when given a say.
Most Inspiring: Our window-shopping visit to the Jonathan Adler store in Georgetown fed our love of color and sparked fresh ideas for updating secondhand pieces. The trip didn’t produce purchases, but it left us full of inspiration for future makeovers.
Most Confusing: Our first-try chalk paint post sparked confusion because chalk paint is not the same as chalkboard paint. We updated the post to clarify that chalk paint is a distinct paint formula and isn’t intended for writing with chalk unless you skip waxing.
The Worst: This category goes to me, for locking our rental car keys in the trunk during a Portland stop on our west coast book tour. Thankfully the trip still had plenty of fun moments afterward, as detailed in the tour recap.
Biggest Help: Clara again—this time showing off her drill skills while installing postcard ledges in her room. It won’t be long before she’s asking for help on her own DIY projects, not the other way around.
Least Remorseful: Our post on buyer’s remorse explored the decorating mistakes that are part of the process. We’ve learned to move forward rather than second-guess every decision—sometimes the missteps are the best teachers.
Most Thrilling: Testing paint shades in Clara’s room was a dramatic, fun experiment. We sampled four shades in a playful “The Shade” segment and happily landed on the perfect color.
Most Last Minute: The Valentine’s we pulled together for Clara’s preschool exchange came together fast—Target supplies plus a little homemade poem let us make something cute for 16 kids for under $7.
Most Transparent: A simple floating frame hack that Sherry made by adapting a standard frame with materials we already had on hand—proof that small tweaks can elevate art display.
Most Delayed Satisfaction: Hanging thrifted birdcages as a whimsical art installation in Clara’s room was years in the making—one cage was thrifted in 2011 and finally found its spot this month.
Most Influential: Sherry, who is subtly cultivating Clara’s love of ceramic animals—this time using Anthropologie hooks to organize some of her daughter’s hair accessories.
Most Quotable: Clara again—her unfiltered comments are consistently memorable. This month’s highlight was a moment from our Pinterest Challenge video when she couldn’t hide her craving for a marshmallow.
Most Awesomely Awkward: A New York restaurant bathroom we visited during our final book tour stop—unisex and complete with a photobooth—turned a quick stop into an awkwardly delightful five-minute photoshoot.
Most Playful: Clara’s closet-turned-play-zone earned this one. With most clothes still in her nursery, the closet became a secret spot for toys and games after we cleared clutter and added a few new items.
Cutest Couple: A tie: me with Jeremy Bower and Sherry with Katie Bower. During our Atlanta visit, the guys had a movie night while the ladies stayed up late crafting and hunting antiques—lots of cozy together-time all around.
Biggest Basketcase: Sherry, who gleefully added a dipped detail to toy baskets in Clara’s room and celebrated other small but satisfying progress on the to-do list with a delighted, slightly maniacal laugh.
Longest List: Our updated house project list showcases what’s finished and what’s next. It’s rewarding to see rooms come together, and exciting to plan future updates for spaces like the carport and front porch. That post also links to nearly every project we’ve completed, making it a useful resource for catching up on our home’s history.
Longest List (Runner Up): Nearly 650 projects were linked in the Pinterest Challenge roundup—an impressive archive of pin-inspired ideas and DIY inspiration to browse at your leisure.
Cheapest-Slash-Biggest Upgrade: Adding board and batten to our hallway as part of the Pinterest Challenge transformed the narrow space for about $57. It’s amazing what a small budget and some elbow grease can do.
Most Likely To Give Burt Wonderstone A Run For His Money: Paper tulips from West Elm that Clara gave Sherry for her birthday magically became real tulips overnight—courtesy of a little floral sleight of hand. Double flower power for the birthday celebration!
How did your 28 days of February look? Were you traveling and then overjoyed to be home? Did you complete anything exciting, dramatic, or marshmallow-related? We’d love to hear what you packed into the shortest month of the year.