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You are here: Home / Friday Five / Five Things I’ve Learned from Joanna Gaines

Five Things I’ve Learned from Joanna Gaines

June 3, 2016 By Karen Cooper 12 Comments

There’s a meme floating around Facebook that says, “In a world of Kim Kardashians, be a Joanna Gaines.” I thought it was funny, but it got me thinking about what it is about Fixer Upper and Joanna (and Chip) Gaines in particular that resonates with us.

Five things I've learned from Joanna Gaines - The Friday Five - thediybungalow.com

Check out our tips for traveling to Waco, The Silos, and Magnolia Market!

When I got to thinking about it, several of the things we love about Joanna are things I think are important, too, especially lately.

So, here is The Friday Five: Five things I’ve learned from Joanna Gaines:

(1) Repurpose and Re-Create.

Whether she’s turning an old gate into wall art or Silos into office space, Joanna loves to repurpose items that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

Repurposing is one of the five things I've learned from Joanna Gaines - thediybungalow.com

This is my mantra – DIY with (re)Purpose, right?!? I love taking old house parts and other materials and turning them into something useful and beautiful for the home.

Click here to see more of my fun, awesome repurposing projects!

Repurpose and reuse is one of the five things I've learned from Joanna Gaines - thediybungalow.com

Click on the photo to see how I made this daybed from old doors!

(2) One Step Back, Two Steps Forward.

I saw an interview with Joanna, in which she told the story of how she closed her first retail store for a time, to focus on her family. She knew that it was the season to be with her family. Then, later, there came a time when she knew the time was right to focus again on her business. And look at what happened next!

Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward.

In a way, this is what I did at the end of last year. Bear died in August, Dear Husband’s dad was ill, and M was being tested for what we later learned was Crohn’s. It was a season to focus on family first. I didn’t post as much on the blog. I didn’t do as many projects.

But now, now that that season is past us (knock wood), I can focus again on what I love: DIY projects, repurposing projects, making our house a home. And writing about all of it here. One step back. Two steps forward.

(3) Eat a Cupcake.

It seems like, especially in the last season, Joanna spent a lot of time eating cupcakes. Because sometimes you need a cupcake, right?

Go ahead, eat the cupcake. Sure, we’re all trying to be healthy and all. But sometimes it is just a lovely thing to eat a cupcake.

(4) Do It Right or Do It Again.

I remember an episode where there was a fireplace smack in the middle of the house.

Do it right or do it again is one of the five things I've learned from Joanna Gaines - thediybungalow.com

Source

Joanna tried to leave the fireplace there, but she kept saying that nothing felt right in the design. Finally, she decided to take down the fireplace and put it somewhere else in the house. And it worked.

I have always found that I can do something right the first time, or else I end up doing it all over again. If I don’t take the time, for example, to fully sand and prime something I’m going to paint, I end up painting it again. Or if I take a shortcut, or try to avoid doing something I know I’ll have to do, it always backfires, takes twice as long to fix it, and I end up realizing I should have just done it right the first time.

For more of my lessons learned about DIY, please see this post.

(5) Be True to Who You Are.

I love that, despite the fame and fortune that Joanna and Chip now have, they still appear on their show in jeans, t-shirts, and work boots. There’s nothing fancy or different about them. They are the same people in Season Three that they were in Season One.

With Pinterest, blogs, magazines and the internet generally, there’s this idea that there’s a “right way” to decorate your home. Some would even argue that the way that Joanna decorates her homes – farmhouse, industrial, neutral – is the “right” way.

But I think instead the message is that you should decorate your home how YOU want it to be decorated. Don’t buy a white sofa if you don’t want a white sofa. Fill your home and your life with what makes YOU happy, not what Pinterest or blogs or magazines say are the perfect way.

Be yourself is one of the five things I've learned from Joanna Gaines - thediybungalow.com

Click on photo above for a tour of our 1929 home.

Over the last few weeks especially, I’ve been thinking hard about my blog and its and my future. I’ve wondered if I’m crazy for following this dream and passion of mine. What I’ve learned is that you have to take a step back to take a step forward. That sometimes taking a break and a breath helps you move toward your goal. That it’s good to eat a cupcake. That it’s good to be yourself. That it’s good to follow your dreams and passions.

There’s nothing I’d rather do than DIY projects that make my home beautiful and then share how to do those projects with you.

Have a great weekend, friends.

This week's Friday Five is five things I've learned from Joanna Gaines - TheDIYBungalow.com

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  • Five Things I've Learned About MovingFive Things I've Learned About Moving

Filed Under: Friday Five, Real Life Tips 12 Comments

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

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Comments

  1. Mary D says

    June 4, 2016 at 7:45 am

    …and we enjoy watching your efforts of style/ repurposing achieved and just enjoy you , the dogs & read & watch in solidarity!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      June 5, 2016 at 4:34 pm

      Thank you, Mary! (Oh, and the dogs say thank you, too!)

      Reply
  2. Liz Cooper Matthews says

    June 4, 2016 at 9:57 am

    Great post, Karen! Glad to know you’re authentic, just like me. I love your blog.
    Your projects don’t go too fast and I can easily follow. Love the links you include
    in the blog. Keep posting and repurposing, you have a bigger audience than you think!
    (I’m a Cooper too!!!)

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      June 5, 2016 at 4:34 pm

      Thank you, Liz! Coopers rock! 😉

      Reply
  3. Mickey says

    June 4, 2016 at 10:39 am

    You are so honest, Karen. I love that.

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      June 5, 2016 at 4:32 pm

      Thank you, Mickey! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Linda says

    June 4, 2016 at 10:53 am

    Great post. Enjoy your blog. Keep up the good work!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      June 5, 2016 at 4:31 pm

      Thank you, Linda!!

      Reply
  5. ROBIN says

    June 4, 2016 at 8:28 pm

    So glad that you share!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      June 5, 2016 at 4:31 pm

      Thank you, Robin!

      Reply
  6. Karen says

    June 5, 2016 at 5:36 pm

    “In a world of Kim Kardashians, be a Joanna Gaines.” I couldn’t agree more! I always look forward to THE FRIDAY FIVE, but this week’s is different…..a good different. Very reflective, introspective, and perfectly timed! As a Special Education teacher retiring this summer after 35 years of teaching, I am so looking forward to working on my home design and DIY projects full time! I feel a sense of peace and calm with my decision and can’t wait to get started! Today, I would much rather have spent more time outside in our yard puttering around with my gardens, but there are papers to correct and grades to enter…..but not for much longer! : ) Thank you for your inspiring, thoughtful, and genuine words.

    P.S. On a lighter note, I am known as the “Martha Stewart” of the faculty, as my love for making things nice and “good things” carries over to school faculty meetings, holidays, celebrations, etc.! Recently during “Spirit Week” at school we had to dress as a favorite celebrity. I went as Martha! Blueberry apron, a nod to her Maine home; my glue gun draped around my neck, a small whisk and rubber spatula attached to the apron; and a small wire basket filled with candy eggs attached to the apron, too, for her chickens! I also stuck a “Get out of jail free” card to my apron, too, in reference to her stepping up and doing her time! Didn’t use her celebrity to dodge her consequences!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      June 7, 2016 at 5:26 pm

      Karen, Thank you for your thoughtful comment! Congratulations on your retirement! And I love the Martha costume! That’s awesome!! Happy summer and retirement!! 🙂 (I know all too well the relief of having papers graded and grades turned in!)

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




find projects here!

My Daybed in This Old House Magazine!

Daybed from Old Doors featured in This Old House Magazine
Best of 2016 - Best Blog DIY Category - thediybungalow.com

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About Karen

A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home. Read More…

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