Happy New Year to all our cherished readers and friends of The Boondocks Blog! As we step into a brand new year and a promising new decade, we believe it’s the perfect moment to formally introduce ourselves, the fresh faces eagerly taking the helm of The Boondocks Blog.

Jane and Sonja, the new faces of The Boondocks Blog, smiling for a circular portrait.

A Warm Welcome from Jane and Sonja: Your New Hosts at The Boondocks Blog

Hello, It’s Wonderful to Meet You! Your Journey into DIY and Crafting Continues

We are Jane and Sonja, a dynamic duo of sisters united by an unwavering passion for creativity. Our hearts beat for all things craft, DIY, and upcycling. For nearly five incredible years, we have poured our creative energy into our own thriving blog, Sustain My Craft Habit, where we’ve shared countless nature-inspired projects and home decor ideas with a growing community of fellow enthusiasts. Our mission has always been to inspire others to embrace their inner crafter, transforming everyday items into unique pieces and personalizing their living spaces.

Our journey into the vibrant world of blogging led us serendipitously to Mary, the brilliant mind and original creator behind The Boondocks Blog. Through the expansive online crafting community, we connected and instantly recognized a kindred spirit. We quickly discovered a profound alignment in our interests, our creative philosophies, and our distinctive styles. We’ve always harbored immense admiration for Mary’s exceptional talent in transforming ordinary items into extraordinary pieces for the home through her ingenious DIY, repurposing, and upcycling endeavors. Her ability to see potential in neglected objects and breathe new life into them has been a constant source of inspiration for us, a true testament to the power of creative vision.

It was purely by chance that we learned Mary was considering transitioning away from her beloved passion project. The thought of all her invaluable creative ideas, inspiring projects, and meticulously crafted posts simply fading away was something we couldn’t bear. We felt a strong calling to preserve this incredible resource, a haven for DIY enthusiasts and a beacon of sustainable creativity. Driven by our shared vision and deep respect for Mary’s invaluable work, we extended an offer to ensure The Boondocks Blog would continue to flourish, carrying forward its legacy of DIY excellence and creative inspiration. To our delight and excitement, she accepted! We are honored to uphold the foundation Mary built and guide this wonderful blog into its next chapter.

Taking over The Boondocks Blog isn’t just about maintaining a website; it’s about nurturing a vibrant community, upholding a standard of creativity, and continuing to provide a sanctuary for those who find joy in making, mending, and beautifying their homes. We understand the responsibility that comes with inheriting such a cherished platform, and we are committed to delivering the same quality content and engaging experience that you’ve come to expect. We are incredibly excited to embark on this new chapter and continue the tradition of bringing you engaging, achievable, and inspiring DIY and craft content for every corner of your home and garden.

Getting to Know Your New Hosts: More About Our Creative Lives

As a more personal introduction to who we are, we thought we’d share a few fun facts and insights into our lives, highlighting what makes us tick and fuels our creative spirit. These details will paint a clearer picture of the hands and minds behind the projects you’ll see here:

Canadian Roots and Collaboration: We both reside in charming towns nestled just outside the bustling city of Toronto, Canada. This proximity allows us to easily collaborate, share ideas, and support each other in our creative pursuits and daily lives, fostering a strong sisterly bond both personally and professionally. Our Canadian landscape often serves as a beautiful backdrop and inspiration for many of our nature-themed projects.
Balancing Family and Creativity: Jane is a busy mom to four wonderful children, ranging in age from 5 to 13, bringing a wealth of practical experience in creating functional, resilient, and beautiful spaces for a lively family home. Her projects often reflect the need for durability and family-friendly appeal. Sonja cherishes her 10-year-old daughter, whose boundless imagination often sparks new project ideas and a fresh perspective on crafting. Balancing family life with creative endeavors is a constant, joyful challenge for both of us, inspiring us to develop efficient and engaging DIY solutions.
Professional Backgrounds Enriching Our Craft: Beyond our passion for blogging, we both maintain demanding day-jobs that contribute unique skills to our creative ventures. Sonja leverages her extensive expertise as a designer and product developer in the fast-paced apparel industry, bringing an keen eye for aesthetics, detail, color theory, and trend forecasting to our projects. Jane, as a director of research in a large teaching hospital, applies her methodical approach, organizational skills, and critical problem-solving abilities to managing our blogs, planning projects, and ensuring clarity in our tutorials. This powerful blend of creative vision and analytical precision forms a robust foundation for our work.
The Birth of Sustain My Craft Habit: Our initial creative outlet, Sustain My Craft Habit, was launched in March 2015. It began as a heartfelt endeavor to share our profound love for nature-inspired DIY projects, unique crafts, and innovative home decor ideas. Our deep connection to nature is a cornerstone of our philosophy, influencing many of our sustainable and natural material-focused projects, from driftwood art to pressed flower frames. We believe in bringing the beauty of the outdoors inside.
Expanding Our Creative Family with Sustain My Cooking Habit: About a year ago, our incredibly talented mom, Branka, officially joined our blogging team. Her arrival led to the exciting launch of Sustain My Cooking Habit. This platform allows us to share her amazing recipes, practical gardening tips, and insightful approaches to modern homesteading, broadening our scope to encompass a holistic approach to creative and sustainable living. From farm-to-table recipes to growing your own herbs, Mom Branka offers a wealth of knowledge.
Personal Amusements & Inspiration: When we’re not immersed in glue, paint, fabric, or garden soil, we enjoy unwinding in our own ways. Jane openly admits to being a bit of a Netflix addict, finding relaxation and even creative inspiration in diverse stories, documentaries, and historical dramas. Sonja, on the other hand, remains a huge, devoted fan of the strategic and resilient reality show Survivor, appreciating the challenges, resourcefulness, and creative problem-solving on display – skills often useful in DIY projects too!

We sincerely invite you to take a moment to visit Sustain My Craft Habit, our original creative hub. There, you’ll discover an extensive collection of DIY, craft, and decor ideas that truly reflect our personal style and commitment to hands-on creativity. Our posts cover a wide range of projects suitable for various skill levels, from simple weekend crafts to more involved home improvement endeavors. To give you a taste of what awaits and the quality of content you can expect, here are some of our most popular and beloved posts from our sister blog:

Chalky painted beach-inspired mason jars, a popular craft project for coastal decor.

DIY felt bird paperclips craft tutorial, a charming and easy crafting idea.

Our Vision: What’s Next for The Boondocks Blog? Continuing the Legacy of DIY Home Decor

When it comes to the future of The Boondocks Blog, our approach is one of deep respect for its existing charm, extensive content, and undeniable value. To be perfectly honest, we don’t have any grand, immediate plans for radical changes here. We see this blog as an extraordinary treasure trove, a phenomenal resource brimming with creative inspiration, ingenious DIY solutions, and sustainable home decor ideas that have already touched countless lives. Our primary goal is to ensure this valuable content remains readily accessible, continuously inspiring people to re-imagine, re-purpose, and re-love the items within their homes, extending their lifespan and infusing them with new character. We believe in the power of conscious creation and sustainable living, and The Boondocks Blog is a perfect platform for this philosophy.

Over the course of the coming months, our readers can anticipate a thoughtful balance of familiar favorites and fresh ideas. We will be meticulously revisiting and re-sharing some of Mary’s most popular and enduring projects, ensuring her brilliant work continues to reach and inspire new audiences. These timeless tutorials will serve as a foundation, reminding us of the blog’s rich history and foundational principles. Alongside these beloved classics, we’ll be organically sprinkling in some new and exciting crafts and DIY projects, reflecting our unique style and passion for nature-inspired, sustainable living. This blend will ensure that while the blog honors its roots, it also evolves and offers fresh perspectives, innovative techniques, and relevant ideas to its loyal readership, keeping the creative spark alive.

Beyond the blog posts themselves, we are also committed to cultivating a dynamic and visually engaging presence on social media. We’ll be actively curating and pinning a wealth of innovative ideas and creative inspiration directly to The Boondocks Blog Pinterest account. Pinterest is a fantastic platform for visual discovery, allowing us to share mood boards, quick project ideas, and links to inspiring tutorials from both The Boondocks Blog and our sister sites. We encourage you all to give it a follow to stay updated with our latest inspirations, curated collections, and sneak peeks of upcoming projects. It’s a wonderful way to gather ideas for your next home transformation or crafting adventure, making your creative journey even more enjoyable and accessible.

Explore The Boondocks Blog’s Best DIY & Craft Projects on Pinterest

To help you immerse yourselves in the rich history and impactful content of this beloved blog, we invite you to take a leisurely stroll through some of The Boondocks Blog’s all-time top 5 posts. These projects exemplify the creativity, ingenuity, and transformative power that Mary brought to her work, and we are thrilled to continue sharing them with you. They serve as a perfect starting point to discover the magic that can be made with a little imagination and a lot of heart:

Transforming an old laminate table with gel stain, a popular DIY tutorial for furniture renovation.

How to make beautiful pleated drop cloth curtains, a cost-effective home decor project.

We are genuinely excited about the opportunity to connect with each of you and build a vibrant, supportive community around our shared love for crafting, DIY, and home transformation. We eagerly anticipate getting to know you better over the coming months and years, sharing inspiration, learning from your experiences, and growing together creatively. Please feel free to leave a comment below, introducing yourself, letting us know where in the world you’re reading from, and sharing a fun or interesting fact about yourself. Your stories, insights, and engagement are invaluable to us as we cultivate this wonderful space.

Thank you for welcoming us into this wonderful space and joining us on this exciting new adventure. Here’s to countless more hours of discovery, creativity, and the joy of making. Happy crafting, friends!