Today is a big milestone for me as I celebrate 10 years of blogging! My first blog post was 10 years ago today and I cannot believe that it’s been 10 years of sharing and connecting with you all on The Creativity Exchange.
Back when I started, none of my friends knew what a “blog” was and seriously thought I had lost my mind that I wanted to share my home publicly. Keep in mind, when I first started, this was before Pinterest and other social media platforms were launched. Blogs were the only way to share home design tips and inspiration. Can you believe that at that time, most brands didn’t even have a website?
It’s truly been such a joy for me to share, inspire and connect with others. I can’t thank you all enough for all of your encouragement, support and taking the time to read and follow along. I look forward to the next ten years!
So, I thought it would be so fun to go back and look at The Creativity Exchange’s most popular blog posts from the last 10 years.
#1 Tips and Tricks for Choosing Paint Colors
My most popular blog post BY FAR on The Creativity Exchange is my Tips and Tricks for choosing paint colors. I have a completely different approach to selecting paint colors for my clients by eliminating shades and colors that won’t work in a space. If you select shades and colors through the process of elimination, it’s a lot easier to quickly zone in on the perfect color for a space. A lot of readers over the years have told me that they used my technique and different approach when choosing colors and it has helped them so much. It’s how I select colors with. my clients without agonizing.
#2 30 Beautiful Cabinet Paint Colors for Kitchens and Baths
This is a post that I wrote last year and it’s already 2nd in my all-time post over 10 years. I spent weeks sourcing the most beautiful and perfect cabinet colors for this post and shared a lot of inspirational images to show you all the possibilities. I am very careful to only share colors that I know with certainty are good/dependable and note in the post ideal lighting situations for the colors. Even if I have never used the color in my own design business, I will sample the color before I share just to make sure it’s a good recommendation.
#3 Free Printable Pantry Labels
My free printable hand-lettered pantry labels are my number one pins on Pinterest (by far) for my site. The labels are so easy to print and turned out so pretty and fun.
#4 My “Go-To” Paint Colors
My list of “Go-To” paint colors have been very popular over the last couple of years and even though I shared it a couple years ago, I still use most of those same colors today in my design business. The best transitional paint colors will be timeless and look beautiful for many years to come, which is why I tend to not veer too far from my favorites.
#5 Choosing Bathroom Paint Colors
My tips for choosing bathroom paint colors has been such a popular post and I’m always amazed to see it rank so high in my stats everyday. Selecting paint colors for bathroom walls and cabinetry that don’t have any natural light is so hard! I spent a lot of time walking the reader through every little step I take when I select bathroom colors for my clients and shared tips for zoning in on the color quickly.
#6 Utah Valley Parade of Homes Recap
Over the years, I have traveled the country and shared a lot of parade home pictures but this Utah Valley Parade of Homes Recap has been by far the most popular that I have shared over the years. That particular tour, just a couple years ago, was absolutely amazing to see in person with so many fresh ideas that we are just now seeing in new homes throughout the country today. I’m not surprised that post is one of the most visited. I highly recommend looking through the recap if you’ve never seen it before.
There was SO MANY amazing ideas that I photographed, I had to do a “Part 2” post that you can see here.
#7 3 Best White Interior Trim Paint Colors
Once again, the posts that I write about paint colors where I walk through every little step and detail in selecting a paint color are always the most popular. I shared my tips for selecting white trim colors and basically narrowed it down to three shades of white in this post. It’s clear that you guys really want to better understand color selection and pitfalls to avoid. I get it! I’ve spent years learning the hard way and I’m so happy to share with you guys.
#8 50 Most Popular Sherwin Williams Paint Colors
My post sharing 50 of the most popular Sherwin Williams paint colors is in at the 8th most visited post. No surprise here because having a list of the most popular colors is such a great tool. These colors make it to the top 50 list because they are good and used over and over.
#9 How to Create a Custom Paint Color Mix
When I wrote this post about how I create easy custom color paint mixes, I wasn’t sure anyone would be interested since it’s a little technical. BUT.. Turns out that you guys are VERY interested, especially how I mix in a wall color with an accent color to make sure colors are complementary in a space. In this post, I go into detail what I do if the ideal color is in between two colors on a fan deck and how you can make your own colors and use Sherwin Williams Color Match to get the formula.
#10 2021 Colors of the Year
Even though I wrote the 2021 Colors of the Year post just last year, that post has already hit the top ten posts of all-time. I’m pretty sure it’s because the colors the paint manufacturers selected for 2021 are all so good! Lots of great inspiration in that post!
As an honorable mention, my exterior remodel before and after reveal that I shared back in December was my number two post from last year. It is a dramatic before and after transformation and it’s been such a rewarding project for me.
Once again friends, thank you SO much for following along with me and always sharing your encouragement! It has meant so much to me and it’s truly been one of my greatest joys to be able to share my love of paint/home design with you all. I. On a side note, I have some great project reveals and paint tips coming up in thee next couple of weeks!
Cheers!
Cyndy
Rosanna Goode says
Congrats and thanks for all of the good tips over the years.
Beth Crawford says
Congratulations on ten years of educating me! I will study each of these posts again. Would love also, to have seen your very first post…that would be fun!
Laura M says
Cyndy, thanks for the recap, and congrats on 10 years of successful blogging!
I’ve pored over nearly every single one of your top 10 and they’ve inspired and delighted me.
Keep up the great work!
Brianna Johnson says
Amazing, congratulations! The picture of the house on your page it’s a Bradshaw build from the salt lake tour, I wanted to know if you knew the color combo. It’s a tan grey and black and White House with shakers. If not could you recommend a color that you might think would be close to that thank you so much and I love your blog.
Cyndy says
Thank you Brianna! I do not know the color combinations but I suspect it something like SW Tricorn Black and SW Agreeable Gray. If it’s not Agreeable, it’s VERY close. Thank. you!
Denise Hoepfner says
Woohooo! Congrats! I remember the day we talked about you starting a blog. And, I remember the subsequent CONE TREE craze! I love how much your blog has grown over the years, not just in number of readers but also in staying ahead of the trends. You were made for this!
Cyndy says
Awe, thanks Denise! Yes! I remember talking with you when I was thinking about it. You were so encouraging and I am so grateful for your support. Thank you. for your sweet note friend!
PAMELA GILLAM says
Hi Cyndy!
Your outdoor kitchen has been the inspiration for the one we are building. What sheen did you use for the paint? Semi gloss? Satin? Thanks for your help! Pam