Creating a color-filled life through thrifty DIY projects for the home and fun crafts for the whole family. If it's colorful, crafty, or creative I'm into it!

Hi, I'm Meredith, and I thank you so much for stopping by today! Here's a little more information about me and about this blog.

The Best of The Palette Muse

DIY tutorials, craft projects, color palettes, home improvement, organization tips, family hacks, oh my! Start here for a taste of what The Palette Muse is all about. Let's create a color-filled life together!

The Best Way to Paint Kitchen Cabinets

Painting kitchen cabinets can be overwhelming, but here's how to make it easier. You don't have to empty out your whole kitchen because no sanding is required!

Neopolitan Palette and 9 ways to Use Color Palettes

I love color! These color palettes will get you inspired for your next project, whether it be redoing a room, or making a scarf.

Create a Gold Hexagon Backsplash

You don't need tiles to make a gold hexagon backsplash like this one that I created for my camper makeover. Here's how to make your own stenciled wall design.

Make Your Own Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub

It's easier than you think to make your own sugar scrub. Maybe that's why this is one of my most popular posts!

Tips for Hanging Double Barn Doors

You can easily create double barn doors out of two sets of single barn door hardware. No need to buy fancy double sets! Here's a few things to keep in mind.

Easy Mod Podge Candle Makeover

Transform plain glass pillar candles from the Dollar Store into a show stopping centerpiece with only cocktail napkins and Mod Podge!

Paint Laminate Cabinets

Can you paint laminate? YES! All you need are the right supplies, and a little patience!

$100 Room Challenge Bathroom Reveal

These concrete countertops saved my budget on this $100 Room Challenge! Check out the whole guest bathroom makeover.

13 Easy Camping Hacks for the Perfect Outdoor Adventure

Our favorite family time is camping, so I've put together some of our best tips for making the most of your camping trip.

How to Make Painting Simple With the Right Tools

Every DIY project starts with the right tools, and almost all my DIY projects involve some kind of paint. See what I recommend for making your next painting project faster and easier.

Free Printable Paint Can Labels

It can be tough keeping your DIY supplies organized, so I'm on a mission to help you out, and clean up my garage in the process! Check out these easy printable paint can labels.

How to Host Your own Paint Party

Paint parties are a super-fun way to bond with friends or family. Here's how to host your own, including how to make this aspen tree painting project.

What is The Palette Muse?

The Palette Muse is the place where I spill all my thoughts about home, color, crafts, and DIY projects. I started this blog almost by accident. I was signing up for a new Gmail address, and a little button at the bottom of the page called out to me, "Start a blog. It's free!" I clicked the button, and fell right down the rabbit hole. I found that I love writing and I love connecting with people, especially if I can help someone solve a problem or give them a little inspiration. So The Palette Muse was born!

It's been a few years now, and we've done lots of growing together. What began as a more personal blog about art and color has grown into more of creative lifestyle blog, focusing on DIY decor and how to make your house a home. Along the way, I've learned a thing or two about photography (please don't judge me based on my earlier posts' photos!) I've remodeled a few houses, and figured out what to DIY and what not to DIY, at least for me. And I've learned that I may not ever feel like my own home looks worthy of published photos, but I want to open up and share it anyway. Because I know I can't be both real and perfect, so I choose real.

A Little About Me

I grew up in Texas, where one of my earliest memories is about color. We were on a car trip, and I was happily passing the time with my coloring book in the way-back of our station wagon. I couldn't find the skin color I wanted in the crayon box, so I layered colors until I got to the right mixture. I couldn't have been more than 7 years old, but I clearly remember thinking, "You can make up your own colors? Does everybody know about this?" I honestly think this was the moment I knew I wanted to be an artist.

My parents encouraged my creativity in wonderful and unusual ways. When I was about 12, I decided I wanted to redesign my bedroom, complete with colored hand prints along the bottom half of the wall. To my great surprise, my mom said, "Go for it!" So I invited some friends over and we dipped our hands in different colors of paint and basically graffiti-ed my walls. That gave way a few years later to pink and green flamingo wallpaper and some serious 80's color blocking. I shudder to think how hard that room was to paint over when I went off to college. But I learned at an early age that paint is easy to change, so why not go for it?

Fast forward a few years, and I was finishing my art degree and realizing that I should probably find a way to make a living. I moved to Albuquerque, NM and eventually worked my way into a career in Human Resources. It paid a lot better than selling paintings and I put my art/design dreams on hold for a while as I enjoyed working with people. Once my first daughter was born though, I knew I needed a change.

Slowly I started getting back into art and design, and eventually started an interior design consulting business with my friend and fellow decor enthusiast, Jana. We had a great time, but found it hard to keep up with the consulting schedule and our families. So the design business went by the wayside, and I started focusing more time on this blog. And here we are today!

My Favorite People

Speaking of families, let me introduce you to mine. I have a wonderful husband and two little girls who all of the sudden don't seem so little anymore. They're all pretty shy, so I don't use their names or pictures here on the blog, but they are my biggest inspirations. They are also sometimes the hands behind the camera, the voice of creative problem solving, and occasionally even the source of the problems that need to be solved.

I've always had a strong sense of "Home" and once I had a family to care for, that concept of home became even more important. I'm most passionate about creating a peaceful and comforting home for them, and I've found over time that many of the ways I make our home comfortable are helpful to other people too, so it seems logical to share those here on the blog.

What do I do when I'm not Blogging?

Well, my family would probably laugh at the idea of a moment when I'm not blogging. But I promise I also do other things! I love to read, sing, go camping with my family, and get together with friends for coffee. I also love garage sale hunting (which often falls under the excuse of "it's for the blog!"), working with the women at my church, and hiking in the mountains that lie only minutes away from my doorstep.

I'd like to say I exercise, keep a clean house, and cook healthy family-friendly gourmet dinners, but none of those things would be true. I heartily believe that you can be a great homemaker without being a good housekeeper, and I practice that belief every day. But I've got my kids started on chores, so we've got that going for us. The dishes do occasionally get done and the kitchen swept, but those just aren't the interesting parts, so I'm easily distracted by anything else that might be more fun.

#TLDR: Final Fun Facts

I think my favorite way to get to know someone is to find out what they love. Here are a few of the things I love, in no particular order:

Coffee. How else would I get anything done, much less behave civilly to those around me?
My Family. I have two children and a husband, not in that order. And five turtle hatchlings that came with the house.
Eating. I hate to cook. Actually I hate to clean. Cooking might work out better if it didn't involve so much cleaning. But in the end, I love to eat, so I do occasionally cook.
Art & Design. I studied art and interior design in North Carolina, the heart of textile country.
Stepstools. I'm vertically challenged, so I have stepstools all over my house.
Music. All kinds. My playlists are a mess.
Shopping. I love to shop, especially for home goods. My husband's favorite thing about the blog is it keeps me too busy to shop much.
Chocolate. 'Nuff said.
Jesus. Because He first loved me.
Teachers. They take my kids for 6 hours every day. And somehow they teach them concepts that mostly just earn me an eye-roll when I try to teach them.
Reading. Especially fiction. I have to limit myself, otherwise my family will starve because I'm more concerned for the welfare of the hero in the book than I am about my actual loved-ones.
Writing. I have lots of words, and my husband gets tired of being the recipient of them all.
Thrift Stores. My favorite way to spend a free morning. (See "Shopping" above.)
You! I love that you're reading my blog. Thank you. I hope it inspires you, or at least brings a little color into your day.

What now?

If you're thinking of working with me or advertising on The Palette Muse, check out my Work With Me page.

Get social!

For behind the scenes previews of The Palette Muse projects and glimpses of life in New Mexico, check out my Instagram.
For all sorts of home decor, crafts, DIY and color inspiration, Pinterest is where I spend most of my free time.
For links to my newest projects, as well as my favorite bloggers' projects, go to my Facebook page.

Thanks so much for stopping by!