Hi, I’m Serena Appiah!
Let’s just start with the obvious: how in the world do you say my last name?!
I’ll make it easy for you: it rhymes with IKEA. 🙂 My husband is Ghanaian, and “Appiah” is a very common name, sort of like how “Smith” is very common here in the U.S.
So moving on….
I’m the face behind Thrift Diving, a blog that inspires you to decorate, improve, and maintain your home on a DIY (do-it-yourself) budget.
When I was 6 years old, I wanted to be a cab driver.
Yes–a cab driver. I wanted to get paid to be lazy and drive people around.
Thankfully, my career aspirations evolved into something more creative, which turned into being a professional DIY blogger. (You can read more about my journey in 2015 from working full-time to becoming a full-time blogger).
Thanks for taking the time to learn more about my family and me!
(BRANDS: For more information about working with me, I’d love for you to check out my Media page or my Advertise page.)
My Family
This, my friends, is my family.
Hubby and I have been together for 21 years. YES, 21 years!
I can barely believe it.
I’m just 39, so we met when I was a fresh-faced, naive little girl from Hagerstown, Maryland, born and raised, attending college at the University of Maryland College Park. We’re now a family of 5, very unconventional, vegetarian, and probably the most laid-back family you’ll ever meet!
My sons are 11, 8, and 6.
And if you’re wondering if we’re trying for a girl, um–no. Don’t be delusional. LOL. A house full of boys will quickly kill any inkling of wanting #4 (have you heard the noise level in a house full of boys????).
My House
Oh, the home that has given me so much strife…. LOL. I still struggle with telling myself it’s an ugly house but after writing a popular post about how we should stop thinking we have an ugly house. I’m slowly learning how to transform my home into a home I love, and not just a home that provides a roof over our heads.
(At the very least, this home has given me waaaay too many projects on which to perfect my DIY skills!)
My Home Projects
Catch up on what I’ve done in our home so far:
My Pretty Laundry Room Makeover
My Kids’ Unbelievable Bathroom Makeover
My Colorful Basement Home Office Makeover
Master Bedroom Makeover (with DIY Crown Molding! Download the 52-page guide on How to Install Crown Molding Like a Novice)
Master Bathroom Makeover
My Style
I don’t think I have a style.
I like whatever I like. (Oh, but I’m obsessed with turquoise and Sherwin Williams Rainwashed and SW Sea Salt)
Sometimes it’s clean lines. Sometimes I like things a bit more ornate. I like modern things. But I also might like something that could fit in Grandma’s plaid kitchen. There’s no rhyme or reason to my tastes. 🙂 I decorate on passion and inspiration, not necessarily what’s popular or “in” at the time. But there is one thing I can guarantee: that whatever I decorate, it’s going to be budget-friendly!
I prefer to spend money on electronics, not expensive furniture!
My Passion
I used to feel so lost, trying to find my purpose in this world.
Until one day, I asked myself to choose three keywords to describe my life.
“Create. Inspire. Teach.”
This blog (which started in 2010) is built on these three life passions, and I am inspired by these words each time I create a project (check out my furniture makeovers) or watch the videos tutorial on my YouTube channel.
My Love of Thrift Stores
Home should be affordable. That’s my motto. I love splurging on electronics, as I mentioned, but when it comes to decorating, I am frugal and love to create as much as I can by hand. If I can buy it from a thrift store, I will! Plus, there is something so magical about the transformation from ugly to beautiful that inspires me every time.
My Love of Power Tools
Power tools are amazing….to take raw wood or materials and create something functional and beautiful–I thrive on that! I partner with RYOBI Power Tools, so I’m thankful that I get to do public speaking and video tutorials for them! A DIY’ers dream coming true.
I’m a Duluth Trading Company Model
It’s hard to believe that I was selected from thousands of women to be a Duluth Woman for their catalogs and national TV commercials!
I was one of nine winners in their Duluth Women model search!
Duluth Trading invited me to be a part of their No-Yank Tank national TV commercial, which you can watch below.
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy day to check out Thrift Diving! I’d love to keep in touch with you! I invite you to subscribe by email so that you don’t miss my next post! 🙂
Download the 5 freebies!
Thrift Diving inspires women to decorate, improve, and maintain their home themselves...using paint, power tools, and thrift stores! Use these 5 printables, checklists, and ebooks to get started!
Sunny Goldsberry says
Saw you in the Duluth Trading catalog. Way to go! So cool to see someone I follow on the internet that is so multi-talented!
Donna says
I have a tired looking fireplace. I would like to paint it. I saw a video how you did your fireplace brick. My fireplace is a little bigger than yours. How many kits did you have to buy to complete your fireplace? Do you remember the total cost of the renovation? Would you recommend doing it the way you did or, having looked back, wished you had done something differently?
KERI SUE MCDANIEL says
I love thrift stores, I live hardware stores, I love to craft, I love to paint. But I have never had the confidence to put that together!!!! You inspire me!!!!
barbara t whitaker says
OMG; I just love your spunk and determination. I would have loved to be a FT Blogger if I was 20 years younger! I’m 62 and have always picked up discarded trash/garage sale items. I’ve only owned 2 new couches my entire 45 years I’ve been married. Had street couches recovered, etc. My girls age 32 & 36 are also now not ashamed of dumpster diving. In 45 years of marriage, we’ve only bought a total of 10 things that were new. Saved money and really keeps things out of dumpster. My Daughter, son and 3 small children are Vegetarians (live in Athens GA) and would probably have so much in common with you. I am so proud of you (and other bloggers) to make it mainstream to use power tools, take on “manly” projects without hesitation. Your sons are observing such a strong woman and will be such great partners with their spouse. YOU GO GIRL (I know that’s a cliche now, but seriously, my momma was just like you and removed a door from a farmhouse, resided the house and plastered while my daddy was at work!
Karen says
Hi Serena! JUST watched your YT video “How Bloggers Make Money.”
Great…EASY….to follow, as always!
I LOVE your videos!! Thank you, so much.
Keep ’em comin, Sis!
Karen
Charleston, SC
BLANCHE says
I’ve always liked reuse of old items and throw aways , I hate to get rid of anything thinking there may be a use for it one day. I did some crafty thing when I was a stay at home mom ,now my kids are gone and I plan to get started on some of those projects waiting to be done and your site seems to be making things a lot easier . THANKS ?