• Home
  • Subscribe
  • YouTube
  • Blog
  • Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Thrift Diving Blog

  • About
    • New? Start Here
  • Project Gallery
  • DIY
    • Build It
    • Home Improvement
    • Tips & Tools
    • Productivity
    • Outdoors
  • Thrift Talk
    • Thrift Hauls
    • Thrift Tips
    • Thrifted Clothing
  • Resources
  • Shop

Enter your first name and email and I'll send you 5 DIY freebies! :)

You are here: Home / About Serena Appiah

About Serena Appiah

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. ๐Ÿ™‚ 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”. This, of course, isn’t to say that I currently think that cab drivers are lazy. My father-in-law drove cabs as one of several jobs when he needed to care for his family of 6. So they’re definitely not lazy. But to my 6-year-old brain, driving a cab meant that I could “make money while not having to do much physical labor.”

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 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 House

Oh, the home that has given me so much strife…. 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!) 

You can watch my Home Tour over on my YouTube channel (be sure to subscribe for more videos!)

 

 

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

House

 

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. ๐Ÿ™‚ 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 Basement Home Office Makeover!

 

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.

Best Thrift Stores in Maryland - ThriftDiving.com - Vintage buffet

 

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.

 

IMG_0424

 

I Have a YouTube Channel

If you can’t find me on the blog or in class (I’m currently enrolled in a Carpentry program at my local community college), then you can find me on YouTube doing projects around my house, repurposing things, upcycling…

 

 

I Was 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. I say that I “was a Duluth Trading Company model because I haven’t done any work with them for nearly a year now. So I think I’m in that limbo stage of, “Am I still a Duluth Woman….or am I not?” I’m not sure. ๐Ÿ™‚

 

Serena Appiah

 

 

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! ๐Ÿ™‚

Connect with me on social media, as well:

YouTube
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram
Pinterest
Pinterest

 

Serena Appiah Profile
SIGNATURE

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!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Now go check your email for those freebies! Powered by ConvertKit

Comments

  1. Julie says

    January 24, 2021 at 7:20 PM

    How is your diy bathroom shower holding up?

    Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Maryann says

    April 23, 2020 at 12:23 PM

    Love your work!
    Love your vibe!
    LOVE my SAVERS store!!

    Reply
  3. MARIA CUTRONA says

    September 8, 2019 at 3:50 PM

    Hello Serena,
    I have a question for you… I have a French provencial that I bought in 1990 it’s solid wood and was the last time Century Company made real wood. Mine Is Solid and they did edge it with white accent at the time. Now here is the question I have a queen bed with foot board and Head board, A huge hutch, large dresser and 2 end tables.
    Hate panting it, but I’m more into grays, whites, these days. Since this was factory bought and it was not cheap at the time when I bought it… Can I use Beyond paint for this set I can send you pictures. I’m wondering if it will not adhere to the wood or bleed. I don’t like to Sand things down. Any suggestions??/

    Reply
    • Laura says

      March 15, 2021 at 10:13 AM

      I am thinking about doing the same. how did your project turn out? I just ordered the Beyond paint but I am terrified to start . Any hints will be appreciated.
      Laura

      Reply
  4. Vincent Murphy says

    July 30, 2019 at 7:08 AM

    Hi serena,well don on thrift diving .I don’t normally get in contact with people on the internet. I admirer what you do .just a little bit about myself. I’m a retired carpenter. I love working with wood. I have my own workshop. I do a lot of craft work. Makeing furniture. Wood turning. Wood carving.i will send you some photos in the near future. Good bye for. Take care.

    Reply
  5. Melissa Olson says

    July 14, 2019 at 2:26 PM

    When and what will your next room challenge be? Anything in August?

    Reply
  6. Ineke says

    June 28, 2019 at 1:25 AM

    Hi Serena,
    I just love watching your video’s. You radiate so much energy and enthousiasm. Because of you I have taken the plundge and started reupholstering a chair I found in a local thrift store. Because it brings me so much joy, I have enrolled in an upholstery class. You even have me thinking of starting my own blog in my native language.
    Thank you for the inspiration!
    Ineke
    From across the pond in Belgium

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Iโ€™m Serena Appiah (rhymes with IKEA). I think home should be affordable. All you need is paint, power tools and thrift stores. >> READ MORE...

Subscribe and I’ll send you 5 freebies to your inbox! :)

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Work With Me

  • Media
  • Advertise
  • Contact Me
  • Privacy Policy

Watch “How To” Tutorials

Enter your name and email and I'll send you 5 DIY freebies! :)

Copyright © 2021 · Genesis Framework · Theme by Restored 316 · Custom Design by Moritz Fine Designs

Copyright © 2021 ยท Glam Theme on Genesis Framework ยท WordPress ยท Log in