Join My 30-Day “Fall Overhaul” Challenge (and Win $1,000!)
This $1,000 giveaway and 30-day challenge is sponsored by Arrow Tool Group®. Click here for more info and to enter.
Over the past month, I’ve been helping my friend transform her cluttered, boring spare bedroom into a home office. I’ve been teaming up with Arrow Tool Group® to try out their new line of hand tools and office supplies while I tackled so many projects for her space, which you’ll get to see the final reveal on August 13th!
Now we’re giving YOU the chance to win $1,000 (with 29 additional $100 Arrow give cards to ArrowToolGroup.com), but I’m also inviting you to participate in our 30-Day “Fall Overhaul” Challenge! Enter your name and email for a chance to win. Enter the challenge by submitting your “BEFORE” pictures for even more chances to win!
Keep reading below to hear more about the history of our 30-Day Challenges and the makeovers we do here at Thrift Diving!
Our Very First 30-Day Challenge!
I remember the moment I dreamed up my very first 30-day room makeover challenge.
It was 2014 and I was shuffling my way to the drudgery known as “work” when I had a 9-to-5 job. I live in the Washington, DC metro area. Traffic is a nightmare, and very time-consuming. On this particular morning, I was stuck in stop-and-go traffic, frustrated by the congestion, but also by a niggling thought: “My house is a mess. Why haven’t I made any progress!”
We had lived in our house for 4 years and within that time, I felt like I was jumping from room to room, project to project, without any clear focus for actually transforming my house into a comfortable, affordable home.
While driving, I thought, “What if I just took 30 days and focused on one space….one room….one project? And better yet, what if I invited all of my readers to join me? I bet they feel stuck and unmotivated, too! I can’t be the only one feeling this way…”
Shortly after, I launched my very first room makeover challenge called the “June Room” 30-Day Challenge, bringing you with me on the journey, which was the first in many challenges that we did together: from laundry rooms, to bedrooms, to bathrooms–literally, every space our homes, including outdoor spaces.
For that June Room Challenge, I tackled my laundry room, and transformed it from a worn-out, 1970’s nightmare with peel-and-stick tiles and textured vinyl wallpaper, to a blush-pink pretty laundry room. In fact, this was the first space in my home where I had laid a ceramic tile “floating floor” which I had never done before! Talk about pushing myself to the limits….
And I had only 30 days.
You came along for that journey, transforming your own spaces, letting us build momentum together, inspiring each other to keep pushing forward when it felt like it was simply too much to complete within just 4 measly weeks.
This was something to be proud of. More importantly, I understood the importance of setting a deadline and challenging yourself….and saying “no” to every other shiny new project during the time that you’re only focus should be that one project.
I think we were on to something here at Thrift Diving with these 30 days challenges.
Here’s how my laundry room turned out:
Keeping the Momentum Going
Eleven years later, we’ve done so many projects together–projects that may have never gotten done if we didn’t urge each other to continue, especially when the tasks seem to outweigh the number of days left to complete them!
While I can’t ever say that my house is “done,” it was because of those challenges that my house began to feel comfortable and livable (although, I will confess that some of those rooms are definitely in order for another makeover! Why doesn’t a room every stay put together??!).
Over the years, as my house has begun to feel more welcoming and homey, I’ve realized that there are important people in my life whose homes still need some TLC, and that my DIY skills and 30-day challenges could be of use in transforming their home, as well.
Over the past year, I’ve helped my best girlfriend to transform her ugly 1990’s bathroom into a modern, clean, fresh bathroom.
BEFORE
She’d always wanted to update her bathroom, but she thought she needed thousands of dollars to gut the entire bathroom. When I offered her another way, using paint, power tools, and thrift stores (and a deadline, by the way…), she didn’t even believe it could be done.
But I assured her that it could be done. We just needed to get started, and we needed a deadline. This is how her bathroom looked before starting:
AFTER!
Afterwards, her bathroom was fresh, modern, and bright! While it ended up taking a bit longer than 30 days, having a deadline forced us to work quickly, instead of getting sidetracked by other projects. (You can watch the transformation of this bathroom here on my channel. )
BEFORE
I couldn’t believe her enthusiasm once we were done her bathroom, when she said, “Let’s do my bedroom next!”
That’s how transformative DIY is–not only does it transform your space, but it transforms your confidence and vision for tackling other spaces in your home. That’s how my friend felt–confident that she could turn her bedroom into the cozy, soothing space she’d always envisioned for herself (without breaking the bank).
Here’s what it looked like before we started:
AFTER!
Her bedroom was rich, moody, and layered. She loved it! Our styles our completely different (I decorate with light colors, bright rooms, pinks, and pastel colors, like my Sherwin Williams Rainwashed bedroom). But this wasn’t about trying to convince her to embraced my style and color palette. It was about helping her bring her own style and vision to life, and giving her the skills and confidence to make it happen. I couldn’t have been happier!
A Home Office Makeover (and $1,000 Giveaway!) in 30 Days
It’s been a joy to help her finally turn her home into what she’s always wanted (just wait until you see how colorful it is!). So when I recently teamed up with Arrow Tool Group® to makeover over her home office, I asked her if she was ready, willing, and available. She didn’t hesitate: “Yessss, girl, I was just saying to myself that I wanted to make over this home office!”
I have been teaming up with Arrow for many years, doing so many projects around my home: stapling, gluing, fastening, and more. Now, though, Arrow is doing some exciting stuff, including launching a whole line of hand tools and office supplies, like scissors with cool box-cutting tips built into them, along with staplers, and more.
Arrow is excited to help you complete your next DIY project by giving one grand prize winner $1,000 ($500 VISA gift card, and a $500 ArrowToolGroup.com gift card). There will be 29 additional winners receiving a $100 Arrow gift card to be used at ArrowToolGroup.com. Be sure to enter your name and email for a chance to win. Winners will be announced on or about October 15, 2025. (Read the full giveaway rules here).
So back to my friend’s home office…
This is what her home office looked like before we got started, about a month ago:
BEFORE
Her home office wasn’t bad…..it just was a little cluttered, uninspiring, but that really useable space. She’s been wanting to start a podcast, in addition to needing the space as a work-from-home office. This is what we started with before we got our hands on it:
But it doesn’t look like this anymore!! 😉
I can’t wait to show you the “AFTER”! But you’ll have to wait until August 13, 2025! We’ll get to see the big reveal at that time. But I also I want to encourage you to enter the Arrow $1,000 Fall Overhaul giveaway!
Join My 30-Day “Fall Overhaul” Challenge, Too!
I absolutely love doing 30-day challenges! There’s nothing like a deadline to get you started and finishing a project. So on August 13th, not only will you get to enter the giveaway, but I’m also dedicating the entire month of September for our 30-Day “Fall Overhaul” Challenge!
I’m challenging you to pick one space, one room, one project to makeover, construct, build, paint, DIY…..And the more challenge tasks you complete, the more entries you’ll get into the challenge! The challenge and giveaway open up on August 13th!
By joining the challenge and submitting “BEFORE” pictures to me, you’ll earn additional entries throughout the challenge! Each week, you’ll receive emails from me, encouraging you to complete your project or makeover, giving you tips and tricks, and helping you to reach that finish line!
The more tasks you complete each week, like sharing your progress on social media, including submitting your “AFTER” project pictures, the more entries you’ll get into the giveaway!
Are you ready to be inspired and win some great Arrow tools?! Here we go!
(Psst! Check out the full giveaway rules here. No purchase necessary).
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!
