• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partner with Taryn

Taryn Whiteaker Designs

DIY and Interior Blog

  • Our Dallas Home Tour
  • Shop My Pics
  • Home Styling
    • Room Reveals
      • Our Current Home
      • Our First Home
    • Seasonal Home Tours
  • DIY Projects
    • DIY Home Decor
    • Crafts & Sewing
    • Before and Afters
    • Before and Afters
    • Furniture Builds and Makeovers
  • Seasonal Decor
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Fall
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Spring
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Printables
  • Entertaining
    • Parties
    • Tablescapes
  • Fashion
  • Travel

August 26, 2014

GMC Hidden Adventure: The Reveal

*Disclosure: My trip to attend the #GMCHTA was provided for but I was not compensated to participate or to share my experience with you.

So are you ready for the big reveal? (If you aren’t up to speed on the GMC Hidden Treasure Adventure you can read about that here and here) I’m so excited to finally be sharing with you the fully furnished and decorated home we did for Habitat For Humanity.

GMC Hidden Treasure Adventure

This was such a wonderful experience on so many levels and I still can’t get over the amazing rooms that we completed in just 8 short hours.

In case you missed it before, I was team up with 5 other DIY bloggers from around the country (see below) to decorate this home for a deserving mother and her son. We were each given $250 to complete our space(s) and had a few more donations from the Habitat ReStore and Rustoleum also gave us a $50 gift card to Home Depot. That’s it. And I can’t believe what we all did with it!

It was an amazing feeling decorating this home for the family (and it was a surprise), but from a design perspective challenging would be an understatement, but in a good and fun way. We really weren’t given that much time to shop  at the yard sales and on the first day I found a million things I loved but held off because I didn’t want to blow all my money on the first day, and then the second day I was playing catch-up and just buying whatever I could to make this space what I wanted. We were only given a few pics of our space and weren’t actually allowed into the home until the morning of the reveal so we had to work with whatever we had that morning! Looking back there are so many things I would do differently, and I would do it again in a heart beat!

OFFICE BY DESIGN, DINING AND DIAPERS

Thrifted Office Makeover on less than $250 budget!

I had the job of giving this mom a little office to work in. Five minutes after meeting the mom I learned that she wanted to go into fashion and I wish I would have known this before so I could have given her a sewing/craft room. However, she also wants to go back to school and was so excited to see a desk and workspace just for her so in the end it worked out!

Habitat Office by @tarynatddd

Working with pieces I found along the yard sale, this space turned into a very eclectic office and for the budget and time that I had I’m happy with how it turned out but there will always be the ‘I wish I would have’.

Habitat Office_4

I used an old door and saw horses to create the desk and accessorized it with some beautiful vintage finds. I got the door for a steal at only $25! (Seriously it would have gone for $200 around here in Seattle). And the saw horses were from the Habitat ReStore in Cincinnati.

Habitat Office_8

And this chair was just so cool. I found it at a little antique shop and it used to be the owner’s sewing chair. That made me love it that much more.

Habitat Office_7

The fan was another amazing find at just $17 and that desk accessory was only $3!

Habitat Office by designdininganddiapers.com

Habitat Office_6

The shelves are made from vintage corbels that I painted black and I added a pieces of reclaimed wood on top.

Habitat Office_5

And that bench? How cute is this? I found it already refinished. I just had to reupholster the seat, which I actually did using an IKEA pillow cover!

Habitat Home_9

FULL BATHROOM BY DESIGN, DINING AND DIAPERS

Rustic Black and White Bathroom

In addition to the office, I was also responsible for the upstairs bathroom. This is a space where I really wanted to use new things, so I left some money aside so buy them a new shower curtain/liner, bath mat and new bath/hand towels.

DIY BATHROOM SIGN

I originally had a very different design in mind. I didn’t know a towel bar had already been installed and I had purchased a very cool piece of vintage wood with hooks but I wasn’t able to use it. I also wasn’t planning on folding towels or else I would have bought a whole set!

The bathroom sign I made with a piece of an old door.

And now here are the other rooms in the house, visit each of their blogs for more details!

LIVING ROOM BY AMY FROM THE IDEA ROOM

GMC-Reveal-26

Amy did a fabulous job with the primary living space for this family. I was so impressed with her creativity and ability to make this room so pulled together and classy with such a limited budget.

Click HERE to read all about her room!

KITCHEN AND DINING AREA BY SAWDUST AND EMBRYOS

Kitchen-and-Dining-Room-designed-by-Nick-and-Beth-Sawdust-and-Embryos_thumb

Beth and Nick from Sawdust and Embryos totally rocked these two spaces. I am in total shock with what they were able to accomplish in such a short amount of time. Seriously jaw dropping.

See that backsplash. Yup, that’s all hand painted. PAINTED. You can read all about their rooms HERE.

MASTER BEDROOM BY FINDING SILVER PENNIES

Screen Shot 2014-08-25 at 11.20.11 PM

I just adore what Danielle came up with for the mother. I cannot believe she found the barn door and the beautiful NEW white bedding while thrifting! They go so perfectly together. Read all about her room HERE.

KID’S PLAYROOM  BY TWO THIRTY FIVE DESIGNS

GMC-Hidden-Treasures-Adventure-4-682x1024

OK. Are you not amazed by this room? Allison totally blew me away with what she did to this playroom. I think my jaw is still on the floor. Read all about it HERE.

 

GMC-Hidden-Treasures-Adventure-25-682x1024
Photo Credit: Two Thirty Five Designs

I absolutely loved getting to know these talented DIYers and feel so honored to work beside them. I want to do it all over again! And HUGE thanks to GMC and Habitat for Humanity for making this possible!

About Taryn Whiteaker

Hi! I’m Taryn! The voice behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. I launched this brand over 11 years ago when I became a stay-at-home mom. What started as a small craft and mom blog eventually grew into a full time design and DIY site. My goal has always been to inspire others (especially women!) with design ideas, DIY tutorials, entertaining ideas and give you the tools you need to complete them yourself!

You May Also Like:

  • TarynWhiteakerDesigns_BoysSportsBedroom-31
    Boys Sports Bedroom Reveal

Filed Under: Blogging, Default, Sponsored

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Danielle says

    August 26, 2014 at 3:40 pm

    Taryn, I’m so glad I got to go on this adventure with you and meet you! Thank you for all your help too! This is def. an adventure that will bond all of us forever. Your rooms cam out amazing. x

    Reply
  2. Jillian @ JST Design says

    August 28, 2014 at 10:32 am

    Taryn, you all did such an amazing job on each of the rooms for the family, I am sure they felt so blessed by all the work and talent that went into making the house a home!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

Primary Sidebar

Looking For Something?

CONNECT

Meet Taryn

Taryn Whiteaker

Hi and welcome! I'm Taryn and the voice of style behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. Sharing our journey of modernizing our European style home in Dallas. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list to get all the latest updates! Read more...

Footer

THIS SITE

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partner with Taryn

Privacy Policy

If you are interested in learning more about data that might be collected by this site you are encouraged to read the Privacy Policy

COPYRIGHT POLICY

All images on this site are copyright of Design, Dining and Diapers, LLC. Unless otherwise noted. You may not use these images without written permission. If you would like to feature a project shown on Design, Dining and Diapers you may use a maximum of 2 images and include a visible link back to the project.

More From The Gram

tarynwhiteaker_designs

Taryn Whiteaker Designs
AMAZON GIVEAWAY!!! 📦I’m giving away TWO $500 AMAZON GIVEAWAY!!! 📦I’m giving away TWO $500 Amazon Gift Cards to kick off Amazon Prime Day Deals! Yes two winners. Entry is simple: 

(1) Comment SHOP to visit my Amazon Storefront and follow! 
(2) Follow @tarynwhiteaker_designs @amazoninfluencerprogram AND @amazonhome 
(3) Tag a friend in the comments, the more the merrier! 
(4) Must be located in the United States

Giveaway closes July 13 at 10pm CT. Winners will be notified within 24 hours. 

*this giveaway is sponsored by Amazon Influencer Program.
Comment SHADES and I’ll send you a link to my go Comment SHADES and I’ll send you a link to my go-to Roman shades inside throughout the house. I add the blackout liner too and do the remote control option. They take minutes to install! So easy. 

Use code TARYN5 for extra 5% off. 

#homestyle #diy #diyhomedecor #decor #decorating #windowtreatments #homedesign #selectblinds
June recap! Not as many projects happened, but I’ve been enjoying summer life with the kids and making memories. 

My trip back to Seattle was so needed and refreshing. Summer in Seattle is unmatched.

We took our first family trip to Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas and we all fell in love. 

The kids finished up summer baseball, summer track and now we get a little break before football and fall sports.
Comment BED and I’ll send you a link to the comb Comment BED and I’ll send you a link to the combo storage and trundle bed I put in my son’s bedroom. It’s an amazing price, great quality, the color of the upholstery is a perfect oatmeal and the extra storage is so nice to have for kids stuff. 

#loweshomeimprovement #lowespartner #diy #kidsbedroom #kidsroomdecor #boysbedroom #kidsdecor #homedecor
Time to clean up the pavers, get rid of the water Time to clean up the pavers, get rid of the water residue, and make them look polished and glossy again! 

Comment YES PLEASE and I’ll send you the Stone Sealer + Gloss I’m using! 

#homedecor #dallasblogger #diyhomedecor #homeprojects #diy #diyproducts #bdcbrands #partner #exterior
Comment LINKS for these new fun finds! These artif Comment LINKS for these new fun finds! These artificial bushes can be used in planters or simply in the ground. Would look so great lining a driveway! 

#amazonfinds #neutralhome #exterior_design #exterior #exteriors #homedecor #homefinds #neutralhomedecor #dallasblogger #amazonhome #diyhomedecor
Comment SHOP for all the links to last month’s t Comment SHOP for all the links to last month’s top neutral home decor favs. 

#homedecorating #homestyle #homedecorideas #decoratingdeninteriors #decor #neutralhomedecor #doingneutralright #ispyraddesign #dallasblogger
I finally found THE piece for this corner on our c I finally found THE piece for this corner on our courtyard! It’s the perfect finishing touch. This outdoor mirror is absolutely stunning and very high quality. It would work well indoors too. I just love how it reflects the rest of the courtyard and you can see every angle in it. It makes the lights sparkle at night and it’s just dreamy! 

Comment SHOP and I’ll send you a link to the mirror and my approved artificial trees! 

#neutraldecor #dallasblogger #homedecor #exteriordecor #exteriors #diy #homestyle #homedetails #decorating
Comment SHOP for my favorite wireless art lights! Comment SHOP for my favorite wireless art lights! No hard wiring required, these are luxurious and the best I have found for quality battery operated lights. I will use them again and again! 

Color: antique brushed bronze jn purple bedroom
  Gold in baseball bedroom 

#lighting #amazonfind #homedecortips #decorating #homedecorlovers #homestyle #homedesign #homefinds #amazonhome #amazonhomefinds #amazonfinds
Follow on Instagram

Copyright© 2025 · Brunch Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Hosting by 3116 Digital