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I'm definitely a "start completely fresh" kind of girl. I like beginning things on Mondays or the first day of the month, some time that feels defined, ordered, unmessy. So, I'm a complete sucker for New Year's resolutions. I always think of that quote from L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables: "Tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it." (Side note: I had those movies memorized as a little girl. Oh, Gilbert.) Of course, New Year's resolutions always prompt Old Year Reflections, and for Re-Nest, it was a fascinating look back…

Among the thousands of posts we wrote in 2010, the most popular posts— the ones that piqued readers' interest the most, and kept popping up in our Top Posts tower and on other blogs and sites months after their original publication date— showed an insatiable appetite for smaller, smarter, and more self-sufficient living. From inspirational small spaces to DIY tutorials and projects; from backyard farming to vintage shopping and decorating, here are the Top 25 Most Popular Re-Nest posts from 2010.

TOP ROW

• 1 Small Spaces and Teeny-Tiny Homes All Under 400 Sq. Feet!
• 2 49 Creative Reuse Ideas That Will Inspire & Surprise You
• 3 25 DIY Projects That Cost Less Than $50
• 4 Green Style: Chalkboard Kitchen Cupboards
• 5 Our Favorite Etsy Stores — And Tell Us Yours!

SECOND ROW

• 6 How To Make a String Tree Wall Mural
• 7 Small Spaces and Teeny-Tiny Homes: Round Two!
• 8 How To Clean Your Jeans Without Water (in the Freezer!)
• 9 15 Awesome Before & After Projects
• 10 Backyard Farmers: 15 Websites You Should Be Reading

THIRD ROW

• 11 10 Common Thrift Store Finds and Ways To Use Them for DIY Projects
• 12 Lauren's Tiny 400-Square-Foot Cozy Apartment
• 13 20 Outdoor DIY Projects To Take Pride In
• 14 Re-Nest's Top 30 How To Posts Of All Time
• 15 20 Creative and Repurposed Kitchen Storage Ideas

FOURTH ROW

• 16 13 Products That Are Unnecessary and Wasteful
• 17 How To Paint a Room
• 18 How To Make Modern Cement Planters Using Packaging
• 19 Green Tour: Jennifer's Vintage Glam Loft
• 20 Aquaponics: The Future of Home Gardening?

FIFTH ROW

• 21 How To Clean Your Bathtub with a Grapefruit and Salt
• 22 25 Small and Simple Living Posts You Might Have Missed
• 23 A Useful Reuse of Plastic Bottle Caps
• 24 Eight Products You Think You Need—But Don't
• 25 Our Favorite Vintage Home Stores on Etsy

* * *
Welcome to Re-Nest's end-of-year roundup!
We're making our way through 2010 and rounding up some of our favorite (and your favorite) posts. Also on deck during this time: the Re-Nest editors get personal in our "Meet the Team" series, a special group of guest bloggers share their green resolutions, and we go big with Green City Guides, from Montreal to Madison.

(Images: See linked posts for full image credits)

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