Discover Our Most Popular: Unveiling An Oregon Cottage’s Top 10 Posts of 2014 – Recipes, DIY, and Garden Wisdom

Welcome back, cherished readers, and a warm greeting to those just discovering the heart of An Oregon Cottage! As the year draws to a close, it’s a delightful tradition to look back and celebrate the content that resonated most deeply with our vibrant community. We understand that “top ten” lists are popular, and for good reason—they offer a fantastic opportunity for reflection and discovery. For us, revisiting the most-viewed posts of the past year provides invaluable insight into what you find most useful, inspiring, and engaging on our site. It allows us to understand what truly makes a difference in your homes and gardens.

This curated collection is more than just a list; it’s a snapshot of the An Oregon Cottage ethos, showcasing the very essence of what we stand for. New visitors will gain a clear picture of our core passions and practical approaches to everyday living, while our long-time followers can enjoy a nostalgic trip, perhaps even seeing some of their personal favorites highlighted once more. It’s truly a testament to the enduring appeal of practical solutions, delicious homemade recipes, and satisfying DIY projects that empower us all to live a more fulfilling and sustainable life.

We are thrilled to present the most viewed posts from 2014, a selection that beautifully encapsulates our three primary focuses: delicious, wholesome recipes, practical and fruitful gardening advice, and creative, achievable DIY projects designed to enhance your home and lifestyle. Each entry on this list represents a shared journey towards a more natural, homemade, and joyful way of living.

An Oregon Cottage’s Bests of 2014

1. Home Canned Pizza Sauce. It always brings a smile to my face when a preserving recipe clinches a top spot, as it truly reflects the collective love for sustainable living and making the most of nature’s bounty. While I’m never surprised that our preserving guides consistently rank among our most popular content of all time, I must admit a touch of delightful surprise that this humble, yet incredibly versatile, homemade pizza sauce recipe soared to the number one position this year! Its popularity speaks volumes about the desire for wholesome, from-scratch ingredients for family meals. This easy-to-make sauce, whether from fresh garden tomatoes or your frozen stash, allows you to capture peak flavor and enjoy homemade pizza any night of the week. And thankfully, our equally beloved quick pizza dough recipe also made this list, ensuring you have the perfect foundation for all that delicious, homemade goodness!

2. Garlic-Mint DIY Garden Insect Spray. This particular post’s immense popularity comes as no surprise whatsoever – in fact, my only wonder is why it didn’t claim the top spot! This natural insect spray was an absolute game-changer for my garden, delivering results that genuinely amazed me, and I couldn’t wait to share its incredible effectiveness with all of you. The enthusiasm was palpable, and the post quickly gained viral traction, especially across platforms like Hometalk. The before-and-after photographs still manage to astound me with their dramatic proof of success. This DIY solution offers an eco-friendly, budget-conscious way to protect your plants from common garden pests without resorting to harsh chemicals, aligning perfectly with our commitment to sustainable and healthy gardening practices. It’s truly amazing stuff that delivers real, visible results!

3. Flourless Coconut Almond Bars. Oh, these delectable bars! I’m incredibly pleased that the accompanying photograph truly captured their irresistible appeal, playing a key role in making them one of your most-loved recipes. These aren’t just any treat; their grain-free nature is a significant attribute, catering to those with dietary considerations or simply seeking a healthier dessert option. But let’s be honest, the crowning glory is undeniably the rich, dark chocolate drizzle that perfectly complements the nutty coconut and almond flavors. Each bite is a harmonious blend of textures and tastes—chewy, moist, and utterly satisfying. They embody the philosophy that healthy eating doesn’t mean sacrificing flavor or indulgence. These bars are proof that you can enjoy a truly delightful dessert that also aligns with a mindful approach to food. Sigh, they’re simply divine!

4. DIY Tufted French Mattress Cushion. This project has been a long time coming, and its popularity thrills me! I had envisioned creating a tufted mattress cushion ever since we embarked on the exciting task of making our charming bench from two old chairs – an endeavor that, believe it or not, took place more than two years prior! Well, as the saying goes, better late than never, and the wait was certainly worth it. This DIY tufted French mattress cushion project offers a fantastic opportunity to bring custom, high-end style into your home without the designer price tag, much like a beloved Ballard Catalog knockoff. It allows for personalization and the immense satisfaction of crafting something beautiful and functional with your own hands. It was incredibly gratifying to recently read a comment from a reader who enthusiastically linked to this as “the best French-edged mattress cushion tutorial” they’d found – wow. Receiving feedback like that truly amazes and humbles me, confirming that our detailed guides truly empower you to create stunning home decor.

5. DIY Flaxseed Warming Pillow Video & Printable Gift Tags. Do you even know how much sheer joy it brings me to see how much you all adore these flaxseed warming pillows? I genuinely consider them a quintessential ‘signature’ project here at An Oregon Cottage, embodying everything we strive for: they are quick to make, incredibly easy to assemble, wonderfully useful for soothing aches and pains or simply providing comfort, wonderfully inexpensive to create, and universally loved by everyone fortunate enough to receive them as a thoughtful, handmade gift. This project perfectly encapsulates my aim for most of the content I publish on AOC: to provide do-able, accessible ideas and tutorials that genuinely make our lives better, more comfortable, and infused with a touch of handmade care. The added bonus of free printable gift tags makes them an even more appealing and complete package for thoughtful giving!

6. Sweet & Spicy Canned Onion Marmalade. This is one of those fantastic recipes that has been a long-standing favorite in my kitchen for many years, enhancing countless meals with its unique flavor profile. I finally got around to sharing it with all of you, spurred by the realization that I reach for it for an incredibly wide array of culinary applications – from serving as a sophisticated glaze for our holiday turkey, adding depth to sandwiches, elevating a cheese board, or even stirring into gravies and sauces. The sweet and spicy notes create a complex and addictive flavor that transforms ordinary dishes into something extraordinary. Seeing this beloved recipe make your top 10 list brought me immense happiness, confirming that its versatility and deliciousness resonate with our community’s passion for creative, homemade preserves that truly elevate everyday cooking. It’s a testament to the power of a well-crafted condiment!

7. The Ultimate Rhubarb Guide. This comprehensive guide marked the exciting debut in what has become a very popular series of “Ultimate Produce Guides” here at An Oregon Cottage. Since then, we’ve expanded the collection to include in-depth resources for other garden staples like onions, tomatoes, and asparagus, too. I am absolutely thrilled that one of these extensive guides made it onto this year’s top 10 list, as it truly validates the significant effort and passion poured into creating them. Each guide is meticulously researched and compiled, covering everything from how to successfully grow and harvest the produce to delicious ways to cook with it and the best methods for preserving its freshness. They take me a considerable amount of time to put together, precisely because I want them to be incredibly useful, comprehensive resources for you, our dedicated readers. In fact, I had ambitious plans to publish many more in the latter half of 2014… but did I mention they take a long time to create? Guess what’s prominently featured on my 2015 goals list? More amazing guides for you, of course! Your engagement proves their worth!

8. Quick Homemade Pizza Dough. Can I just express how absolutely blown away I was by the incredible popularity of this particular post? It’s not because the recipe isn’t utterly awesome – it is! This has been our go-to, tried-and-true recipe for family pizza nights for almost two decades, consistently delivering perfect results. What surprised me, however, is that I had actually shared this very recipe two times previously on the blog. The difference this time? It was presented as a standalone post, with a strong emphasis on the incredible cost savings and sheer ease of making your own dough from scratch. It just goes to show, sometimes it’s all in the presentation, or as I like to call it, the ‘packaging’! I am genuinely overjoyed that this simple yet transformative recipe is finally getting the recognition it deserves and reaching a much wider audience. For my family, this quick homemade pizza dough was one of our very first truly life-changing, easy, and satisfying from-scratch recipes that set us on a path to more homemade goodness. It truly empowers families to enjoy healthier, tastier meals for less.

9. The Original Brown Paper Floor Technique – 4 Years Later Video Update. Our groundbreaking original paper floor video tutorial continues to be an absolute phenomenon on our site, consistently remaining our most popular post of all time. It’s also the DIY project that generates the most questions, despite our efforts to create a dedicated FAQ page to address common queries. Given its enduring appeal and the constant stream of interest, creating a follow-up video was an absolute no-brainer. This update aimed to tackle all those lingering questions and provide a comprehensive look at how our brown paper floors were holding up after four years of real-life wear and tear. It’s a testament to the durability and stunning aesthetic of this budget-friendly DIY alternative to traditional wood floors. We truly tried our best to answer every question you had, but even with this detailed follow-up, this classic An Oregon Cottage DIY project still sparks the most curiosity and conversation. Its beauty, affordability, and unique charm make it an unforgettable home transformation!

10. A Little Weight Update. It is truly humbling and deeply encouraging to see this personal journey post resonate so strongly with so many of you. Your heartfelt comments, thoughtful questions, and unwavering support of my personal journey and success in reaching a healthy weight by embracing real, whole foods has been a tremendous source of motivation and strength for me. Even more profoundly, the realization that I can serve as an inspiration for some of you in your own health journeys is an incredibly humbling and rewarding experience. This post delves into the practical strategies and mindset shifts that allowed me to lose weight and, more importantly, sustain those healthy habits through the power of nourishing, real food. It speaks to the broader An Oregon Cottage philosophy of living authentically and striving for holistic well-being. Thank you so much, my dear friends, for your incredible kindness and for being such an integral part of this community. Your engagement makes every shared story feel meaningful.
xo,

Thank you for making 2014 such an incredible year of shared inspiration and learning here at An Oregon Cottage. We look forward to continuing this journey with you, bringing more practical recipes, inspiring DIYs, and helpful gardening tips in the years to come!