Check Out Felicia (Fe) Worthington’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Felicia (Fe) Worthington.

Hi Felicia (Fe), we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My partner and I moved into our home in December of 2019. I was six months pregnant and we had just dumped most of our money into our down payment on the house we’d soon bring our daughter home to. Despite our desire for a minimalist, industrial look for our home, what we ended up with was more of a basic-chic look, super focused on functionality 😂. We made sure we had a place to sit and eat and place for most of our things. Other than that, all of our energy and efforts went towards the nursery.

As you can imagine, we didn’t really have a lot of time to dedicate to home decor with a newborn on our hands during a pandemic. Now that she’s a toddler, it is easier to find time for other things (it takes a whole lot of teamwork, too!), and we decided that it’s time to re-evaluate the hub from which we’ll continue to grow!

Now, I’m not a professional. What I am, though, is a mom and a wife, and a creative who loves to learn. poppy + elm serves as an avenue for me to bring along other moms, wives, and creatives as I try my best and learn new things through the DIY’s and home projects I plan to undertake– in the hopes that maybe we can learn some things together.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I grew up in a less-than-loving, turbulent family that changed homes yearly. By the time I had graduated high school, I had attended ten different schools, so I never had the opportunity to have anything that was really rooted. I also raised three of my siblings as I was the oldest by a significant amount.

I’ve always turned to some form of creativity as a respite. Growing up, music and art were an escape from the stress and responsibilities I carried. My life revolved around tending to a house and a family before and after school and being expected to maintain perfection in every facet. As an adult, while my life is exponentially more peaceful, creativity has allowed me opportunities to step away from stress and the effects of trauma + mental illness.

In finding inspiration, I found my “why.” I want to make a home for my daughter (and any future kiddos) that is so rooted that it becomes the beginning and end of everything they remember from their childhood. I want to give them things I didn’t have the opportunity to even consider.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I run a blog called poppy + elm that documents my journey as I learn how to do various DIY’s and home improvement projects. I’m still just getting started as a blogger, and I’m so excited to see where it goes.

Currently, my focus is on the One Room Challenge: a twice yearly event in which participants are challenged to completely makeover one room in eight weeks (usually six). I’m renovating our primary bedroom (the only room to go completely untouched) and I’m doing it all DIY! I’ve already learned so much. Three weeks in and I’ve ripped out crown moulding, installed a board and batten wall, and built my partner and I custom closets– so many things I never thought I had the capability of doing!

Moving forward, I hope that my personality and character set me apart. There are a lot of DIY and home decor bloggers out there, and they’re all so incredibly talented, but I realized very early on that I’m not the DIY-mom that a lot of other bloggers are. I can’t do a GRWM because no one is interested in seeing me wipe crusties out of my eyes, run my short hair under water, brush the morning off of my breath, and get on with my day. I can’t do a “spring fashion haul” because (no lie) my spring fashion is thinner sweatpants and shorter shirts. I won’t be doing any sort of “join me for my 8pm workout!” No. Absolutely not. I don’t work out. I can’t offer what these other bloggers offer.

I’m not bubbly and professional. At all. I’m very chill and relaxed and am most comfortable with no makeup, no bra, sweatpants and a cigarette, cursing up a storm with 90’s rap in the background. I use she/they pronouns. I make weird sounds and dance when I’m excited about anything. I’m a total dork. I don’t fit this mold, but that’s okay– because that’s what makes me, me.

I just completed my first One Room Challenge: a twice yearly event in which participants are challenged to completely makeover one room in eight weeks (usually six). I renovated our primary bedroom (the only room in our home that was completely untouched) and I did everything myself! I’m gearing up to post the big reveal on Instagram and on the blog. My next project is taking on budget-friendly patio updates!

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
XO Macenna, Lone Fox, and AngelaRoseHome are a few very popular blogger/vloggers that inspired me to start poppy + elm.

Now that I’m becoming more ingrained in this community, I have found so many other accounts to be inspired by like JessieFinds, CassMakesHome, peonyandhoney, copperandgoldproject, and so many others I can’t think of at the moment.

When I’m elbow-deep in a project, for some reason I prefer podcasts to music. I’ve been listening to Morbid: A True Crime Podcast since I was pregnant making an hour commute to work. Now that I’ve listened to all of the episodes, I started back over to give me fuel while I’m sweating, covered in paint or dust, scrapes and bruises.

Contact Info:

• Email: poppyandelmblog@gmail.com
• Website: poppyandelm.com
• Instagram: @poppyandelm
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/poppyandelm
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/poppyandelm